Fix 0Xc00007B Error The Application Was Unable To Start Correctly

The 0xc00007b error occurs when you try to open an application on Windows Computer. The error has been reported mostly on Windows 7 and Windows 10, but other versions of Windows also encounter this error. So, if you are looking to fix 0xc00007b error – the application was unable to start correctly, then read on to know more about this error and what you can do to fix it.

Why does the 0xc00007b error occur?

Listed below are the common reasons why the ‘The application was unable to start correctly (0xc00007b)’ error occurs on your Windows computer.

• Missing DLL files
• Downloads from an unauthorized source
• Anti-virus software blocking and deleting DLLs
• Incorrect re-distributable installed
• Installing 32-bit software instead of 64-bit, and vice-versa
• Running 32-bit apps on a 64-bit system

Fix 0xc00007b Error: The Application Was Unable To Start Correctly

Now, you have an idea about what could cause The application was unable to start correctly error (0xc00007b). In the next part of this guide, we will go through each available method to fix the 0xc00007b error on your system. Try implementing them one-by-one, till you find a suitable solution.

Contents

• Fix 0xc00007b Error: The Application Was Unable To Start Correctly
• Method 1: Restart Windows
• Method 2: Run the Program as Administrator
• Method 3: Scan Hard Drive using the CHKDSK command
• Method 4: Reinstall the Application
• Method 5: Update .NET Framework
• Method 6: Update DirectX
• Method 7: Update DLL
• Method 8: Repair C++ Redistributable
• Method 9: Reinstall C++ Redistributable
• Method 10: Run the Program in Compatibility mode
• Method 11: Update Windows

Method 1: Restart Windows

Rebooting Windows can fix a lot of temporary issues and glitches on your computer. Possibly, this might also fix the 0xc00007b error.

1. To restart Windows, first close all the applications that are running on your computer.

2. Next, click on the Start button. Click on Power, and then click on Restart, as illustrated below.

3. Once your computer restarts, try to open the application that was showing the 0xc00007b error. Check if the error message is gone. If the error still persists, move to the next solution.

Method 2: Run the Program as Administrator

When we run any program as an administrator, we get all the rights associated with the Administrator account. Hence, this solution might fix the application was unable to start correctly (0xc00007b) error as well.

Temporarily Run Application as Administrator

Follow the given steps to run an app as an Administrator temporarily:m

1. First, navigate to the Windows search bar and type in the name of the application you want to open.

2. Next, right-click on the name of the application that appears in the search result and then click on Run as administrator.

3. The User Account Control (UAC) window will appear. Click Yes to confirm the message in the dialogue box.

Permanently Run Application as Administrator

To permanently run the application as an administrator, you need to change the Compatibility settings of the application. Follow these steps to do so:

1. Search for the application in the Windows search bar in the bottom-left corner.

2. Next, right-click on the name of the program that appears in the search result, and then click on Open file location.

3. Next, search for the program executable file. It will be a file with the .exe extension.

For example, if the program you want to open is Skype, your executable file will look like this: Skype.exe.

4. Next, right-click on the .exe file, and then select Properties from the drop-down menu.

5. Switch to the Compatibility tab in the Properties window. Now, check the box next to Run this program as an administrator.

6. Finally, click on Apply and then click on OK to save these changes. 

Now, whenever you open this program, it will run with administrator privileges. If the 0xc00007b error is not yet fixed, move to the next solution.

Also Read: Fix This Device Is Not Configured Correctly (Code 1)

Method 3: Scan Hard Drive using the CHKDSK command

If there are problems with the computer hard drive, it might lead to the 0xc00007b error. You can check for issues with the computer hard drive as follows:

1. Search for the command prompt in the Windows search bar.

2. Either right-click on the Command Prompt in the search result and then click on Run as administrator from the drop-down menu. Or, select Run as administrator, the second option from the right pane in the search results window.

