Error: VpShellRes.dll could not be found

Products

• Endpoint Protection
• Endpoint Security

Issue/Introduction

 Error "VpShellRes.dll could not be found." after installing Symantec Endpoint Protection when opening Windows Explorer or right clicking on a file.

 

Cause

There can be multiple reasons this issue can occur:

1. The dll VpShellRes or vpshell2 failed to register correctly.
2. Registry permissions are insufficient for Symantec Keys
3. File system permissions are insufficient on the VpshellRes.dll
4. The VpshellRes.dll file is not located in the specified location

Resolution

Steps to resolve:

1. To manually register the dll, run the following from a command prompt opened as administrator.
   
        Regsvr32.exe <SEP client install path\version>\Bin64\vpshell2.dll
   
   For example, with 14.3 RU4 the command is: regsvr32.exe "C:\Program Files (x86)\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\14.3.7393.4000.105\Bin64\vpshell2.dll"
   
   Also verify the permission for registry key " HKLM\Software\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\AV".
       Permissions for Symantec:
        Administrators: FullControl (0xF003F)
        SYSTEM: FullControl (0xF003F)
        Users: ReadKey (0x20019)
        ALL APPLICATION PACKAGES: ReadKey (0x20019)
   
   NOTE: If you are unable to change permissions directly to the AV key, try setting permissions to the Symantec Endpoint Protection key and use advanced to push those changes down the hierarchy. If it still has 'Access Denied' errors try disabling SEP Tamper protection and follow the steps again.
   
   
2. For 2-4 use ProcMon
   1. Add a filter for - Result  is              ACCESS DENIED
   2. Add a filter for - Result  is             NO SUCH FILE
   3. Add a filter for - Path     contains  Symantec
   4. Add a filter for - Path     contains  VpshellRes.dll
   5. Start ProcMon capture
   6. Reproduce the issue
   7. Correct the permissions or replace the missing file

Note: Uninstalling the client and reinstalling it may correct the dll registration, any permissions, and replace any missing files.

Additional Information

Using ProcMon for standard log and for bootlog

Download ProcMon