Solution to Browseui.dll Error in Windows XP

The browseui.dll file is an integral component of Internet Explorer and it contains functions for browser User Interface (UI) management.

It is recommended that you do not remove browseui.dll. If the browseui.dll file is unavailable, the Internet Explorer and other applications that display HTML will get adversely affected and may stop working.

Browseui.dll error

When you restart your Windows XP computer, you may receive an error message similar to the one displayed below:

“Explorer.exe unable to locate component. This application has failed to start because Browseui.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.”

Further, the Desktop icons, Start menu, and Taskbar will not appear on your screen.

Resolution Steps

To repair the above error, you will have to rename the browseui.dll file and then extract the browseui.dll file from the Windows XP installation disc to the C:\Windows\System32 folder.

To achieve this, perform the steps mentioned below:

Note: In all the steps mentioned in this article, the C: drive is considered to be the drive on which Windows XP is installed and F: drive is the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. If you have installed Windows on another drive, then replace the drive letter C: with the drive letter of the drive on which you have installed Windows. Similarly, if your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive is different than F: drive then replace the letter F: with the drive letter of your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

1. Restart your computer. Press F8 as Windows boots.
2. Select the Safe Mode with Command prompt option from the Windows Advanced Options menu and press Enter.
3. Next, insert the Windows XP installation CD in your CD/DVD-ROM.
4. At the command prompt, type the following commands and press Enter after each command to execute them.
   cd c:\windows\system32
   ren browseui.dll browseui.bak
   F:
   cd i386
   expand Browseui.dl_ c:\cystem32\browseui.dll
5. Next, press Ctrl+Alt+Del, choose Shut Down, using the TAB key, and press Enter.
6. Select Restart, using the arrow keys in the What do you want the computer to do? list, and then press Enter to reboot your Windows computer.           

 
After you computer reboots, open Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer to check if you receive one of the following errors:

“Iexplorer.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close”

-Or-

“Explorer.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close”

If either of the error messages is reported when you open Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer then click more information in the error message to identify the module name. If the module name is Browseui.dll, unregister and then register the browseui.dll file to repair the error. To unregister and register the browseui.dll file, perform the following steps:

1. Click the Start menu and then click Run.
2. Type cmd and press OK.
3. At the command prompt, type cd c:\windows\system32 and press Enter.
4. Next, to unregister browseui.dll, type regsvr32 browseui.dll /u and press Enter.
5. Now, to register browseui.dll, type regsvr32 browseui.dll and press Enter.
6. Next, type exit and press Enter to exit command prompt.
7. Reboot your computer.

You may also experience browseui.dll errors, if the browseui.dll file is infected or if its registry entries are damaged. You can easily prevent such DLL errors by installing the right protective software and registry cleaning tools.

To prevent DLL errors that may occur because of malware infection, install robust protective software, such as Antivirus Plus and StopZilla, and schedule regular malware scans on your computer. Also, perform regular registry scans using reliable registry cleaning tools, such as RegGenie to avoid DLL errors that may occur due to issues in the registry.