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Rivear's avatar
Rivear
Brass Contributor
Sep 04, 2026

Ready or Not won't launch – XINPUT1_3.dll "Bad Image" error 0xc000012f

I'm stuck on this one. Ready or Not crashes on launch with the error: "XINPUT1_3.dll is either not designed to run on Windows or contains an error – status 0xc000012f." I've tried just about everything I could find.

Here's what I've already done:

Verified and reinstalled the game through Steam

Reinstalled DirectX runtimes

Tried replacing XINPUT1_3.dll with different versions

Ran DISM and SFC – SFC actually found and repaired some files, but the error still shows

Checked the DLL version and architecture (it's x64, so no mismatch there)

The game's installed on a separate D: drive, system is Windows 10 22H2.

Anyone know what else could be causing this? It feels like something deeper with how Windows is loading the DLL, but I'm out of ideas and trying to avoid a full clean install.

 

3 Replies

  • Nobel_Baynes's avatar
    Nobel_Baynes
    Steel Contributor
    Sep 09, 2026

    Disable Core Isolation / Memory Integrity

    Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Device Security > Core Isolation, and turn Memory Integrity OFF, then restart.

    This feature (HVCI) is the single most common cause of STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_HASH errors, since it strictly enforces driver/DLL signing and blocks anything that's been patched, hooked, or isn't properly signed — which includes many controller-related DLLs. Test the game right after restarting.

  • Jacobaw's avatar
    Jacobaw
    Iron Contributor
    Sep 08, 2026

    Try a clean boot to eliminate any background software interference, or ensure your graphics drivers are fully up to date, which can sometimes resolve DirectX-related errors. 

  • Pihusvy's avatar
    Pihusvy
    Tin Contributor
    Sep 06, 2026

    Ensure your Windows 10 22H2 is fully updated. Sometimes, missing updates can cause DLL loading issues.