Missing/broken DLL causes system-wide instability.

Shurikane · Dim Panties As String Joined: 24 Sep 2002

Using Windows 2000 Pro. Everything's fine, doing business, et cetera.

Then, from one day to the next, all of a sudden, a DLL file started acting up.

I open my Control panel and get a script error, IE style, saying that the file file://C:\WINNT\Web\controlp.htt has an error in loading DLL.

I open Add/Remove Programs and get another script error: res://sp3res.dll/default.hta doesn't support this property or method. The window remains empty; it doesn't work anymore.

I open Windows Explorer. I'm given yet another script error: file://C:\Program Files\Folder.htt, gFolder.HaveToShowWebViewBarricade is null or not an object. The folder's contents don't display.

I click the shortcut for Windows Update. Nothing happens.

I open Internet Explorer, go to Tools and click on Windows Explorer. A script error icon appears. I double click it. The script error dialog box appears, but on top of it is another dialog box: "An error has occured in this dialog, Error 58, Error in loading DLL." Windows Update doesn't show up at all.

And finally, numerous applications crash on startup.

I open the computer management console. A flurry of errors are coming from the .NET Runtime Optimization Service. I check the Services window. The service in question is on auto startup, but currently stopped. I disable it.

In the Security journal, I find numerous errors related to Service Control Manager: "The Automatic Updates service terminated with the following error: Error loading type library/DLL."

On a whim, I ran the Windows repair tool and the Internet Explorer intaller in the hope that it'd fix things up. No effect.

Now. I can't uninstall the framework because Add/Remove Programs is broken. I can't look for it inside the computer since Windows Explorer is broken too. I'm not even sure if it's the framework itself that's broken or if something else is trying to act with it in a way that it shouldn't. I don't even know which DLL is broken and if it's the only one.

What now?

Shino · Posted: Tue Oct 31, 2006 3:06 pm Post subject:

Do you have the CD. Trying loading off the CD and repairing your Windows installation from there.

Shurikane · Dim Panties As String Joined: 24 Sep 2002

Already did. Used the quick-fix repair, had no effect.

The next step on that CD is a "hard repair" that overwrites the Windows installation, but has the side effect of causing the OS to stop recognizing some programs unless I reinstall them.

Shino · Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:06 am Post subject:

Right b/c you reset your registry as well.
Sux, but it may be your only choice.

Shurikane · Dim Panties As String Joined: 24 Sep 2002

Christ, I wish those guys could just do away with the registry once and for all. They have stuff in there that I just don't know the reason of their existence. It's like local security policy, installed programs and user access databases all mashed into one giant super-freak...

*sigh* I'll see if I can find a zip of the .NET framework and attempt to reinstall that.

Shurikane · Dim Panties As String Joined: 24 Sep 2002

Problem fixed. Turns out I had to input an obscure IE6 repair command in Run...

Shino · Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 9:18 am Post subject:

OF COURSE! We should have known!

Silver Adept · Otaku Lord Age: 41 Gender: Joined: 20 May 2003

Thffft. Silly Microsoft.