This my first post here so please be patient. I have a Gateway made in 1999 (as far as I can tell anyway).I have the newest versions of Windows Player, Quicktime and Adobe , all of which are compatible with win 98. I have 73% free space. My problem is sometimes I can play video clips (usually through a link in my email). Also, some e card sites allow me to load and some don't. I have run every diagnostic and repair program available. I receive error messages ranging from syntax errors, problem with java (which I have the new version from Sun),to missing or corrupted files. I got my system partially fixed. Now I have error saying :missing export SHELL32.DLL SH GetFolder Path A. I checked and shell.32 dll there with version 4.72.318.600 .I found a link from this site for a download for shell32.dll and downloaded. No change in my problem. Need plain and simple advice Help please!

'Missing export' typically means you've got some software trying to use shell32.dll but is expecting it to do something it can't. The usual solution is to update shell32.dll. You say you have version 4.72.318.600. I'm running 4.72.3812.600 which would be newer than yours. I think my version was updated when I installed AOL 9 or IE 6.1 (also on the AOL disk). You might check this previous thread too: http://www.computing.net/answers/wi... I can send you the Q313829 file that has the shell32.dll update if you can't locate it.

What version of Internet Explorer do you have installed? Some things, especially on the web, will not work properly unless you have installed IE 6.x and updates for it found by doing a search on the Windows Update site. Installing a newer version of IE installs a lot more than just the files for the browser - many files it installs are used by other programs in Windows too - you need to have IE 6.x installed even if you don't use the IE browser. Sometimes 98SE (and 95, 98, ME) can't tell you directly what is causing a problem and instead generates another error message, which may be false. If SHELL32.DLL is already there, or if it is missing and you get it and place it in the proper place, or if you replace an existing SHELL32.DLL with the original one from the Windows CD or a newer version, and that does not help, that's probably your case. If you only get the error when you try to do a certain thing, search on the web using both the error message and something about what it is you were trying to do when you got the error. e.g. "missing export SHELL32.DLL" "(name of program)" or "missing export SHELL32.DLL SH GetFolder Path A." "(when you do what)", the latter with or without the quotes. Drivers for the original Windows 98 are not the same as drivers for 98SE or 98SE/ME.

I have fixed part of my problems. I can usually open and play video clips I get through email links but not at a website, for instance You Tube. One headache I still have is when doing a survey from a site I have used for years. My pc won't load the image of the item I am being surveyed about using either IE or Fire Fox. I tried to use the registry booster program and that's when I get the message :RegistryBooster.exe file is linked to missing Shell32.DLL;SHGetFolderPath A. I found and downloaded a Shell32.DLL file but nothing improved.I have IE 6 and updates available. I use Fire Fox 2 browser. Every diagnostic program I have tried tells me I have a boat load of errors. I have Avast Anti Virus, Eusing Reg cleaner, the latest Sun Java. I need one good repair program that's free. ( I think )

To update shell32.dll it's best to go through the Q313829 update process and not just plop a new version in your system folder. Q313829 will update the registry and possibly some other files. But if the problem only occurs when you run the registry program then the fix may be just to not use that program. I don't know that there's going to be some magical repair program that can fix everything that might be wrong. In general, have as few things as possible running in the background. It'd probably be a good idea to up your RAM to at least 256 or 384. Above that there's often a caching problem with those old boards. 98 doesn't use large amounts of RAM effectively but your video will run better. If your celeron is a slot 1 and not a socket 370 then it'd be good to replace it with a P-II, especially if your motherboard will support 100 FSB.

