Method 1: Installing the A3dapi.dll File to the Windows System Folder 

1. The file you are going to download is a compressed file with the ".zip" extension. You cannot directly install the ".zip" file. First, you need to extract the dll file from inside it. So, double-click the file with the ".zip" extension that you downloaded and open the file.
2. You will see the file named "A3dapi.dll" in the window that opens up. This is the file we are going to install. Click the file once with the left mouse button. By doing this you will have chosen the file.

   

3. Click the "Extract To" symbol marked in the picture. To extract the dll file, it will want you to choose the desired location. Choose the "Desktop" location and click "OK" to extract the file to the desktop. In order to do this, you need to use the Winrar software. If you do not have this software, you can find and download it through a quick search on the Internet.

   

4. Copy the "A3dapi.dll" file file you extracted.
5. Paste the dll file you copied into the "C:\Windows\System32" folder.

   

6. If your operating system has a 64 Bit architecture, copy the "A3dapi.dll" file and paste it also into the "C:\Windows\sysWOW64" folder.

   NOTE! On 64 Bit systems, the dll file must be in both the "sysWOW64" folder as well as the "System32" folder. In other words, you must copy the "A3dapi.dll" file into both folders.

   

7. In order to run the Command Line as an administrator, complete the following steps.

   NOTE! In this explanation, we ran the Command Line on Windows 10. If you are using one of the Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems, you can use the same methods to run the Command Line as an administrator. Even though the pictures are taken from Windows 10, the processes are similar.

   1. First, open the Start Menu and before clicking anywhere, type "cmd" but do not press Enter.
   2. When you see the "Command Line" option among the search results, hit the "CTRL" + "SHIFT" + "ENTER" keys on your keyboard.
   3. A window will pop up asking, "Do you want to run this process?". Confirm it by clicking to "Yes" button.

   

8. Paste the command below into the Command Line window that opens and hit the Enter key on your keyboard. This command will delete the A3dapi.dll file's damaged registry (It will not delete the file you pasted into the System32 folder, but will delete the registry in Regedit. The file you pasted in the System32 folder will not be damaged in any way).

   %windir%\System32\regsvr32.exe /u A3dapi.dll

   

9. If you are using a 64 Bit operating system, after doing the commands above, you also need to run the command below. With this command, we will also delete the A3dapi.dll file's damaged registry for 64 Bit (The deleting process will be only for the registries in Regedit. In other words, the dll file you pasted into the SysWoW64 folder will not be damaged at all).

   %windir%\SysWoW64\regsvr32.exe /u A3dapi.dll

   

10. In order to cleanly recreate the dll file's registry that we deleted, copy the command below and paste it into the Command Line and hit Enter.

    %windir%\System32\regsvr32.exe /i A3dapi.dll

    

11. Windows 64 Bit users must run the command below after running the previous command. With this command, we will create a clean and good registry for the A3dapi.dll file we deleted.

    %windir%\SysWoW64\regsvr32.exe /i A3dapi.dll

    

12. You may see certain error messages when running the commands from the command line. These errors will not prevent the installation of the A3dapi.dll file. In other words, the installation will finish, but it may give some errors because of certain incompatibilities. After restarting your computer, to see if the installation was successful or not, try running the software that was giving the dll error again. If you continue to get the errors when running the software after the installation, you can try the 2nd Method as an alternative.

Method 2: Copying The A3dapi.dll File Into The Software File Folder 

1. In order to install the dll file, you need to find the file folder for the software that was giving you errors such as "A3dapi.dll is missing", "A3dapi.dll not found" or similar error messages. In order to do that, Right-click the software's shortcut and click the Properties item in the right-click menu that appears.

   

2. Click on the Open File Location button that is found in the Properties window that opens up and choose the folder where the application is installed.

   

3. Copy the A3dapi.dll file into the folder we opened.

   

4. The installation is complete. Run the software that is giving you the error. If the error is continuing, you may benefit from trying the 3rd Method as an alternative.

Method 3: Uninstalling and Reinstalling the Software That Is Giving the A3dapi.dll Error 

1. Open the Run window by pressing the "Windows" + "R" keys on your keyboard at the same time. Type in the command below into the Run window and push Enter to run it. This command will open the "Programs and Features" window.

   appwiz.cpl

   

2. The Programs and Features window will open up. Find the software that is giving you the dll error in this window that lists all the softwares on your computer and "Right-Click > Uninstall" on this software.

   

3. Uninstall the software from your computer by following the steps that come up and restart your computer.

   

4. After restarting your computer, reinstall the software that was giving the error.
5. This method may provide the solution to the dll error you're experiencing. If the dll error is continuing, the problem is most likely deriving from the Windows operating system. In order to fix dll errors deriving from the Windows operating system, complete the 4th Method and the 5th Method.

Method 4: Solving the A3dapi.dll Error using the Windows System File Checker (sfc /scannow) 

1. In order to run the Command Line as an administrator, complete the following steps.

   NOTE! In this explanation, we ran the Command Line on Windows 10. If you are using one of the Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems, you can use the same methods to run the Command Line as an administrator. Even though the pictures are taken from Windows 10, the processes are similar.

   1. First, open the Start Menu and before clicking anywhere, type "cmd" but do not press Enter.
   2. When you see the "Command Line" option among the search results, hit the "CTRL" + "SHIFT" + "ENTER" keys on your keyboard.
   3. A window will pop up asking, "Do you want to run this process?". Confirm it by clicking to "Yes" button.

   

2. Paste the command in the line below into the Command Line that opens up and press Enter key.

   sfc /scannow

   

3. The scan and repair process can take some time depending on your hardware and amount of system errors. Wait for the process to complete. After the repair process finishes, try running the software that is giving you're the error.

Method 5: Solving the A3dapi.dll Error by Updating Windows 

Some softwares need updated dll files. When your operating system is not updated, it cannot fulfill this need. In some situations, updating your operating system can solve the dll errors you are experiencing.

In order to check the update status of your operating system and, if available, to install the latest update packs, we need to begin this process manually.

Depending on which Windows version you use, manual update processes are different. Because of this, we have prepared a special article for each Windows version. You can get our articles relating to the manual update of the Windows version you use from the links below.

Guides to Manually Update the Windows Operating System 

1. Guide to Manually Update Windows 10
2. Guide to Manually Update Windows 8.1 and Windows 8
3. Guide to Manually Update Windows 7 and Windows Vista
4. Guide to Manually Update Windows XP