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