How to fix “The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)”

How to fix “The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)”: “The Application was unable to start correctly, (0xC0000142). Click OK to close the application”. The error 0xc0000142 commonly occurs when you try to launch an outdated or corrupted program and in most cases the solution to resolve the error 0xc0000142, is to update the program in which the error occurs. In other cases, the 0xc0000142 problem can be caused by a virus infection, due to problematic graphics card drivers, or because a Windows update has not installed correctly. If you are facing this issue then you are not alone, many Windows users are reporting about facing the same problem but for a variety of applications. Before going for the fixes, you should restart your computer and after restarting check if the problem is still there or not.

This guide will show you different methods to fix the error 0xc0000142 on Windows 10 computers in an efficient way. Request you to follow the steps one by one to get better results and avoid complications in performing tasks.

Continue reading the easy ways to resolve “The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)”.

How-To:

Method 1: Clean Boot

The first method is to do a clean boot, what it would do is disable non-windows services and startup programs. You can re-enable them if needed. This will also improve performance by disabling unwanted start-up programs that are not used. They can be re-enabled by repeating the steps and checking the ones that have been disabled. Regardless of your operating system, remember to disable the “Intel PROSet/Wireless Zero Configuration service” and check if the issue is fixed. Also, in the startup tab, try to disable the entry of an app named “Program” that has no publisher as this can also sometimes cause this issue.

After the clean boot; restart the system and test to see if the issue is gone or if it still exists. If it exists then do an SFC scan. You can do this by going to command prompt and running the command below,

sfc /scannow

If the issue is still not resolved, then go to Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Uninstall a Program and take a look at the list of recently installed programs, sort them by date to filter out which ones were recently installed that triggered the error and uninstall them.

Method 2: Running in Compatibility Mode

Running the application in compatibility mode seems to fix this issue for a lot of users. So before you go try the complicated methods that are mentioned below, it’s advised to try this first. If it doesn’t solve the problem then continue to the next steps.

1. Right-click on the application icon
2. Select Properties
3. Click Compatibility tab
4. Click Run compatibility troubleshooter

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5. When asked, select the Try recommended settings

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6. Click Test program. Now Windows will try to run your program with the recommended settings.

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7. If the program runs successfully then close the program. If the program didn’t run then you won’t have to do anything
8. Once the application is closed, click Next

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9. Now click Yes, save these settings for this program if the program ran successfully. Click Cancel if the program didn’t run.

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10. Check the option Run this program in compatibility mode for:
11. Select Windows 7 from the drop-down list under Run this program in compatibility mode for, you can try other operating systems as well if the Window 7 doesn’t work.
12. Check the option Run this program as an administrator
13. Click Apply then Ok

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Now try to run the application and check if it works or not.

Method 3: Manually Downloading the Files

Since the problem is caused by the unsigned DLL files, you can replace those files with the newer one which will probably solve the problem for you.

1. Go here and download all the 3 files from there
2. Go to the folder where you downloaded these files (usually Downloads)
3. Copy the files (Right-click and select Copy)
4. Go the folder where you installed your application that is showing this error
5. Right-click in that folder and select Paste
6. If it asks whether to replace the files or skip it, select replace the files
7. Repeat this process for all the 3 files that you downloaded from the link

Once you are done, try to run your application.

Method 4: Using Regedit.exe

Since the problem is caused by unsigned or corrupted DLL, we can use Reget.exe to solve this problem. We can change the value of LoadAppinit_dlls key to 0. LoadAppInit_dll basically is a mechanism that starts the .dlls in its reg-key when the program starts. So changing its value to 0 might solve the problem.

1. Hold Windows key and press R
2. Type regedit.exe and press Enter

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3. Go to this path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Windows. If you don’t know how to navigate then follow the steps given below

1. Double click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (from the left pane)
2. Double click Software (from the left pane)
3. Double click Microsoft (from the left pane)
4. Double click Windows NT (from the left pane)
5. Double click CurrentVersion (from the left pane)
6. Click Windows (from the left pane)

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7. Now double click LoadAppInit_Dll (from the right pane)

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8. Change its value data to 0
9. Click Ok
10. Now restart your computer

Now check if the error shows up while starting the program or not.

