The Rundll32 file has the responsibility of being the data manager between what is called your dynamic link library ( .dll ) and many of the peripherals and devices attached to your computer. The Dynamic Link Library is the portion of your operating system where all the files that allow multiple programs to run at once on your Windows computer or stored.
When Bill Gates and Microsoft originally created the first Windows programs, it was a way for users to have a much more visually friendly interface with the DOS operating system. When a single program would run in the Windows Environment such as a word processing application, it was not able to share resources with other programs, which meant that if you tried to run three or four programs at once, the computer became bogged down because each program ran separately - and in some cases, two programs that needed access to the same file couldn’t run at the same time.
To solve the problem, the engineers at Microsoft came up with a way for multiple programs to share those files and resources instead of each one being a single operation. They came up with a shared library of links that would allow a running program to access the same data and files at once, and the concept of the Dynamic Link Library ( .dll ) was born.
Understanding the Rundll32. Error and How It Effects Your Computer
The Rundll32 error can be caused by a variety of different problems ranging from malfunctioning hardware to conflicts between programs, and can also be a symptom of a virus or Trojan being present in your system.
The error messages can come at any given time typically triggered by an application attempting to access the .dll library. The most common error message reads something like this...
RUNDLL: Error loading C:\windows\system 32\bridge.dll. The specified module could not be found.
In understanding the meaning of this message, RUNDLL tells us which portion of the .dll library there error is happening in. The error loading C:\windows\system32\ tells us that it part of the 32bit operating system and the bridge.dll bit tells us which file in the RUNDLL segment is receiving the error.
What Causes a RUNDLL32 Error ?
In most cases, the problem is likely the result of a corrupt or even deleted file, and in this case, most likely a driver, somewhere on your computer that is causing another program not to run properly. With a RUNDLL data call, in most circumstancesone of your computer devices not communicating properly with your PC.
How to Trouble Shoot and Eliminate a RUNDLL32 Error.
The good news is that there is an easy solution to eliminating most runtime errors. Programs such as Registry Mechanic by PC Tools or Registry Patrol from Patrol Software Labs that will run a series of trouble shooting diagnostic tests on your computer and not only identify any errors on your computer, but also fix them.
This is actually a pretty easy thing to do. What you want to do is download a reputable registry program such as Registry Patrol which is free do to and is the program I most recommend to my clients.
To download the program, go to their website http://www.registrypatrol.com/ and click on the green “ start registry scan now “ button. This will take you to their free download page where you can try out the program at no charge as well as run a full scan of your system to check for what is causing those error messages.
Depending on how many files your computer has on it, the scan will take anywhere from a few minutes to as long as 20 minutes to complete. Once the program is finished, it will report back to you about any errors it has found that are causing your computer to act funky.
Registry Patrol will check the entire file structure of your computer including file integrity, application extension problems ( how your programs interact with Windows when they run ) shared files, short cut issues and a host of other file sections that the average person could care less about just as long as their computer runs properly.
Once the program is done, you can then have it fix any problems it has found by simply clicking “ Fix the Problems “
There is a high degree of chance that any quality registry repair program will fix and eliminate this and any other error issues you have been experiencing, and companies such as Registry Patrol offer guarantees with their programs to ensure that their program works or you don’t have to pay anything.