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