What is a DLL File and How Do I Open It?

As we mentioned, DLL files are unfortunately related to errors on the PC, this happens due to poor execution of them due to the programmer’s carelessness or due to poor design of the program that uses these DLLs. This means that once the application that uses them is closed, the DLLs continue to reside in memory, which in addition to harming us in terms of the performance of our computer, raises compatibility problems.

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What is a DLL file?

The DLL files, acronym for its name in English Dynamic Link Library, known in Spanish as Libraries of Dynamic Links, consist of a series of files that consist of executable code and other parts of an app, which make it possible to use the applications that we have installed on the PC. missing dll files windows 10

When we order our team to execute a program, without our noticing it, the operating system automatically loads the corresponding DLL library so that the application or function included in the app is executed.

Although in general, DLL files are related to the Microsoft Windows operating system , the truth is that all operating systems use these types of libraries to run applications.

It should be noted that beyond the fact that many users refer to DLLs as files that slow down the operation of the PC , the truth is that they are very useful, so they have a large number of advantages to perform the usual tasks on the computer , as we can see below these lines. dll files fixer

What are DLL files for?

In principle, one of the most important advantages that DLL files or dynamic link libraries offer us is that thanks to their implementation it has been possible to significantly reduce the size of the executable files of the applications, since a large portion of the codes Program executables can be stored in these DLL files, such as graphics, audio, text, typography and all the other elements used by the app, so that a better organization of the processes is obtained, which results in a better performance of the app, and therefore the overall performance of the computer. missing dll files windows 10 software to open dll files for free

However, DLL files also offer other very interesting advantages, more related to the performance of computer parts, since for example, many times the same dynamic link library or DLL can be used by different programs, such as This is the case of the so-called MFC, which is usually used by a large number of applications that run on the Windows operating system.

DLL files also make it possible to increase the use of memory and facilitate the management through the application of certain algorithms that help improve the performance of the operating system and increase the speed during the execution of applications that use the same DLL libraries, since that have been loaded previously. missing dll files windows 10 software to open dll files for free

Errors and DLL files

As we mentioned at the beginning of this post, DLL files are closely related to errors in the operating system such as the dreaded blue screens of death, system crashes, spontaneous reboots, and other calamities. However, the truth is that DLL libraries are not the culprits per se, but the developers of said DLLs do not take the trouble to design them taking into account all possible hardware and software conditions, that is, they test and use them in areas where everything works perfectly, but then on the user’s PC, with its complexity of apps and others, the scenario is different. dll files fixer

DLL libraries have been tested over the years, and have given ample evidence that they are one of the best tools that the programmer has to develop well-made applications, that is, they do not use more RAM or system resources of those strictly necessary. dll files fixer

If the programmer does not comply with these premises, the most probable thing is that the DLL files that he develops have faults and problems of all kinds, which will immediately be transferred to the work of the user who uses his program. software to open dll files for free

Despite all this, it is always possible to correct and rewrite a DLL file to solve the problems that users have reported, in fact it is one of the easiest ways to achieve this is through updates, in which new ones are introduced Advances in dynamic libraries, making it possible to correct reported errors. All this is thanks to the flexibility that characterizes DLL files. dll files fixer

However, this advantage can sometimes lead to inconveniences, originated in a possible incompatibility of the programs with the new updated dynamic libraries, which result in failures that can prevent the execution of an application. software to open dll files for free

However, these problems are constantly being solved, for which users are usually made available to download updated and compatible DLL files. software to open dll files for free

Open DLL files

Before we start, we must understand that trying to open a DLL file can be harmful to our computer, and we could even damage it. In the best case when trying to open a DLL with a tool like Windows Notepad, we will only get garbled characters.

Step 1

The first thing we have to do to open a DLL file is to open any folder in Windows, and then in its menu select the option “Folder options”, then look for the option “View” and finally click on “Show hidden files” and “Hide protected system files .” When we finish, click on the “Accept” button .

Step 2

After that, click on “Start” and select the “Search” option . Next we tell the system to look for “dll” files throughout the system. In some versions of Windows we can make use of the option “Search in all files and folders”.

Step 3

After this procedure, the system will return a list with all the DLL libraries it finds. At this point we click on the DLL library that we want to open and select the tool with which we want to do it.

How to view and modify DLL files

In the event that we need to edit a DLL file in a more appropriate way, and for that we need to have programming knowledge, then we will need specialized tools to open DLLs, such as dotPeek, in addition to Visual Basic and other software development apps.

If you want to know how to modify a DLL file , all you have to do is follow the instructions below.

Step 1

The first thing we have to do is decompile the DLL file that we want to edit. For this we need to download and install a decompiler. Basically, a decompiler is a programming application that allows us to see the source code of a program.

As we know, the content of a binary file is impossible for us to see or consult with tools such as text editors such as Windows Notepad, that is why in order to see the source code of an app or DLL file we need a decompiler, whose main task is to revert binary code to readable text and instructions.

In this sense, one of the most popular decompilers is dotPeek

Step 2

Q = To modify a DLL file, we have to open it in the decompiler. To do this we move to “File”, then click on “Open” and finally we navigate to the location of the DLL file that we want to edit.

At this point it should be noted that we can see the contents of a DLL file without any danger to the system.

Step 3

Once the DLL file is open, we can navigate through the different categories of objects that the DLL file incorporates using the compilation explorer, which will allow us to see the content of the different modules of the DLL library.

To see the content of the modules of the DLL file that we want, we can expand each node by double-clicking on them, which will also give us access to the other sub-nodes that the DLL file may contain.

Step 4

When we click on one of these nodes, its code will appear in the panel located to the right of the dotPeek interface . At this point, dotPeek displays the code in C #. In the case of wanting to see the DLL code in other languages, we can download additional libraries to add these options, or let dotPeek download and install these libraries automatically.

Step 5

Finally, and in order to modify and compile the DLL file again, we export the code to Visual Basic. It should be noted that the exported code will be in the C # language, even if the code in the DLL file is written in a different language.

Step 6

To export the code of the DLL file, we move to the compilation explorer, click on the node that we want to export and click on the option “Export to Project” and select the relevant export options.

Step 7

To finish, we open the DLL code in Visual Studio and edit it. The only thing left to create our own DLL is to compile and install it as we saw earlier in this post.