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