_locale.dll is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like _locale.dll, are essentially a "guide book" that stores information and instructions for executable (EXE) files - like ControlCreator.exe - to follow. These files were created so that multiple programs (eg. FL Studio) could share the same _locale.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 _locale.dll is attempted to be loaded either when FL Studio is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common _locale.dll errors include:
- Access Violation at address - _locale.dll.
- _locale.dll could not be found.
- Cannot find C:\Program Files (x86)\Image-Line\FL Studio 20\System\Tools\LilyPond\bin\_locale.dll.
- Cannot register _locale.dll.
- Cannot start FL Studio. A required component is missing: _locale.dll. Please install FL Studio again.
- Failed to load _locale.dll.
- The application has failed to start because _locale.dll was not found.
- The file _locale.dll is missing or corrupt.
- This application failed to start because _locale.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Your _locale.dll file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with FL Studio), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, _locale.dll file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading FL Studio, system crash while loading _locale.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.