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	"title": "How to use the Regsvr32 tool and troubleshoot Regsvr32 error messages",
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	"plain_text": "How to use the Regsvr32 tool and troubleshoot Regsvr32 error\r\nmessages\r\nArchived: 2026-04-05 18:58:36 UTC\r\nApplies To\r\nIf this article does not describe the error message that you are receiving, you can obtain detailed error message\r\nexplanations, recommended actions, and additional support resources from the TechNet Events and Errors page. \r\nSummary\r\nRegsvr32 is a command-line utility to register and unregister OLE controls, such as DLLs and ActiveX controls in\r\nthe Windows Registry. Regsvr32.exe is installed in the %systemroot%\\System32 folder in Windows XP and later\r\nversions of Windows.\r\nNote On a 64-bit version of Windows operating system, there are two versions of the Regsv32.exe file:\r\nThe 64-bit version is %systemroot%\\System32\\regsvr32.exe.\r\nThe 32-bit version is %systemroot%\\SysWoW64\\regsvr32.exe.\r\nThe syntax of the Regsvr32 command\r\nRegSvr32.exe has the following command-line options:\r\nRegsvr32 [/u] [/n] [/i[:cmdline]] \u003cdllname\u003e\r\n/u - Unregister server\r\n/i - Call DllInstall passing it an optional [cmdline]; when it is used with /u, it calls dll uninstall /n - do not call\r\nDllRegisterServer; this option must be used with /i\r\n/s – Silent; display no message boxes\r\nCommon solutions for Regsvr32 errors\r\nTry one of the following methods when you receive a Regsvr32 error:\r\nMethod 1: Re-run the Regsvr32 command from an elevated command promptTo open an elevated\r\ncommand prompt, following these steps:\r\nWindows 8.1 and Windows 8Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search. Or, if you are\r\nusing a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, and then click Search. Type Command Prompt\r\nhttps://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/249873\r\nPage 1 of 5\n\nin the Search box, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you are\r\nprompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.\r\nWindows 7 and Windows VistaClick Start, type Command Prompt or cmd in the Search box, right-click\r\nCommand Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator\r\npassword or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.\r\nWindows XPLog on with an administrator account or an account that has administrator permissions, and\r\nthen open a Command Prompt window.\r\nMethod 2: Use the 32-bit version of Regsvr32 to register a 32-bit DLL on a 64-bit version of WindowsIf\r\nyou receive an error when registering a 32-bit DLL on a 64-bit version of Windows, follow these steps:\r\na. Open an elevated command prompt.\r\nb. If the 32-bit DLL is in the %systemroot%\\System32 folder, move it to the\r\n%systemroot%\\SysWoW64 folder.\r\nc. Run the following command:\r\n%systemroot%\\SysWoW64\\regsvr32 \u003cfull path of the DLL\u003e\r\nRegsvr32 error messages\r\nThe following table contains RegSvr32 error messages and possible causes:\r\nError message Cause\r\nThe command-flag \"\"%1\"\" is not valid. Please\r\nreview the command usage and try again.\r\nAn invalid combination of options was passed in the\r\ncommand line to regsvr32.exe.\r\nThis command is only valid if a Microsoft Visual\r\nStudio OLE Activex Control project is opened.\r\nRegsvr32.exe was invoked by Visual Studio but no\r\nmodules were specified in the command line.\r\nTo register a module, you must provide a binary\r\nname.\r\nRegsvr32.exe was invoked without specifying any\r\nmodules in the command line.\r\nhttps://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/249873\r\nPage 2 of 5\n\nError message Cause\r\nThe command OleInitialize failed to run. Your\r\ncomputer might be low on memory. Close any\r\nopen programs and then try again.\r\nRegsvr32 must initialize the COM library before it can\r\ncall needed COM library functions and uninitialize the\r\nlibrary when it shuts down. These error messages occur if\r\nan attempt to initialize or uninitialize the COM library is\r\nunsuccessful.\r\nThe module \"\"%1\"\" failed to load.\\n\\n Make\r\nsure the binary is stored at the specified path or\r\ndebug it to check for problems with the binary or\r\ndependent .DLL files.\\n\\n%2.\r\nThere was an error in loading a module that was\r\nspecified in the command line. The error text is displayed\r\nas part of the message.