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The imagedrv.dll file belongs to the legacy Nero ImageDrive virtual CD/DVD-drive component, not to Windows itself. The safest fix is to repair or reinstall the exact Nero installation that originally included ImageDrive, rather than copying a DLL from the internet.
Which fix applies to you
Use this checklist before changing anything:
- The error appears when starting Nero or an old disc-image program: repair or reinstall the matching Nero release.
- Nero was recently removed, upgraded, or interrupted during setup: uninstall the damaged installation, reboot, and reinstall one complete release.
- Windows Security shows the file in Protection history: verify that the file came from your legitimate Nero installer before restoring it.
- The error started after a system or driver change: try System Restore.
- Other Windows programs also report missing or corrupted system files: run DISM and SFC.
- The message mentions
0xc000007bor says the file is not designed to run on Windows: suspect a damaged or mismatched installation, not merely one missing DLL. - You no longer use virtual optical drives: remove the obsolete ImageDrive component instead of forcing it to run on a current Windows installation.
Do not begin by downloading imagedrv.dll from a random DLL directory. A standalone file can be the wrong Nero release, the wrong architecture, incomplete without its companion files, or unsafe.
What imagedrv.dll is
imagedrv.dll is identified as the “NERO IMAGEDRIVE control library” and is associated with NERO IMAGEDRIVE. The publisher information identifies Ahead Software AG and its licensors.
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It is a legacy, third-party application file. There is no reliable evidence that it is a normal Windows component, Microsoft runtime, DirectX file, or current Nero system file. Do not place it in C:WindowsSystem32 or C:WindowsSysWOW64 as a general repair.
Available public metadata describes the known file as a 32-bit Win32 DLL. That does not mean Windows itself must be 32-bit. A 64-bit edition of Windows can run a 32-bit Nero application through Windows compatibility layers. The application and its complete file set must still match the Nero release that installed it.
Commonly reported variants include:
- “This application failed to start because imagedrv.dll was not found.”
- “The file imagedrv.dll is missing or corrupted.”
- “A required component is missing: imagedrv.dll. Please install the application again.”
The exact wording can vary. The important clue is the program named in the error and the location from which it is being launched.
Fix 1: Repair or reinstall the matching Nero package
This is the most likely solution because imagedrv.dll is an application-owned Nero ImageDrive file.
Identify the affected program
- Note the application named in the error window.
- Right-click the program’s shortcut and select Properties.
- Check the Target field to see which Nero executable is launching.
- If the shortcut points to an old Nero suite or ImageDrive-related program, continue with the repair steps below.
- If the error appears from an unrelated program, uninstall that program first. It may be trying to load an old Nero component left behind by an incomplete removal.
Do not copy a DLL into the application folder yet. First determine whether the installation itself is incomplete.
Try Windows’ repair option
On Windows 11:
- Right-click Start and select Installed apps.
- Search for Nero.
- Select the three-dot menu beside the Nero entry.
- Choose Advanced options, Modify, or Repair if the installer provides one.
- Complete the repair.
- Restart Windows.
- Start Nero again.
On Windows 10:
- Open Settings.
- Select Apps.
- Choose Apps & features.
- Select the Nero entry.
- Choose Modify, Repair, or Uninstall, depending on what the installer offers.
- Restart Windows after the repair finishes.
Some older Nero installers do not expose a modern Settings repair button. Use the traditional path instead:
- Press
Windowskey, type Control Panel, and open it. - Select Programs.
- Open Programs and Features.
- Select the Nero entry.
- Choose Change, Repair, or Uninstall.
If repair restores the file, the program should start without the missing-DLL message. If the repair reports missing media, fails silently, or the error returns, continue with a complete reinstall.
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Reinstall one coherent Nero release
- Use the original licensed Nero installer or original installation media.
- If the old installer is unavailable, use the official Nero installer source for the relevant product generation. Do not assume that a current Nero installer contains ImageDrive.
- In Installed apps or Programs and Features, uninstall the affected Nero suite.
- Restart Windows.
