Error starting program: "The COMCTL32.DLL file cannot start"

The links below have not helped me to resolve the problem with regards to the
"The COMCTL32.DLL file cannot start, Check the file to determine the problem"
error message at Windows startup in safe mode.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=298343
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=137273

I renamed the COMCTL32.DLL file to COMCTL32.old and extracted a new
COMCTL32.DLL file from the win98_27.cab cabinet file in the CD to the
c:\windows\system directory when following the recommened resolution in the
first link above. However, this problem still exists at startup in safe mode.

By replacing or substituting the COMCTL32.DLL file with the commctrl.dll
file as stated in the second link above, only just compounds the problem
further as it will then report a COMCTL32.DLL system file not found message
at startup in Windows 98SE. The file I extracted from the CD to the
c:\windows\system folder was originally named kommctrl.dll and then I renamed
it commctrl.dll as mentioned in the instructions.

The commctrl.dll and comctl32.dll files are currently listed in my
c:\windows\system directory @ 155,136 bytes and 577,808 bytes respectively.
The commctrl.dll file was originally named kommctrl.dll and was extracted
from the precopy1.cab file. I noticed that there is a commctrl.dll file of
48,112 bytes size in the precopy1.cab file. The links above do not refer to
this file. This file is not found on my hard disk.

Anyway, I tried everything at this stage and I still haven't sorted or fixed
the problem. Microsoft probably needs to come up with another resolution to
this problem as the other proposed resolutions in the two links above are
simply not working. Does this error refer to starting Internet Explorer or
the Windows program. If it refers to IE, would it be possible to uninstall
this program in DOS or can it only be done in Add/Remove programs in Windows?

Once again I would appreciate if anybody else has any other ideas to fix
this error message before I proceed with a reinstallation.

Thanks

Martin Healy