PortabilityRules.dll is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like PortabilityRules.dll, are essentially a "guide book" that stores information and instructions for executable (EXE) files - like Setup.exe - to follow. These files were created so that multiple programs (eg. Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate) could share the same PortabilityRules.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 PortabilityRules.dll is attempted to be loaded either when Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common PortabilityRules.dll errors include:
- Access Violation at address - PortabilityRules.dll.
- PortabilityRules.dll could not be found.
- Cannot find C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\Team Tools\Static Analysis Tools\FxCop\Rules\PortabilityRules.dll.
- Cannot register PortabilityRules.dll.
- Cannot start Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate. A required component is missing: PortabilityRules.dll. Please install Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate again.
- Failed to load PortabilityRules.dll.
- The application has failed to start because PortabilityRules.dll was not found.
- The file PortabilityRules.dll is missing or corrupt.
- This application failed to start because PortabilityRules.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Your PortabilityRules.dll file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, PortabilityRules.dll file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate, system crash while loading PortabilityRules.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.