The 0xc000009a error (also known as the “Entry Point” error) is displayed because an application cannot load a required DLL.
Typically, DirectX DLLs or Graphics Packages are not available for games like Frotnite. These systems require them, which means that if they can’t locate them, they will stop working, usually citing the error you’re seeing.
To fix this, the simple solution is to get the DLL file on your system and make sure it is accessible.
Causes
To understand why the error appears, you must appreciate the roll of DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files in Windows.
As the development of operating systems intensified in the 1990s, all parties introduced a number of methods to access “libraries” – third-party software packages that allowed developers to use standardized code / functionality within their own applications.
Libraries such as Visual C ++, DirectX, .NET, and a variety of others became the standard in Windows, and most applications, even today, depend on them.
The secret of these files was the implementation of particular DLL files on your PC. These files can be reused by different applications, as long as they call the correct functions, etc.
Unfortunately, if the files are missing, out of date, or corrupted, you will get errors like the one you are experiencing …
- The application could not start correctly (0xc000009a)
- Starting the BattlEye service …
- [INFO] File upload blocked …
The main problem here is that your application does not have access to the DLLs it requires, although there are other concerns:
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DLL files not accessible
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Antivirus may be blocking your application
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Windows may have corrupted or damaged DLLs
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Other programs may have overwritten the DLL
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Your system may have a virus
The way to solve this is to make sure the DLLs exist on the system and then that they are fully accessible.
The steps below will guide you through this process …
Solutions
Like many problems in Windows, you have to analyze a number of possible causes of problems and fix them one by one.
In the case of error 0xc000009a, the following is recommended:
1. Uninstall BattlEye + Verify Fortnite
The first and most effective step is to remove the “BattlEye” application from your system.
BattlEye is an anti-cheat system shipped with Fortnite; is essential for Fortnite to work, but can sometimes cause errors:
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Press the “Windows” + “E” keys on your keyboard
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Go to “C: / Program Files / Epic Games / Fortnite / FortniteGame / Binaries / BattlEye”
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Click on “Uninstall_BattlEye.bat”
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Let the CMD file run
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Go out and load Epic Games Launcher.
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On the “Fortnite” tab, click on the “gear” icon next to the “Start” button
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Select “Verify”
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Let the process run
Once this is complete, it is worth rebooting your system.
If it doesn’t solve the problem, it means there is a problem with one of the third-party libraries on your system.
2. Reinstall VC ++
The next step is to reinstall VC ++.
As mentioned, Visual C ++ was Microsoft’s way of standardizing a number of core features for software and has become a staple of the Windows ecosystem.
To make sure this is not the problem (which is very likely), you need to reinstall any Visual C ++ packages on your system:
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In Windows 7, click “Start”, then “Control Panel” and then “Programs and Features”
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In Windows, right click the “Start” button, select “Applications and Features”
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From the list, scroll down to “Microsoft Visual C ++ Redistributable”
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There will probably be a great list of many different packages
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List each year + architecture (x64 / x86) on a piece of paper
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Uninstall every
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Now, find your favorite search engine
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Search for “Visual C ++ Redistributable Download”
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Click on the first link (must be Microsoft)
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For each of the packages you previously had, download new ones from this site.
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After doing this, install each of them
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Restart your PC
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Try your game again
While this will most likely work, it may not be the solution for some …
3. Update the graphics / DirectX drivers
Next you should see how to update DirectX and (maybe) your graphics driver.
DirectX is the graphics library that Windows uses to process 3D images. Almost every game on the platform uses it.
While you can’t “reinstall” the DirectX engine, you * can * repair it and make sure the graphics driver works properly …
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Search online for “DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer”
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Click on the first Microsoft link that shows
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Click the orange “Download” button
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Follow the steps and save the file to your PC
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Open the file and let it run.
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Let it repair the current DirectX installation
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Restart your PC
After doing this, you may want to reinstall your graphics driver:
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Please connect and search for “DDU” (Display Driver Uninstaller)
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Download the file that you can find in Guru3D
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Restart your PC in “safe mode” (instructions below)
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Once in safe mode, run DDU and let it remove your GFX driver
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Restart your PC in “normal” mode
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Let Windows download the latest driver for your graphics card
To access Safe Mode, it depends on the version of Windows you are using (Windows 10 makes access difficult for some reason):
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In Windows 7, restart your PC as you normally would
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Press F8 continuously before Windows starts to load
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Select “Safe Mode” with the appropriate number on your keyboard
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In Windows 10, click the “Start” button
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Select the “On” button (access menu on the left)
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Holding down the SHIFT key, press the “restart” button
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The blue “Windows Recovery Environment” screen will appear.
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Click “Troubleshoot”> “Advanced Options”> “Startup Settings”> “Restart”
4. Download file manually
This will only work if you have a direct idea which file is missing / inaccessible.
If you don’t have this, you’d better find something called “Dependency Walker”, a free application that allows you to determine which files are required by different pieces of software …
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Click on the search engine of your choice
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Search for “DependencyWalker”
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Click on the first link and download the app.
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Run it
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In the top menu, select the “open” icon (folder)
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Find the executable file that is causing problems and select it
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The system should highlight which files are required in the menu on the left.
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If any of these files appear in “red”, you will need to ensure that they are accessible.
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Some applications will include the DLL files
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If you search online for the name of the DLL file, you will quickly find out which package it belongs to
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If you can find the package, see if you can install it (you may just need to get the new version)
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If you cannot see a package, you will need to download a fresh copy of the DLL.
Once you download a new version of the DLL file, you basically have to put it in the C: / Windows / System32 folder.
After doing this, you should test the application to see if it works now.
Otherwise, it usually suggests a deeper problem within the operating system.
5. Windows update
This probably won’t do much, but it might give the system some way to fix itself:
- Windows 7
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Click “Start”> “Control Panel”> “System and Security”> “Windows Update”
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Click “Check for updates”
- Windows 10
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Press the “Windows” + “I” keys on your keyboard
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Select “Update and security”
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Click “Check for updates”
Once the update process is finished, restart your PC and see if the error is resolved.
If you are still experiencing the error after doing the above, it suggests that you have a more acute problem with Windows.
Unfortunately, one of the restrictions of internet articles is that I cannot see exactly what your system is doing and therefore cannot provide any specific advice. If you’re still lost, I highly recommend going to one of the great question / answer communities (Reddit / Super User / Microsoft Answers) for a more specific set of answers.
If you need even more help, you’ll want to speak to someone with practical access to your system, which usually means having a local repair technician check it out, or maybe someone at Fiverr.
