Peculiar Ordinal Message

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I don’t know if this is the right spot for the subject. I’ve been getting a peculiar message on my PC lately. A popup, I guess, which says “The ordinal 3873 could not be located in the dynamic link library LIBEAY 32.dll.” Anyone knows what this means? Is it serious?

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That isn’t a Windows .dll file, it’s an open source part of an encryption system for SSL coded communications over networks. It’s either from something you have installed (it’s commonly used in many programs/utilities) or possibly malware. You’re getting the error either from that file itself being corrupted, or something corrupted in the registry.

It wouldn’t hurt to run a malware scan.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Ran a malware scan with three different antimalware programs. The darn thing’s still there. Doesn’t seem to be doing anything but still, better safe than sorry. Any ideas on how to tackle it?

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A couple of options: do a search for that file, and if it shows up in some program or application in Program Files, uninstall that particular program. If it is a program you use, you can reinstall it, which will probably repair whatever corruption might be in the file itself (if that’s the problem).

Another method if you’re comfortable working in the registry, you can find each reference to the file, backup that particular key, then delete the value containing that file. Do the same for each such entry in the registry, and then find the file on your system, and delete it there. Reboot, and see how the system runs. If that causes a problem, you can restore the keys you backed up. And here again, if it’s a program you use, a reinstall will probably repair whatever corruption might be in the registry regarding that file.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Forgot to say thanks to Bbearren for the advice. Followed it and it cleared right up. Now if I can find some way to fix some annoying buffering issues. . .

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