"Sqmapi" stands for Software Quality Management Application Programming Interface. It is a Microsoft Windows SQM client DLL file and is not considered a threat to your computer. Rather, it is a critical system file needed for your computer to run. It must not be modified or deleted. Otherwise, it will cause system errors including the programs that use it.
This file is statically related to "ADVAPI32, msvcrt, ntdll, USER32, KERNEL32 and RPCRT4" "DLLs", which means that if sqmapi.dll is loaded, so are the 6 files. If it gets missing or corrupted, they will not be loaded too.
Causes
The main reason that you are getting this error is a corrupted or broken registry file. The following are the common causes why it gets corrupted:
Malware or Virus Infection
Some of these malicious malware purposely deletes or modifies registries. When this happens, you will get errors when you run programs associated with it. It is important to make sure that your computer is malware and virus-free all the time.
Hardware failure
While this file just sits in your hard drive waiting to be used, it can be corrupted if the hard drive is fragmented. Thus, it would be useful to check for fragmentation.
Deleted or Disabled
If you have disabled this file in the system process, it will cause issues to other programs that are associated with it. It will either give you an error or it will not run at all.
Incompatible Version
It could be that when you upgraded your Windows, the current sqmapi.dll loaded is not the correct version.
Incorrect Path
If you have upgraded your Windows to a higher version, there's a chance that it was copied to a wrong path. The correct path is "C:\Windows\System32\sqmapi.dll".
Common Error Messages
The following are the common errors for this file:
"Sqmapi.dll Not Found"
"Bad Image sqmapi.dll"
"Cannot find sqmapi.dll"
When opening an application, an error will be displayed informing that sqmapi.dll is missing and will ask you to reinstall the program.
Repairing the Errors
While this dll is categorized as low in the system process, it is important that you fix your computer with an sqmapi.dll error to avoid further issues. Here are some ways to fix it:
Upgrade Windows Operating System
It is important to upgrade your operating system, notably Windows 7 SP 1, to a higher version, so that sqmap.dll will not have difficulty looking for the file.
Click Start.
Search for "Windows Updates".
Select Install Now and wait until the upgrade has been completed.
Restart computer.
Reinstall program
If the program associated with this file cannot be loaded, it might be useful to install a new copy of the program. You need to uninstall the program that has the issue and then reinstall it. This is much better than downloading an external dll, especially if you are not familiar with regards to the right version for your computer.
Perform a SFC scan
Systems File Checker is the most reliable way to correct errors like this. To do this,
Reboot your computer in Safe Mode.
Pull up the Run command and type in CMD.
In the command prompt, type in "sfc / scannow" without quotation marks and hit enter.
It could take time to check all the system files in your computer. Wait for the process to complete. You may need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Restore the file from the Recycle Bin
It could be that you have mistakenly deleted it from the folder. Check your Recycle Bin, look for sgmapi.dll, and click Restore. To verify if the file has been restored, it must be within this path: "c:\windows\system32\drivers".
You may need to restart your computer after.
Rollback a Recently Updated Driver
If you have recently updated a driver in your computer, and have caused issues thereafter, you need to rollback or uninstall the driver update to go back to the working old version.
Test your computer's memory
It is also important to manually check your computer's memory and hard drive to see if this dll file is causing you any errors. You might need a professional help in doing this by looking into the computer's physical RAM and/or the hard drive and test for issues or if it needs replacements.
Download the file externally.
The easiest way to fix a file issue is to get a new copy of it. Make sure you download it from a reliable source though. You could also use DLL file repair tools to resolve the issue automatically.
The internet offers free kernel32 dll fix tools that you can easily install. Scour the internet for reliable providers like [maxutilities.net/en-us/index.html This site can't be reached
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