Epson told me, "It is strongly suggested that you consult your computer vendor for a permanent resolution."

I did find one solution to the problem: Uninstall and reinstall the Windows 98 SE operating system and then reinstall the printer and other peripheral device drivers.

Windows 98 SE was last installed on my Inspiron 5000 over two years ago. After installing three Epson printers and one Hewlett Packard printer and several other peripherals over that time, the installation of the Epson 2200 drivers appears to have triggered some conflict within the Windows registry that prevented the operation of my Epson printers and disabled the scanners.

So, find that old Windows 98 installation disk and make a Windows 98 boot floppy.

Copy the WIN98 folder from the Windows 98 installation disk to your hard drive.

Dig out every program disk you ever installed and find the key codes.

Copy all the files (including system and hidden files) in the root folder (c:\) to a newly created backup folder.

If you are anal retentive, zip the root folder files into an archive and write it to a different disk for good measure. Do the same thing with your Windows folder and Program Files folder.

Boot up into DOS with CD-ROM support.

Rename the windows folder. I used oldwindo. DOS command: ren c:\windows oldwindo

Delete every file in the root folder. DOS command: del c:\*.*

Kinda scary, huh?

If things go really bad, you can replace the root folder files from that backup folder that you made earlier and rename the old windows directory to get back where you started.

Copy Setup.exe from the Windows 98 installation CD to the root folder.

Run the Windows setup. DOS command: c:\Setup

Good luck.

Now you have to install the printer and all your old programs.

Attach the printer to the computer. Turn on the printer and the computer.

When the Add New Hardware gets to the part about the USB 2.0 printer or USB Device, hit cancel. Do not use the default Windows installation wizard.

Once booted up into the fresh installation of Windows 98, put the Epson 2200 installation disk into the CD-drive. It should autorun the printer drivers installation. If not, run setup.exe on the CD.

In my case, that eliminated the Rundll32 error and the printer works fine.

Click Start->Run. Type 'msconfig' (without the quotes) into the box and hit okay. On the Startup tab, make sure that Stimon.exe is not checked. It's been my experience that Stimon interferes with more than it should. Reboot, like it asks and try your printer again.

If that doesn't work, or if you don't have Stimon.exe:
Go to Windows Update and update your Internet Explorer to the latest version and download all the updates that applies to you(if Windows Update isn't working or stops working, just continue with these instructions). If all the updates go successfully, try printing again.

If it doesn't work, Go to Start->Control Panel. Double-click "Add/Remove Programs." Scroll down to Microsoft Internet Explorer, select it and click "Remove". It'll give you the option of repairing the Internet Explorer. Do it. If it goes with success, that's great. Reboot and try your printer again. Cross your fingers and pray.

If the repair doesn't complete successfully, click the "Details" button, and write down the file names and the version number that the file should be. Find another computer with your operating system and version of Internet Explorer (in the instance in which this worked, it was Windows 98SE with IE6. Most of the file versions it wanted was 6.0.2800.1100). The files you need should be located in the C:\Windows\System directory. If not, you will need to search for them - and in which case, make note of where you found them. You may need to go to Tools->Folder Options->Show All Files in order to see them. If you right-click on one of the files you need and click properties, then go to the version tab, you'll be able to see if the file meets the version requirements imposed by the IE Repair Tool.