Fix Error: "The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)"

The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142). Click OK to close the application.

or

  

In some cases AutoCAD will not show this error and will simply not start and provides no error message. The startup errors may referenceLMU.exe, or the event log may refer to a crash of mshtml.dll.

Causes:

Possible causes include incorrectly registered DLL files, incompatible DLLs, or another program may be preventing AutoCAD from running.

Possible conflicting software includes:

• Program called "Search Protect" or "SW booster"
• Incorrectly switched reg key
• NVIDIA drivers
• Beyond Trust "Trusted Desktop" btpload64.dll
• Smartbar malware
• Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended acapture64.dll and acapture32.dll
• Corrupted C++ installation
• Antivirus or Protection Packages

Solution:

Uninstall "Search Protect" or "SW Booster" or "Performance Optimizer"

1. Open the Window Control Panel
2. Access the installed program list
3. Select and Uninstall "Search Protect" 
4. Start AutoCAD

Incorrect Registry Key

A different program may incorrectly be switching a registry key from a 0 to a 1. Changing the value of the following registry key to 0 may help:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion \Windows\LoadAppInit_DLLs


Nvidia Drivers

Navigate to the NVIDIA website and update the drivers for your graphics card. www.nvidia.com


Beyond Trust

The program "Beyond Trust" could be locking down the software. You may identify a reference to btpload.dll

• uninstall the program or rename the btpload.dll to test. Adjusting the registry key (above) may also solve this particular conflict.

Smartbar (Malware)

The program or malware "Smartbar" could be conflicting with the software. To work around this, locate and disable the crdlil64.dll file.

• %appdata%\Local\Smartbar\Application\Resources\crdlil64.dll

Adobe Acrobat

For Adobe Acrobat 9, rename the following DLL files:

C:\Windows\System32\acapture64.dll
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\acapture32.dll

Alternatively, you may uninstall the "Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro Extended 64-bit Add-On." On 32-bit systems, modify the Adobe Acrobat 9 program to not have the "Capture CAD Modules" installed.

Windows iLivid Toolbar
You can ether uninstall the Toolbar or rename d atamngr.dll and IEBHO.dll files found in the folders below.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows iLivid Toolbar\Datamngr
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows iLivid Toolbar\Datamngr\x64

Corrupt C++ Installations

If this is a C++ installation error, uninstall the C++ modules on the system and reinstall. Autodesk installers ship with prerequisites in the extracted installation folders- not the installed program files folders. You can manually access the installers here on most machines:

C:\Autodesk\PROGRAM FOLDER NAME\3rdParty\x64\VCRedist
C:\Autodesk\PROGRAM FOLDER NAME\3rdParty\x86\VCRedist

Uninstall the redistributables and reinstall them from this location.


Antivirus or Protection Packages

There are a variety of products in use that either lock down program access outright, or try to prevent malicious software from running. The parameters companies use to determine inappropriate system access can vary greatly and could possibly affect specific programs on your machine from running,

For situations where other solutions have not worked, it is worth reviewing the apps of this variety that may be installed and checking to see if there are allowable exceptions in coverage.


Further Troubleshooting with "Autoruns"

To help troubleshoot and determine what is conflicting with AutoCAD, use can also use the Microsoft's Autoruns utility.

1. Download and install Autoruns
2. Start Autoruns.
3. Start AutoCAD.
4. Check AppInit tab in Autoruns window.
5. Review the DLL files listed and locate them based on the listed paths.
6. Uninstall the related program or rename the files, one by one, testing the program startup after each change to try to isolate the problematic DLL.

AppInit_DLLs in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Note: If you receive the above mentioned error with Autodesk Inventor 2014, please install Inventor 2014 SP1