inference_engine.dll is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like inference_engine.dll, are essentially a "guide book" that stores information and instructions for executable (EXE) files - like AdobeIPCBroker.exe - to follow. These files were created so that multiple programs (eg. Adobe Photoshop Elements) could share the same inference_engine.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 inference_engine.dll is attempted to be loaded either when Adobe Photoshop Elements is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common inference_engine.dll errors include:
- Access Violation at address - inference_engine.dll.
- inference_engine.dll could not be found.
- Cannot find C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 2020\inference_engine.dll.
- Cannot register inference_engine.dll.
- Cannot start Adobe Photoshop Elements. A required component is missing: inference_engine.dll. Please install Adobe Photoshop Elements again.
- Failed to load inference_engine.dll.
- The application has failed to start because inference_engine.dll was not found.
- The file inference_engine.dll is missing or corrupt.
- This application failed to start because inference_engine.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Your inference_engine.dll file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with Adobe Photoshop Elements), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, inference_engine.dll file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading Adobe Photoshop Elements, system crash while loading inference_engine.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.