"error starting program ' A required .DLL file, PSAPI.DLL was not found'"

"error starting program ' A required .DLL file, PSAPI.DLL
was not found'" has begun to appear on my windows screen
tonight while working on finding an answer to my previous
error message. or did I pick up a virus somewhere? or a
worm or trojan? Do the .DLL files become corrupted from
hitchhikers from dormant viruses that enter your PC from
email and come to life later in the .DLL files? Again
advanced users, your experience and suggestions would be
of great help at this time. Thank you kindly.

This was my standard reply a few months ago, when this error was more widespread:

It appears to be a variation of spyware/scumware, related to CoolWebSearch:

Use CWShredder, the CoolWeb removal tool, available he
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads31.html
http://www.spywareinfo.com/downloads...CWShredder.exe
http://aumha.org/downloads/cwshredder.zip
Close all browser windows and open apps, run CWShredder, and click the Fix button.

Check about halfway down the page at this forum:
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/index....api\.dll&st=30
and there is a psapi.dll error mentioned, that may be related to an exploit.

Update your anti-virus app and then run a full-system virus scan.

In addition, install Ad-Aware 6 free edition, start it, click its 'Check for
Updates' link in the app to install updates, then use it to scan your system, and
remove what it finds.
Ad-Awa
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/

Install, update and run SpyBot Search & Destroy, scan your system, and then remove
the items in RED only.
SpyBot S&D:
http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?page=download

If problems still exist, download, unzip, and run Hijack This from one of these
locations:
http://computercops.biz/downloads-cat-14.html
http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloads31.html
http://www.spywareinfo.com/downloads...HijackThis.exe
Unzip to a folder other than your Desktop or the Temp folder, doubleclick
HijackThis.exe, and hit "Scan".

When the scan is finished, the "Scan" button will change into a "Save Log"
button.
Press that, save the log somewhere you can find it (Desktop, My Documents, or
similar).
Most of what it lists will be harmless or even required, so do NOT fix anything yet.

Copy the log files and paste them into a new post at this forum:
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30

In your post, please state your problem clearly and what you've done so far to fix
it.

The folks there will tell you what to remove.

See the "housekeeping" you should complete before you post your log:
http://aumha.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4075

A tutorial for using Hijack This is located he
http://tomcoyote.com/hjt/
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"Ed Mockapetris" wrote in message
...
"error starting program ' A required .DLL file, PSAPI.DLL
was not found'" has begun to appear on my windows screen
tonight while working on finding an answer to my previous
error message. or did I pick up a virus somewhere? or a
worm or trojan? Do the .DLL files become corrupted from
hitchhikers from dormant viruses that enter your PC from
email and come to life later in the .DLL files? Again
advanced users, your experience and suggestions would be
of great help at this time. Thank you kindly.