What are policy.dat Error Messages?

Dynamic Link Library policy.dat Errors

policy.dat is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like policy.dat, are essentially a "guide book" that stores information and instructions for executable (EXE) files - like wuauclt.exe - to follow. These files were created so that multiple programs (eg. GOM Player) could share the same policy.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 policy.dat is attempted to be loaded either when GOM Player is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common policy.dat errors include:

• Access Violation at address - policy.dat.
• policy.dat could not be found.
• Cannot find C:\ProgramData\GRETECH\GOMPlayer\policy.dat.
• Cannot register policy.dat.
• Cannot start GOM Player. A required component is missing: policy.dat. Please install GOM Player again.
• Failed to load policy.dat.
• The application has failed to start because policy.dat was not found.
• The file policy.dat is missing or corrupt.
• This application failed to start because policy.dat was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.

Your policy.dat file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with GOM Player), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, policy.dat file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading GOM Player, system crash while loading policy.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.

How to Fix policy.dat Errors in 3 Steps (Time to complete: ~5-15 minutes)

If you're encountering one of the error messages above, follow these troubleshooting steps to resolve your policy.dat issue. These troubleshooting steps are listed in the recommended order of execution.

To begin System Restore (Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10):

1. Hit the Windows Start button
2. When you see the search box, type "System Restore" and press "ENTER".
3. In the search results, find and click System Restore.
4. Please enter the administrator password (if applicable / prompted).
5. Follow the steps in the System Restore Wizard to choose a relevant restore point.
6. Restore your computer to that backup image.

If the Step 1 fails to resolve the policy.dat error, please proceed to the Step 2 below.

You can uninstall GOM Player software by following these instructions (Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10):

1. Hit the Windows Start button
2. In the search box, type "Uninstall" and press "ENTER".
3. In the search results, find and click "Add or Remove Programs"
4. Find the entry for GOM Player 2.3.42.5304 and click "Uninstall"
5. Follow the prompts for uninstallation.

After the software has been fully uninstalled, restart your PC and reinstall GOM Player software.

If this Step 2 fails as well, please proceed to the Step 3 below.

GOM Player 2.3.42.5304

GOM & Company

When the first two steps haven't solved your issue, it might be a good idea to run Windows Update. Many policy.dat error messages that are encountered can be contributed to an outdated Windows Operating System. To run Windows Update, please follow these easy steps:

1. Hit the Windows Start button
2. In the search box, type "Update" and press "ENTER".
3. In the Windows Update dialog box, click "Check for Updates" (or similar button depending on your Windows version)
4. If updates are available for download, click "Install Updates".
5. After the update is completed, restart your PC.

If Windows Update failed to resolve the policy.dat error message, please proceed to next step. Please note that this final step is recommended for advanced PC users only.

If Those Steps Fail: Download and Replace Your policy.dat File (Caution: Advanced)

If none of the previous three troubleshooting steps have resolved your issue, you can try a more aggressive approach (Note: Not recommended for amateur PC users) by downloading and replacing your appropriate policy.dat file version. We maintain a comprehensive database of 100% malware-free policy.dat files for every applicable version of GOM Player. Please follow the steps below to download and properly replace you file:

1. Locate your Windows operating system version in the list of below "Download policy.dat Files".
2. Click the appropriate "Download Now" button and download your Windows file version.
3. Copy this file to the appropriate GOM Player folder location:
   
   Windows 10: C:\ProgramData\GRETECH\GOMPlayer\
   
4. Restart your computer.

If this final step has failed and you're still encountering the error, you're only remaining option is to do a clean installation of Windows 10.

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