libsmi-2.dll is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like libsmi-2.dll, are essentially a "guide book" that stores information and instructions for executable (EXE) files - like dumpcap.exe - to follow. These files were created so that multiple programs (eg. Wireshark) could share the same libsmi-2.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 libsmi-2.dll is attempted to be loaded either when Wireshark is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common libsmi-2.dll errors include:
- Access Violation at address - libsmi-2.dll.
- libsmi-2.dll could not be found.
- Cannot find C:\Program Files (x86)\Wireshark\libsmi-2.dll.
- Cannot register libsmi-2.dll.
- Cannot start Wireshark. A required component is missing: libsmi-2.dll. Please install Wireshark again.
- Failed to load libsmi-2.dll.
- The application has failed to start because libsmi-2.dll was not found.
- The file libsmi-2.dll is missing or corrupt.
- This application failed to start because libsmi-2.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Your libsmi-2.dll file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with Wireshark), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, libsmi-2.dll file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading Wireshark, system crash while loading libsmi-2.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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