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A template in the startup folder is not the only cause of this error. I have no templates in my startup folder (nor any other user’s startup folder on this machine) and still receive this error.

Another Cause of Dialog Box Interruption Errors

While a template located in the Startup folder can cause a “The command cannot be performed because a dialog box is open” error, it’s not the only reason. In researching this error message, it turns out that an outdated or corrupt DLL file, Officeav.dll (the Norton Antivirus Office plugin), can also trigger this message.

According to Microsoft’s Knowledge Base article #891986, the solution is to rename the Officeav.dll file to Officeav.old and then reboot your computer. A new DLL file will be generated upon reboot. In order to do this, you will need to search your computer for “officeav.dll,” note the file’s path, navigate to the file via Windows Explorer, and then right-click it, choose Rename, and rename the file with the “.old” file extension. Reboot your computer and the error message should be a problem of the past.

Template in Microsoft Office Startup Folder

For those who missed the original dialog box interference discussion, this error can also be caused when a Microsoft Word template containing an autoexec macro is stored in the Office Startup folder. When this happens, the macro within the template is prompting the user to take action of some sort by generating a dialog box. By removing the template from Office’s startup folder, the template and its autoexec macro will not be loaded each time Office loads. Thus, the macro won’t generate a dialog box that interferes with operations.

Tabbing through Windows in Search of Dialog Boxes

When a dialog box is open, it’s not always apparent as other Windows may be covering it. Closing the dialog box should allow you to continue with whatever process you were trying to carry out, regardless of the cause. In order to find the open dialog box, press and hold the Alt key while quickly tapping the Tab key. Keep Alt held in place and tap the Tab key to cycle through the open windows on your computer. Once you come to a dialog box, release the Alt key and read the dialog box. Click the appropriate button in response to the dialog box’s prompt. Once you’ve answered the dialog box, close it and Alt + Tab your way back to your original program. Now that the dialog box has been taken care of, you should be able to resume operations without interference.

I cannot start in Safe Mode or any other mode for that matter. I do not get the welcome screen when the computer starts up. It goes straight to set up and starts setting up. The error message is: “setup had problems registering the following OLE control DLL C:\windows\system32\rundll32.exe and DLLregisterserver returned error. 2147647516(8002801c)”

At this point, it’s time to do a little troubleshooting. This type of problem can sometimes occur if something has come ajar internally. If you have recently relocated your computer, perhaps the memory module has become dislodged and needs to be reseated. This problem can also occur if you do not have a legitimate Windows XP OS. If that is the case, the only thing you can do is replace it with a legitimate copy. It can also occur if the reinstallation of Windows that you completed did not go well.

Have you tried booting up in Safe Mode or using the Windows Installation Disk? These are the easiest ways to resolve the issue. If you are hitting the “F8″ key and are still unable to get into Safe Mode, move on to the following suggestions. 

Troubleshooting Computer Loads to Setup: Use Windows XP Installation Disk

If you are still getting the DLL Register Server Error, it is highly likely that things did not go as planned when you reloaded your Windows XP. Errors related to rundll32 are associated with the operating system. It would be a good idea to use the installation disk to repair the problem or simply reinstall it to see if that solves the problem that you are having.

Put your installation disk in the drive and boot up. If the disk starts up, close it and allow it to go to the command prompt. Type in SFC/ SCANONCE. Restart the computer with the disk still in and see if Windows will load. If it does, it should replace any corrupt files.

Troubleshooting Computer Loads to Setup: Boot Sequence

If your operating system has trouble registering rundll32, then perhaps your computer is set to recognize the CD drive for boot up instead of the hard drive. Did you change the boot sequence when you reloaded your Windows XP OS? If you did change it, then you need to switch it back so that the computer boots up from the hard drive.

Troubleshooting Computer Loads to Setup: Check for Removable Media

If you have removable media in any of the computer’s drives, it might be contributing to this problem. Remove all media from the computer including CDs, DVDs, floppy disks, USB flash cards, camera cards, and memory cards.

Troubleshooting Computer Loads to Setup: CMOS Battery

It is possible that you might need to replace the CMOS battery and set the date.

