WINDOWS TIPS AND TRICK

Locating Your Version of Shell32.dll and Determining Its Version
1. Double click on the icon that says 'My Computer', or click on the Start button and select 'My Computer' from the menu. This will open a Windows Explorer window for navigating through the file system of your computer.
2. Double click on the icon labeled 'C:\'. Then double click on the folder that says WINDOWS. This will take you to the Windows directory.
3. Double click on the folder labeled System32 within the Windows Directory. This is where Windows installs Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files. (DLL files are shared components that many programs use; Windows stores them and loads them as needed.)
4. Click on the 'Tools' menu item at the top of the Windows Explorer panel. Select 'Folder Options'. From the dialog window that comes up, select the 'View' tab.
5. Click the check box for 'show hidden files and folders' if it is not checked already; this will make sure that Windows isn't hiding the DLL files from you.
6. Look for the file 'shell32.dll'. Put your mouse cursor over the file, and click with the right mouse button. A small menu (called a context sensitive menu) will pop up. Select 'Properties'. Look at the version number. The most recent version of shell32.dll for Windows XP (and IE6) is 6.0.2900.6018, which was updated in Windows XP Service Pack 3. For Windows Vista the most recent version begins with 6.0.1, and for Windows 7 it begins with 6.1.0.
Updating Your Version of Shell32.dll to the Most Recent Version.
7. Launch Internet Explorer. Microsoft Update will not run with other web browsers.
8. Navigate to Microsoft Support (see Resources).
9. Click on the link that says 'Windows Update.' Microsoft's website will ask for some information about your Windows installation to determine what Service Pack level you're at. It will then prompt you to save the service pack, and after it's downloaded, the installer will prompt you to reboot.
10. Repeat steps 1 through 3 of this section as often as necessary until you're up to the most recent service pack for your version of Windows. This will update shell32.dll to the most recent version for your operating system, as well as plugging many security holes in the operating system.