What Is SHELL32.dII? A Virus Or Malware And Uninstall
How can I protect myself from this malware? Has my computer been affected by SHELL32.dII? What are the symptoms of SHELL32.dII? How do I avoid or remove SHELL32.dII? How do I know if my computer has been affected by SHELL32.dII? What do I need to delete or remove the infection from my computer? Can you give me any specific advice on how to avoid or remove the infection from my PC? What kind of files does this infection create in Windows system folders, as well as on local drive C: on USB and CD/DVD drives?
What Is SHELL32.dll?
Shell32.dll has been found to be malware in the past, but it’s not always malicious software. The file will often be used by the operating system, so deleting it may lead to a lot of glitches in your computer.
If you don’t know what it’s for, then you should take caution when trying to remove it from your computer, as it could cause problems on your machine if you’re not careful. If this happens to you, there are some things that you can do.
lastly, if none of these work, then reformatting your hard drive might fix the problem.
Is SHELL32.dll Safe To Run? Is it a virus or malware?
SHELL32.dll can be either a virus, malware, or safe to run on your system depending on the version of the DLL file you are looking at. The most recent version of the file is safe to run in Windows XP SP3 with no major issues reported by users as of yet. If you find that you have an older copy of this file then it could be malicious and should not be running. You should also check for any other shell32 files which might have been corrupted along with this one. To do this use the following command prompt: cd c:\windows\system32 and then enter dir /x. Scroll through all the .exe files until you see shlfile*.dat and if there is more than one, delete them all from your system.
How to Fix SHELL32.dll Errors
SHELL32.dll errors may be a result of a virus/malware infection, but they can also be caused by damaged or missing files, corrupt system settings, incompatible software, hardware problems, power outages, and more.
In some cases, these errors will cause your computer to crash with the following message: A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.
Use the following steps to fix the SHELL32.dll error
- Reboot your computer in Safe Mode using this guide:
- Download malware removal tools such as ESET NOD32 Antivirus or Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
- Scan for any viruses that are causing the issue with updated definitions (no viruses should be found).
- Reboot again into normal mode to make sure that you have solved the problem before returning to work.
How To Prevent SHELL32.dII From Infecting Your Computer
Shell32.dll is a file that can be used by malware/viruses to infect your computer with a virus or malware, so it’s important to know what it is and how to prevent it from infecting your computer.
First, the file Shell32.dll will show up in your Task Manager as an Image Name.
This should be a warning sign because most of the time if you see this, then you are infected with some sort of virus/malware. If this is not the case, then there may be another program running on your computer that has been causing Shell32.dll to appear in the Task Manager as an Image Name (if there are any programs running at all).
However, if you’re positive you don’t have any other programs open and still see Shell32.dll appearing in the task manager as an image name, then it means you’ve probably been infected with some sort of virus/malware.
Remember when I said before that Shell32.dll can be used by malware to infect computers? Well, now we know for sure because our suspicious program appears in the Task Manager as an Image Name!
Is Dll a Malware?
The dll files are used to extend the features of Windows and other programs. Shell32.dll is a legitimate system file that belongs to the Microsoft Windows operating system, which means it’s not a virus or malware!
It can be deleted by deleting the corresponding Windows folder on your computer, but this will also delete all of your data in that folder as well as any new data saved thereafter you delete the folder containing Shell32.dll from your PC.
If you have multiple instances of Shell32.dll stored on your hard drive, then please read the following instructions:
- Locate all copies of Shell2DLL on your hard drive.
- Copy one copy of the DLL file onto a floppy disk.
- Delete the original DLL file from your computer using File Manager or Windows Explorer.
- Copy the DLL from the floppy disk back into its original location using File Manager or Windows Explorer so that you have just one copy left
How To Remove or Uninstall SHELL32.dll
SHELL32.dll can be a virus or malware, but it doesn’t really matter because you need to remove it from your PC to make sure that it isn’t running in the background and causing problems. To uninstall SHELL32.dll you need to open up your control panel, find the Programs option, then find the Uninstall a program option on the list of programs that populates when you click on it.
There should be an entry for SHELL32.dll there and you should just click on it, hit the button labeled Uninstall, and wait for it to finish installing before closing out of your computer entirely.
If there’s no entry for SHELL32.dll then chances are this is not actually a virus or malware and you’re probably just wasting time trying to figure out how to get rid of something that’s harmless.
However, if you do happen to find SHELL32.dll listed there – so take caution and read through any information carefully. You never know what could happen if you uninstall this without understanding the consequences first.