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