VPNGate.dat is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like VPNGate.dat, are essentially a "guide book" that stores information and instructions for executable (EXE) files - like OneDriveSetup.exe - to follow. These files were created so that multiple programs (eg. VPN Gate Client Plug-in with SoftEther VPN Client) could share the same VPNGate.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 VPNGate.dat is attempted to be loaded either when VPN Gate Client Plug-in with SoftEther VPN Client is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common VPNGate.dat errors include:
- Access Violation at address - VPNGate.dat.
- VPNGate.dat could not be found.
- Cannot find C:\Users\Tester\Downloads\vpngate-client-2019.03.07-build-9680.143693\VPNGate.dat.
- Cannot register VPNGate.dat.
- Cannot start VPN Gate Client Plug-in with SoftEther VPN Client. A required component is missing: VPNGate.dat. Please install VPN Gate Client Plug-in with SoftEther VPN Client again.
- Failed to load VPNGate.dat.
- The application has failed to start because VPNGate.dat was not found.
- The file VPNGate.dat is missing or corrupt.
- This application failed to start because VPNGate.dat was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Your VPNGate.dat file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with VPN Gate Client Plug-in with SoftEther VPN Client), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, VPNGate.dat file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading VPN Gate Client Plug-in with SoftEther VPN Client, system crash while loading VPNGate.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.