Method 1: Solving the DLL Error by Copying the Pdsnapin.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 "Pdsnapin.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 "Pdsnapin.dll" file and paste it into the "C:\Windows\System32" folder.

   

5. If your system is 64 Bit, copy the "Pdsnapin.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 "Pdsnapin.dll" file.

   

6. In order to complete this step, you must run the Command Prompt as administrator. In order to do this, all you have to do is follow the steps below.

   NOTE! We ran the Command Prompt using Windows 10. If you are using Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP, you can use the same method to run the Command Prompt as administrator.

   1. Open the Start Menu and before clicking anywhere, type "cmd" on your keyboard. This process will enable you to run a search through the Start Menu. We also typed in "cmd" to bring up the Command Prompt.
   2. Right-click the "Command Prompt" search result that comes up and click the Run as administrator" option.

   

7. Let's copy the command below and paste it in the Command Line that comes up, then let's press Enter. This command deletes the Pdsnapin.dll file's problematic registry in the Windows Registry Editor (The file that we copied to the System32 folder does not perform any action with the file, it just deletes the registry in the Windows Registry Editor. The file that we pasted into the System32 folder will not be damaged).

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

   

8. If you have a 64 Bit operating system, after running the command above, you must run the command below. This command will clean the Pdsnapin.dll file's damaged registry in 64 Bit as well (The cleaning process will be in the registries in the Registry Editor< only. In other words, the dll file you paste into the SysWoW64 folder will stay as it).

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

   

9. You must create a new registry for the dll file that you deleted from the registry editor. In order to do this, copy the command below and paste it into the Command Line and hit Enter.

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

   

10. 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 Pdsnapin.dll file (We deleted the damaged registry with the previous command).

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

    

11. If you did all the processes correctly, the missing dll file will have been installed. You may have made some mistakes when running the Command Line processes. Generally, these errors will not prevent the Pdsnapin.dll file from being installed. In other words, the installation will be completed, but it may give an error due to some incompatibility issues. You can try running the program that was giving you this dll file error after restarting your computer. If you are still getting the dll file error when running the program, please try the 2nd method.

Method 2: Copying the Pdsnapin.dll File to 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 "Pdsnapin.dll is missing", "Pdsnapin.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 Pdsnapin.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: Uninstalling and Reinstalling the Software that Gives You the Pdsnapin.dll Error 

1. Open the Run tool by pushing the "Windows" + "R" keys found on your keyboard. Type the command below into the "Open" field of the Run window that opens up and press Enter. 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.
5. You can solve the error you are expericing with this method. If the dll error is continuing in spite of the solution methods you are using, the source of the problem is the Windows operating system. In order to solve dll errors in Windows you will need to complete the 4th Method and the 5th Method in the list.

Method 4: Solving the Pdsnapin.dll Problem by Using the Windows System File Checker (scf scannow) 

1. In order to complete this step, you must run the Command Prompt as administrator. In order to do this, all you have to do is follow the steps below.

   NOTE! We ran the Command Prompt using Windows 10. If you are using Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP, you can use the same method to run the Command Prompt as administrator.

   1. Open the Start Menu and before clicking anywhere, type "cmd" on your keyboard. This process will enable you to run a search through the Start Menu. We also typed in "cmd" to bring up the Command Prompt.
   2. Right-click the "Command Prompt" search result that comes up and click the Run as administrator" option.

   

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: Getting Rid of Pdsnapin.dll Errors by Updating the Windows Operating System 

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.

Windows Update Guides 

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