Cannot find shell.dll

[cuzinvinny]

Got message "cannot find shell.dll" when trying to run software that previously worked before my PC was hijacked. I tried the uninstall/install of the software with the same results. I did a "msconfig" to copy the "shell.dll" from the "windows/system32/dllcache folder to try to recover the "shell.dll". The "shell.dll" on my PC has the date of 8/18/2001 8:00 AM. The "shell.dll" was in the windows/system folder before I did the "msconfig".

To fix the hijacking after Norton AV found the "Trojan.ByteVerify" I ran "Spybot Search & Destroy" and "Adaware" to remove the hijack damage. I also removed the MS Java from IE6 and I am using Sun Java. I am running Windows Xp home with all the MS updates/fixes applied. I am guessing that the hijacking caused the problem, but cannot be sure because the last time I used that software was about a month before the hijacking.

Thanks
Vince

 

[bcastner]

Try a system restore point back to a known working state of the system.

 

[cuzinvinny]

Thanks, that worked. That was my first time doing a system restore.

 

[bcastner]

I am glad it worked. This issue can be quite tricky to reverse manually.

 

[derf238]

On the same subject, same issue but can't system restore. I copied the shell.dll from the system folder to the system32 folder. The software works but then deletes the shell.dll from the system32 folder on exit. I'sve since run a full VS, Adaware and Spybot.
Thanks for any help

 

[bcastner]

I have no idea why it would delete the shell.dll file from \system32. All the file contains is essentially icons.

Have you thought about running this in compatability mode? Perhaps indicating it was a Win98 application?

 

[derf238]

The software ran fine for a few months. this is a new onset problem. Adaware and Spybot caught a lot of garbage and my assumption was that this was the cause. But, the self-deleting shell.dll is puzzling. give it a new copy, the software works. Exit the software and, pfffft, the .dll is gone. Norton VS caught nothing on a full manual scan.

 

[linney]

What would happen if you were to place a copy of the Shell.dll in the actual Directory of the errant program?