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From: Tony on 1 May 2010 22:59
Sorry - here's the story to now:

Tony wrote:
I have been trying to simply change my desktop theme/desktop color.
Every attempt to execute the change gives me the DEP message about "run
.dll as an app". So I went into System Properties/Advanced/Performance
and checked the box for an exception on "run .dll as an app". Reboot.
Still won't allow me to do it. So I switched to "turn off DEP", which I
know isn't wise, but I rebooted and it still will not let me change
desktop theme, etc. A thorough online search turns up no info beyond
what I've already tried. Can anyone help me solve this? Many thanks!

Tony


> Look at the error message again.. is it more along this line?
>
> "rundll.exe" or "rungll32.exe cannot be run as an application"
>
No, the message is: "To help protect your computer, Windows has closed
this application". The application is listed as "Run .dll as an app".

> Kelly has a few registry fixes at her site.. I would be surprised if
> they work because of the DEP message, but they're easy-enough to try:
>
> http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
> Line 295. Lift Active Desktop Restrictions
> Line 227. Restore/Enable Screensaver Tab Settings/Display
> Line 282. Enable the Appearance Tab - Display
>
> Look also at her Active Desktop tweaks, if you use that feature.


Thank you for trying, Joe, but as you expected, they didn't help.
Frustrating!

Tony
From: LD5SZRA on 2 May 2010 00:37

To change the desktop color/theme, the easiest way is to
Right-Click on the desktop and then select Properties. The first
tab is for "Themes" and it doesn't give me any errors nor does it
crash my system. I suggest you try changing the background of the
desktop by going to the second tab that says "Desktop". Once you
have changed the wallpaper, the color would be academic because
you can select "Stretch" to make sure wallpaper covers the entire
desktop.

If you are getting errors doing these simple tasks then clearly
your system is unstable and so re-formatting and re-installing the
OS is a must because you don't know what else is wrong with the
system.

hth




Tony wrote:
>
> Sorry - here's the story to now:
>
> Tony wrote:
> I have been trying to simply change my desktop theme/desktop color.
> Every attempt to execute the change gives me the DEP message about "run
> .dll as an app". So I went into System Properties/Advanced/Performance
> and checked the box for an exception on "run .dll as an app". Reboot.
> Still won't allow me to do it. So I switched to "turn off DEP", which I
> know isn't wise, but I rebooted and it still will not let me change
> desktop theme, etc. A thorough online search turns up no info beyond
> what I've already tried. Can anyone help me solve this? Many thanks!
>
> Tony
>
> > Look at the error message again.. is it more along this line?
> >
> > "rundll.exe" or "rungll32.exe cannot be run as an application"
> >
> No, the message is: "To help protect your computer, Windows has closed
> this application". The application is listed as "Run .dll as an app".
>
> > Kelly has a few registry fixes at her site.. I would be surprised if
> > they work because of the DEP message, but they're easy-enough to try:
> >
> > http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
> > Line 295. Lift Active Desktop Restrictions
> > Line 227. Restore/Enable Screensaver Tab Settings/Display
> > Line 282. Enable the Appearance Tab - Display
> >
> > Look also at her Active Desktop tweaks, if you use that feature.
>
> Thank you for trying, Joe, but as you expected, they didn't help.
> Frustrating!
>
> Tony

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Copyright LD5SZRA 2010.
From: Paul on 2 May 2010 01:20
Tony wrote:
> Sorry - here's the story to now:
>
> Tony wrote:
> I have been trying to simply change my desktop theme/desktop color.
> Every attempt to execute the change gives me the DEP message about "run
> .dll as an app". So I went into System Properties/Advanced/Performance
> and checked the box for an exception on "run .dll as an app". Reboot.
> Still won't allow me to do it. So I switched to "turn off DEP", which I
> know isn't wise, but I rebooted and it still will not let me change
> desktop theme, etc. A thorough online search turns up no info beyond
> what I've already tried. Can anyone help me solve this? Many thanks!
>
> Tony
>
>
> > Look at the error message again.. is it more along this line?
> >
> > "rundll.exe" or "rungll32.exe cannot be run as an application"
> >
> No, the message is: "To help protect your computer, Windows has closed
> this application". The application is listed as "Run .dll as an app".
>
> > Kelly has a few registry fixes at her site.. I would be surprised if
> > they work because of the DEP message, but they're easy-enough to try:
> >
> > http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
> > Line 295. Lift Active Desktop Restrictions
> > Line 227. Restore/Enable Screensaver Tab Settings/Display
> > Line 282. Enable the Appearance Tab - Display
> >
> > Look also at her Active Desktop tweaks, if you use that feature.
>
>
> Thank you for trying, Joe, but as you expected, they didn't help.
> Frustrating!
>
> Tony

First, start by reading the article on DEP. Then, think about third-party
packages you've been adding to the computer. Or, alternately, think about
malware as being the source of the problem. Fiddling with the DEP settings
themselves, doesn't seem to be much of an option, based on people trying
that in the past for weird problems, and getting nowhere as a result.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_execution_prevention

An example of a third-party app, might be something like "uxtheme".
Try a search on "uxtheme" and "dep".

