TraceProvider.winmd is considered a type of Dynamic Link Library (DLL) file. Dynamic Link Library files, like TraceProvider.winmd, are essentially a "guide book" that stores information and instructions for executable (EXE) files - like explorer.exe - to follow. These files were created so that multiple programs (eg. Trillian) could share the same TraceProvider.winmd 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 WINMD 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 TraceProvider.winmd is attempted to be loaded either when Trillian is starting up, or in some cases already running. Some of the most common TraceProvider.winmd errors include:
- Access Violation at address - TraceProvider.winmd.
- TraceProvider.winmd could not be found.
- Cannot find C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Deleted\Microsoft.SkypeApp_12.1811.248.1000_x64__kzf8qxf38zg5cae35d615-117a-4106-a323-aaabad84b83c\TraceProvider.winmd.
- Cannot register TraceProvider.winmd.
- Cannot start Trillian. A required component is missing: TraceProvider.winmd. Please install Trillian again.
- Failed to load TraceProvider.winmd.
- The application has failed to start because TraceProvider.winmd was not found.
- The file TraceProvider.winmd is missing or corrupt.
- This application failed to start because TraceProvider.winmd was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.
Your TraceProvider.winmd file could be missing due to accidental deletion, uninstalled as a shared file of another program (shared with Trillian), or deleted by a malware infection. Furthermore, TraceProvider.winmd file corruption could be caused from a power outage when loading Trillian, system crash while loading TraceProvider.winmd, 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.