Identifying and Removing Unwanted .dll files

[Rakeesh]

Forum-goers,

Looking at startup programs in software environment, I find *hundreds* of
files, a majority of which are .dll files, and it's slowing down the computer.

I want to get rid of them, but I know that doing so can be a tricky and
sometimes dangerous thing to do unless you know what you're doing. I've done
searches on at least twenty of them at random, and of the ones which appear
suspicious, and they're either all inexplicable to me, or something made by
(according to the description) Microsoft itself.

So I need to know what software I need to download, or what I should use
through XP already, to search through these things and find out what all of
them do, and delete them safely. Can anyone point me in the proper
direction, please?

Merry Christmas, and thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Enkidu]

Forum-goers,

Looking at startup programs in software environment, I find
*hundreds* of files, a majority of which are .dll files, and it's
slowing down the computer.

That is unlikely. But why not try defragging the system. I personally
don't set much store by it, but others swear that it improves performance.

I would not target simply .dll files. They do not cause slowdowns as
such, since they are only used when required or called.

I want to get rid of them, but I know that doing so can be a tricky
and sometimes dangerous thing to do unless you know what you're
doing. I've done searches on at least twenty of them at random, and
of the ones which appear suspicious, and they're either all
inexplicable to me, or something made by (according to the
description) Microsoft itself.

I presume that you have a virus protection program. If not get one and
run it. I would also run AdAware and Spybot Search and Destroy. There
are few versions of these for download. Ensure that you Spybot Search
and Destroy - there is another Spybot out there which allows you a free
trial period and then requires a payment to be made.

So I need to know what software I need to download, or what I should
use through XP already, to search through these things and find out
what all of them do, and delete them safely. Can anyone point me in
the proper direction, please?

I would NOT use a registry cleaner. At best they do little and at worst
they could hose your system. Yes, I've had it happen to me.

Merry Christmas, and thanks for any help you can provide.

Merry Christmas to you.

Cheers,

Cliff

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Forum-goers,

Looking at startup programs in software environment, I find *hundreds* of
files, a majority of which are .dll files, and it's slowing down the
computer.

What makes you think that?

I want to get rid of them, but I know that doing so can be a tricky and
sometimes dangerous thing to do unless you know what you're doing. I've
done
searches on at least twenty of them at random, and of the ones which
appear
suspicious,

Why do they appear suspicious to you?

Certainly, there are DLLs that are part of malware. But there are many
more that have obscure names that are part of entirely legitimate
applications.

and they're either all inexplicable to me, or something made by
(according to the description) Microsoft itself.

Try looking at the locations of the DLLs, and right-click on them and choose
properties. In many cases you'll get indications as to the author and the
app the DLL goes with.

So I need to know what software I need to download, or what I should use
through XP already, to search through these things and find out what all
of
them do, and delete them safely. Can anyone point me in the proper
direction, please?

You would delete them safely by uninstalling the software that they come
with. Deleting DLLs can thoroughly break installed software, to the point
of requiring re-installation. Deleting DLLs can also break uninstall
routines.

DLLs do nothing on their own. The functions in a DLL, (DLL stands for
dynamic link library, and is a library of functions that can be called by
applications) are inert unless something else calls them.

So you need to start with identifying what *applications* are installed,
which ones are actually running, and then what DLLs those apps use.

I would suggest that you look at tools like msconifg, Process Explorer and
HiJackThis to get an idea of what's really running and the cycles they use.

HTH
-pk