There are downloadable CDs you can get, to scan for malware
while Windows if offline. Perhaps one of those would help, with
respect to looking for a malware source for the problem.

http://devbuilds.kaspersky-labs.com/devbuilds/RescueDisk/

With that one, you use a burner program that understands ISO9660
files. Nero is what I use, but perhaps imgburn or cdburnerxp might
work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Optical_disc_authoring_software

Once you've made the CD, set up the computer to boot from
CD. The KAV disc, once booted, uses DHCP to establish a connection
to the network, which might work if you have a cable modem or ADSL
modem/router set up. At least, I have mine DHCP enabled on my broadband
connection, and then this CD can get an IP address and get connected
to the Internet. Once the environment has a network connection, it will
download updates to the AV database, and prepare for scanning. In the
partitions menu, it lists drive letters, but the drive letters are not
extracted from the partitions themselves. As a result, you have to figure
out which of their "letters", corresponds to your C: drive. For example,
sometimes, I have to select "F:" to be scanned, to actually get my
WinXP C: to be scanned. If in doubt, just click them all. Scanning
can be slow, and with this one, tends to slow down with time.

Paul
From: Tony on 2 May 2010 09:53
Paul wrote:
> Tony wrote:
>> Sorry - here's the story to now:
>>
>> Tony wrote:
>> I have been trying to simply change my desktop theme/desktop color.
>> Every attempt to execute the change gives me the DEP message about "run
>> .dll as an app". So I went into System Properties/Advanced/Performance
>> and checked the box for an exception on "run .dll as an app". Reboot.
>> Still won't allow me to do it. So I switched to "turn off DEP", which I
>> know isn't wise, but I rebooted and it still will not let me change
>> desktop theme, etc. A thorough online search turns up no info beyond
>> what I've already tried. Can anyone help me solve this? Many thanks!
>>
>> Tony
>>
>>
>> > Look at the error message again.. is it more along this line?
>> >
>> > "rundll.exe" or "rungll32.exe cannot be run as an application"
>> >
>> No, the message is: "To help protect your computer, Windows has closed
>> this application". The application is listed as "Run .dll as an app".
>>
>> > Kelly has a few registry fixes at her site.. I would be surprised if
>> > they work because of the DEP message, but they're easy-enough to try:
>> >
>> > http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
>> > Line 295. Lift Active Desktop Restrictions
>> > Line 227. Restore/Enable Screensaver Tab Settings/Display
>> > Line 282. Enable the Appearance Tab - Display
>> >
>> > Look also at her Active Desktop tweaks, if you use that feature.
>>
>>
>> Thank you for trying, Joe, but as you expected, they didn't help.
>> Frustrating!
>>
>> Tony
>
> First, start by reading the article on DEP. Then, think about third-party
> packages you've been adding to the computer. Or, alternately, think about
> malware as being the source of the problem. Fiddling with the DEP settings
> themselves, doesn't seem to be much of an option, based on people trying
> that in the past for weird problems, and getting nowhere as a result.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_execution_prevention
>
> An example of a third-party app, might be something like "uxtheme".
> Try a search on "uxtheme" and "dep".
>
> There are downloadable CDs you can get, to scan for malware
> while Windows if offline. Perhaps one of those would help, with
> respect to looking for a malware source for the problem.
>
> http://devbuilds.kaspersky-labs.com/devbuilds/RescueDisk/
>
> With that one, you use a burner program that understands ISO9660
> files. Nero is what I use, but perhaps imgburn or cdburnerxp might
> work.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Optical_disc_authoring_software
>
> Once you've made the CD, set up the computer to boot from
> CD. The KAV disc, once booted, uses DHCP to establish a connection
> to the network, which might work if you have a cable modem or ADSL
> modem/router set up. At least, I have mine DHCP enabled on my broadband
> connection, and then this CD can get an IP address and get connected
> to the Internet. Once the environment has a network connection, it will
> download updates to the AV database, and prepare for scanning. In the
> partitions menu, it lists drive letters, but the drive letters are not
> extracted from the partitions themselves. As a result, you have to figure
> out which of their "letters", corresponds to your C: drive. For example,
> sometimes, I have to select "F:" to be scanned, to actually get my
> WinXP C: to be scanned. If in doubt, just click them all. Scanning
> can be slow, and with this one, tends to slow down with time.
>
> Paul

Thank you for taking the time with this, Paul. With additional work
last night, I did determine that the problem seems to be connected to
"uxtheme.dll" in some way. There are three different versions of that
file on my computer in three different places. By version number, which
one should I keep, and which directory is the right one (I presume
system32, but I'm not sure). Or should I chuck them all?

