softicon.dat is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like softicon.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. Clean Master for PC) could share the same softicon.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 softicon.dat is attempted to be loaded either when Clean Master for PC is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common softicon.dat errors include:
- Access Violation at address - softicon.dat.
- softicon.dat could not be found.
- Cannot find C:\Program Files (x86)\cmcm\Clean Master\data\softicon.dat.
- Cannot register softicon.dat.
- Cannot start Clean Master for PC. A required component is missing: softicon.dat. Please install Clean Master for PC again.
- Failed to load softicon.dat.
- The application has failed to start because softicon.dat was not found.
- The file softicon.dat is missing or corrupt.
- This application failed to start because softicon.dat was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Your softicon.dat file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with Clean Master for PC), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, softicon.dat file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading Clean Master for PC, system crash while loading softicon.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.