Author Topic: Error loading setiface.dll  (Read 5558 times)

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Ventu1286

  • Guest
Error loading setiface.dll
« on: March 20, 2006, 11:17:40 PM »
Hello

I have Windows XP Home, all patched. I have since this a.m. an issue with both avast (and ZoneAlarm), to which I can find no answer in this forum.

On profile start-up, I get a RED avast warning in bottom right of screen, saying that avast encountered a problem during updating, click here for more info - but clicking does nothing. I also get a Windows pop-up telling me that a file (filter.zap) in the Zone Alarm program file is not a valid Windows image ( I know this isn't your problem, but it may be related).

Avast refuses to update manually (iAVS or Program) - it does even seem to attempt to. Current version of Program is 4.6.763, VPS file version 611-2.

I have tried the Change/Remove option in Add/Remove Programs, but I get the following RUNDLL pop-up:
Error loading Program~1\ALWIL~1\Avast4\setup\setiface.dll       %1 is not a valid win32 application

It seems that MS Word is also playing up, but IE works. I have tried System Restores back a few days, but this makes no difference.

Can someone please help?

Chris

CharleyO

  • Guest
Re: Error loading setiface.dll
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2006, 05:26:51 AM »
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Welcome to the forums, ventu1286.    :)

The fact that filter.zap is present says that your computer has an email worm and/or virus. This particular type can shutdown firewalls and anti-virus programs. This worm is also at least one year old and possiblily 2 years old. It is usually aquired by opening bad email or by P2P programs.

I am not sure this will work but it would not hurt to try running Ewido since you have XP. Hopefully, you have kept XP fully up-to-date. Ewido can be found here ......

http://www.ewido.net/en/download/

Download it and update it before running it. I hope this helps you.    :)


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Ventu1286

  • Guest
Re: Error loading setiface.dll
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2006, 10:19:15 AM »
Thank you Charley0.

I downloaded as you suggested, and set it to run before leaving for work. Hopefully Ewido will tell me more about the nature of the worm, and be able to eradicate its presence.

If the worm is so old, I wonder why avast was unable to stop it, and prevent it from carrying out its disabling routine. I can't say I'm impressed on this occasion  :o

There will no doubt remain the problem of how to repair avast, since it cannot be uninstalled or repaired from Add/Remove Programs. Do you have any suggestions?

Regards

Chris

Offline Lisandro

  • Avast team
  • Certainly Bot
  • *
  • Posts: 67195
Re: Error loading setiface.dll
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2006, 01:25:20 PM »
Since it cannot be uninstalled or repaired from Add/Remove Programs. Do you have any suggestions?

1. Use Avast Uninstall for complete uninstallation (read http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_uninstall_util.html)
2. Boot
3. Install again
4. Boot
The best things in life are free.

CharleyO

  • Guest
Re: Error loading setiface.dll
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2006, 06:56:15 PM »
***

No anti-virus program, anti-malware program, etc can possiblily catch every such malicious crap. Sometimes, it is our own fault for ignoring warnings, opening email attachments, using P2P programs, etc. There are way too many reasons to list why a certain type of program fails to catch everything. In short, nothing nor no one is perfect. That is a true fact of life.    ;)

Avast specializes in virus detection. Ewido specializes in trojans and worms. There is a fine line between what is a virus, a trojan, a worm, etc.
Quote
your computer has an email worm and/or virus.

Since avast did not catch it (you gave no indication of warnings from Avast about a virus but only that it could not start correctly), it appears you have/had a worm that used the filter.zap file (btw, not a true ZA file but part of the worm) and you use XP as the OS. This is why I suggested Ewido.    :)

We have not heard back from you yet, but, hopefully the worm is now gone.

Our good friend, Tech, has posted instructions on fixing Avast. You may also need to uninstall ZA and re-install it also.


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« Last Edit: March 21, 2006, 07:00:19 PM by CharleyO »

Ventu1286

  • Guest
Re: Error loading setiface.dll
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2006, 09:42:41 PM »
Thank you both for your help.

Ewido found a few bits here and there in cookies, but nothing that could explain the targeted file corruptions which have been found o the infected computer. So I still don't know what the worm is, or how to be sure it has been removed. I shall now start uninstalling and reinstalling as you suggest (incl. ZA and many others, including Adobe products it seems).

Note I had run a-squared, as it was not affected by the attack (relative unknown?), but it found nothing either.

I now assume the only way to find out if the damned thing is still there and active is to see if avast gets blocked again - if I ever manage to reinstall it!

I understand what you are saying about being a Jack of all trades and Master of none, but avast does not exactly make that clear on its homepage.

Kind Regards

Chris