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