Your hope is mine!g


--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2004, Win9x)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.btinternet.com/~winnoel/millsrpch.htm

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to NG's
or
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/f.../Mar27pmvp.asp
"Graham Womack" wrote in message
...
Please feel free

Hope it helps


Graham

----- Noel Paton wrote: -----

I'll join Mike in saying thanks for posting this - mind if I tailor
it for
future use? (with attribution!)

--
Noel Paton (MS-MVP 2002-2004, Win9x)

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
http://www.btinternet.com/~winnoel/millsrpch.htm

Please read http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm on how to post messages to
NG's
or
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/f.../Mar27pmvp.asp
Graham Womack wrote in message
...
As with many others, I have been hit by this problem over the past
weekend. I think/hope I've found a fix that works for me. Despite
nearly 30
years in the IT industry, I'm a bit inexperienced with the techie
stuff on
PC's so perhaps the following will also help others.
First, the circumstances:
When I tried to use Windows Explorer, My Computer, Control Panel,
Printers, Find in Files and Folders, etc. I got an error message:
"Explorer
has caused an error in unknown. Explorer will now close down". (Later
on it
switched to a 'blue screen' error that I had to re-boot from).
I'm using Windows ME and hadn't installed anything new for some
time.
These features had worked the previous week.
They also still worked in Safe Mode.
I took a look around the newsgroups, and noticed that I was far
from
alone. The consensus seemd to be that we had acquired an unwelcome
visitor.
Various ideas were suggested, which included downloading & running
various
utilities - I tried Ad-aware and Spybot S&D. Although they found and
cleaned
up various suspects, the problem persisted. Probably well worth doing
anyway.
A couple of other suggestions. One entry (from DJ Pete under
Windows 98
General group) suggested something called Safeguard. The registry
entries
and dll file he'd suggested didn't exist on my PC, but the search he
suggested did find another entry for Safeguard. He also pointed out
that
just deleting this entry wouldn't do on its own without deleting a
dll file.
Besides, I didn't feel confident about going at the registry with a
chainsaw
like this.
Another suggestion elswhere was for something called BHODemon, and
it
seemed to have worked for some people. I tried this and it found the
same
registry entry - this time indicated that it had been set up on May
28. This
fit in with the time I suspect that the problem started. BHODemon
allows you
to disable the entries, but this didn't work - I still had the
problem.
Then I remembered DJ Pete's comments about having to remove the
dll.
BHODemon highlighted the dll name so I searched for that file
(pdf53c.dll)
and found it plus a pdf.lib file in c:\Windows\System - also with a
date of
May 28. I renamed these files, re-booted and hey presto - Explorer
now runs!
I've only just fixed this, but assuming it stays fixed. Here's a
summary
of what worked for me.
Do all this in Safe Mode
Make a Restore Point - just in case it gets worse.
Using Regedit, search for 'Safeguard'. Make a note of the dll name.
Run BHODemon. Look for the same dll name The 'Details' key should
give you
more information about when the entries were loaded. Disable the
registry
entry.
Search your hard drive for the dll file (should be in
Windows\System).
Rename it and a similar named lib file - change the extensions.
Reboot, cross your fingers and try 'My Computer'