Windows 7 "Bad Image" Error at Login (LogonUI.exe)

Every time I boot up my PC, right after the Windows logo, I get hit with this error message:

C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_microsoft.windows.common-controls_659
5b64144ccf1df_6.0.7601.17514.none_fa39608717ac9ac\ COMCTL32.dll is
either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try
installing the program again using the original installation media or
contact your system administrator or the software vendor for support.

I tried a few things based on what I could scrape together from a quick Google search—not that I’m some IT expert 😁:
Since I can't even get into Safe Mode or any other recovery option, I grabbed a Windows ISO, went into Repair My Computer, and ran Startup Repair. It spun for a few seconds and then claimed everything was fine. No luck there. Tried running sfc /scannow through the Command Prompt too. Nothing.

I refuse to wipe the drive and reinstall everything because I have critical files on here. My only move left is trying to swap out the corrupted file via Command Prompt if that's even possible. The culprit is clearly comctl32.dll. How am I supposed to find the correct version and where to put it?

Anyone else got an idea?

Honestly, just grab a Linux live distro, dump all your important files onto a thumb drive, and go for a clean Windows reinstall. It’ll save you a massive headache in the long run... just download Linux Mint or Ubuntu—whatever floats your boat

A full reinstall is the easiest path—if you're running Win 8 or 10, you can actually pull off a hard reset without nuking your data, though... the whole process is pretty automated these days.

Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD via Tapatalk

Thanks a ton, man! That’s a brilliant idea. I was actually scouring the web looking for ways to recover data using an installation disk, but this approach is way more straightforward. 👍

Beer is on me! 🙂