I'm running an HP Pavilion dv6500 Laptop on Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit.

Every time the file C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_microsoft-windows-servicingstack_31bf3856ad364e35_6.0.6001.18000_none_095f6148c74a7a64\apds.dll is acessed, it causes my entire laptop to freeze (to the point that I need to manually reboot it).

Sidenote:
This driver was downloaded February 14th 2008 as part of a manditory update for Windows Vista.
You need this update (KB937287) in order to run Service Pack 1, and so this update is un-uninstallable.

The computer freezes:

-Trying to open the actual file (in My Computer). In this case, as soon as the file is right-clicked, the computer freezes.
-When doing a full virus scan with Avira AntiVir. The computer freezes as soon as the virus scan reaches this file.
-Doing a virus scan with ewido. The computer freezes as soon as the virus scan reaches this file.
-Doing a full scan with Malwarebyte's Anti-Malware. The computer freezes as soon as the scan reaches this file.
-Doing a scan with Window's Defender. The computer freezes as soon as the scan reaches this file.
I have scanned the system with Spybot- Search & Destroy, and the scan finished clean with no infections found.

During the Avira AntiVir scan, no viruses are found before the program freezes (ussually around 75%).
This was the same with Ewido, Malware, and Defender.

I have tried to run System File Checker, and it reached about 70% of its initial scan before the system froze (tried twice)
I have tried to run Error-Checking, and the system freezes at 21% everytime.
I do know that these two processes take a long time, and I left them for hours. They were indeed frozen, and required a manual reboot.

I do have CCleaner, and I run it every month or so.
I also have HijackThis, and know how to get it to formulate an analysis of my computer, but do not how to read the logs myself, nor have I had one of the logs analyzed. I do not know if this would help though.

This problem has been happening for months- my guess is since February when the update was downloaded. I am not sure what to do at this point- if reformatting is my only option, or if there is something else I can try.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
-Michelle

I would recommend submitting the file for a jotti scan and see what they say:
http://virusscan.jotti.org/

I tried to submit the file for a jotti scan, but as mentioned before, as soon as the file is accessed (clicked upon, opened, right-clicked, anything) the computer freezes.

I have scanned my computer with AntiVir telling it to skip the folder that the problem dll is in, and it found no viruses.

I can't delete the dll, I can't scan it individually, I can't replace it with the same file from a like computer. No matter what I do, the laptop freezes as soon as the apds.dll is acessed.