Again, my thanks for making the effort on this!

Tony
From: Paul on 2 May 2010 10:04
Tony wrote:
> Paul wrote:
>> Tony wrote:
>>> Sorry - here's the story to now:
>>>
>>> Tony wrote:
>>> I have been trying to simply change my desktop theme/desktop color.
>>> Every attempt to execute the change gives me the DEP message about "run
>>> .dll as an app". So I went into System Properties/Advanced/Performance
>>> and checked the box for an exception on "run .dll as an app". Reboot.
>>> Still won't allow me to do it. So I switched to "turn off DEP", which I
>>> know isn't wise, but I rebooted and it still will not let me change
>>> desktop theme, etc. A thorough online search turns up no info beyond
>>> what I've already tried. Can anyone help me solve this? Many thanks!
>>>
>>> Tony
>>>
>>>
>>> > Look at the error message again.. is it more along this line?
>>> >
>>> > "rundll.exe" or "rungll32.exe cannot be run as an application"
>>> >
>>> No, the message is: "To help protect your computer, Windows has closed
>>> this application". The application is listed as "Run .dll as an app".
>>>
>>> > Kelly has a few registry fixes at her site.. I would be surprised if
>>> > they work because of the DEP message, but they're easy-enough to try:
>>> >
>>> > http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm
>>> > Line 295. Lift Active Desktop Restrictions
>>> > Line 227. Restore/Enable Screensaver Tab Settings/Display
>>> > Line 282. Enable the Appearance Tab - Display
>>> >
>>> > Look also at her Active Desktop tweaks, if you use that feature.
>>>
>>>
>>> Thank you for trying, Joe, but as you expected, they didn't help.
>>> Frustrating!
>>>
>>> Tony
>>
>> First, start by reading the article on DEP. Then, think about third-party
>> packages you've been adding to the computer. Or, alternately, think about
>> malware as being the source of the problem. Fiddling with the DEP
>> settings
>> themselves, doesn't seem to be much of an option, based on people trying
>> that in the past for weird problems, and getting nowhere as a result.
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_execution_prevention
>>
>> An example of a third-party app, might be something like "uxtheme".
>> Try a search on "uxtheme" and "dep".
>>
>> There are downloadable CDs you can get, to scan for malware
>> while Windows if offline. Perhaps one of those would help, with
>> respect to looking for a malware source for the problem.
>>
>> http://devbuilds.kaspersky-labs.com/devbuilds/RescueDisk/
>>
>> With that one, you use a burner program that understands ISO9660
>> files. Nero is what I use, but perhaps imgburn or cdburnerxp might
>> work.
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Optical_disc_authoring_software
>>
>> Once you've made the CD, set up the computer to boot from
>> CD. The KAV disc, once booted, uses DHCP to establish a connection
>> to the network, which might work if you have a cable modem or ADSL
>> modem/router set up. At least, I have mine DHCP enabled on my broadband
>> connection, and then this CD can get an IP address and get connected
>> to the Internet. Once the environment has a network connection, it will
>> download updates to the AV database, and prepare for scanning. In the
>> partitions menu, it lists drive letters, but the drive letters are not
>> extracted from the partitions themselves. As a result, you have to figure
>> out which of their "letters", corresponds to your C: drive. For example,
>> sometimes, I have to select "F:" to be scanned, to actually get my
>> WinXP C: to be scanned. If in doubt, just click them all. Scanning
>> can be slow, and with this one, tends to slow down with time.
>>
>> Paul
>
> Thank you for taking the time with this, Paul. With additional work
> last night, I did determine that the problem seems to be connected to
> "uxtheme.dll" in some way. There are three different versions of that
> file on my computer in three different places. By version number, which
> one should I keep, and which directory is the right one (I presume
> system32, but I'm not sure). Or should I chuck them all?
>
> Again, my thanks for making the effort on this!
>
> Tony

I don't know how to fix it, but I have my suspicions. The only reason
it came to mind, is your mention of "theme".

It appears I have the same version of uxtheme.dll in

C:\WINDOWS\system32
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache

It is 6.00.2900.5512 and appears to have come with SP3. 218,624 bytes.

Perhaps if you'd used some third-party theme software, it installed
or hacked your theme file ?

Paul
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