XP install suddenly gone mad?!

[Phaser]

Just booted my PC up and got the following message:

"The application or DLL C:\WINDOWS\system32\msi.dll is not a valid Windows image. Please check this against your installation diskette."

This is saying it's for MSN, but if I press OK it just changes the program name to something else, with the same error message. Can't get rid of it.

Also when I try and start a program I get a "problem with shortcut" message - 3 square symbols in a box.

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7126/errorswz3.jpg

Can't click on things in my taskbar either, have to Alt + Tab.

Any ideas? Probably goinng to backup and do a format anyway but it'd be nice to know what the problem(s) is?

Haven't installed any new programs or hardware recently either.

 

[UKDTweak]

Either a FAT problem with the hard drive or faulty ram possibly.

 

[Sel]

Why do you say it's for MSN the error message says MSI which maybe the Motherboard or Graphics card if they are made bt MSI that is.

 

[uv]

Why do you say it's for MSN the error message says MSI which maybe the Motherboard or Graphics card if they are made bt MSI that is.

t3h lols.

msi.dll is for the Windows Installer
_________________

If you are having huge corruptions, I'd teset two things - memtest, and your sata/IDE cable

 

[Sel]

t3h lols.

msi.dll is for the Windows Installer
_________________

If you are having huge corruptions, I'd teset two things - memtest, and your sata/IDE cable

I should have known that as I had the same problem last year, carn't you download it as I think it's an application.

I couldn't fix mine though and had to do a full format and re-install.

 

[uv]

you can download msi.dll, if it needs replacing, just google

I'd get memtest burnt to a disk and run it. If it passes, try a different IDE cable for your boot drive.