Why do I receive a runndll32.exe entry-point-not-found error on my Windows XP installation?

A. The error you've described is commonly caused by reinstalling XP over an existing installation or an in-place upgrade, which corrupts the winsta.dll file. Common symptoms include

• If you right-click My Computer and select Properties or if you launch System Restore from msconfig.exe, you receive error:

  Rundll32.exe Entry point not found
  The procedure entry RemoteAssistancePrepareSystemRestore could not be located
  in the dynamic link library winsta.dll.

• The System Restore tab will be missing from the Control Panel System applet.

To resolve the error, perform the following steps:

1. Reboot the computer into Safe Mode (press F8 when the boot menu appears and select the Safe Mode option).
2. After Windows starts, open Windows Explorer.
3. Navigate to the \%systemroot%\inf folder (e.g., C:\windows\inf).
4. Right-click the file sr.inf and select Install from the context menu.
5. Reboot the computer in Normal mode.

If the previous steps don't resolve the problem, try reinstalling the latest service pack.