Just upgraded from Win ME to Win XP SP2 last weekend. I use the free AVG antivirus program and McAfee firewall. I run a full system virus scan every night. Since the upgrade to XP, AVG reports "Reading Error" on 4 files, kernel32.dll, shell32.dll, wsock32.dll, and user32.dll. AVG says these files are located in the C:\windows\system folder. If I do a file search for these files they are found in the C:\windows\system32 folder but not in the system folder. I believe in the system folder they are protected files and are not being shown. The AVG forum cannot give me a definitive answer as to why I am getting these messages. Has anyone else experienced this and is it something that I need to worry about?

Hi TwoShoes
I had the same up untill 6 Feb, mine read changed though, then after an update it reduced to just the shell32.dll.

This was on a new harddrive it started on the second day 13th Jan I installed windows my internet connection zoneAlarm & AVG I only went online for AVG updates and windows updates that night and the change started the following day.

this may help From AVG forum

Read the whole thread it starts after the 2nd reply

If any advice helps, please post back as it might help others.

Thanks smifff,

I deleted the file mentioned in the link and then tried a "scan selected areas" on the C:\windows\system folder and still get the "reading error" on the same 4 files. Apparently these same 4 files are located in 2 different folders, both "system" and "system32" and I don't know if they should be in both places or if the ones in the "system" folder are leftovers from ME from before my upgrade. I initially posted in the Windows XP forum but got no responses so then I posted the same in this forum. My post in the XP forum then got deleted by someone but all that I was trying to do is to see if someone from either forum had experienced this problem.

I am posting to let you know that I have found my problem and can explain the cause so that in the future, others who may experience this problem can check to see if it is the same for them. As I mentioned in my original post I had just upgraded from Windows ME to XP when the problem started. When I began the upgrade, my PC would reboot as soon as it started into the upgrade CD. I contacted Microsoft support and we ran the Windows Upgrade Advisor at which time it stated that the Advisor could not verify that AVG free addition and also McAfee Personal Firewall were compatible with XP. The had me uninstall both products at which time the Windows upgrade completed perfectly. After the upgrade I reinstalled AVG and McAfee successfully, or so I thought. With the problem continuing even after doing what was recommended for some that were close to my problem in some of my searches, after going through over 200 posts I finally found one that was exactly the same as my problem. Within the thread was a brief mention that those files should be in the System32 folder in XP and should not be referenced in the System folder and to go into the "System Area Test Settings" and disable any reference to them in the System folder. Seeing this I checked my settings and indeed they only referenced them in the System folder. Being that I did a complete uninstall using the latest download and then later reinstall from the same download that it would recognize that now this is an XP system. At that time I realized that after I did the install that whenever I went to set the scheduler scan time rather than the default it had my 1:00 am schedule. During my haste with Microsoft in the uninstall I failed to check the "Remove User Settings" and as a result on the reinstall the files were being pointed to in the wrong folder. A second uninstall/reinstall with it checked this time and the settings now point to the System32 folder where the files are located. I would not consider this to be a "User Setting" but apparently it is. Hope this post may help some others in the future.

Tom