IsThreadDesktopComposited error but no dwmapi.dll file present

[sammyc]

Trying to help someone with their laptop running xp, they had some sort of shutdown & chkdsk ran on restart, after which, starting up has brought up a series of errors.

So far they have been missing dll's which I've got round hopefully by replacing them off a similar machine, via a Lubuntu try-before-install.

However the current message ''The procedure entry point IsThreadDesktopComposited could
not be located in the dynamic link library USER32.dll'' seems 99% to be said to be because of dwmapi.dll that should not be present in xp. As per title no such file is present. The 1% of suggestions that it could be a different file - don't say how to find what other file that might be.

Any advice how to proceed appreciated.

[stevie lee]

I would say the hard drive is on its way out/already gone, so copy important stuff off there ASAP via that lunbuntu virtual disc thing,
you'll be forever chasing missing this, missing that, so copy stuff off, run a SMART reader program too see what condition he HDD is in, then worry about reinstalling XP again from scratch.

[sammyc]

oh there had been no prior sign of trouble from the hard drive & I don't know what set off this, in particular. Blah.. getting the stuff off isn't a problem & they have backups anyway but the machine came with xp so re-installing isn't worth it. I'd hoped I would come to the end of the 'missings' but from what you say it's not a cheery prospect.. thanks anyway..

[stevie lee]

only thinking its the drive because I had similar problems with win 10 saying missing dlls, shortly after lightning storm last year. checked SMART and 22,000 sector errors.

so check SMART see what it says.

[sammyc]

righto, I will look into it when I'm sure everything required is definitely off the drive. what will work with lubuntu?

[sammyc]

Ok, having remembered that HP has its own self-test options I ran their HDD test. As the drive failed at the first fence (quick test) and a recovery console disc I had handy failed to find a drive, is this a definitive RIP? Just checking because something like this implies there is faint hope to be gained from further pokings around http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Noteboo...r/td-p/1393699

If dead as a doornail at least can take it from there.

[stevie lee]

anyway of taking the drive out and connecting to another computer, then trying that chkdsk routine (as mentioned in your link) ?

and it still sounds like the drive is dead.

at the limits of my limited knowledge on what to do now. whether its worth it getting a new drive in there . It is an XP install, which implies its an old laptop, might even be an IDE drive,(?) they don't even make them anymore. or whether the 'put in other computer, chkdsk it and poke it via that' will work.


anyone else have ideas? I'm out..

[EndlessWaves]

Ok, having remembered that HP has its own self-test options I ran their HDD test. As the drive failed at the first fence (quick test) and a recovery console disc I had handy failed to find a drive, is this a definitive RIP?

Without knowing what you're testing it's difficult to say. You can have a thoroughly screwed up data structure on a hard drive but with perfectly functional hardware that'll operate just fine after a reformat.

It sounds like you're getting progressive failures though, if nothing is detecting it now then that's definitely a dead drive.

[sammyc]

Thanks I will have a go at hooking it up to another machine tomorrow. It is a SATA - for now I will probably just put linux onto a spare drive to be going on with & then it's their choice (if no joy with the probably-dead drive) whether to put win7 or whatever on a new drive or just replace the machine/keep it as a spare.

The data is all there & accessible so it's detectable sort of; the drive shows fine going in via linux & so forth but that's all I can say atm.