It is no secret that any user working with Windows of any version in the task manager observes the presence of RunDll32.exe service incomprehensible to many. Unfortunately, errors that occur when starting this process are not uncommon. We will understand what kind of process this is and how to get out of the situation in emergency situations in case of failures in the RunDll32 service.
RunDll32.exe: what kind of process?
To begin with, the RunDll32.exe service is a system process that is present on any Windows OS. In simple words, he is responsible for launching the so-called dynamic libraries, since Windows does not directly start them (as it applies to executable files of type EXE).
Analyzing the questions about how the RunDll32.exe service works, what kind of process we have in this case and why errors occur, it’s worthwhile to say right away that this can be either an original system process or masking viruses trying to gain control over a computer terminal. We will dwell on viruses a little later.
What are dynamic link libraries?
Dynamic Link Libraries are special compiled files containing executable program code. In principle, they work like regular "executable" files, only an EXE file is launched directly by the system or in manual mode, and dynamic libraries are launched using the specified service. And with Windows, the service works much more correctly than the EXE executable.
Incidentally, dynamic libraries have been used more and more recently. The fact is that compared to a regular EXE file, they are much smaller and can relate to different programs, no matter with what programming language they were created.
Very often, such libraries are used to connect software synthesizers and effects to virtual hosts. In fact, the executable program itself is absent, and each program component is called using the executable code present in dynamic libraries.
How the RunDll32.exe Service Works
As already mentioned, the RunDll32.exe service, as it were, extracts program code from a dynamic library and runs it on the system for execution. For example, to enable the Bluetooth module developed by Motorola, the Rundll32.exe software process is also used. Btmshellex (Bluetooth Shell Extension for Windows 8) in this case is the very library from which the main program and all its related components are launched.
There are quite a few such examples. As another example, we can consider the help system (help) developed by NewNextDotMe. Again, RunDll32.exe is used to start the service. NEngine in this case describes the New Next Helper Engine process for Windows XP, which is the unified help system.
RunDll32.exe application errors and methods for fixing them
Malfunctions and failures in this system process are quite common. Some of them can lead to the appearance of a blue “death screen,” which scares the average user. In the RunDll32.exe service, an error is a very common thing, and there can be any number of reasons for its occurrence. First of all, this is damage to the desired RunDll32.exe file, virus infection, or simply its absence on the computer.
First things first, you need to make sure that he is in the system. In Windows XP, the original file is located on the path C: Windows \ System32 \ RunDll32.exe. With systems like Windows 7 or 8, things are a little different. Here you need to look for the file in the SysWOW64 folder located in the Windows root directory.
If you suddenly receive a warning that the system cannot find this component, do not panic. First you can try to find the file in folders located at C: \ Windows \ System32 \ Dllcache or C: \ Windows \ SericePackFiles \ i386. If it is there, you just need to copy it to the System32 folder.
You can use the original Windows installation disc. For example, if the drive has the letter “Z” in the designation, you will need to enter Z: \ i386 \ rundll32.ex_ C: \ Windows \ system32 \ rundll32.exe on the command line. After the computer restarts, the problem should disappear.
In some cases, you can use another method, namely, first you need to download the DLL Suite utility, install, and then run the application and start the scanning process for errors. If any are found, they can be fixed with just the click of a button.
Here is what is interesting. In addition to the standard scanning and error correction capabilities , the program can offer the user to download the original RunDll32.exe file for free from an open Internet resource, after which it will be automatically integrated into the system.
RunDll32.exe: suspected viruses
As for viruses, it is not so simple. To understand whether RunDll32.exe is a virus, what kind of process is present in the directory tree of the system services in each case, you need to find out which component it is responsible for starting.
To do this, the tab "Processes" is used in the standard task manager. Here, from the "View" menu, you need to select the display of additional columns and tick "Command line". Now in the process tree you can see the full path to the Rundll32.exe file, the dynamic library of the program for which it is responsible for launching, and when you hover over the line, a brief description of the process and software manufacturer.
If for some reason the path to the file is different from the original one, and the library itself or the running process is very suspicious, it is better to terminate it in the same task manager, and then apply a deep system scan with a powerful anti-virus package. Note that it is better not to use free antiviruses like AVG or Avira, they will still not find anything in most cases.
If the virus cannot be detected, and the error will occur again and again, you can try to check your computer using utilities such as Rescue Disc from different developers. Such utilities, as a rule, start even before the Windows OS is launched and are able to detect even the most cleverly disguised threats: viruses, trojans, malicious codes, etc.
Conclusion
So we examined the RunDll32.exe service. What kind of process it is, probably, in general terms it is clear. In addition, errors, as can be seen from the above, are not as scary as it might seem at first. In principle, any user can fix them by applying one or several methods in turn. If you look, any of these methods is good, but it seems that the use of a special utility DLL Suite with automatic file check and error correction in the system is the most preferable and simple.