I have a Google Installer Error. I uninstalled ALL Google programs but still cannot access web pages for antivirus programs, or install any from other PCs. In safe mode it will install, but then when back in normal mode they just stop working when “google installer error” pops up. It’s an Eee PC so it does not have a disc drive, instead it uses a backup program, which won’t work and is giving a “COME Exception Error”. Could you help me?

Hmm, this does sound like a problem. The ubiquitous “Google installer error” is an indication that your system is infected with a virus - and the malware is obviously interfering with your attempts to download and install an antivirus program to solve the infection. If you aren’t having any luck with the installations - and Safe Mode offers no assistance, then you are probably looking at reformatting your computer.

The downside of formatting your hard drive is that you will lose any and all data stored in it. This includes and programs and applications that you have installed, personal data and documents, even your operating system. If your computer came pre-installed with an operating system, you might be able to request a backup CD, or you might have made a backup of your hard drive backup program. You are looking at wiping the hard drive clean, then reinstalling an operating system. Before taking this step, you might consider taking your computer to a repair shop and see if they can get anything off it that you don’t want to lose.

Otherwise, the upside of formatting is a fresh start and a clean system to reload with programs, and antivirus software to begin again. Since you don’t have a CD drive, you have two options, you can either use your USB port to connect an external CD drive to load the software, or you can create a flash drive loaded with the operating system and plug it into the USB port to reformat the computer.

Depending on your specific Eee Machine model and make, the process might vary slightly, but these are the general options. The Eee Machine website also offers help about this issue, and tips to create backup CDs and USB drives. Good luck!!

My Acer 5050 shows a blank screen at startup.

Acer blank screens at startup can occur for any number of reasons. The Acer 5050 notebook seems to be particularly prone to this type of problem. Go through the list of suggestions here, completing each one until you fix the problem.

First, however, you should check your warranty to see if it is still in place. If it is, you might want to consider contacting Acer as this is a common problem for this specific Acer notebook. Some of the following suggestions might void your warranty, so you should check on this first. Additionally, if none of these suggestions work, you need to consider the possibility that the motherboard is bad and should be replaced.

Troubleshooting Blank Display: Boot Up into Safe Mode or the Installation Disc

Try booting up in Safe Mode using “F2,” “F10,” “F8″ “F12″ key to do so. Check your manual. As you power up the notebook, press one of the above several times until you hear the notebook booting up. If this works, you will see Safe Mode instead of a blank screen.

If you have it, use your installation disc to boot up the notebook. Press the “ESC” and “F1″ keys when booting up. If this works, you will see the words “Check System” on the screen.

Troubleshooting Blank Display: Hard Reset

One of the easier strategies that you can try is to complete a hard reset. Disconnect the notebook from the power outlet and remove the cable. Unplug any peripheral devices that you have attached to the notebook including a mouse, speakers, printers, etc. Turn your notebook over gently and remove the battery. Now, hold down the power button for a full minute. Carefully replace the battery and reconnect the power cables and peripheral devices. Power up the notebook to see if this worked.

Troubleshooting Blank Display: Miscellaneous Suggestions

Check to make sure that you hear the fan running in the notebook. Overheating can lead to problems such as this. If the fan is not working, you should have it replaced. Check also to make sure that a buildup of dust does not exist.

Check to make sure that you haven’t inadvertently left a disc in the drive. If you have a DVD or CD in the drive, take it out and try booting up again.

Troubleshooting Blank Display: Recover the BIOS

The Acer Aspire comes with a built in recovery system, but completing this solution could void the warranty so check first.

1)   Format a bootable USB memory stick to FAT.

2)   Next, obtain the latest BIOS from Acer’s website.

3)   Place the BIOS file and the FLASHIT.EXE files into the memory stick’s root directory.

4)   You need to rename the BIOS file to: ZG5IA32.FD.

5)   Turn off the notebook, but keep it connected to power.

6)   Insert the memory stick and press on these keys “Fn” and “Esc” and the power button all at the same time. Wait a few seconds and stop pressing “Fn” and “Esc.”

7)   Press the power button once. The BIOS should flash. Wait until it is finished. You will know that this has worked if the notebook reboots itself.

My computer froze up, so I turned it off and tried to restart it. All I get is a plain blue screen. What has happened, and can it be fixed?

