If a 32-bit game or application says “MSVCR100.dll was not found” or that code execution cannot proceed, install Microsoft’s Visual C++ 2010 SP1 Redistributable for x86 by running the official vcredist_x86.exe installer. A 32-bit application needs the x86 package even when Windows itself is 64-bit. Do not copy a standalone DLL from a download mirror.
What MSVCR100.dll is and why the error appears
MSVCR100.dll is part of the Microsoft C runtime used by software compiled with Visual C++ 2010, also called VC++ 10.0. Microsoft identifies the VC++ 2010 x86 redistributable as version 10.0.40219.325, while an x86 msvcr100.dll build 10.0.40219.447 was included in a Visual C++ 2010 SP1 update.
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When an application starts, Windows loads the runtime libraries it was built against. If the required library is absent, damaged, the wrong architecture, or not correctly registered by its runtime installation, Windows can stop before the program opens. The visible message may read “MSVCR100.dll is missing,” “MSVCR100.dll was not found,” or “The code execution cannot proceed because MSVCR100.dll was not found.” The filename tells you which runtime generation to investigate; it does not mean that downloading that one file is the correct repair.
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The supported fix: install the x86 redistributable
- Open Microsoft’s official Visual C++ 2010 SP1 Redistributable MFC Security Update page. Use Microsoft’s download page rather than a third-party DLL site.
- Choose
vcredist_x86.exe. This is the 32-bit installer. Do not substitute the x64 download merely because your Windows installation is 64-bit. - Run the installer with the affected application closed. If Windows presents a Repair option, select it. If it presents an installation option, complete it.
- Restart the application. If the installer requests a Windows restart, reboot before trying the program again.
- Launch the program again. If it opens, the runtime dependency was the immediate cause. Keep the installer and its version details if you need to set up the same older application on another computer.
Microsoft’s architecture rule is that “the redistributable package architecture must match your app’s target architecture.” In practical terms, an x86 program on 64-bit Windows still requires the x86 redistributable. Installing only the x64 package does not provide the x86 dependency.
Confirm that x86 is the right choice
Check the application, not just Windows
The error title alone does not prove every component is 32-bit. Check the game or program’s documentation, installer, or publisher support information for its target architecture. Many older games are 32-bit even when they run on a 64-bit edition of Windows. If the application is x86, use vcredist_x86.exe.
Do not confuse runtime generations
The number in the filename identifies a different Visual C++ generation:
| Filename named by the error | Runtime generation to investigate | What to do first |
|---|---|---|
MSVCR100.dll |
Visual C++ 2010 / VC++ 10.0 | Install or repair the official Visual C++ 2010 SP1 x86 redistributable for an x86 application. |
MSVCP100.dll |
Visual C++ 2010 C++ standard-library component | If it appears with MSVCR100.dll, the same VC++ 2010 x86 redistributable is the logical first repair. |
MSVCR110.dll |
A different Visual C++ generation | Identify the generation named by the error before installing a package. |
VCRUNTIME140.dll |
A different, newer Visual C++ generation | Use the redistributable corresponding to that runtime, not the VC++ 2010 package. |
A newer Visual C++ runtime does not automatically supply every older runtime DLL. Match both the generation and the architecture named by the application.
If the installer shows Repair
An existing Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable entry can be present even when its files are damaged or incomplete. In that case, the installer may offer Repair instead of a new installation.
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps on current Windows, or open Control Panel > Programs and Features on older Windows.
- Find the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable entry. The displayed wording can vary slightly by update.
- Choose its available Modify, Change, or Repair action and finish the wizard.
- Restart Windows if requested, then retry the application.
Repair changes the existing runtime installation; it does not require copying a DLL into the game folder or into a Windows system directory.
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When installation fails
Collect the installer failure details first
Microsoft’s troubleshooting guidance starts with collecting the Visual C++ Redistributable installer failure logs. Write down the exact error code and the log location shown by the installer or troubleshooting instructions. Those details distinguish a package-detection problem from a Windows Installer or permissions problem and are useful if you need support from the application publisher.
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Repair the existing entry, then reinstall if necessary
- Return to Installed apps or Programs and Features and locate the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable entry.
- Use Repair when the option is available.
- If the entry is clearly damaged and repair does not complete, uninstall that VC++ 2010 x86 entry.
- Reboot Windows after removal.
- Run the official
vcredist_x86.exepackage again.
Do not delete individual DLL files from Windows folders while troubleshooting. Removing files manually can create additional dependency failures and does not restore the runtime’s installation state.
If the program still does not start
- Read the complete error message again. It may name another missing dependency in addition to
MSVCR100.dll. - Confirm that you installed the x86 package, not only the x64 package.
- Check whether the application is actually built for a different runtime generation, such as the one associated with
MSVCR110.dllorVCRUNTIME140.dll. - Try the application after the required restart. A program that was already open can continue using its previous failed load state until it is relaunched.
- Use the recorded installer error code and log path when contacting the game or software publisher.
Why downloading a loose DLL is the wrong fix
Microsoft’s redistribution guidance says applications built with MSVC require the appropriate redistributable libraries and describes deployment through the redistributable package. A standalone file from an unknown website can be the wrong build, the wrong architecture, or modified. Even if its filename matches, it does not repair the Visual C++ runtime installation that the application expects.
Copying a DLL into the application directory or a Windows folder also makes future diagnosis harder: the program may load an unrelated version while the proper runtime remains missing or damaged. Use the official package so Windows receives the runtime components as one supported installation.
Common situations and the correct response
| Situation | Correct response | Do not do this |
|---|---|---|
A 32-bit game on 64-bit Windows reports MSVCR100.dll missing. |
Install or repair the Visual C++ 2010 SP1 x86 redistributable. | Assume the x64 package is sufficient because Windows is 64-bit. |
| The installer offers Repair. | Run Repair, restart if requested, and relaunch the game. | Download a second copy of the DLL from a mirror. |
| The installer fails. | Record the error code and log path, repair or remove the existing x86 entry, reboot, and rerun the official installer. | Delete random runtime files from Windows directories. |
The message names both MSVCR100.dll and MSVCP100.dll. |
Start with the VC++ 2010 x86 redistributable. | Install an unrelated newer runtime and assume it includes both files. |
The message names MSVCR110.dll or VCRUNTIME140.dll. |
Identify that runtime generation and obtain its matching package. | Use the VC++ 2010 installer solely because another application once needed it. |
Keeping a reproducible repair record
For an older game or utility that you reinstall regularly, record the exact runtime package name, architecture, and installer outcome. Note whether the machine used a fresh installation or Repair and whether Windows required a reboot. This prevents a later setup from silently using an x64 package for an x86 program or a newer runtime for a VC++ 2010 dependency.
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