Good Morning Faireh,
The core to your particular issue centers on the line in your Microsoft Genuine Advantage Diagnostic Tool (MGADT) report which reads:
File Scan Data-->
File Mismatch: C:\Windows\system32\slc.dll[6.0.6000.16509]
This line means that the critical system file slc.dll has either
a) Been tampered/modified/become corrupt to the point that its Signature Hash no longer matches the Signature Hash listed in Windows Vista's System Catalog.
Or
b) Been updated but the file's Signature Hash was not updated, in Windows Vista's System Catalog to reflect the updated file's new Signature Hash.
Windows Vista compares a Critical System file's Signature Hash with the Signature Hash listed in its System Catalog to determine if that Critical System file has been tampered with. When this happens, depending on the file that has been tampered, Windows Vista may show as Genuine or non-genuine, but either way, Windows Vista won't Validate correctly and may also exhibit other strange behavior.
To resolve your issue, we need to replace or repair the file so its Signature Hash matches what is listed in the Windows Vista System Catalog. I can provide a couple of suggestions to do this:
A) Install Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista, which can be found below: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b0c7136d-5ebb-413b-89c9-cb3d06d12674&DisplayLang=en)
File slc.dll may be included in the SP1 install and if so, SP1 will overwrite the bad file with a Known-Good copy.
(Note: this is the simpler way to resolve, but be aware that I have not received confirmation that slc.dll.dll is, in fact, included in SP1. So if this option does not resolve the issue, please see option B).
B) Repair Windows Vista using System Restore:
1) Reboot Vista into Safe Mode
2) Go to Control Panel
3) On the left hand side of the Control Panel window, Click Classic View
4) Double-click Backup and Restore Center
5) On the left hand side of the window, click Repair Windows using system restore
6) Select Choose Different Restore Point, put a check in the box that says Show restore points older than 5 days, select the restore point that corresponds to the date before you first noticed the issue.
7) Click Next button.
8) Reboot back into Normal mode
9) Windows Vista should no longer be in Reduced Functionality Mode (RFM)
If neither of these solutions resolves your issue, the last resort, that I can provide, is to re-install Windows Vista. But before you do that, create a (no cost) support request at the following link:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52029
Thank you for contacting the Genuine Advantage forum.
Stephen Holm, MS
WGA Forum Manager
Stephen Holm
