Need a Hand Repairing a Win XP .dll error...

[Caveman]

Getting error window now at boot:

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Error loading C:\Windows\System32\bridge.dll

The specified module could not be found
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Can I just get this .dll file from Microsoft and drop it in the directory above to repair or something else? How do I go about repairing this error?

 

[Ryoga]

Bridge.dll is a spyware component. You don't want it.

Manual removal instructions:
http://www.kephyr.com/spywarescanner/library/flingstonebridge/index.phtml

 

[Caveman]

Thanks! So... if I understand you correctly, the error occurs BECAUSE the .dll IS THERE and by getting rid of the .dll, I'll get rid of the boot error? If the bridge.dll is not supposed to be there, then why is Win XP finding/looking for it on a bootup? Weird... I'll read your link. Perhaps that will explain. Thanks again for the help.

 

[Ryoga]

The .dll is probably gone, but the registry entires that try to run it are still intact.

 

[Caveman]

I'm still a novice at troubleshooting things like .dll errors although it seems like many of the boot errors I've seen on various machines throughout the years are related to missing .dlls, etc... When one get's one of these errors, is it most likely the cause of removing a program but not "cleanly" uninstalling by deleting the registry entry?

Can this generalization be made for .dll problems or am I grossly oversimplifying what may be the general cause of a .dll error?

 

[Ryoga]

There are generally two kinds of .dll errors that you get:
1. "I wasn't able to find a .dll I need." The .dll file is either missing or the program is looking in the wrong place.
2. "I found the .dll I need, but it's behaving badly so I can't use it." This one's usually due to different versions of a .dll not being compatible (this is a big issue with developers). Generally you then have to hunt down the required version of the .dll and put it in the application's directory (where they tend to look for .dll files first, and you avoid breaking other programs that correctly use the .dll that didn't work).

But, yes, the most likely cause of missing .dll files is when a program is moved or uninstalled. Often you see a "This is shared but appears to be not in use" from nicer uninstallers. Some uninstallers might simply remove files without asking.

.dll files can also act as executable program files in and of themselves (this is generally considered poor programming practice, IMX, and is avoided when possible). Spyware programs do this to hide themselves.

 

[earthling30]

Have you tried running "MSCONFIG" and looking for it in there? If you find it in the start up tab disable it and restart your PC. Let us know if this helps.