What are the top DLL errors?

DLL errors can be extremely frustrating. Much of this is due to the jargon of the error messages - most people simply do not know what they mean.
Below are the most common DLL errors and some hints on what your PC is trying to tell you:

• Hal.dll – Usually you will see a message like “Missing or corrupt hal.dll.” It often pops up when you attempt to start Windows XP. It typically has to do with the Boot.ini file and whether it has the correct Default value, if Windows XP is installed in the location specified by it or whether the partition path is set right.
• Ntdll.dll – You will often see “Unknown Hard Error Ntdll.dll,” the alarming “NTDLL.DLL Error!” or the perplexing “STOP: C0000221 unknown hard error /SystemRoot/System32/ntdll.dll.” In most cases these errors are caused by software and not the operating system itself.
• Kernel32.dll – Like Ntdll, this error usually indicates a problem with the software. For example, your PC might hang (stop responding) and display “Explorer caused an invalid page fault in module Kernel32.dll” Usually this is a situation where the program is not accessing parts of the system memory correctly.
• D3dx9_25.dll – You will find this error popping up when you are trying to start advanced graphics programs or certain video games. It indicates a problem with Direct X. Microsoft DirectX is a group of programming interfaces that are generally used for multimedia and, often, for video games. Error messages often state “The file d3dx9_25.dll was not found” or “The file d3dx9_27.dll was not found.”
• Shell32.dll – When opening the Printers folder, Control Panel or My Computer, you might see an error message stating: “Explorer caused an invalid page fault in module Shell32.dll.” These can happen when running an incompatible Windows Plug-In for.