[German]Users of Windows 10 – and especially Windows 11 – sometimes get the error message that the library ResampleDmo.dll was not found when starting applications. After I recently came across a report about Windows 11 and this problem, I did some research. The exact causes are unclear so far (there are many possibilities why the error occurs). But there are some approaches to fix the cause of the error.
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A Windows 11 problem report
I came across the user report Windows 11 upgrade Probleme Dll at German site administrator.de, which made me aware of the issue. The person concerned wrote about it (I've translated the text).
Hello,
I have currently updated many computers in our network from Windows 10 to 11. Error-free and without any problems. Windows 11 runs great on all computers.
Unfortunately, it is increasingly noticed that the third-party software Smart Notebook at startup, the error message comes that the ResampleDmo.dll was not found and the program can not start.
Reinstalling the program does not help. Only new installation images with a fresh Windows 11 install leads to success. What went wrong during the update? Or what can I do?
This is certainly a special case where the registration of ResampleDmo.dll was lost during the upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Reinstalling the third-party software in question doesn't seem to help. Only when Windows 11 is reinstalled from an installation image can the problem be worked around.
Problem with Spotify in Windows 10 / 11
A second case that probably occurs with users of Spotify in Windows 10 and Windows 11 came to my attention here. Back in 2020, a user complains that the Spotify desktop app stops working on Windows 10 because the ResampleDmo.DLL is missing:
Spotify Gives Error: The code execution can not proceed
I have installed Spotify after resetting my pc and now it gives "The code execution cannot proceed because ResampleDmo.DLL was not found. Reinstalling the program may fix this problem." error. I have reinstalled it multiple times but I still get this error.
The following screenshot shows a typical error message caused by an application. The name of the application (here Spotify.exe) is displayed in the title bar.
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The dialog says that the ResampleDmo.DLL was not found. Reinstalling the application should fix the problem. However, this does not work in many cases (including the Spotify case above). One user writes that he is using a Windows 10 Enterprise N edition and that reinstalling the Media Feature Pack solved the problem. However, this is not an option for normal Windows 10/11 editions (see also my blog post Media Feature Pack Windows 10 N 20H2).
In a second forum post, a user here writes that Spotify no longer works on Windows 11 since the upgrade. He gets the resampledmo.dll error. A second user then reported that he had to change the DNS setting to CloudFlare DNS 1.1.1.1 – he had previously used the public Adguard DNS. This seems to be a special case, though.
What is ResampleDmo.dll?
The file ResampleDmo.dll is a library that is part of Windows and used by various programs or the operating system. The abbreviation DMO in it's name stands for a COM object and is part of the Microsoft Media Foundation. The object has the task of converting passed data and then returning it. In the case of a DMO for a codec encoder, uncompressed media data is passed and the DMO returns compressed media data. Microsoft describes the basics in this support document.
The library ResampleDmo.dll provides the interface for Win32 applications and, according to this Microsoft document, has been around since Windows Vista. This DLL should be located in the Windows System32 folder (see screenshot above). For Windows 11 22H2 the following properties are currently shown to me.
However, it seems that certain applications also overwrite this DLL – but I am not sure. Therefore there could be other folders (e.g. in the Windows folder SysWOW64 or in the folder application/game) where the file is stored as a copy. The important thing is that this file comes from Microsoft and is shipped with the operating system. I have checked the whole thing on a freshly installed Windows 11 22H2.
Repair attempts that can be tried
If you search for the file ResampleDmo.dll and the term "not available" you will find some hits. The fact that a missing file is criticized, can have different causes. This ranges from broken system files to deleted library because of a software uninstallation to an overwritten DLL version or a de-registration of the component.
The hint given on several sites to download and copy the file from the Internet should be ignored. Nobody knows what you might catch there. Check if the file can be found in the Windows System32 folder. You should also resist the offer of some websites to download and install the "repair tools" offered there. This usually goes wrong and no one knows what you are getting on your system.
Fix #1: Run a system file check
If reinstalling the software that finds the DLL missing doesn't help, the first action would be to scan the system for corrupted files. Start an administrative command prompt (or PowerShell window) and type the following command:
sfc /scannow
This statement scans all Windows system files and attempts to fix errors. If there are unrecoverable errors, this will be documented in a log file. Sometimes it helps to run the above command multiple times to have unrecoverable errors repaired after all.
Under Windows 10 and Windows 11, a check must then be performed using the dism program in an administrative console. The relevant commands are described in the blog post Check and repair Windows system files and component store.
Fix 2: Re-register DLL
A second approach I would also try is to re-register the ResampleDmo.dll file with Windows. This will resolve errors that happen due to a corrupted registry entry. To do this, also open an administrative command prompt (or PowerShell window). Then enter the following command:
regsvr32 resampledmo.dll
The command causes the component in question to be recognized by the operating system again in any case. After the repair measures, a reboot of the system must then be performed.
I also found hints that the cause could be fixed by reinstalling the Microsoft Visual C ++ Redistributable Package. Here, however, I am skeptical that this will help and not create more errors. Provided that System Restore is enabled, one can also try a system restore to a previous restore point. However, System Restore is disabled by Microsoft by default on current Windows 10/11 systems. If this does not help, the only option is to reinstall Windows 10/11 and, if the problem persists, to contact the manufacturer of the software.
