Troubleshooting RunDLL Errors

Rundll is a command-line utility that is required to invoke functions from DLL files on Windows computers. Two types of Rundll files exist on the system—16-bit Rundl.exe and 32-bit Rundll32.exe. Both 16-bit and 32-bit Rundll utilities are supported by Microsoft Windows 95, 98, and ME operating systems, while only the 32-bit version is supported by Microsoft Windows NT, 2000, XP and Vista operating systems. You may encounter Rundll errors when your Windows system is unable to locate the file that you are trying to execute using the Rundl.exe command.

Cause of Rundll Errors

Some of the common causes of Rundll errors are:

Rundll.exe (Rundll32.exe) command is unable to locate the file you are trying to run.
Virus and spyware infections.
Faulty programs.
Incorrect program uninstallation.
Program conflicts.
Damaged Windows registry.

Methods to Fix Rundll Errors

If you are trying to manually run the Rundll command, then you must ensure that you provide the correct location to the file you are trying to execute. You can do so by searching for and checking the file location in Windows Explorer.

Virus and spyware infections have been found to be the most common causes of rundll errors. This is because these programs tend to not only damage and infect your program files, but also add several undesired and dubious programs on your PC. These bad programs do not run as desired and generate Rundll and several other errors on the system. Therefore, to troubleshoot virus and spyware problems, you must perform a full system scan using reliable and updated antivirus and antispyware tools. If your PC is infected, it is recommended that you run the scan twice to ensure that it is swept clean of unwanted stuff.

Many Windows users like to download and install various freeware and shareware programs on their computer. Although this practice helps you get acquainted with new tools and utilities, it might prove hazardous for your PC. This is because several freeware and shareware programs are known to be loaded with many unwanted adware programs that can cause harm to your PC and even download and install other unwanted programs. These programs may not only eat up a lot of system space, but also generate PC errors. This is the reason why, it is recommended that you must download programs only from reliable sources and uninstall them when you no longer need them. You may use a good program uninstaller to ensure complete removal of programs from your PC.

At times, the files of legitimate programs running on your computer may get damaged due to some unavoidable reasons, such as system crashes, and then may start to generate rundll errors on your computer. To fix this problem, you must completely uninstall the program that generated the error and then reinstall it again on the system. The best way to ensure complete removal of a program from the system is to use a reliable third-party program uninstaller tool.

To fix rundll errors caused due to conflicting programs, you must use the System Configuration Utility (msconfig) to clean boot your PC. And then enable the startup programs and service disabled during the clean boot one-by-one to find out the conflicting program.

Last but not least, use a reliable registry cleaner tool to scan and fix Windows registry errors to ensure that no rundll error occurs due to damaged or corrupt registry entries.