What is VCOMP140.DLL error

DLL files are key elements of Windows libraries necessary for ensuring the proper operation of different programs. Such files are countless and have their own correlation with each program you use. When one of the files becomes corrupted or missing, the associated program can run into a fault at the early start or later down the road. The reason why this could happen is ambiguous, however, various information collected from internet resources often comes down to a lack of compatible Visual C++ Redistributable packages on the system. Some users facing problems with VCOMP140.DLL reported the error when trying to use a media player by Sony called Media Go, however, not excluded that this error can occur with other programs as well. Here are some examples of what messages users may get when dealing with this DLL problem.

“The program can’t start because VCOMP140.DLL is missing from your computer”
“There was a problem starting VCOMP140.DLL. The specified module could not be found.”
“Error loading VCOMP140.DLL. The specified module could not be found.”
“The code execution cannot proceed because VCOMP140.DLL was not found. Reinstalling the program may fix this problem.”
“VCOMP140.DLL is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or the software vendor for support.”

In today’s article, we have made a list of solutions that will most likely resolve the issue and let you use the program without any similar problems again. Follow our instructions down below.

Download Windows Repair Tool

Download Windows Repair Tool

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There are special repair utilities for Windows, that can solve problems related to registry corruption, file system malfunction, Windows drivers instability. We recommend you to use Advanced System Repair Pro to fix “missing VCOMP140.DLL file” error in Windows 11 or Windows 10.

1. Reinstall/Repair Visual C++ Redistributables

As mentioned, the reason why such an error occurs is most likely because you do not have the proper Visual C++ software installed. The fix is simple, and it is to open the official Microsoft page to download Visual Studio installers from it. While performing the instructions below, you will be able to first try and repair the already installed packages or reinstall them from scratch if the former does not pay off. Some users also said that it is necessary to delete the problematic application completely, before trying this step.

  1. Open this Visual Studio page.
  2. Click on the download links for vc_redist.x86.exe and vc_redist.x64.exe.
  3. Execute both of these files and start the process by clicking Install. If you have Visual Studio already installed, the setup will offer to either Repair or Uninstall it. Choose Repair and close the window once finished.
  4. In case it turns out some Visual C++ Redistributables are not installed, the setup will offer to do it.
  5. Follow on-screen instructions and finish the installation.

Some users reported that reinstalling Visual C++ 2012 may also aid help, so try to do it as well if the previous steps did not resolve the problem.

2. Check integrity of system files

Another great way to check whether your system files are in order is to use in-built scanning utilities like SFC (System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management), which will detect and restore absent components, if any will be eventually found. Make sure to use both utilities as they may have a different impact on solving the problem. This is how:

Using SFC

  1. Open Command Prompt by typing cmd into the searching box next to the Start Menu button.
  2. Right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
  3. Once the console is opened, type the sfc /scannow command and click Enter.
  4. When the fixing process is done, restart your computer.

Using DISM

  1. Open Command Prompt as we did in the previous step.
  2. Copy and paste this command DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth.
  3. Click Enter and wait until Windows ends the scanning and fixing.
  4. Once done, restart your PC and install the update again.

After performing both of these scans, attempt to boot the application you struggled with again. If this does not work, get down to the other solutions presented below.

3. Re-register DLL files manually

Users can reinstall many components without third-party methods using Command Prompt. This is what we are going to do in this step. Instead of doing so with the VCOMP140.DLL file separately, let’s do it with all so to make sure nothing is missing. Follow these guidelines below:

  1. Open Command Prompt like we did in the previous step.
  2. Copy-paste this command for %1 in (*.dll) do regsvr32 /s %1 and press Enter.
  3. The process may take a couple of seconds. Once done, restart your PC and check whether you can finally open the problematic application.

4. Download VCOMP140.DLL manually

Try this if reinstalling Visual C++ did not eliminate the problem. As mentioned, VCOMP140.DLL is a separate DLL file stored inside your system. The error says Windows could not locate this file meaning it is likely to be out of its native dedicated location. To fill the gap and restore this file back to its designated position, we can search and download it manually from the web. Using official methods like Visual C++ reinstallation is usually better, however, this can also be a viable option in case of no resolution success. Open this page and follow instructions written on it. They will guide you towards a successful replacement of the VCOMP140.DLL file to remove the error.

5. Reinstall the problematic application

If none of the above-mentioned steps pathed your way towards successfully resolving the missing VCOMP140.DLL file error, try to reinstall the application you are unable to open. Maybe you restored the file successfully, but it is the application itself that cannot identify it. Try to install it again, so it does.

  1. Left-click on the magnifying glass right next to Start menu and search for Control Panel.
  2. Open it up and choose Uninstall a program under Programs.
  3. Select the program dealing with the error and click Uninstall.
  4. Finally, install it again and check if the error is fixed.

6. Scan your system for malware

Many system settings, including DLL files can be damaged or wiped out by malware or unwanted software that could inadvertently sneak into your system. This is why it is worth giving your system a full scan using either in-built Windows Defender or advanced anti-malware software that will combat threats that Windows could miss. We recommend you to use an antivirus developed by Malwarebytes – a trusted and talented group of experts constantly maintaining their software to combat both minor and global threats. It is now available for Windows 11 as well. You can download it now using the link below and try a 14-day trial of the ultimate antimalware experience for free.

Download Malwarebytes

7. Use System Restore Point

In case nothing works out and trying to find the right solution results in constant failure, System Restore may be a thing to salvage the crisis. Unless you installed Windows just now, there should be some backup point stored by the system when DLL problems were out of existence. Thus, let’s roll your system back to exactly that point using these steps:

  1. Open Control Panel as we did in the steps above.
  2. Set View by to Large icons and choose Recovery. You can also find it using the search box.
  3. Click Open System Restore and select Next.
  4. Choose a restore point you want to you from the list and click Scan for affected programs to see what programs will be deleted upon restoration. If there are no Restore points visible, try to choose Show more restore points.
  5. Click Next again and Finish to finalize the process and let Windows restore your system from the selected backup.
  6. We hope this finally helped you forget about this annoying issue.

Summary

You see, restoring missing or corrupted DLL files is not a big deal. These instructions should be just enough for ensuring your application runs properly and without any similar faults. We hope it turned out exactly the case. If there will be any other problems in the future of your experience, feel free to search for problem-related articles on our website. There are plenty getting uploaded each day.

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