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