RunDll32.exe - what's the process? RunDll32.exe error

It's no secret that any user working with Windows of any version in the task manager observes the presence of the incomprehensible RunDll32.exe service. Unfortunately, the errors that occur when you run this process are not uncommon. We'll figure out what kind of process it is and how to get out of the situation in emergency situations when the RunDll32 service crashes.

RunDll32.exe: what's the process?

To begin with, the RunDll32.exe service is a system process that is present in any Windows operating system. In simple words, it is responsible for launching so-called dynamic libraries, since they are not directly started in the Windows OS itself (as it applies to EXE executable files).

By analyzing questions about how the RunDll32.exe service works, what process we have in this case, and why there are errors, it should be noted at once that it can be both the original system process and the masking of viruses trying to gain control over any computer Terminal. We will stop on viruses a little later.

What are dynamic DLLs?

Dynamic Link Libraries are special compiled files containing executable code. In principle, they work like ordinary "executable" files, only the EXE file is run directly by the system or in manual mode, and dynamic libraries are run by the specified service. And with Windows, the service works much more correctly than the EXE executable.

By the way, dynamic libraries are used more and more often. The fact is that in comparison with a regular EXE file they are much smaller and can refer to different programs, no matter what programming language they were created with.

Very often such libraries are used to connect software synthesizers and effects to virtual hosts. In fact, the executable program itself is missing, and the call of each program component is performed using the executable code, which is present in the dynamic libraries.

How RunDll32.exe works

As already mentioned, the RunDll32.exe service extracts the program code from the dynamic library and launches it in the system for execution. For example, to turn on the Bluetooth module developed by Motorola, the software process Rundll32.exe is also used. Btmshellex (Bluetooth Shell Extension for Windows 8) in this case is the same library from which the main program and all its accompanying components are launched.

You can give enough examples of such examples. As another example, you 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 a unified help system.

RunDll32.exe application errors and how to fix them

Malfunctions and failures in this system process occur quite often. Some of them can lead to the appearance of a blue "death screen", which frightens the average user. In the RunDll32.exe service, an error is a very common thing, and there are as many reasons for its occurrence. First of all, this is damage to the search file RunDll32.exe, infection by viruses or simply its absence on the computer.

First of all, you need to make sure of its presence in the system. In Windows XP, the original file is located under the path C: Windows \ System32 \ RunDll32.exe. With systems like Windows 7 or 8, the situation is somewhat different. Here, the file should be searched in the SysWOW64 folder located in the Windows root directory.

If there is a warning that the system can not find this component, do not panic. First, you can try to find the file in the folders located at C: \ Windows \ System32 \ Dllcache or C: \ Windows \ SericePackFiles \ i386. If it is present there, you simply copy it to the System32 folder.

You can also use the original Windows installation disk. For example, if the drive has a "Z" in the designation, you will need to enter Z: \ i386 \ rundll32.ex_ C: \ Windows \ system32 \ rundll32.exe in the command line. After the computer restarts, the problem should disappear.

In some cases, you can use another method, which is to first download the DLL Suite utility, install it, and then start the application and start the scanning process for errors. If these are found, they can be corrected with just a click of a button.

That's interesting. In addition to standard scanning and bug fixes, the program can offer the user free download the original RunDll32.exe file from an open Internet resource, after which it will be automatically integrated into the system.

RunDll32.exe: suspicion of viruses

As for viruses, it's not so simple. To understand whether RunDll32.exe is the virus, what process is present in the specific case in the system services directory tree, you need to find out which component it is responsible for.

To do this, the Standard Task Manager uses the Processes tab. Here, from the "View" menu, you need to select the display of additional columns and tick "Command Prompt". 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 responds, and when you hover over the line, a brief description of the process and the 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 complete it in the same task manager, then apply a deep system scan to a powerful antivirus package. Note that it's better not to use free AVG or Avira antivirus programs, they will not find out anything in most cases.

If the virus is not detected, and the error will occur again and again, you can try to test your computer with utilities such as Rescue Disc from different developers. Such utilities, as a rule, start before the launch of Windows and can detect even the most cleverly disguised threats: viruses, trojans, malicious codes, etc.

Conclusion

So we looked at the RunDll32.exe service. What kind of process it is, it is probably already in general terms understandable. In addition, mistakes, as can be seen from the above, are not so terrible as it may seem at first. In principle, any user can fix them by applying one or several methods in turn. If you understand, any of these methods is good, but I think using a special utility DLL Suite with automatic file checking and error correction in the system is the most preferable and simple.