1. Verify that your gdi32.dll file either isn't installed or is not working properly before taking action to reinstall the file. If it is working properly, your computer display should look normal, and you should not be getting error messages referring to the file. If it is installed, you should be able to find it in the Windows system folder. Your system folder location depends on the version of Windows you use; in 32-bit Windows XP and Vista, it's C:\Windows\System32; in 64-bit Windows XP and Vista, it's C:\Windows\SysWOW64; in Windows 2000 and NT, it's C:\WINNT\System32; and in Windows 95, 98 and ME, it's C:\Windows\System. If you find that gdi32.dll is installed and working, you don't need to do anything special to use it.
2. Open your Web browser and navigate to a site where you can download this file for free. You can find a link to one reliable download location in the Resources section below. Click the download link and save the file to your computer.
3. Unzip the .dll file if you downloaded it as a .zip file, since many websites that offer these files offer them in this compressed format. To unzip the file, double-click the .zip file. When it opens in the default program for handling these files, look for a command that says 'Unzip,' 'Unpack' or 'Extract.' Select this command and, when you're prompted for a location to which to extract the file, choose your computer's desktop.
4. Double-click the 'My Computer' icon, then double-click the 'C:' icon. Navigate to the system folder for your version of Windows; refer to the file paths in Step 1 to find yours.
5. Drag the gdi32.dll file you downloaded into this folder. If the file already exists in the folder but just isn't working properly, you'll see a dialog box asking you if you would like to replace the existing file. Click 'Yes' if you see this.
6. Click the 'Start' button in Windows and then click 'Run.' Type 'cmd' into the Run window, and click the 'OK' button to open the command prompt.
7. Type 'regsvr32 gdi32.dll' in the command prompt and press Enter. This registers the .dll file so that your operating system and software can begin using it immediately. Close the command prompt window at the end of this process.
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