It often helps regarding finding a solution to a problem if you search using the EXACT error message you get, with NO typing errors, or at least several words in a row of the error message, with or without quote marks enclosing the text. In the case of the error you quoted, it appears you used a semicolon where a colon should be, and you left out the word export. Your: RegistryBooster.exe file is linked to missing Shell32.DLL;SHGetFolderPath A should be: RegistryBooster.exe file is linked to missing export Shell32.DLL:SHGetFolderPath A Search using: RegistryBooster.exe file is linked to missing Shell32.DLL;SHGetFolderPath A - nothing Search using: RegistryBooster.exe file is linked to missing Shell32.DLL Same error here, except a colon where you typed a semicolon - last post: http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/comput... Lots of errors in Win 98 ......is linked to missing .......DLL http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/d... .... Since it appears you used a semicolon where a colon should be, Search using: file is linked to missing Shell32.DLL:SHGetFolderPath A six pages of "hits" http://ca.search.yahoo.com/search;_... Since it appears you also left out export before Slell32.dll Search using: "file is linked to missing export Shell32.DLL" 11 or more pages in Yahoo... http://ca.search.yahoo.com/search;_... Search using: "file is linked to missing export Shell32.DLL:SHGetFolderPathA " 6 or more pages of "hits: http://ca.search.yahoo.com/search;_... Using the quotes around a text string that has something missing finds ONLY "hits" where someone else also left that out. E.g. - You omitted the word export Search using: "file is linked to missing Shell32.DLL" - that finds only a small number of "hits", including - Different file gets error - scroll to Thursday, July 19 2007 post: http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/arch... Different file gets error - first post - Winamp 5.5 is not compatible with Win 98 - The last version that was is Winamp 5.35. http://forums.winamp.com/showthread... Different file gets error - http://www.windowskb.com/Uwe/Forum.... ..... I found very few "hits" when I included RegistryBooster.exe in the search string. Otherwise, it's obvious lots of things produce the "file is linked to missing export Shell32.DLL:SHGetFolderPathA " and the "file is linked to missing export Shell32.DLL" errors. Most of them appear to be as I suspected.... "Sometimes 98SE (and 95, 98, ME) can't tell you directly what is causing a problem and instead generates another error message, which may be false.If SHELL32.DLL is already there, or if it is missing and you get it and place it in the proper place, or if you replace an existing SHELL32.DLL with the original one from the Windows CD or a newer version, and that does not help, that's probably your case." ...... general stuff. "I can usually open and play video clips I get through email links but not at a website, for instance You Tube." The types of files are probably different. You probably have programs that can open some files but not others. "My pc won't load the image of the item I am being surveyed about using either IE or Fire Fox." You probably have no program that can open that type of file. What are the file extensions (the part of the file name after the . ;the dot; .xxx In order for you to be able to see the file extensions of files in Windows, they must be made visible - Windows hides them by default. If they are not visible, go to Start - Settings - Folder Options - View tab - Click on the checkmark in the box beside Hide Extensions for known file types to remove the checkmark - optionally, under the Hidden files entry, click on the circle beside Show all files to make a dot appear there. That's useful if you want to be able to see system files Windows normally hides from amatuers. Also, some malware hides their files by flagging them as hidden. - click OK to save settings. - if you already have My Computer or Windows Explorer open, you have to close them at that point - the changes will be apparent when you open them again. If Windows has no info about which program opens a file, it can't open them. If some program tries to open (execute) the file and generates a message it can't open a .xxx file, you need to find some program that can If it's a program, such as Windows Media Player, that tells you it can't open a .xxx file, you may be able to go to (a) support web page(s) and get a component or codec you can download and install so that the prgram can open the type of file it could not open before. Newer versions of some programs such as Windows Media Player often have the ability to open more types of files built in, or some of them can have support for more types of files added while installing them, as well as you possibly being able to go to a support web site and download stuff so you can open more file types. E.g. the freeware IrfanView can open many types of graphics, video, and other types of files when all it's optional modules are installed. If you get a generic message Windows has no program that can open the file type or similar, search on the web using the file extension to see what program can open it. .... You have IE 6 and updates installed - that's good - you need that even if you only use Firefox and never use the IE browswer. ..... You will get error messages on many web pages if