That was the easy part, assuming your anti-malware programs are up-to-date.
Now it gets hard. Try logging on using Safe Mode, (XP Home: Cntl-Alt-Delete
twice at the logon screen; XP Pro: press F8 during startup).
If you do not receive the rundll error, click Start, click Run. Type
msconfig in the Open box and click OK. Click the Startup tab. Write down
the names that are checked under the Startup Item column. Then reboot
normally. Repeat the procedure and note which Startup Items are now checked
that were not under Safe Mode.
By trial and error, uncheck each suspect item, 1 at a time, and reboot.
When the error goes away, you will know the culprit. You can Google the name
to find out what it is. If everything runs OK with this item unchecked, and
it should, just leave it unchecked.
However, if you still receive rundll error in Safe Mode, use the same
procedure above. But after you log back on normally, Google the names that
were checked. If there is something that seems strange, reply to this
message, or post a new question about it.
An alternative is to click Start, etc, but type in regedit in the Open box
and click OK. At the top, click Edit, then click Find…. Type w044e514 into
the box. If it is found look at the status line at the very bottom of the
screen and write down the entire line. It should be something like “My
Computer\…â€. Repost your original question with the additional information
about finding w044e514 in the registry under “My Computer\…â€.
Paul Shafer, MCDST
