How To Fix “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142”

Ever encountered the error “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142” when trying to run a game or application? You are not alone. Users have reportedly faced the issue when opening a game or application such as a Microsoft application. Let’s first quickly look at some of the possible causes of the issue. 

Common Reasons Behind “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142” Error –

• Outdated Windows version. 
• Outdated or corrupt device drivers. 
• Corrupt or broken system files. 
• Application blocked because of not having administrator privileges. 
• Broken .dll files. 
• Antivirus interfering with the application.

How To Fix “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142.”

1. Restart Your Computer

Rebooting your computer is an easy way to fix many issues. If the error has occurred due to corrupted files in RAM, a reboot will help remove all such files and other bugs, and you may be able to fix the “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142” error. 

2. Update Windows

The importance of updating Windows cannot be stressed enough. An outdated version of Windows may not support the latest version of the application or game you are trying to run. So, here’s how you can check for updates in Windows 10.  The process is slightly easier in Windows 11 – 

1. Press Windows + I to open the Settings.

2. From the left-hand side, click on Windows Update from the bottom. 

3. Click on Check for updates. If there is an update, fetch it and restart your computer. 

3. Repair Corrupted System Files

As we mentioned earlier, the error “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142” might have surfaced because of some corrupt system files; a quick way to fix this is to use the SFC command that can fix corrupted or even broken system files. To execute the command – 

1. In the Windows search bar, type cmd and click on Run as administrator from the right-hand side of the screen. 

2. When the Command Prompt window opens, type SFC /scannow.

3. Press Enter 

4. Enable Change System Locale

The error “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142” might surface if you have selected the wrong region. In such a scenario, you can choose the correct region by following the steps mentioned below – 

1. Click open Control Panel by searching for it in the Windows search bar. 

2. Click on the View by dropdown and select Small icons. 

3. Select Region. 

4. Click on the Administrative tab and click on Change system locale. 

5. Select your region and then clock on OK. 

6. Again click on Apply and OK.

5. Update Drivers

Outdated, corrupt, or missing drivers cause a variety of system and application-related problems, such as “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142” error. For instance, if a game with high graphics keeps on crashing, chances are you have an outdated graphics driver. While you can manually update drivers on your Windows PC, a third-party tool like Advanced Driver Updater is an efficient and safe way to update drivers. Wondering why? It lets you –

• Update multiple drivers.
• Scan for corrupt or outdated drivers quickly 
• Backup drivers before you update them. 
• Backed-up drivers can be restored in case of an emergency. 
• Schedule driver scans at your desired time.   

And, it is Windows 11 ready! How to update drivers with the help of Advanced Driver Updater? 

1. Download, install and run Advanced Driver Updater.

2. From the list of outdated drivers, select the driver that you want to update by clicking on the checkbox that you can see on the left of the driver’s name.

3. Click on the blue-colored Update driver option if you are updating one driver, or click on the Update All button if you want to update multiple drivers. 

6. Run As An Administrator

To run the application, maybe you require administrative privileges. By running the program as an administrator, you can run it smoothly and without interference and access all its features. Here are the steps to run an application as an administrator –

1. Right-click on the game or application. 

2. Click on Properties. 

3. Click on the Compatibility tab. 

4. Under Settings, click on the checkbox that says Run this program as an administrator. 

7. Perform A Clean Boot

Some unnecessary Microsoft services could interfere with the program you want to run. Hence, you receive the error message “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142”. We have covered in-depth posts on why and how you can perform a clean boot on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. 

8. Re-register DLL Files

Re-registering DLL files can be a possible solution in case you cannot open a program on your PC and get an error like the one mentioned in this post. For this, you will have to take the help of the Command Prompt. Here is how you can re-register DLL files using the Command Prompt – 

1. Type cmd in the Windows search bar and select Run as administrator from the right-hand side. 

2. When the Command Prompt window opens, copy and paste the below-mentioned command:

for %i in (%windir%\system32\*.ocx) do regsvr32.exe /s %i

3. Press Enter

9. Uninstall The Problematic Program

Despite having tried all the above measures, if you constantly get “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142” error every time you try to run the application, chances are that it is corrupt, malicious, or hasn’t been installed correctly. In such a scenario, a strategic approach may ensure that your computer is safe from any malware (if the application is malicious), and secondly, you will be able to install the application correctly (if it is legit) – 

1. Run an Antimalware program and check whether or not the application in question is corrupt. Looking for a lightweight Antivirus for Windows? Here are some options you can consider.

2. If the application is safe, you may completely uninstall it, reboot your computer, and conduct a fresh installation.  

Wrapping Up

We hope you have now been able to fix the error “The Application was Unable to Start Correctly 0xc0000142”. If yes, let us know in the comments which of the above ways helped you fix the issue so that someone facing the same issue can get help. For more troubleshooting tips, keep reading WeTheGeek. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.