you don't have the last version of Adobe Flash that works in 98SE installed - Flash Player 9. You can't install the latest Adobe Flash version in 98SE. When you go to the Adobe web site, it should find the correct latest version that works in 98SE automatically - if it does not.... Get it here - IE or Netscape versions available: http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/vie... System requirements - it's features may not work properly on some systems that don't meet or exceed the better specs http://www.adobe.com/products/flash... ..... I recently had to use this, then re-install flash 9, because I was having many error message boxes pop up in IE that something was causing a problem and required IE to close, that revealed it was flash that was the problem when I looked at the details.... If you have problems with the flash player or it won't install properly go here - this un-installs all flash player versions and their active X control - then run the installation: http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/vie... .... Make sure the version of programs you are using are actually compatible with 98SE. Sometimes you can install a version that cannot work properly. E.g. If you're using WinAmp, apparently you can install 5.5 but it will not work properly - you get the (mis-quoted) "file is linked to missing Shell32.DLL" error Winamp 5.5 is not compatible with Win 98 - The last version that was is Winamp 5.35. http://forums.winamp.com/showthread... Drivers for the original Windows 98 are not the same as drivers for 98SE or 98SE/ME. Programs meant for 98 (only) may not work properly with 98SE. Programs meant for ME usually also work with 98SE, but sometimes they do not. ..... Registry cleaner and "fixer" programs can only fix problems in the registry that they "know" about. Some of them (cleaners) only remove useless entries in the registry placed there by sloppy programming when you install a program, or useless entries left behind in the registry after a program has been un-installed. I have not found them to be of much use myself regarding fixing problems that generate error messages. Some think they can fix problems caused by malware, but they can't unless they "know" how to do that, and there are lots of anti-malware programs that are much better at doing that regarding deleting or fixing registry entries. ...... "Every diagnostic program I have tried tells me I have a boat load of errors." We need you to tell us what exact error messages or whatever messages you are getting. ...... If you are getting symptoms as well as messages, tell us what they are. E.g. - something not behaving normally - entries missing that are normally there in menus, lists, or in My Computer or Windows Explorer - icons that appear on your desktop for things you are SURE are not for anything included with Windows or that you installed yourself - they may point to a web page - you may not be able to delete the icon - you see strange files listed, sometimes the file name is gobbelygoop (random looking) - if you look up the file name on the web and become suspicious it may be malware, you may find you are not able to delete the file. E.g. There are currently many of what is generically called rogue anti-malware program makers out there that use very aggressive tactics to try to convince you have malware (the symptoms are FAKED) - and they try to get you to download their software and run a free scan. If you DO download their software and run a scan it WILL find malware, but at least some of it was installed by THEM. You have to pay for the program to get rid of the malware it finds - if you DO, it WILL get rid of at least the stuff THEY installed that produced the faked symptoms. The quality of the anti-malware program varies fron okay to poor. You usually get the FAKED symptoms merely by visting contaminated web sites - some of them are through faked "hits" you find while searching for something on the web. A tip - when you search in Yahoo, the web sites that have been reported as contaminated, or having dangerours downloads, are flagged with a description in RED lettering. Many commonly used anti-malware programs cannot find and get rid of the symptoms these rogue anti-spyware programs install. E.g. AdAware, Spybot, AVG 8.x, others. You have to use anti-malware programs that have speciallized in finding them. E.g. often Malwarebytes gets rid of the faked contamination and disables their effects, and SmitFraudFix cleans up the remaining harmless but annoying symptoms. However, fortunately, most of those rogue anti-malware program's faked symptoms don't work properly in ME and below.

The error "missing export SHELL32.DLL SH GetFolder Path A" means that your Shell32.dll file does not have the function "SH GetFolder Path A" written into it. It shouldn't have that function either as only NT machines will(I'm guessing). Some NT file is calling for that function causing your error report to show up which is NOT an error after all... The problem is that you have installed an NT program on your 9x box, so uninstall it and the problem and error reports will go away. Please use Dependency Walker for yourself to verify what functions are or are NOT written into your own files any time you want to, but especially when a function goes a wanting and it's not supposed to be there to begin with. This is NOT rocket science people... Lee