explorer is driving me nuts

Ok, I have Windows 98SE, running the ltest version of Explorer, and I am having a serious problem. Sometimes it locks up. Usually after I close down a window. Just freezes, if I try to do anything, I get the big blue screen. When I hit control+alt+delete, it shows all the normal stuff that I have had for a long time except for one thing:Rundll32. Never been there before, don't know why it is there now, but I think it is the root to my problems. I have spybot and adaware and mcafee virus protector. I tried some new spy blocker program that was hard to tell if it was working and it ate tons of memory so I uninstalled it. I think that is when I started getting the rundll32 problem and I am sure that is when my lock ups started also. I have tried a program called Registry Mechanic to no avail. Please help, I don't have much hair left to pull out.

 

Welcome to the world of Microsoft. Just kidding...


I would reinstall Internet Explorer (which is what I assume you meant when you said "explorer").

 

Yes, that is what I meant, sorry. I have been trying to do that all morning. Still not working. What is the rundll32 anyways?

 

With the Fear of Spyware infection, some people installed numerous scanners and cleaners to their systems. After using these scanners without caution they damaged their application and even system files and possibly the registry. Not to mentioned 'real-time scanners' using enormous system resources, creating errors, system/application crashes and at the very least a performance drag which in some case were not far from what a spyware infection would have done...
If you do not have sunbstential reason to have verious related' programs installed and even worse running in the background....don't! Use what you need when you need it period. Be prepared and take preventative measure, using real-time scanners alone is never good enough. It is also known that real-time scanning is not as effective as the on-demand scanning.
But all that talk is based on the assumption is that the problems occuring are due to some system or application problem. Have you done any changes at all to your system, more specifically hardware wise, upgrades, etc.? System freezes could also be caused faulty hardware components such as HardDrive or RAM and as well as troubled device drivers.

 

I haven't done any hardware upgrades, just windows software. And I have always used Spybot except for one time I tried something different and it has caused all these problems. I just want to know what this rundll32 is and what I can do to stop it.

 

You might try Big Fix, Error Nuker, PC Bug Doctor , as they claim to be able to fix those kinds of problems. They helped me somewhat.

 

Hi There
To the best of my knowledge Rundll32 is a legit M$ file but it could be corrupted. Go to Run and type "sfc" (without the quotes). This will test all system files for accuracy and if it finds one that is crook it will invite you to insert your 98SE Cd and will replace it. I heartily agree with previous comments re too many cleaners etc running. I only use an antivir and a firewall when on the net. After I leave the net I run AdAware and Spybot for any nasties that I might have attracted. Hope this helps
Regards
Robert

 

For all Windows rundll32.exe is a system executable that runs when a process has been started by (generally) the currently logged user. If the program (the executable) that gets started is a registered software the Process usually identifies it with the applicable name but if it is a stand-alone or unindentifiable then the process would have a generic name which is 'rundll32.exe'.
These are not always bad but majority of the time I see them in TaskManager, the system was infected with some sort of a spyware. One a Windows9x system it could also be referring to a process used/started by a device driver as well.
I'd check the msconfig > Startup tab along with the related RUN registry keys values...