3. Next, type the following command in the Command Prompt window and press the Enter key:

chkdsk /f /r 

4. A confirmation message will be displayed if you want to schedule the scan for the next time the computer restarts. Press the Y key on the keyboard to agree to it.

5. Next, restart the computer by clicking Start menu >  Power > Restart.

6. When the computer restarts, the chkdsk command will run automatically to scan the computer hard drives.

7. Once the scan is complete and the computer boots into Windows, try to open the application that was showing the 0xc00007b error.

Check if the application is opening correctly. If the ‘The Application Was Unable To Start Correctly (0xc00007b)‘ error message persists, proceed to the next solution.

Method 4: Reinstall the Application

To fix the error, reinstall the application that is facing this error. Follow the given steps to first uninstall the application and then reinstall it:

1. Go to the Windows search bar and then search for Add or remove programs.

2. Next, click on Open from the right side of the search results window as depicted below.

3. Next, click on the Search this list box, and then type the name of the app you want to remove.

4. Now, click on the application name in the search result. Then, click on Uninstall. Refer to the above pic.

5. Next, follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the application.

6. Finally, visit the official website of the app you want to reinstall. Download and install the file.

Note: Make sure that you select the right version of the app for your version of Windows computer.

Once the application has been reinstalled, try to open it and check if you’re able to fix 0xc00007b error: The application was unable to start correctly. If it does, try the next method.

Method 5: Update .NET Framework

The .NET framework is a Windows software development framework that helps to run applications & programs on Windows. There is a chance that the .NET framework on your computer has not been updated to the latest version, which may be causing the said error.

Follow these steps to update the framework to fix The application was unable to start correctly (0xc00007b) error:

1. Launch any web browser and search for the .net framework.

2. Then, click on the first search result from Microsoft official website titled Download .NET Framework.

3. A new window named Supported versions will open. Here, click on the latest .NET Framework that is marked as (recommended). 

4. Now, click the download button under the Runtime section. Refer to the above picture.

5. Once downloaded, click on the downloaded file to open it. Then, click Yes in the UAC confirmation dialogue box.

6. Follow the on-screen instructions to install it.

7. After the software framework has been installed, restart the computer.

Try to open the application now and see if the 0xc00007b error persists. If it does, move to the upcoming methods.

Also Read: Your Account Has Been Disabled. Please See Your System Administrator [SOLVED]

Method 6: Update DirectX

Follow these steps to manually update DirectX so that you can fix the 0xc0007b error: The application was unable to start correctly.

1. In the Windows search bar, search for This PC and open it.

2. Click on C Drive. Then, follow the file path shown below to navigate to a folder called System 32 or SysWOW64 depending on your system architecture: 

For 32-bit Windows: Windows > System32

For 64-bit Windows: Windows > SysWOW64

3. In the search bar in the top right corner of the window, search for the files listed below one by one. Then, right-click on each of these individually and click on Delete, as illustrated below.

• From d3dx9_24.dll to d3dx9_43.dll
• d3dx10.dll
• From d3dx10_33.dll to d3dx10_43.dll
• d3dx11_42.dll
• d3dx11_43.dll

4. Next, visit the Microsoft download page for DirectX End-User Runtime Web. Here, choose a language and then click on the Download button.

5. Once the downloading is complete, open the downloaded file. It will be titled dxwebsetup.exe. Then, select Yes in the UAC dialogue box.

6. Follow the on-screen instructions to install DirectX.

7. Once the installation is complete, restart the computer and then try to open the application that was showing the 0xc00007b error.

Method 7: Update DLL

In order to fix The application was unable to start correctly (0xc00007b) error, you need to replace a file called xinput1_3.dll, which is located in the C drive of your computers. 

Note: Downloading files from a third party is risky as you can download malware or virus and install it on your system. So, proceed with caution.

1. Download xinput1_3.dll by searching for it on Google.

2. Next, extract the downloaded files by right-clicking on the zipped folder and then selecting Extract All.

3. Next, copy the xinput1_3.dll file.

4. Before doing anything, you should first backup your original xinput1_3.dll file. If something didn’t go as planned you can always restore it from the backup file.

