weird rundll32.exe problem

[askIllustrator]

for some reason rundll32.exe hangs at shutdown on my win2k box. I have to click 'End Now' to get it to shutdown. Any ideas?
Also, every startup and when some apps are run my System32 folder insists on opening. odd eh?

any light on these would be most appreciated.

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -Einstein

 

[kippy13]

What service pack are you running?
Also the system32 folder opening may be related to spyware/virus.
Do what the faq below advises to remove malware.
Are your graphics drivers upto date?

***************************************
Looking for the best answers:
faq222-2244
Keeping your system clear of malware:
faq608-4650
***********************************
Dont forget to post back with the eventual resolution.
***************************************

 

[bcastner]

My gut instinct is that you have some malware -- not a virus but a hung application from some sort of bad guy.

See steps #2-#3 in FAQ faq608-4650

 

[askIllustrator]

Thanks for the replys guys. I've run both spybot and adaware a few times since this started happening. I also did a full McAffe VirusScan. Probably malware but just cant seem to trap it. I need to partition this big ol drive anyway so me thinks a wipe is in order.

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -Einstein

 

[bcastner]

1. Lets assume it is benign, mostly it is saving your registry hives.
Use a registry utility to clean and defragment your registry.

2. You may have an application that is taking a long time to shut itself down. You can adjust the wait interval for hung applications through the registry:

User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
System Key: [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop]
Value Name: AutoEndTasks
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: (0 = disabled, 1 = enabled)

Make two new entries for AutoEndTasks in the keys listed above.

User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
System Key: [HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop]
Value Name: HungAppTimeout
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: Time in milliseconds (1000 = 1 second)

Make two new entries for AutoEndTasks in the keys listed above.

3. If you are clearing your pagefile at shutdown, some delay is to be expected. Check this value to disable this feature if desired:

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Key: SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
Name: ClearPageFileAtShutdown
Data Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 0 (=disable, 1=enable clear pagefile)