Updating Windows
1. Click the 'Start' button in Windows, expand the 'All Programs' folder and click the 'Windows Update' icon. Microsoft Internet Explorer will launch; let the page load.
2. Click the 'Express Install' button and wait while Windows searches for updates for your computer.
3. Click the 'Install Updates' button if Windows finds important updates for your machine. The download and installation process may take just a few minutes or more than an hour, depending on your connection speed and which updates were found.
4. Reboot your computer when prompted at the end of the update installation process.
5. Try to replicate the problems you were having with advpack.dll. If problems persist, go to the next section.
Restoring Windows
6. Click the 'Start' button again, expand 'All Programs,' expand 'Accessories' and then expand 'System Tools.' Click the 'System Restore' icon.
7. Click 'Restore my computer to an earlier time' and then click the 'Next' button.
8. Select a restore point from the calendar. All of the bold dates on the calendar represent restore points, and you can move backward and forward through the months by using the arrow buttons on either side. Choose a restore point from before you started experiencing problems with advpack.dll. If you're not sure when the problems started, select the earliest restore point that appears. Click on the bold date to choose it; then click the 'Next' button.
9. Review your chosen restore point on the System Restore confirmation screen; then click 'Next.' In Windows Vista, this button reads 'Finish.'
10. Wait as your computer restores and then reboots. When it starts up again, click 'OK' on the confirmation dialog box that says the restoration was a success.
11. Try to replicate the problem again. If you're still having trouble, proceed to the final section.
Replacing advpack.dll
12. Open your Web browser. Navigate to a site where you can download advpack.dll for free. There are several sites that offer common Windows Dynamic Link Library files for free download, but you can find a direct link to one in the Resources section.
13. Click the download link and save the file to your computer. When it saves, double-click it to open it in the program your computer uses for .zip files. Unzip the advpack.dll file to your computer's desktop.
14. Double-click the 'My Computer' icon; then double-click the 'C:' icon. If you're using Windows 2000 or NT, double-click the 'WINNT' folder; otherwise, double-click the 'Windows' folder. Finally, double-click the System folder, which is 'System32' in Windows 2000, NT and 32-bit XP and Vista. In Windows 95, 98 and Me, it's 'System,' and in 64-bit Windows XP and Vista, it's 'SysWOW64.'
15. Drag the advpack.dll file you extracted to the desktop into the system folder. If you're asked whether or not you would like to replace the original file, click 'Yes.'
16. Reboot your computer so that Windows will load and recognize the new version of the file. If your file was corrupted or missing, this should correct the issue.
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