[kimk]

Hello,
First, I just want to thank all you generous and smart people who are willing to help the rest of us. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.....:smile:

Ok, I hope I don't miss anything -
I'm running
Windows XP
Media Center Edition
Version 2002
SP2
on a Dell Inspiron notebook

I did run the Panda check with no issues.

When I rebooted my pc the other day, I came back to see it doing some sort of scan disk and it was showing a lot of corrupt files - maybe a dozen or so. When it finally booted I received a windows error message that said,
The application or DLL C:\WINDOWS\system32\COMRes.dll is not a valid Windows image. Please check this against your installation diskette.

On the blue top part of the error window it showed
SynTPEnh.exe - Bad Image

If I hit OK, the blue bar changes to
SPRINGFLD_ADV_DAEMON: WksCal.exe - Bad Image

If I hit OK again, the blue bar changes to
rundll32.exe - Bad Image

and then hitting OK just cycles through these same three bad image remarks. I've noticed that the apparent bad image executable changes, perhaps based on what other things I'm running. No matter what I do, I am unable to get the window to close, including trying to shut it down through Task Mgr.

If I do a reboot and try to open up Outlook or McAfee, they won't open unless I hit the OK button on the error message a bunch of times. But, as I said earlier, the error message won't go away.

I hope I've given you the necessary info to discern the problem.

Again, thank you for your time and efforts on my behalf.
=D
Kim

 

[JohnthePilot]

Re: DLL not valid error message

Hi and welcome to TSF.
It's possible some system files may have got damaged.The first thing to try is repairing these files using the System File Checker. Only do this if you have SP2 on your installation disc. Otherwise you will need to slipstream SP2 to the installation disc. Follow these steps (courtesy of Chauffeur2)

Insert the Windows® XP CD in your drive. (Hold down the Shift Key to prevent it from starting.)

Go Start > Run ...in the box type in sfc /scannow …please take note of the space between the sfc and the /.

This is the System File Checker...it will scan all the Windows® core system files to ensure that they are in their respective correct places, and if not replace them from the CD.

During the scan you may be asked to Insert the CD, if this happens just go retry and let it do its thing.

One important point: While sfc is running, it is not advisable to do any other work, or have any browsers/programs running on the computer, until the scan is complete. (This process will generally take around 45-65 minutes to complete).

Once finished, remove the CD and reboot your machine...all should be "Normal" (hopefully). :grin:

 

[kimk]

Re: DLL not valid error message

Thank you so much for your very informative answer. I would love to tell you I've fixed the problem, but we just started a remodel/addition to our home and I am sure wondering where my installation discs are!!! Since I am unable to look at my install disc at the moment, can you tell me how I would know if the disc has sp2? (if it's written on the cd, please forgive my ignorant question =)

I can't believe I found this website. It is truly an amazing resource and a great help to so many.
Thanks again for your quick response, John. I'll be doing some searching tomorrow for my disc and I'll let you know when all is well.
Cheers,
Kim

 

[JohnthePilot]

Re: DLL not valid error message

Hi Kim,
It's not an ignorant question because I don't know the answer? Did you install SP2 as a download? If not, then it is likely that it was on the insallation disc. If you did install it and it hasn't been slipstreamed to your disc you will get a warning that the version on your machine is newer than the one you are trying to install. In that case you will need to slipstream it. Once you've found your disc we will have a better idea and can take it from there.

 

[kimk]

Re: DLL not valid error message

Hi again!
Well, I had an interesting set of events this evening. After searching, what seemed like everywhere, for the installation disk, I finally called my brother-in-law who has the exact same computer as me. He told me Dell doesn't typically send out installation disks with their computers anymore. That makes absolutely no sense to me??? Anyway, he asked me what the error was and said, 'why don't I send you my comres.dll file.' When I went to make a copy of my current one, it showed 0 kb. So, I replaced it with his and Voila - problem solved.

I haven't re-booted yet, because the error message went away, but hopefully all is well -- well, until the next problem comes about =D

Thank you again for your time. This is really a neat place.

Now, off to figure out how to get an installation disk from Dell, so I'll be prepared!
Best regards,
Kim

 

[JohnthePilot]

Re: DLL not valid error message

Glad you got it sorted. BTW, if something like this happens again, copies of system files are also kept in C:\windows\system32\dllcache.
Regards,
John.

 

[kimk]

Thanks, John. That is very helpful to know....thanks for sharing your time and knowledge!
=D
Kim