History of the
Problem Appearance
The history of this problem troubleshooting was not very
exciting. The contaminated with malware computer was processed through a
several anti-virus and anti-malware scans, including the standard loaded
antivirus program, Malwarebytes, and several other “disinfectants”. After the guilty
program was removed, the following traces remained:
* Periodic error message, pointing on the C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\System\SysMenu.dll
error. The specified module could not be found.
RunDLL
There was a problem
starting C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\System\SysMenu.dll
The specified
module could not be found.
* Size of the icons on the Desktop is small, and cannot
be reset as Default for medium size.
Why the SysMenu
Issue Happens?
Well, the original problem source is, so called, PUP.
PUPs – which is short for Potentially Unwanted Programs - are computer software
programs that install themselves without you knowing about it and then, rather
presumptuously, take it upon themselves to install new files on your PC.
After the actual malware is successfully removed, the
unwanted orphan files and configuration records might still remain, causing a
RunDLL C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\System\SysMenu.dll error message on startup saying
that the specified module could not be found.
You may be wondering why you got this nasty malware at
the first place. Potentially Unwanted Programs developers apply grey (questionable)
and sometimes even red (totally illegal) business practices. The might include
the visually attractive option in the totally legitimate and well-respected
software, they might include it as a part of the downloaded torrent, or they
may hide as an option with some illegal software you are trying to use.
Having a decent anti-malware program is a must, but might
be not sufficient to keep your computer free from intruders. Therefore,
whenever you download and install a new software on your computer, do not mindfully
click next every time, just acknowledging the developers fine print. Make sure
to read the End User License Agreement very carefully. PUPs will normally be
mentioned in the small print as an added 'extra' so ensure that check boxes
relating to these add-ons are correctly configured so that you do not download
them too. Do not automatically download and install anything you are not very
sure what it is.
How to Fix?
If your computer performance is draws your suspicion,
uninstall all the recently installed programs, you are not familiar with, listing
your programs by installation date in the built-in Unintsall option in your
Windows OS. If you have the better uninstallation utility, like Revo
Uninstaller, or similar, better you them, as they assure cleaner removal from
your Hard Drive and Registry.
If the SysMenu.dll error message still appears on your
computer (or started to appear after the PUP removal), use the following recommendations:
1. Download Windows Sysinternals Microsoft standard
utility Autoruns for Windows, developed
by Mark Russinovich, and save it to your Desktop.
2. Launch autoruns.exe program (for Vista/Windows 7/8 users’
right-click and select Run As Administrator).
3. In the top menu, click File > Find... and type the
file name SysMenu.dll, then click Find Next. Alternatively, you can scroll
through the list and look for any entry related to SysMenu.dll.
4. When found the related entry, right-click on it and
choose delete. Note that these entries are usually yellow highlighted.
5. Go through the list and delete all the related
entries.
6. Close Autoruns and reboot your computer, when the task
is completed.
