Method 1: Copying the Pcnicapi.dll File to the Windows System Folder 

1. The file you downloaded is a compressed file with the extension ".zip". This file cannot be installed. To be able to install it, first you need to extract the dll file from within it. So, first double-click the file with the ".zip" extension and open the file.
2. You will see the file named "Pcnicapi.dll" in the window that opens. This is the file you need to install. Click on the dll file with the left button of the mouse. By doing this, you select the file.

   

3. Click on the "Extract To" button, which is marked in the picture. In order to do this, you will need the Winrar software. If you don't have the software, it can be found doing a quick search on the Internet and you can download it (The Winrar software is free).
4. After clicking the "Extract to" button, a window where you can choose the location you want will open. Choose the "Desktop" location in this window and extract the dll file to the desktop by clicking the "Ok" button.

   

5. Copy the "Pcnicapi.dll" file and paste it into the "C:\Windows\System32" folder.

   

6. If your system is 64 Bit, copy the "Pcnicapi.dll" file and paste it into "C:\Windows\sysWOW64" folder.

   NOTE! On 64 Bit systems, you must copy the dll file to both the "sysWOW64" and "System32" folders. In other words, both folders need the "Pcnicapi.dll" file.

   

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 up and press Enter key. This command will delete the problematic registry of the Pcnicapi.dll file (Nothing will happen to the file we pasted in the System32 folder, it just deletes the registry from the Windows Registry Editor. The file we pasted in the System32 folder will not be damaged).

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

   

10. We need to make a clean registry for the dll file's registry that we deleted from Regedit (Windows Registry Editor). In order to accomplish this, copy and paste the command below into the Command Line and press Enter key.

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

    

11. If you are using a Windows with 64 Bit architecture, after running the previous command, you need to run the command below. By running this command, we will have created a clean registry for the Pcnicapi.dll file (We deleted the damaged registry with the previous command).

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

    

12. If you did the processes in full, the installation should have finished successfully. If you received an error from the command line, you don't need to be anxious. Even if the Pcnicapi.dll file was installed successfully, you can still receive error messages like these due to some incompatibilities. In order to test whether your dll problem was solved or not, try running the software giving the error message again. If the error is continuing, try the 2nd Method to solve this problem.

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

1. First, you must find the installation folder of the software (the software giving the dll error) you are going to install the dll file to. In order to find this folder, "Right-Click > Properties" on the software's shortcut.

   

2. Open the software file folder by clicking the Open File Location button in the "Properties" window that comes up.

   

3. Copy the Pcnicapi.dll file into the folder we opened up.

   

4. That's all there is to the installation process. Run the software giving the dll error again. If the dll error is still continuing, completing the 3rd Method may help solve your problem.

Method 3: Doing a Clean Install of the software That Is Giving the Pcnicapi.dll Error 

1. Press the "Windows" + "R" keys at the same time to open the Run tool. Paste the command below into the text field titled "Open" in the Run window that opens and press the Enter key on your keyboard. This command will open the "Programs and Features" tool.

   appwiz.cpl

   

2. The softwares listed in the Programs and Features window that opens up are the softwares installed on your computer. Find the software that gives you the dll error and run the "Right-Click > Uninstall" command on this software.

   

3. Following the instructions that come up, uninstall the software from your computer and restart your computer.

   

4. After restarting your computer, reinstall the software that was giving the error.
5. This process may help the dll problem you are experiencing. If you are continuing to get the same dll error, the problem is most likely with Windows. In order to fix dll problems relating to Windows, complete the 4th Method and 5th Method.

Method 4: Solving the Pcnicapi.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 below into the Command Line that opens up and hit the Enter key.

   sfc /scannow

   

3. This process can take some time. You can follow its progress from the screen. Wait for it to finish and after it is finished try to run the software that was giving the dll error again.

Method 5: Fixing the Pcnicapi.dll Errors by Manually Updating Windows 

Some softwares require updated dll files from the operating system. If your operating system is not updated, this requirement is not met and you will receive dll errors. Because of this, updating your operating system may solve the dll errors you are experiencing.

Most of the time, operating systems are automatically updated. However, in some situations, the automatic updates may not work. For situations like this, you may need to check for updates manually.

For every Windows version, the process of manually checking for updates is different. Because of this, we prepared a special guide for each Windows version. You can get our guides to manually check for updates based on the Windows version you use through the links below.

Explanations on Updating Windows Manually 

1. Explanation on Updating Windows 10 Manually
2. Explanation on Updating Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 Manually
3. Explanation on Updating Windows 7 and Windows Vista Manually
4. Explanation on Updating Windows XP Manually