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