- Remove only clearly identified leftover Nero application folders if the uninstaller leaves them behind. Do not delete unrelated Windows folders or drivers.
- Run the correct Nero installer as an administrator:
- Right-click the installer.
- Select Show more options if necessary.
- Choose Run as administrator.
- Install the components required by the original program, including ImageDrive if the installer offers it.
- Restart Windows again.
- Launch Nero from its newly installed shortcut.
The correct result is a complete Nero installation with imagedrv.dll in the application’s own directory and any required companion driver or support files installed together. Do not mix imagedrv.dll from one Nero release with executables or drivers from another.
Fix 2: Check whether antivirus quarantined the file
Security software can remove an old application file if it detects suspicious behavior, a modified installer, or a false positive. Restore it only after confirming its source.
Check Windows Security
- Open Start and search for Windows Security.
- Select Virus & threat protection.
- Choose Protection history.
- Look for an entry mentioning
imagedrv.dll, Nero, or the affected application. - Open the detection details.
- Confirm that the file was located inside the legitimate Nero installation directory.
- If the installer and file are trusted, scan the original installer and the file before taking further action.
- Use Restore or Allow on device only when you are confident the detection is not genuine.
- Restart the application.
Microsoft warns that restoring a detected threat can expose the device if the detection is real. If you cannot verify the installer’s origin, do not restore the file. Reinstall Nero from known-good licensed media instead.
If the file disappears again immediately after reinstalling, check the protection history before repeatedly copying it back. The detection, not the missing file, is the problem to resolve.
Fix 3: Remove mismatched Nero remnants
A partial upgrade can leave an old shortcut pointing to a deleted directory or combine files from different Nero generations.
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- Uninstall every Nero entry that clearly belongs to the damaged installation.
- Restart Windows.
- Check Installed apps and Programs and Features again for leftover Nero entries.
- Open the shortcut’s Properties and confirm that its Target no longer points to a removed installation directory.
- Reinstall one complete Nero release from the correct installer.
- Do not copy individual DLLs from another computer or another Nero version.
- Test the newly installed shortcut rather than an old desktop shortcut.
A mixed installation often produces a different error after the first DLL is restored. That is a sign that the application files are inconsistent, not evidence that more random DLL downloads are needed.
Fix 4: Check the ImageDrive device and its driver
ImageDrive is associated with virtual optical-drive functionality. The DLL alone may not be enough if the related device-support files or driver were removed.
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Check Device Manager
- Right-click Start.
- Select Device Manager.
- Expand DVD/CD-ROM drives.
- Expand Storage controllers and System devices.
- Look for a device with a yellow warning icon, an unknown device, or an entry associated with Nero or a virtual optical drive.
- Right-click the suspicious entry and select Properties.
- Read the Device status message on the General tab.
- If the entry is clearly part of the broken Nero installation, choose Uninstall device.
- Restart Windows.
- Reinstall the complete matching Nero package as described earlier.
Do not uninstall a storage controller or chipset device merely because it has a generic name. If you cannot confidently identify the Nero-related entry, leave it installed and repair Nero through its installer.
For a driver-specific error, use the original Nero package or the hardware vendor’s official driver source. Avoid forcing a generic driver onto a virtual device.
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Fix 5: Use System Restore after a recent change
System Restore can help when ImageDrive worked until a Nero update, driver installation, cleanup operation, or other system change.
- Press
Windowskey and type Create a restore point. - Open the matching Control Panel result.
- Select System Restore.
- Choose Next.
- Select a restore point created before the error began.
- Review the affected programs and drivers.
- Select Finish.
- Allow Windows to restart.
- Test Nero.
You can also press Windows + R, type rstrui.exe, and press Enter to open System Restore.
System Restore does not replace a missing Nero installation in every case. If the restore completes but the error remains, repair or reinstall Nero.
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Fix 6: Run DISM and SFC only for wider Windows corruption
DISM and SFC repair protected Windows components. They normally do not restore a third-party Nero DLL, so they are not the first fix for an isolated imagedrv.dll message.
