Computer help question

[Kuchinawa212]

Hey Escapist, it's been about half a decade since I last used these forums but if I need a bunch of techy guys who knows their way around computers I figured this is a good place to try.

So my computer had a major crash last week. It said the COMCTL32.dll file was corrupted (or something similar sounding). Bad news right? So I go and try and fix it using some advice I saw online (did not download a new one as apparently that's a virus magnet) No luck. Well time to do a system restore right? Wrong! It said the MUI of the restore program was all FUBAR and a system restore was a no go. So I went and backed up all I could to my external hard drive; sent it to the shop and they had to re install windows.

So the computer is back up and operational, but here is my question. If I try and re install my backup data would the corrupted 32 file come with it? And if I just make a system save point now might it also be possible I couldn't get back to it as the MUI problem could come right back? Making me unable to system restore and needing to re install windows all over again! I called up the guy who worked on my computer and he said to just make a system image now, try it and see. If it works great, and if it doesn't then just go back, but again I'm worried if I even /could/ go back.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SnowyGamester]

It all depends on how you backed up your data. If you plain copy and pasted everything to an external hard drive I suggest restoring just your personal files...copying back the Windows folder will likely not only bring back the problem but probably fuck your Windows installation up all together. If it's been copied to an .iso or some kind of other backup archive I suggest you extract it and just get your user files because if it also backed up your system files you will likely bring back the problem.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

yay someone replied! Umm, well I just hit the "back up my computer" on my seagate external hard drive. So I think it got everything including perhaps the corrupted file. But maybe I can sit down with someone and they can help me walk through extracting that data and just transferring the stuff I need.

 

[SnowyGamester]

Does that mean you used the build-in backup solution in Windows? Did you do a file backup that saved a .zip file or a system backup that saved a .vhd file? If it saved as zip you should be able to browse it like a folder and copy all of your documents over. If you saved a .vhd you can mount it as detailed here [http://blogs.technet.com/b/danstolts/archive/2012/11/09/how_2d00_to_2d00_mount_2d00_vhd_2d00_image_2d00_from_2d00_windows_2d00_7_2d00_step_2d00_by_2d00_step_2d00_without_2d00_any_2d00_third_2d00_party_2d00_toolsthe_2d00_easy_2d00_way.aspx] and then access the files as if they were another hard drive.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

I believe it's the .vhd option. I'll try and give that a go. Thanks for all your help man.

 

[Frezzato]

I believe it's the .vhd option. I'll try and give that a go. Thanks for all your help man.

Just to point out the obvious, but you should still do a couple of scans of the external drive before unpacking it or whatever is involved.

Anti-virus and Malwarebytes for example. And maybe TDSSKiller, if there's a free, updated version of it. What I'm saying is, a little paranoia once in a while is okay I think.