patchw32.dll is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like patchw32.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. The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II) could share the same patchw32.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 patchw32.dll is attempted to be loaded either when The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common patchw32.dll errors include:
- Access Violation at address - patchw32.dll.
- patchw32.dll could not be found.
- Cannot find C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Battle for Middle-earth (tm) II Demo\patchw32.dll.
- Cannot register patchw32.dll.
- Cannot start The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II. A required component is missing: patchw32.dll. Please install The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II again.
- Failed to load patchw32.dll.
- The application has failed to start because patchw32.dll was not found.
- The file patchw32.dll is missing or corrupt.
- This application failed to start because patchw32.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Your patchw32.dll file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, patchw32.dll file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, system crash while loading patchw32.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.