Use them when you also see Windows instability, damaged built-in applications, unexplained system errors, or several unrelated system files reporting corruption.
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- Open Start.
- Type Command Prompt.
- Right-click Command Prompt.
- Select Run as administrator.
- Approve the User Account Control prompt.
- Run this command:
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
- Wait for DISM to finish.
- Then run:
sfc /scannow
- Wait until verification reaches 100 percent.
- Restart Windows.
- Test Nero again.
Microsoft recommends running DISM before SFC. If SFC reports that it found and repaired corrupted files, restart and retest. If both commands complete without resolving the Nero error, return to the Nero repair or reinstall procedure rather than repeating them indefinitely.
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Why regsvr32 usually does not fix imagedrv.dll
Do not treat every DLL as a self-registering Windows component.
regsvr32 is intended for DLLs that implement the DllRegisterServer entry point, commonly used by certain COM and ActiveX components. ImageDrive is an application and virtual-device component. There is no established evidence that imagedrv.dll should be registered manually.
Running a command such as this is therefore not a normal repair:
regsvr32 imagedrv.dll
It may produce a registration error, appear to succeed without fixing the application, or register a file from the wrong directory. Repair the complete Nero installation instead. Only register the file if documentation for the exact Nero release explicitly requires it.
Why Visual C++ Redistributables are not the first fix
A missing runtime dependency can cause an application to fail, but installing random modern Visual C++ packages does not automatically restore imagedrv.dll.
If the error names imagedrv.dll directly, first repair Nero. If the error instead mentions a runtime DLL or gives 0xc000007b, determine which executable is failing and use the runtime architecture that matches that application. A 32-bit Nero program generally needs the 32-bit runtime even when Windows itself is 64-bit.
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Do not remove existing redistributables while troubleshooting. Older applications may require older runtime generations, and multiple generations can coexist.
If Nero still will not start
Work through this final checklist:
- Confirm that the error comes from the Nero installation you repaired.
- Check that the shortcut target points to the current installation directory.
- Verify that antivirus has not quarantined the file again.
- Confirm that you installed one matching Nero release rather than combining packages.
- Reboot after uninstalling and again after reinstalling.
- Check Device Manager for a clearly identified Nero-related device error.
- Test whether the original Nero release is compatible with the current Windows installation.
- Use System Restore if the failure began immediately after a system change.
- If the program is no longer needed, uninstall Nero ImageDrive and remove its obsolete virtual-drive component.
A legacy application can remain incompatible even when its DLL is present. In that situation, preserving the old virtual-drive feature may create more problems than removing it.
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Is imagedrv.dll a Windows file?
No reliable evidence identifies it as a Windows component. It is associated with the third-party Nero ImageDrive application and should not be copied into System32 or SysWOW64.
Is imagedrv.dll a real file?
Yes. It is identified as the NERO IMAGEDRIVE control library. The known public metadata describes a 32-bit Win32 DLL associated with Nero ImageDrive.
Should I download imagedrv.dll separately?
Generally no. The file must match the Nero release and may depend on companion application or driver files. Use the original licensed Nero media or the correct official Nero installer instead.
Can 64-bit Windows run this file?
Yes, a 64-bit Windows installation can run a 32-bit Nero application. Install the complete Nero package that matches the application rather than searching for an unverified 64-bit replacement DLL.
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Will SFC or DISM restore imagedrv.dll?
Normally no. They repair protected Windows components, not missing files belonging to a third-party Nero application.
Should I run regsvr32 on imagedrv.dll?
Not as a generic fix. ImageDrive is not established as a normal self-registering COM DLL. Repair or reinstall Nero unless documentation for your exact release specifically says otherwise.
Do I need Visual C++ Redistributables?
Not automatically. Install or repair a redistributable only when the failing Nero executable and its dependency requirements call for it. Match the runtime architecture to the application.
What if I no longer use Nero ImageDrive?
Uninstall the obsolete Nero ImageDrive or Nero suite through Windows’ supported uninstall path. Removing the unused component is safer than trying to keep an incomplete legacy virtual-drive installation working.
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