rundll32.exe problem

Liquid Hellz

I recently had to install windows xp over my previous version of xp on the same hard drive, did not do a format because I needed my files. Now whenever I turn the computer on it lags up really bad and gets real slow until I end rundll32.exe process(s). Then it frees up again and I can go about my business like normal. What do I do?

Dunadan019

options:

A) keep doing what you are doing, there are many programs that i close on startup (but i rarely start up)

backup your files, format your hard drive and reinstall windows correctly.

i suggest B.

Liquid Hellz

Damn, thats what I didn't want to hear.. Hope someone else has a different solution. If not then oh well.

exoplasm

use process explorer to find out what is using rundll32.exe and why its causing problems

shadydentist

If you're reinstalling an OS, you should always completely reformat.

I also suggest B.

Liquid Hellz

exoplasm wrote: »

use process explorer to find out what is using rundll32.exe and why its causing problems

Its running under explorer and nothing is using rundll to run.

Another thing I just realized is that everything runs fine with both versions of rundll32.exe running until I try to right click on my desktop.

Liquid Hellz

When I right click on my desktop process explorer shows setup.exe (description "Microsoft setup bootstrapper" opening under svchost.exe. I think thats what is freezing me up. Anyone know anything about this?

Sir Carcass

If you reformat, I suggest creating 2 partitions. One I'd make about 20GB or so, and use the rest of your hard drive for the second. Install Windows on the first and put everything else on the second. That way, when you reformat in the future, you just have to format the C: drive, leaving your second partition alone. You'll have to reinstall any programs you installed to the drive, but all your files will remain untouched.

Liquid Hellz

Sir Carcass wrote: »

If you reformat, I suggest creating 2 partitions. One I'd make about 20GB or so, and use the rest of your hard drive for the second. Install Windows on the first and put everything else on the second. That way, when you reformat in the future, you just have to format the C: drive, leaving your second partition alone. You'll have to reinstall any programs you installed to the drive, but all your files will remain untouched.

I have thought about doing this in the past. It sounds like a good idea, keep my music/pictures/dvds/work files on the second partition but how do I access the smaller partition from my main partition with windows? Also can I have Itunes just read my mp3s from the second partition? How do I make sure the smaller partition stays clean of junk files?

capnrico

Have you run virus/malware scans? I'm pretty sure lots of malware uses rundll32 to execute itself.

exoplasm

Liquid Hellz wrote: »

Sir Carcass wrote: »

If you reformat, I suggest creating 2 partitions. One I'd make about 20GB or so, and use the rest of your hard drive for the second. Install Windows on the first and put everything else on the second. That way, when you reformat in the future, you just have to format the C: drive, leaving your second partition alone. You'll have to reinstall any programs you installed to the drive, but all your files will remain untouched.

I have thought about doing this in the past. It sounds like a good idea, keep my music/pictures/dvds/work files on the second partition but how do I access the smaller partition from my main partition with windows? Also can I have Itunes just read my mp3s from the second partition? How do I make sure the smaller partition stays clean of junk files?

With Windows your partitions will be C: and in your My Computer window. So to get to files on C: you go to C:, and for files on the bigger partition. Easy, yea?

Sir Carcass

exoplasm wrote: »

Liquid Hellz wrote: »

Sir Carcass wrote: »

If you reformat, I suggest creating 2 partitions. One I'd make about 20GB or so, and use the rest of your hard drive for the second. Install Windows on the first and put everything else on the second. That way, when you reformat in the future, you just have to format the C: drive, leaving your second partition alone. You'll have to reinstall any programs you installed to the drive, but all your files will remain untouched.

I have thought about doing this in the past. It sounds like a good idea, keep my music/pictures/dvds/work files on the second partition but how do I access the smaller partition from my main partition with windows? Also can I have Itunes just read my mp3s from the second partition? How do I make sure the smaller partition stays clean of junk files?

With Windows your partitions will be C: and in your My Computer window. So to get to files on C: you go to C:, and for files on the bigger partition. Easy, yea?

Yeah, when you partition it's like having 2 hard drives, as far as your computer is concerned. When you install something, just change the path from c:\installpath to d:\installpath. When you open up My Computer, you will see icons for C: and for . Same thing in Windows Explorer, you'll have the two drives selectable. I don't use iTunes, but I'd imagine you'd just point it to your drive when it's looking for your library. If by smaller partition you mean the drive, it won't get any files that you don't put or install there. Usually what I do when reformatting is to delete the directories for things I've installed and just reinstall them to that drive again. If you mean the C: drive, where you'll install Windows, it's not any different than it is now. When you format that drive, any junk files will be deleted.

Liquid Hellz

Ah I see, I always thought for some reason that you had to log into windows on that part of the partition to see it. Well I fixed the problem thanks to process explorer. When I was right clicking on my desktop another rundll32 was starting up and was trying to run the microsoft groove application which had a bad path or something so it was freezing up, I just uninstalled groove. Thanks guys!