identity.dat is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like identity.dat, are essentially a "guide book" that stores information and instructions for executable (EXE) files - like MpSigStub.exe - to follow. These files were created so that multiple programs (eg. Solid Converter) could share the same identity.dat file, saving valuable memory allocation, therefore making your computer run more efficiently.
Unfortunately, what makes DLL files so convenient and efficient, also makes them extremely vulnerable to problems. If something happens to a shared DAT file, either it goes missing or gets corrupted in some way, it can generate a "runtime" error message. Runtime is pretty self-explanatory; it means that these errors are triggered when identity.dat is attempted to be loaded either when Solid Converter is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common identity.dat errors include:
- Access Violation at address - identity.dat.
- identity.dat could not be found.
- Cannot find C:\Users\Tester\AppData\Local\IsolatedStorage\cyyx2xka.ur2\0pj3dc1j.qdo\Publisher.w0utpq3140afvprt0wvlfuvqm50jk3tw\identity.dat.
- Cannot register identity.dat.
- Cannot start Solid Converter. A required component is missing: identity.dat. Please install Solid Converter again.
- Failed to load identity.dat.
- The application has failed to start because identity.dat was not found.
- The file identity.dat is missing or corrupt.
- This application failed to start because identity.dat was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Your identity.dat file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with Solid Converter), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, identity.dat file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading Solid Converter, system crash while loading identity.dat, bad sectors on your storage media (usually your primary hard drive), or quite commonly, a malware infection. Thus, it's critical to make sure your anti-virus is kept up-to-date and scanning regularly.