The 0xc000009a error (also known as the “Entry Point” error) is displayed because an application is unable to load a required DLL.

It is typical that 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’ll 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 need to appreciate the roll of DLL (Dynamic Link Library) files in Windows.

As operating system development intensified in the 1990s, a number of methods were introduced by all parties to access “libraries”: third-party software packages that allowed developers to use standardized code/functionality within their own applications.

Libraries like Visual C++, DirectX, .NET, and a variety of others became the standard on 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Unfortunately, if the files are missing, out of date, or corrupted, you’ll get errors like the one you’re experiencing…

• The application failed to start correctly (0xc000009a)
• Starting the BattleEye service…
• [INFO] File upload blocked…

The main problem here is that your application doesn’t have access to the DLLs it requires, although there are other concerns:

• DLL files not accessible

• The antivirus may be blocking your application

• Windows may have corrupted or damaged DLLs

• Other programs may have overwritten the DLL

• Your system may have a virus

The way to solve this is to make sure the DLLs exist on the system and then make them fully accessible.

The steps below will guide you through this process…

Solutions

Like many problems in Windows, you should go through 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 included with Fortnite – it’s essential for Fortnite to work, but can sometimes cause errors:

• Press the “Windows” + “E” keys on your keyboard

• Navigate to “C:/Program Files/Epic Games/Fortnite/FortniteGame/Binaries/BattlEye”

• Click “Uninstall_BattlEye.bat”

• Let the CMD file run

• Exit and load Epic Games Launcher

• Under the “Fortnite” tab, click the “gear” icon next to the “Start” button.

• Select “Verify”

• Let the process run

After this is complete, it’s worth rebooting your system.

If it doesn’t resolve the issue, 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 that this is not the problem (which is most likely), you should reinstall any Visual C++ packages on your system:

• In Windows 7, click “Start” followed by “Control Panel” and then “Programs and Features”

• In Windows, right-click the “Start” button, select “Apps and Features”

• From the list, scroll down to “Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable”

• There will probably be a large list of many different packages

• Make a list of each year + architecture (x64/x86) on a sheet of paper

• uninstall every

• Now navigate to your favorite search engine

• Search for “Visual C++ Redistributable Download”

• Click on the first link (must be Microsoft)

• For each of the packages you previously had, download new ones from this site

• After doing this, install each of them.

• Restart your PC

• try your game again

While this will most likely work, it may not be the solution for some…

3. Update DirectX/graphics drivers

Next, you should see how to update DirectX and (perhaps) your graphics driver.

DirectX is the graphics library that Windows uses to render 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 your graphics driver works properly…

• Search online for “DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer”

• Click on the first Microsoft link that shows

• Click the orange “Download” button

• Follow the steps and save the file on your PC

• Open the file and let it run.

• Let it repair your current DirectX installation

• Restart your PC

After doing this, you may want to reinstall your graphics driver:

• Connect to the Internet and search for “DDU” (Display Driver Uninstaller)

• Download the file that you can find in Guru3D

• Restart your PC in “safe mode” (instructions below)

• Once in safe mode, run DDU and let it remove your GFX controller

• Restart your PC in “normal” mode

• 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 made it difficult to access for some reason):

• In Windows 7, restart your PC as you normally would

• Press F8 continuously before Windows starts to load

• Select “Safe Mode” with the appropriate number on your keyboard

• In Windows 10, click the “Start” button

• Select the “Power” button (left charms menu)

• Holding SHIFT, press the “reset” button

• The blue “Windows Recovery Environment” screen will appear

• Click “Troubleshoot” > “Advanced Options” > “Startup Settings” > “Restart”

4. Download file manually

This will only work if you have a direct sense of which file is missing or inaccessible.

If you don’t have this, you’d better look for something called “Dependency Walker”, a free application that allows you to determine which files are required by different pieces of software…

• Click on the search engine of your choice

• Look for “DependencyWalker”

• Click on the first link and download the app

• Run it

• In the top menu, select the “open” (folder) icon

• Find the executable file that is causing problems and select it

• The system should highlight which files are needed in the menu on the left

• If any of these files are listed as “red”, you’ll need to make sure they’re accessible

• Some applications will include the DLL files

• If you search online for the name of the DLL file, you will quickly find out which package it belongs to

• If you can find the package, see if you can install it (you may just need to get the new version)

• If you can’t see a package, you’ll need to download a fresh copy of the DLL.

Once you download a new version of the DLL, you basically have to put it in the C:/Windows/System32 folder.

After doing this, you should test the app to see if it works now.

If not, it usually suggests a problem deeper 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

• Click “Start” > “Control Panel” > “System and Security” > “Windows Update”

• Click “Check for updates”

• windows 10

• Press the “Windows” + “I” keys on your keyboard

• Select “Update and Security”

• Click “Check for updates”

Once the update process is done, 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 serious problem with Windows.

Unfortunately, one of the restrictions of internet articles is that I can’t see exactly what your system is doing and therefore I can’t provide any kind of specific advice. If you’re still lost, I highly recommend going to one of the big Q&A communities (Reddit/Super User/Microsoft Answers) for a more specific set of answers.

If you need more help, you’ll want to talk to someone who has hands-on access to your system, which usually means getting it looked at by a local repairman, or perhaps someone on Fiverr.