Forum Discussion
Windows update has rendered a purchased app unusable
After a routine Windows update, yesterday 27th March, an image editing app, Paintshop Pro no longer loads. I have run through various potential fixes suggested by Claude - according to which the problem is the MSVCR90.dll file overwritten by the Windows update. I have downloaded the old version of the file and copied it directly into the Paintshop directory, but it still doesn't load.
It's analogous to having some authority performing upgrades outside your house and destroying part of your property. Straightforward fixes really need to be provided for this sort of thing.
1 Reply
Hi, I would first remove the manually copied MSVCR90.dll from the PaintShop Pro application folder. Copying individual runtime DLLs can produce a side-by-side version mismatch and downloading replacement DLLs from third-party websites would introduce an additional security risk. MSVCR90 belongs to the Visual C++ 2008 runtime generation, so the safer approach is to repair or reinstall the application using its original installer and allow it to install the supported prerequisites. Check Reliability Monitor or Event Viewer for the exact faulting module, then run the Windows Program Compatibility Troubleshooter. It is also worth confirming with the vendor whether that exact PaintShop Pro release supports your current Windows 11 build or has a compatibility patch. If you share the application version and Event Viewer error, someone may be able to identify the required runtime more precisely.
