Fix the missing dll error message

I think every Windows user experienced an error message like “Could not find xxx.dll” before and wondered what the hell happened with that dll. One reason could be that you used to uninstall a program that asked specifically whether you would like to remove the xxx.dll as well because it could still be needed by other applications.

I’m always not sure if I should remove such dll’s especially when they are located in a Windows folder and not a program folder. The easiest way to fix a missing dll error is to simply locate the dll and copy it into the folder where the program is looking for it. One way to achieve this goal would be to search the Windows installation CD or DVD and search through the cab files.

Sometimes however, the dll was not included in the original installation CD or DVD which means that it could be a lot of work and trouble before you find it. Unless of course that you use a service like dll-downloads which provides a very extensive list of many dll’s for all Microsoft Windows operating systems.

This method is not foolproof but it normally works pretty well. There could be cases however where a specific version of a dll is missing or a dll that was included for a different language is needed.