Okay, so my computer's decided to find a new way to fuck with me: Now, when I sign into AIM 6, it pops up with a "Bad Image Error".

"The application or DLL C:\WINDOWS\system32\mshtmled.dll is not a valid Windows image."

So, looking up my problem online nets me with... nothing. In fact, if it weren't for it being listed in data lists where people are having some other kind of file, it is as if the file does not exist: hell, Google keeps correcting me and searching for a mshtml.dll file instead of an mshtmled.dll file.

So, let's get down the business: What the fuck is wrong, and how do I fix it?

Yeah. Six times.

They say 7's the luck number.

Doubtful, since the file's located in the Windows folder and not in any AOL/AIM folder.

You may end up having to reformat your computer. But don't do that as anything but a last resort.

Well, the problem seems to have stopped today, but frankly I don't trust this computer. If anyone has any solutions for it in case it pulls this shit again, I'd like to hear them.

Ya know, sometimes computers just have issues for no reasons....well no reasons meaning nothing we can explain unless we are very smart and able to search deep into the program. They have their times when they just error up, It may even be a registry thing. I know that on my friends mother's computer every time she loaded up her computer and signed on, the first thing it showed EVERY EVERY TIME I say....it showed an error window saying something was wrong with a certain file and then after you hit ok the system32 folder would show up. So I cleaned off all of the viruses (for sure) Her computer ran faster but that indeed wasn't the problem because it still did it XD lol. So I installed one of my favorite programs TuneUp Utilities 2008. This nifty lil prog fixes issues on your computer. This thing when you use the right option it digs deep into your registry and application files to figure out where the problems are. When its finished it will give you a list of the problems and will give you an option to clean em, so I hit clean and after that I went to Registry optimizer and it looked through the registry one more time and it showed that there were some registry files that were totally useless or had no specific program it worked for. At any rate it said it was going to reduce the registry size by 18% woohoo some space saved on that one! After we did that we restarted the computer and BAM! Her problem was solved, no more errors!

lol I know what Im talkin about when I use registry cleaners. I've used em for years and the only thing they've done is make things better....well the only one I use is the one I mentioned. Still my point still stands, it works, maybe you should try the trial version of it man.

What he could do is create another partition with EASEUS Partition Manager 2.0 Home edition, put all his personal files on it and reinstall windows on his C: drive without deleting anything on the new partition. And then install everything he wants including aim.

What you have to do first is:
1. Resize the C: drive down to a desired size.
2. Create a new drive (partition) from the formatted memory.
3. Move all your files to the new partition.
4. Reinstall windows via recovery cd to the factory setup.

That sounds like it could work but wouldn't that be a bit of a hassle?

D: I've been having some problems with my computer now. I think it started when I changed my admin name (or thought I only did that) I changed it to my own name as the name of my admin account. I thought that my admin account was the only one till I noticed that there is that other admin account still around.

I cant delete the second admin account and I cant enter it using a password unless I enter safe mode. When I enter safe mode and go to Users I still cant change anything with the two admin accounts.

I started to really notice this after my second experiance with the problem.

For some reason there are folders I am locked out of even though I am an admin of the computer. I cant right click them and go to securities because there are NO security tabs.

There are also programs I cant install and thats a problem for me. I've tried several methods I've searched for online like hacking into my own admin account (lols...) I tried right clicking the installer pack I am wanting to use and going to the "Run as" function and clicking Administrator and since there is no set password for the Admin account I want to get on I leave the password field blank. After I hit ok it says that it was denied and that the following problems could be I've left the password field blank and or there is a limitation enforced on me which I have no idea what it is.

I tried actually SETTING a password for that account using my admin account but that didnt work either, it came up with the same exact message that it did when I left the field blank for the password.

So you're saying it may be used as a fail safe? You know, so that if your account starts acting buggy you can try to fix that with the safe mode Admin account?

The Administrator account is the default account of the computer, you see it when you install the first time. It prompts to make an admin password, then a regular user.

It's kind of like root in Linux, it has access to everything, and if it gets hacked, omgwtf. But it's usually shown only in safe mode because in normal use, you don't need admin powers. Also in a lab-like situation, it's reserved for your System Administrator for repairs or other modifications.

As for the original problem of AIM; I'd suggest using another client for AIM, either trill, pidgin, or use a bitlbee server in ANY IRC client. Or if you don't mind a web-interface, meebo.com or use mibbit.com to connect to bitlbee.

I haven't solved the installation file problem....BUT HOWEVER! I was able to successfully unlock the folders to my admin account :o (yay for me)....just that LAST problem I have to deal with....now....how to go about this...?