Method 5: Changing System Locale

It is very important that the right region is selected on Windows because certain applications check the region and they might not start correctly if the wrong region is selected. Therefore, in this step, we will be changing the region settings. In order to do that:

1. Press “Windows” + “S” keys simultaneously and type in “Control Panel“.
2. Select the first program in the list.
3. Click on the “View” option and select “Small Icons“

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4. Click on “Regions” and select the “Administrative Tab“.

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5. Click on the “Change System Locale” option and click on the “Current System Locale” dropdown.

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6. Select your region from the list and click on “OK“.
7. Check to see if the issue persists.

Method 6: Changing Command Prompt Configurations

If certain Command Prompt settings aren’t configured properly the error might be triggered. Therefore, in this step, we will be changing some of its configurations. In order to do that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” keys simultaneously to open the Run prompt.
2. Type in “cmd” and press “Enter“

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3. Type in the following command and press “Enter“

for %i in (%windir%\system32\*.ocx) do regsvr32.exe /s %i

4. Wait until the process is completed and restart your computer.
5. Check to see if the issue persists.

Method 7: Reinstalling Application in Safe Mode

If you are facing this issue while running an application on your computer then it is recommended to restart your computer and boot into the clean boot state as mentioned in the second method in this article. After booting into the clean boot state, reinstall the application that you are getting this error with and then exit the safe mode after the application finishes installing. Check to see if the issue persists after you have successfully booted out of the safe mode.

If you are specifically using an Outlook or Office program that is a click to run program, change its update channel to something like annual or semi-annual. This might help you get rid of the issue if you are facing it due to an Office application.

Method 8: Modifying Application

In some cases, the application might not have been configured properly during the installation process due to which it might be lacking certain authoritative permissions. Therefore, in this step, we will be modifying the installation of the application. Perform this method specially if you are facing this error on an Microsoft Office Program. To do that:

1. Press “Windows’ + “I” to open the settings.
2. Inside the settings option, click on “Apps” and select “Apps & Features” from the left pane

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3. Scroll through the list of installed applications and click on “Microsoft Office”.
4. Select the “Modify” option and accept whatever prompts that are shown on the next screen.

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5. Wait for some time and check to see if the issue persists

Method 9: Using Task Manager

Most people face this error with Microsoft Office applications and in order to fix this, you need to close all applications related to Microsoft office from the background. In order to do this, we can employ the Windows default Task Manager. For that:

1. Press “Windows” + “R” to open the Run prompt.
2. Type in “taskmgr” and press “enter” to open the Task Manager

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3. Click on the “Processes” tab.
4. Inside the processes tab, scroll down and look for any Microsoft Office related app running in the background.
5. Click on the app and then select the “End Task” option to end it completely

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6. Check to see if the issue persists.
7. If this doesn’t work, try ending all background apps that are useless for the functioning of the operating system such as Skype, Outlook, Microsoft Office related and other third-party apps.

Method 10: Installing Update

In certain situations, the error might be triggered if important Windows update files are missing from your computer. Therefore, in this step, we will be using the built-in Windows tool to check and install updates. For that;

1. Press “Windows” + “I” to open the settings.
2. In the settings, click on the “Update & Security” option and click on “Windows Update” from the left pane

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3. Click on the “Check for Updates” buttons and wait for the updates to be downloaded and installed.
4. Check to see if the issue persists.

Note: Create a new account if the error still persists and check if that fixes the issue, if it does, the issue is probably related to a corrupted user profile.

Wrapping things up:

How’s your experience after following these tips and tricks?. Hope you are able to fix the error “0xc0000142” on your computer. Please let us know using comments.

Also, you can leave the command below for related queries to get help. We will do our best to help you…

NOTE: All the above methods are for advanced Computer users. If you are a novice, I recommend you reach a computer expert or download an error repair software. Click here to download repair software…