Vista SP Issue

Professor Snugglesworth

Long story short, my desktop has been turning on with the following error message:



I tried to restore the system back a few days, but that didn't get rid of this issue. I tried downloading SP1 on Microsoft's page, but it said that it was already installed. I also tried updating Vista, but that didn't help either.

So, please help me.

Tofystedeth

hmm, well, a quick googling doesn't bring up a single result for that dll, with either a q or g, I couldn't really tell from that screenshot. Given the seemingly random characters, it could be a virus/trojan that got removed, but only incompletely. You might try running a scan or two to see if anything shows up. Also check HijackThis or msconfig or something for a startup reference to it. Though it seems odd that it loads before your desktop.

Professor Snugglesworth

I tried google first thing and that .dll didn't come up either. I always have Avast! running, so it should have caught this. I'm running Avast right now (thorough scan, 35%) as well as Spybot (2 adware, already deleted), so what can I do next in case this doesn't work?

Also, to jump ahead at the possibility, when inserting the Vista disc to reboot everything, what choices do I make to ensure that I don't lose any files, data, or programs?

matt has a problem

Download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and run it next.

embrik

My guess is that it's being referenced in the registry run key. (Either in HKLM or HKCU). Probably an old app that was removed (but not properly) and/or a virus/spyware that wasn't fully removed. My guess is that removing the string value referencing this DLL will alleviate this problem. If you don't know how to find these references, HijackThis or Autoruns should help. Autoruns is very nice, and will allow you to uncheck an entry (much like msconfig) to make sure it takes care of your problem before you completely delete the entry.

Professor Snugglesworth

I downloaded Autoruns, but how do I use it? Is there some command I use to have it check for irregularities, or do I just search for the .dll listed on the OP and remove it?

Professor Snugglesworth

Looks like one of the programs did the trick in removing that .dll message.

However, I'm still getting the "Test Mode" messages on all four corners of my screen, along with the SP1 message on the top. Any ideas how to get rid of that?

Edit: Nvm, Google solved that one. Guess that's everything. Thanks everyone.

The only question is which antivirus software is better, Avast! or Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.