group_replication.dll is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like group_replication.dll, are essentially a "guide book" that stores information and instructions for executable (EXE) files - like ApacheMonitor.exe - to follow. These files were created so that multiple programs (eg. WampServer) could share the same group_replication.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 group_replication.dll is attempted to be loaded either when WampServer is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common group_replication.dll errors include:
- Access Violation at address - group_replication.dll.
- group_replication.dll could not be found.
- Cannot find C:\wamp64\bin\mysql\mysql5.7.26\lib\plugin\group_replication.dll.
- Cannot register group_replication.dll.
- Cannot start WampServer. A required component is missing: group_replication.dll. Please install WampServer again.
- Failed to load group_replication.dll.
- The application has failed to start because group_replication.dll was not found.
- The file group_replication.dll is missing or corrupt.
- This application failed to start because group_replication.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Your group_replication.dll file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with WampServer), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, group_replication.dll file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading WampServer, system crash while loading group_replication.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.