\r\nThe module \"\"%1\"\" was loaded but the entry-point %2 was not found.\\n\\nMake sure that\r\n\"\"%1\"\" is a valid DLL or OCX file and then try\r\nagain\r\nRegsvr32.exe was unable to find the required entry point\r\nin the module specified in the command line. This can\r\noccur if the entry points are not exported correctly from\r\nthe module or if the module is not a .DLL or .OCX file.\r\nThe module \"\"%1\"\" was loaded but the call to\r\n%2 failed with error code %3.\\n\\nFor more\r\ninformation about this problem, search online\r\nusing the error code as a search term.\r\nThere was an error when regsvr32.exe invoked the entry\r\npoint in the module specified in the command line. The\r\nerror code is displayed as part of the message.\r\nThe module \"\"%1\"\" may not compatible with\r\nthe version of Windows that you're running.\r\nCheck if the module is compatible with an x86\r\n(32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of regsvr32.exe.\r\nThis error can occur, for example, if regsvr32.exe is run\r\non an x86 computer and the module specified in the\r\ncommand line is a 64-bit module.\r\nThe following table contains RegSvr32 error messages and possible causes:\r\nError message Cause\r\nUnrecognized flag: /invalid_flag You typed an invalid combination of flags or switches.\r\nhttps://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/249873\r\nPage 3 of 5\n\nError message Cause\r\nNo DLL name specified. You did not include a .dll file name.\r\nDll_Name was loaded, but the\r\nDllRegisterServer or\r\nDllUnregisterServer entry point was\r\nnot found.\r\nThe specified Dll name is not a .dll or .ocx file. For example,\r\ntyping regsvr32 wjview.exe generates this error message.\r\nDll_Name is not an executable file\r\nand no registration helper is\r\nregistered for this file type.\r\nThe specified Dll name is not an executable file (.exe, .dll, or\r\n.ocx). For example, typing regsvr32 autoexec.bat generates this\r\nerror message.\r\nDll_Name is not self-registerable or\r\na corrupted version is in memory.\r\nFor example, typing regsvr32 icwdial.dll returns this error\r\nmessage because the Icwdial.dll file is not self-registerable. If you\r\nsuspect a corrupted version of Dllname is in memory, try\r\nrestarting your computer or re-extract the original version of the\r\nfile.\r\nOleInitialize failed (or\r\nOleUninitialize failed)\r\nRegsvr32 must initialize the COM library before it can call\r\nneeded COM library functions and uninitialize the library when it\r\nshuts down. These error messages occur if an attempt to initialize\r\nor uninitialize the COM library is unsuccessful. For example, the\r\nOle32.dll file may be corrupted or may be the wrong version.\r\nLoadLibrary(\"Dll_Name\") failed.\r\nGetlastError returns 0x00000485\r\nFrom Winerror.h, 0x00000485 = 1157\r\n(ERROR_DLL_NOT_FOUND). This means \"One of the library\r\nfiles that are needed to run this application cannot be found.\" For\r\nexample, typing regsvr32 missing.dll returns this error message if\r\nthe Missing.dll file is not found.\r\nLoadLibrary(\"Dll_Name\") failed.\r\nGetLastError returns 0x00000002\r\nFrom Winerror.h, 0x00000002 = 2\r\n(ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND). This means \"The system cannot\r\nfind the file specified.\" In other words, a dependent DLL was not\r\nhttps://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/249873\r\nPage 4 of 5\n\nError message Cause\r\nfound. For example, typing regsvr32 icwdial.dll with Tapi32.dll (a\r\ndependency) missing returns this error message..\r\nLoadLibrary(\"dskmaint.dll\") failed.\r\nGetLastError returns 0x000001f\r\nFrom Winerror.h, 0x000001f = 31 (ERROR_GEN_FAILURE).\r\nThis means \"A device attached to the system is not functioning.\"\r\nThis behavior can occur if you try to register a Win16 .dll file. For\r\nexample, typing regsvr32 dskmaint.dll returns this error message.\r\nDllRegisterServer (or\r\nDllUnregisterServer)in Dll_Name\r\nfailed. Return code was: string\r\nSearch the Winerror.h file for the string that is specified in the\r\nmessage.\r\nNeed more help?\r\nWant more options?\r\nExplore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.\r\nSource: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/249873\r\nhttps://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/249873\r\nPage 5 of 5",
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		"https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/249873"
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