If you are a Microsoft Windows user, you have probably heard about DLL files. They are an essential part of every Windows operating system. DLL files, or dynamic link library, are Microsoft’s way of implementing the shared library concept in Windows. DLL files have the extension .dll, but they are basically the same as .exe files in terms of file format. Basically, DLL files’ positive sides are code modularization, reduced disk space and efficient memory usage. Therefore, the Windows operating system and the programs you are trying to run load faster, run faster, and take less disk space on the computer. Some DLL files are multifunctional. That means that many programs can use the same DLL in order to work properly. However, there are also individual DLL files made specifically for a certain application. For example, many games that you install on your computer contain many DLL files which are specially tailored for them and they can run without problems thanks to these DLL files. If you removed one of them, there would be a problem. There are many DLL files, but probably the most famous one which cause the most problems if erased are xinput1_3.dll, which is a part of DirectX. Another one is called hal.dll, which is for dealing with hardware. Another one is xlive.dll, which is a Microsoft Games’ DLL file.
Although DLL files are definitely a foundation of every Windows system so far, they aren’t really without drawbacks. Many users have experienced missing DLL files, various errors and other unpleasant things. Therefore, Microsoft has been lately recommending the .NET framework as a possible solution to these problems. However, we have to wait and see when Microsoft implements this way fully into their operating system.