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Error loading C:\WINDOWS\system32\shimgvw.dll

Anonymous
2010-07-01T06:29:45+00:00

Hello everybody,

Recently I received a very troublesome machine that I seem not to be able to fix. It started out with Image Thumbnails not showing up within Windows Explorer.

Since then I have researched the issue extensively and have not found a fix yet. Here is a list of things that I tried:

  • Opening a jpg image with "Windows Picture and Fax Viewer" by using right click within Explorer and selecting "Open with". Result: "Error loading C:\WINDOWS\system32\shimgvw.dll The system cannot find the file specified."
  • Checked the existence of shimgvw.dll and it sure exists. When I open a dos command line and 'cd' to C:\Windows\system32, enter 'regsvr32 shimgvw.dll', the result is: "LoadLibrary("shimgvw.dll") failed - The system cannot find the file specified."
  • Next try was to run 'sfc /scannow' as suggested in many postings on several forums online. That command runs for a while and comes back with no errors. Tried previous steps again, same results.
  • Then I uninstalled SP3 through the Add/Remove Programs within the Control Panel. Ran for a while. Reapplied SP3. Ran for a while. Still no image previews and still the same error messages.
  • Finally I grabbed a Windows XP SP3 slipstream CD, which I have created a while back and ran a system repair. That all ran fine, and when the system finally rebooted, everything was the same old.

I know it may be easier at this point to simply reinstall Windows XP Home fresh from scratch, however the user does not like that idea due to the loss of all applications, settings, etc.

I would very much appreciate some guidance on how to resolve this issue.

Thank YOU!

Wolfgang

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-07-03T05:46:25+00:00

    Since I have seen so many related shimgvw.dll issues on the web, which many people had not found a solution to, I am posting the solution that I have found. Through some more searching, I came across Dependency Walker. http://www.dependencywalker.com/ After installing this application, I was able to fully analyze of what shimgvw.dll needed to be able to load all dependencies. Interestingly enough, one of the dll it requires is gdiplus.dll, which for some reason existed inside \windows\system32 but not inside a different app path that I forgot now. Either way, it's noteworthy that there is a 'properties' feature within Dependency Walker. Right click the red flagged dll and check the path where a given dll (in my case shimgvw.dll) is trying to locate another dll. I then simply used the gdiplus.dll from system32 and copied that in the other path and finally I succeeded with regsvr32 shimgvw.dll. Explorer then stared showing thumbnails again and Image and Fax Viewer were also back in business.

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-01-26T06:04:49+00:00

    Greetings,I have searched many sitesand had not found ananswer very accurateas yours,but I have notworked,and download the program you saybut not how to use it, noflags, justred squares, what can I cando?

    Thank you

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