Computers are great tools, especially for business or education purposes, but they may give you a headache and the relationship with them may be difficult at times. When they work well everything is great but when there are technical issues, things can get frustrating.
Some of the technical problems can be fixed by you but there are others that require professional help. One of the most common system issues with Windows-based operating systems is a DLL error. This means that a DLL file is either missing or corrupt. Files ending with “.DLL” (dynamic link libraries) are files that are related to programming for some of your applications or they control hardware such as a driver for a peripheral (e.g a printer).
A lot of these applications rely on a framework which is designed to integrate with Microsoft windows and other Microsoft applications and seamlessly interact with other manufacturers’ software.
The DLL files hold many codes, procedures, and instructions for programs. They exist to tell the Operating System how to deal with certain applications. Several programs can also open them at once.
These are necessary system files, and when they’re missing or corrupt, bad things happen. This is unfortunate, and common because there are so many of them.
How do I know I have a missing DLL File?
You would know because you would receive a .dll file missing error message.
How to Fix a missing DLL File?
As mentioned earlier, this isn’t usually undertaken by a non-technical person. However, if it has been caused by, for example, installing a new printer and it has only just started happening it is more than likely that a new printer driver is required, and this could be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website.
More complex ones can be caused by a number of things such as a Windows update. Recently I was asked to resolve a problem such as this. A certain printer was installed on a PC and, once a Windows update had gone on, it failed to print and caused a dll error. In this instance it was the update that had caused the issue and a patch had to be released in order to fix it. However sometimes these updates come out and the manufacturers need to update as well in order for the systems to work with each other.
Some older programs that are on PCs can also be an issue and cause dll errors when an update is rolled out. If they are no longer updated, for instance, the framework can fail. It is not advisable to have out-of-date software as these can pose security risks to your computer and others on your network.
Kamila & Martin
If you need help resolving this or any other issues with your computer then please get in touch with me and I will ask Martin to call you shortly. Email me kamila@octagontech.com or phone me 01522 797520.
