Guide: Fix ‘entry point not found’ issue in Windows 10
The Windows operating system and the software that runs on it have come a long way in terms of usability and reliability, but that doesn’t stop it from throwing a spanner in the works from time to time. I was recently working on a client computer that kept throwing up an ‘entry point not found’ error. It’s apparently a very common error so I thought I’d write a post to show you how to fix access point not found errors in Windows. But first, let’s get into some background on the “access point not found” error.
Software entry points
A software entry point is a point in a software program that relinquishes control of the process from the operating system to the application in question. For example, if you are using Windows 10 and open your web browser, the starting point is when the browser is fully loaded and displayed in full screen, meaning all resources are directed to the browser and not Windows. For this to happen, Windows must successfully complete the transfer to the application, in this example a web browser. If no access point is found, it means that the file needed to transfer that process is corrupt, unreadable or missing. If you are lucky, the syntax of the error message itself will tell you exactly which file is missing. All you need to do is replace that file or reinstall the affected program and you will solve the problem with the access point. For example, the error syntax might read, “The entry point of the FILENAME procedure cannot be found in the dynamic link library msvcrt.dll” when opening a program in Windows. Or the syntax of the error message might look something like “The entry point of the procedure xmlTextReaderConstName cannot be found in the Dynamic Link Library libxml2.dll”. In both examples, the application you are trying to open cannot find a DLL file: “msvcrt.dll” in the first example and “libxml2.dll” in the second. A DLL file is a Dynamic Link Library file. This is a shared resource that any installed program on a Windows computer can use. Rather than installing a copy in every program folder, Windows uses a shared library of common files to save space and make the operating system more efficient. If something happens to one of these files, any program will need it to function up an error. Fortunately, this kind of problem is quite easy to fix.
Fix access point not found errors in Windows
There are a number of ways to handle access point not found errors in Windows. You can manually locate and install the affected DLL file. You can install the program that contains the file or the program that invokes the file. Or you can run a system file check and let Windows correct the error. All these methods work just as well. There is no ‘best’ solution, only the solution that you feel most comfortable with. If you don’t know which program is installing a file, you may want to reinstall that program or run System File Checker. For example, I know that msvcrt.dll is part of the Visual C ++ 2005 Redistributable Package for (X86) as I have over twenty years of experience working with Windows computers. You may not have the same experience so using SFC may work the best. A word of caution though. If you Google ‘missing DLL file’ or words Therefore, you will come across hundreds of websites that can download these files for free. Just don’t. It’s a bad idea and chances are you’re not doing well. Even if some are legitimate, not all will be, and some are known to deliver malware. If you appreciate your system security, reinstall the program or run SFC.
System file checker
System File Checker is a built-in Windows utility that scans the operating system installation for missing or corrupt files. Windows contains a database of what files should be there and SFC compares what it finds with what it should find. If there is a discrepancy, the utility will obtain a fresh copy of the file and replace it. Follow these steps to run a system file check on your Windows computer: If the scan finds a file mismatch or errors, it automatically resolves the problem. If the scan doesn’t find anything wrong, it will tell you. Then you should try one of these other steps.
Install the DLL file manually
If you can identify the missing or damaged file, you can often find a copy in another program and copy it. This can be a quick and dirty solution if you need to run the program quickly. Use Windows Explorer and perform a search for the file in question.
Install the program that contains the file
As I mentioned in the example above, msvcrt.dll is part of the Visual C ++ 2005 Redistributable Package for (X86). Hence, I can download the Visual C ++ 2005 Redistributable Package directly from Microsoft website to replace the file. If you can find the exact DLL referenced in the syntax of the error message, you can do the same as long as the source of the file is trustworthy. Reliable in this context means from Microsoft or another trusted source.
Reinstall the program and throw the error
When a particular program throws constantly up entry point not found error, it might be easiest to just install that program from scratch. Sometimes a fresh installation is the best solution for access point errors and other errors. As long as you have the installation file or disk, just reinstall it or select Repair from the installation menu to scan and replace the damaged or missing file. If you overlay the program, you must not lose any functionality or data. Again, there is no ‘best’ solution, there is only the one that makes you feel most comfortable and that works for you. Once you decide which solution is best for you, you can easily fix access point errors in Windows so that you can up and run at full capacity very quickly. If you find this article on how to fix not found error messages in the entry point helpful, you may also find other Compsmag how-to articles helpful for resolving Windows errors, including How to fix ‘Windows cannot access computer’ error code 0x80004005 and How To Fix ‘RPC Server is not available’ error in Windows. Have you encountered ‘access point not found’ error messages in Windows before? If so, how did you tackle the problem? What was the result of your troubleshooting efforts? Please tell us in a comment below!
Fix ‘entry point not found’ issue in Windows 10: benefits
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