Rundll errors are commonly encountered by many computer users. Knowing that the internet is growing at a massive pace on a daily level, and that more than fifty million people are logged in at any moment, many of whom are new entrants to the internet (thanks to the massive infocomm infiltration in developing countries), I shall approach this article in a way that everyone can understand.

Firstly – The Mighty DLL

DLL files are basically system files that are integral to any and all programmes written for the Windows environment. These files are like vast codex's, libraries that contain information, in one's and zero's, keys, codes and data used by programmes for reasons that is specific to its operation.

These DLL's are shared by many programmes, a centralised databank where they can access. Why? Well, if every programme has its own exclusive code and language, they would operate singularly against each other, sharing no information with each other, which would be extremely slow. Windows uses DLL's to run many functions, many programmes, reusing code and instructions within them for speed and efficiency.

For the techie in you, we are concentrating today on the Rundll.exe (16-bit) and Rundll32.exe(32 bit) which are evident in all Windows OS's. These are the tools that Windows use to run functions within shared DLL's – programmes and applications

Rundll Errors – How the Mighty have Fallen

Rundll errors are caused when there is a command line confusion. Basically, this happens when Windows tries to load a dll file that isn't there – unable to locate the dll file a programme is trying to execute. In simple terms, the dll has a set of instructions– which Windows ‘listens' to properly launch programmes and application. The problem occurs when there dll file or code within the file is missing, causing an error and possible system crash.

The Causes

Usually, rundll errors are caused by malicious malware and spyware, or even virus files that have infiltrated your computer. These pirate programmes and executables basically take over the files being shared by the rundll applications. Certain viruses change the structure of these shared dll's, transforming code lines or making them totally inaccessible. Trojan attacks insert fake .dll files within the system folder, that then download malicious software that can further corrupt the .dll library.

What happens? Rundll tries to access these files when programmes or applications are launched. The missing code, new conflicting dll instructions or even missing files causes the infamous ‘rundll error' message log. It can even lead to total system crashes.

What to do

You can use antivirus and antispyware programmes that can alleviate the situation. They track down all malware and bad software, viruses and delete them from your system.

But that is not effective enough. What about the tracks and damages left behind? A good load of these faults are stored in the Windows Registry. Remember, the registry records everything that happens within the computer. Trojans and malware even, when changing or hijacking dll's, leave their imprints within the registry.

Use a Registry Cleaner

This is the total solution to your problem A good registry cleaner will track down all rundll errors and resolve them automatically. It can identify and highlight the dll errors as well as other errors left behind by malware and viruses, thus speeding up your computer and solving most of your desktop dillemas.