How to Fix Msvcp90.dll Not Found or Missing Errors

Installing the MS Visual C++ 2008 runtime library update is the best solution

By
Tim Fisher
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Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Updated on September 16, 2022

Msvcp90.dll errors are caused by situations that lead to the removal or corruption of the msvcp90 DLL file, a critical file that's part of the MS Visual C++ runtime library.

In some cases, msvcp90.dll errors could indicate a registry problem, a virus or malware issue, or even a hardware failure.

The msvcp90.dll error message could apply to any program or system that might utilize the file on any of Microsoft's operating systems, including Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000.

Msvcp90.dll Errors

Msvcp90.dll Error

There are several ways that msvcp90.dll errors can show up on your computer. Here are some of the more common error messages you might see:

  • Msvcp90.dll Not Found
  • This application failed to start because msvcp90.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
  • Cannot find [PATH]\msvcp90.dll
  • The file msvcp90.dll is missing.
  • The program can't start because msvcp90.dll is missing
  • Cannot start [APPLICATION]. A required component is missing: msvcp90.dll. Please install [APPLICATION] again.

These errors might appear while using or installing certain programs, when playing a PC game, or when Windows starts or shuts down.

How to Fix Msvcp90.dll Errors

Follow these steps in the order they're listed here to address the simpler fixes first.

Don't download msvcp90.dll from a "DLL download" website. There are many reasons why downloading a DLL file is a bad idea. If you need a copy of this file, it's best to obtain it from its original, legitimate source.

  1. Download the Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package MFC Security Update and run it. This will replace/restore the msvcp90.dll with the most recent copy provided by Microsoft.

    You're given a few download options from Microsoft for this update, based on the version of Windows you have installed: x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit).

    Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package MFC Security Update download page

    Try your best to complete this step! Applying this update is almost always the solution to this particular problem.

  2. Run a virus/malware scan of your entire system. Some msvcp90.dll errors could be related to a virus or other malware infection on your computer that has damaged the DLL file. It's even possible that the msvcp90.dll error you're seeing is related to a hostile program that's masquerading as the file.

  3. Restore msvcp90.dll from the Recycle Bin. The easiest possible cause of a "missing" msvcp90.dll file is that you've mistakenly deleted it.

    If you suspect this, but you've already emptied the Recycle Bin, you may be able to recover the file with a free file recovery program.

    This is smart only if you're confident you've deleted the file yourself and that it was working properly before you did that. Don't undelete this DLL file if it was corrupted or malicious before you deleted it.

  4. If you're debugging or testing a program, you might need to adjust the "Generate Manifest" setting in the configuration.

  5. Install any available Windows updates. Many service packs and other patches replace or update some of the hundreds of Microsoft distributed DLL files on your computer. The msvcp90.dll file could be included in one of those updates.

  6. Use System Restore to undo recent system changes. If you suspect that the msvcp90.dll error was caused by a change made to an important file or configuration, System Restore could solve the problem.

  7. Repair your installation of Windows. If the individual msvcp90.dll file troubleshooting advice above is unsuccessful, performing a startup repair or repair installation should restore all Windows DLL files to their working versions.

  8. Perform a clean installation of Windows. This erases everything from the hard drive and installs a fresh copy of Windows. If none of the steps above correct the msvcp90.dll error, this should be your next course of action.

    All the information on your hard drive will be erased during a clean installation. Make sure you've made the best attempt possible to fix the msvcp90.dll error using a troubleshooting step prior to this one.

  9. Troubleshoot for a hardware problem if any msvcp90.dll errors persist. After a clean install of Windows, your DLL problem can only be hardware related.

Need More Help?

Don't want to fix this DLL problem yourself? See our article How Do I Get My Computer Fixed? for a full list of your support options, plus help with everything along the way like figuring out repair costs, getting your files off, choosing a repair service, and a lot more.

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