Quick Fix Blog
DLL Errors Explained and Defined
Tuesday 26th February 2008 9:20 PM
DLL Errors Explained and Defined
A Windows computer contains hundreds of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files. Many of these files are essential for your Windows computer, and are shipped along with the operating system. Several of them come later when you install additional tools and software programs on the system.
DLL errors can be caused due to many different reasons. Some of the most commons causes are:
- Missing, incompatible, or outdated DLLs
- Malfunctioning hardware or device drivers
- Virus/spyware infections
- Corrupt registry entries
If you start encountering frequent DLL errors on your system, then it is said to be in DLL Hell.
How To Fix Dll Errors
How To Fix Dll Errors
DLL errors are fixed depending on what actually caused the error.
If the DLL errors follow a software install, it is quite likely that the new software has overwritten currently existing DLLs with incompatible or older DLL versions. If this happens, then the first thing you need to do is to search on the Website of the software manufacturer to see if any update for the product is available. If you find one, download and install it on your computer. If you are lucky, doing this will resolve your problem.
If no update is available, try to search for the required DLL files on the Internet or another computer with similar configuration as yours. If you find the required DLL files, download and copy them to their location on the computer. If required, register the files using the RegSvr32 command. If nothing works, you may have to use the System Restore utility to rollback your system files back to the time when your system was running properly.
If the DLL errors follow a program uninstall, it is quite likely that one or more required shared DLL files were deleted when the programs were uninstalled. If this happens, reinstall the program, and then uninstall it again. But, this time make sure that when your system prompts you whether to keep or delete shared DLL files, choose to retain them on the system.
If DLL errors start generating soon after you add a new hardware device or install a driver update, they might be the culprit. Try to disconnect the hardware to see if the error disappears. If it does, get your hardware checked to ensure that it is working without any problems. If the errors appear after you install a new driver update, then this driver update may be faulty. You can resolve this problem by rolling back the update using the Device Manager tool. To do this, perform the following steps:
- At Start > Run, type sysdm.cpl, and then press Enter.
- On the Hardware tab, select Device Manager.
- Double-click on the hardware for which you install the faulty update.
- On the Driver tab, select Rollback driver.
Note: In case the error occurs due to problems with the currently installed driver, on theDrivertab, selectUninstallto remove the currently installed driver and then perform a fresh driver install after restarting your system.
To prevent Windows XP DLL errors caused due to malware infections and registry errors, it is important for you to regularly scan your system and the registry. To scan, remove and prevent malware infections, you must use reliable antivirus and antispyware tools. And to scan, repair, and maintain the registry, you must use an efficient and compatible registry cleaner and repair tool.
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