The Blue Screen of Death

The much dreaded “blue screen of death”, also known as a BSoD, is an all-too-common Windows operating system start error. The BSoD occurs when the computer has encountered a critical error that causes the operating system to shut itself down, in an attempt to prevent too much damage. More specifically, the error is often caused by an illegal operation that causes the computer to freeze and (often) attempt to restart. BSoDs are commonly related to errors during driver or program installation, including Windows automatic updates. A lot of the time a BSoD involves a problem in the computer’s hard drive or file system that requires you to boot from a Windows CD.

Reboot and Uninstall Recent Additions

Before going any further, try to reboot the computer again - sometimes this is all it takes to fix the error. If not, and if you recently installed a device or program, see if you can get into your computer enough to remove it. If you are only getting a BSoD, it might not be possible, but removing the flawed install could take care of it. To try this you can restart the computer and press F8 as the computer boots up to start in Safe Mode. Following the instructions, try to get access to remove recent installations. If this is unsuccessful, you will need to try and repair the operating system installation.

Operating System Recovery Discs

These days, a lot of new computers with pre-installed operating systems don’t come with Windows CDs. You need a CD of the same version as the operating system installed in your computer. If your computer system included a disc, fantastic, if not, you might have made one when you first got your system for an occasion like this. Otherwise, you can borrow one from a friend - but you will also need the product key, printed on a sticker on the box - or you can contact Microsoft for one. If getting a disc is impossible, you might need to take it in for repair, but there are a few things to try first.

Repair your Operating System Installation

If you have the disc, put it in the drive then reboot the computer, turning it off and on. The system should boot from the disc, but if you are prompted click any key to do so. Click Enter to continue - not Repair then, on the agreement, click F8 to accept. Now click the disk partition that contains the operating system - if there are several, it is likely the largest, then click R to Repair to attempt to fix the installation. Follow the on screen directions to complete the repair. When the process is finished, restart the computer and see if your problem is resolved.

Reformat and Reinstall your Operating System

If this isn’t possible, then you might need to reformat the computer and re-install the operating system. If so, you will most likely want to take your system to a repair shop and see if any of your data can be salvaged, because a reformatting will completely erase your system’s contents.

My Acer Aspire One netbook does not start up and I get this message “Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: system32ntoskrl.exe. Please re-install a copy of the above file.” What to do? Is it a BIOS problem?

If the netbook won’t start and you get the error message about a missing or corrupt system32ntoskrl.exe file, you definitely need to replace the file. Sometimes normal use of a netbook leads to missing or corrupt files. This can happen when the netbook shuts off unexpectedly, programs fail to close properly, viruses infect the netbook and more. Follow the suggestions listed until you find one that fixes the problem.

Fixing System32ntoskrl Error: Acer eRecovery Management

If you have the option to use the Acer eRecovery Management option, this is probably the quickest and best strategy to use. Boot up your netbook and immediately press the “Alt” and “F10″ keys to access Acer eRecovery Management. Once there, you have the option to select factory restore which should replace the file. However, you will lose any customized settings that you have made.

Fixing System32ntoskrl Error: Boot up in “Last Known Good Configuration”

Boot your netbook into Safe Mode and choose the “Last Known Good Configuration” option.

Fixing System32ntoskrl Error: Set Up Disc

If you still have the original set up disc that came with your netbook, you can use it to replace the missing system32ntoskrl.exe file. If you do not have the disc, you should be able to obtain one from Acer for your netbook free of charge. Using the set up disc allows you to repair any existing errors on your operating system. Follow these directions:

1)   Insert the disc into the netbook.

2)   Depending on your operating system, you might be prompted to press a key on the keyboard in order to boot up from the disc. On some machines, you need to press the ESC key and then the F1 key to change the boot up option to the CD drive.

3)   At the first dialog screen that pops up, select “r” in order to begin the repair task. Pressing the “r” takes you into the recovery console.

4)   Type in the following command:                                                                              ” expand d:\i386\ntoskrnl.ex_c:\windows\system32″

5)   When the prompt appears asking if you want to overwrite the file, type in “Y” and select enter.

6)   Type exit in order to reboot the computer.