Error Message: Winlogon.Exe Could Not Locate Component. This Application Has Failed To Start Because Comctl32.Dll Was Not Found. (324765)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
This article was previously published under Q324765

SYMPTOMS

When you start your computer, you may receive the following error message:
WinLogon.exe could not locate component. This application has failed to start because comctl32.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
If you click OK to clear the message, you may receive the following error message:
User Interface Failure. The logon user interface DLL 'msgina.dll' failed to load. Contact your system administrator or restore the DLL.
This problem may occur after you install critical updates from Windows Updates or after you using the System Restore utility to restore your computer to a previous state.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, restore the corrupted or missing files by expanding them from the Windows XP CD-ROM. If you cannot expand the files, repair the current Windows XP installation.

To restore the missing or corrupted files by expanding them from the Windows XP CD-ROM, follow these steps:
  1. Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer. Follow any on-screen instructions to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive.
  2. When the Welcome to Setup screen appears, press R to start the Recovery Console.
  3. If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer, select the installation that you want to access from the Recovery Console.
  4. When you are prompted to do so, type the Administrator password, and then press ENTER. If the Administrator password is blank, press ENTER.
  5. Type the following command line

    EXPAND D:\I386\comctl32.dl_ C:\Windows\System32

    and then press ENTER.

    NOTE: Change the drive letters if your CD-ROM drive is not drive D, and the hard disk that contains the operating system is not drive C.
  6. Type the following command line

    EXPAND D:\I386\msgina.dl_ C:\Windows\System32

    and then press ENTER.
  7. Restart the computer in a typical fashion.
If you cannot expand the files, repair the Windows XP installation. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. At the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to start Windows XP Setup.
  2. Read the End-User License Agreement, and then press F8 to accept it and continue.
  3. Press R to repair the current installation. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the repair operation.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

307654 HOW TO: Install and Use the Recovery Console in Windows XP

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/29/2002
Keywords:kbprb KB324765
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.