I am unable to open anything when I go to my control panel

Greetings,

I am unable to open anything when I go to my control panel. If I try to add a program or device it gives me a message

"Windows can not find C\windows\rundll32.exe

Nothing in the control panel can be opened. I assume it is a virus but how do I remove.

Thanks

Robert Case

This question was answered on October 30, 2004. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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If you think its a virus.

Install antivirus software Antivirus software should be on all of your computers It works by scanning the contents of incoming e-mails (and files already on your computer), looking for viral signatures If it finds a virus, it deletes or quarantines it Because hundreds of viruses are released each month, all antivirus software must be updated regularly with the latest signature definitions so the software can catch the latest viruses Look for software that automatically downloads the latest definitions and program updates from the Internet

Never open suspicious files Make sure everyone understands they should delete — not open — any files attached to an e-mail from an unknown, suspicious or untrustworthy source

Use e-mail security features Both Outlook 2003 and Outlook Express 6.0 have settings that help snuff out potentially infected e-mail Look into upgrading to these e-mail programs if you don't use them already.

If it did'nt work

Repair your installation of Windows

Place the Windows XP CD in the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive

If the Windows CD displays the What would you like to do? menu, click Exit

Turn off your computer, wait ten seconds, and then turn your computer back on

If you are prompted to start your computer from the CD, do so

After Windows XP Setup starts, press ENTER to continue the setup process

Press ENTER to choose the option To set up Windows XP now, press ENTER Do not choose the Recovery Console option

Press F8 to accept the licensing agreement

At this point, the Setup program will search for previous installations of Windows XP If Setup does not find a previous installation of Windows XP, then you might have a hardware failure Click No, I still have a problem when I try to start Windows below, and then click Next to continue troubleshooting

If Setup does find a previous installation of Windows XP, then the following message will appear:

" If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, setup can try to repair it.

Use the up and down arrows to select an installation.

To repair the selected installation Press R.

To continue without repairing, Press Esc."

Choose the appropriate installation of Windows XP, and then press R to attempt to repair it

Follow the remaining directions on your screen

Notes

You might need to change the boot drive sequence in your BIOS settings in order to successfully start your computer from the Windows CD Contact the manufacturer of your computer, or see your manufacturer's documentation, for more information

If you are unable to start your computer from the Windows XP CD, then you might have a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive failure or other hardware failure

About the author

Posted by gilbert of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on October 30, 2004

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