5. Now navigate to C:\Windows\SysWOW64, and paste the xinput1_3.dll file in the SysWOW64 folder. You can do this either by right-clicking and selecting Paste Or by pressing CTRL + V keys together.

6. Lastly, in the confirmation box that appears, click on Copy and Replace.

The DLL files should now be updated & the error should be resolved.

Method 8: Repair C++ Redistributable

Alternately, you can try to repair the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages to fix the 0xc00007b error as follows:

1. Launch Add or remove programs as explained earlier.

2. In the ‘Search of this list’ bar, type Microsoft Visual C++.

3. Click on the first one in the search result, then click on Modify, as depicted in the picture below.

4. Then, click Yes on the UAC dialogue box.

5. In the pop-up window that appears, click on Repair. Wait for the process to finish.

6. Make sure to do this for each C++ package by repeating Steps 3 & 4.

7. Finally, restart the computer.

Open the application that you were unable to open previously. If this didn’t work, try reinstalling the C++ redistributable instead.

Also Read: Fix This app can’t run on your PC error on Windows 10

Method 9: Reinstall C++ Redistributable

If the previous method of repairing the Microsoft C++ Visual Redistributable did not fix the 0xc00007b error, then you will have to reinstall the redistributable. Follow the given steps to uninstall & then install these again.

1. Launch Add or remove programs as explained earlier. In the ‘Search of this list’ bar, type Microsoft Visual C++.

2. Click on the first one in the search result, then click Uninstall, as depicted in the picture below. Make sure to do this for all the C++ packages.

3. Open Command Prompt via Run as an administrator option, as explained earlier in this guide.

4. Type the following into the Command Prompt window and press the Enter key:

Dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

5. Once the process is complete, restart the computer.

6. Next, visit the Microsoft website to download the latest C++ package as shown here.

7. Once downloaded, open the downloaded file by clicking on it. Install the package by following the on-screen instructions.

8. Once the installation is complete, finally restart the computer.

Open the application that was showing the 0xc00007b error. If the error persists, then try the next alternatives.

Method 10: Run the Program in Compatibility mode

There is a chance that the ‘0xc00007b error: The application was unable to start correctly’ error occurs because the app is not compatible with the current version of Windows installed on your computer. Follow these steps to run the program in compatibility mode to fix this issue:

1. In the Windows search bar, type the name of the application with the .exe extension.

For example, if the application that is not opening is Skype, then search for the skype.exe file in the search bar.

2. Click on the search result and then click on Open file location as depicted below.

3. In the new window that opens, right-click on the application. Click on Properties from the drop-down menu.

4. Next, click on the Compatibility tab in the Properties window that now appears.

5. In the Compatibility mode section, check the box next to Run this program in compatibility mode, and then select a different Windows version from the drop-down menu. Refer to the picture for clarity.

6. Click on Apply and then OK.

Open the application or program and see if you’re able to fix The application was unable to start correctly (0xc00007b) error. If the error occurs again, you will need to repeat this process for all other versions of Windows too. Check which version of windows opens the program correctly without the 0xc00007b error.

Method 11: Update Windows

If the program did not open in compatibility mode for any version of Windows, then there’s no other choice than to update the version of Windows installed on your system. You can update Windows by following these simple steps:

1. In the Windows search bar, type Windows update. Then, click on the Windows Update settings that appear in the search result.

2. In the next window, click on Check for updates.

3. Allow Windows to check for updates and download any latest updates that are available at the time.

4. Next, install the updates that were downloaded in the previous step.

Once the updates have been installed, the application should open without errors.

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We hope that this guide was helpful and that you were able to fix 0xc00007b error – The application was unable to start correctly. Let us know which method worked best for you. If you have any questions or comments regarding this article, then feel free to drop them in the comments section.