Failed startup due to SZKG64.sys missing or corrupt

rsadler · 08 Jan 2012

I have an Macbook Pro with an Intel processor, which I have partitioned as a dual boot and have Windows 7 Ultimate X64 installed. This setup has ran fine until last week. I installed an old Guitar DVD course, and the default video player was Windows Media Player. For some reason the videos would only play sound but no video. The videos would play fine if I went to the folders and used a different media player, but within the lessons software it by default used Windows Media player. I tried updating all the codecs to play avi files but with no luck. I read where it was a known issue with WMP 12, and rolling back to WMP11 usually solved the issue. I found an older version of WMP 11, but I think it was infected with malware, and I was caught in an infinite boot loop where Windows wouldfind a problem, try to repair it, and couldn't, and reboot only to keep doing that over and over. I ran /fixmbr and /fixboot and managed to get out of the boot loop, but now I keep getting an error "Windows is unable to start due to a missing or corrupt file Windows\SysWOW64\Drivers\SZKG64.sys From researching some it seems to be a driver from an antivirus\spyware program I have installed called StopZilla. I've looked everywhere for some way to get past this but can't seem to find a solution. Also I have ran three different rescue cd's and nothing has shown up. Any advise? Thanks.

koolkat77 · 08 Jan 2012

rsadler said:

but now I keep getting an error "Windows is unable to start due to a missing or corrupt file Windows\SysWOW64\Drivers\SZKG64.sys

do you get this message at start up? ..after the welcome screen is loaded?

rsadler · 08 Jan 2012

I get it at startup. Windows fails to load due to missing or corrupt file, cant boot into safe mode, command prompt, disabling driver etc.

koolkat77 · 08 Jan 2012

rsadler said:

I get it at startup. Windows fails to load due to missing or corrupt file, cant boot into safe mode, command prompt, disabling driver etc.

sorry im a little confused here

. start up as in after you see the "welcome" screen, or when you press power button on your lappy?

rsadler · 08 Jan 2012

I never get to the loading screen. It goes straight to that screen while trying to boot into windows, and finds that error and stops

Solidwave · 08 Jan 2012

StopZilla has a very bad reputation and is considered borderline malware.

To fix this, you need to use a BootCD or bootable USB drive to delete references to SZKG64.sys from the services list in the registry. If you have BartPE, a Win7 system repair DVD or bootable Win7 install media and know your way around regedit, it's a 10 minute job at most.

Since your Win7 install has already been corrupted by actual malware, however, reinstalling Windows would be prudent. Do you have a retail install disk for Windows 7 or was your dual boot configuration factory-installed?

rsadler · 08 Jan 2012

I did the dual boot myself, and have the install disks. I used those to boot from and went to command prompt. Somehow I was able to remember enough old dos commands, and just deleted that file, and one other that was associated with Stopzilla, and was able to boot up. I'm installing Malwarebytes now, just to be sure, but it seems like everything is ok so far.