Error: "The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)"

Aug 25, 2014

Issue:

When you start up an AutoCAD 2015-based program, the following error message is displayed:

The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142). Click OK to close the application.

or

In some cases AutoCAD will not show this error and will simply not start and provides no error message.The startup errors may referenceLMU.exe, or the event log may refer to a crash ofmshtml.dll.

Causes:

Possible causes include incorrectly registered DLL files, incompatible DLLs, or another program may be preventing AutoCAD from running.Possible conflicting software includes:

Program called "SearchProtect" or "SW booster"

Incorrectly switched reg key

NVIDIA drivers

Beyond Trust "Trusted Desktop"btpload64.dll

Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extendedacapture64.dllandacapture32.dll

Corrupted C++ installation

Antivirus or Protection Packages

Solution:

Uninstall "Search Protect" or "SW Booster"

1. Open the Window Control Panel

2. Access the installed program list

3. Select and Uninstall "Search Protect"

4. Start AutoCAD

Incorrect Registry KeyA different program may incorrectly be switching a registry key from a 0 to a 1. Changing the value of the following registry key to 0 may help:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion \Windows\LoadAppInit_DLLsNvidia DriversNavigate to the NVIDIA website and update the drivers for your graphics card. www.nvidia.com

Beyond TrustThe program "Beyond Trust" could be locking down the software. You may identify a reference to btpload.dll

uninstall the program or rename thebtpload.dll to test. Adjusting the registry key (above) may also solve this particular conflict.

Adobe AcrobatFor Adobe Acrobat 9, rename the following DLL files:C:\Windows\System32\acapture64.dllC:\Windows\SysWOW64\acapture32.dllAlternatively,you may uninstall the "Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended 64-bit Add-On." On 32-bit systems, modify the Adobe Acrobat 9 program to not have the "Capture CAD Modules" installed.

Corrupt C++ InstallationsIf this is a C++ installation error, uninstall the C++ modules on the system and reinstall. Autodesk installers ship with prerequisites in the extracted installation folders- not the installed program files folders. You can manually access the installers here on most machines:C:\Autodesk\PROGRAM FOLDER NAME\3rdParty\x64\VCRedistC:\Autodesk\PROGRAM FOLDER NAME\3rdParty\x86\VCRedistUninstall the redistributables and reinstall them from this location.Antivirus or Protection PackagesThere are a variety of products in use that either lock down program access outright, or try to prevent malicious software from running. The parameters companies use to determine inappropriate system access can vary greatly and could possibly affect specific programs on your machine from running,For situations where other solutions have not worked, it is worth reviewing the apps of this variety that may be installed and checking to see if there are allowable excpetions in coverage. Further Troubleshooting with "Autoruns"To help troubleshoot and determine what is conflicting with AutoCAD, use can also use the Microsoft's Autoruns utility.

1. Download and installAutoruns.

2. Start Autoruns.

3. Start AutoCAD.

4. Check AppInit tab in Autoruns window.

5. Review the DLL files listed and locate them based on the listed paths.

6. Uninstall the related program or rename the files, one by one, testing the program startup after each change to try to isolate the problematic DLL.

AppInit_DLLs in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

See Also:

AutoCAD 2015 Application Error (0xc0000142) Autoruns for WindowsError: "The Application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000005)" (AutoCAD Civil 3D 2015)