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MSVCRT40.DLL missing when installing software

SergioAAV 0 Reputation points
2025-10-07T14:05:13.0333333+00:00

Hello all,

I'm trying to install a software that keeps giving me the message that "The file C:\Windows\System32\MSVCRT40.DLL could not be opened."

Searching the web I got the information that this DLL is part of the Visual C++ packages. Which one do I need to download to fix this? I have installed already Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable 12.0.30501 and 12.0.40649 and Visual C++ 2015-2019 Redistributable 14.28.29914.

Developer technologies | C++
Developer technologies | C++
A high-level, general-purpose programming language, created as an extension of the C programming language, that has object-oriented, generic, and functional features in addition to facilities for low-level memory manipulation.

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  1. Varsha Dundigalla(INFOSYS LIMITED) 2,700 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff
    2025-10-07T18:18:37.3166667+00:00

    Thank you for reaching out

    MSVCRT40.DLL is not included in modern Visual C++ Redistributable packages. This DLL belongs to the legacy Visual C++ 4.0 runtime, which predates the redistributables starting from Visual Studio 2005 onward. If your software depends on MSVCRT40.DLL, installing newer redistributable like 2013 or 2015–2019 won’t help.

    If you need to restore this DLL manually, you can download it from a trusted source.

    Make sure to scan the file before use and place it in C:\Windows\System32 or C:\Windows\SysWOW64 depending on your system architecture.

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