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