The file msvcp140.dll is an essential part of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015. It belongs to the Microsoft C Runtime Library and plays a critical role in the execution of C++ applications developed with Visual Studio 2015. The 'msvcp' prefix in the file name stands for Microsoft Visual C++ and the '140' indicates that it is associated with Visual Studio 2015.
This DLL file contains the standard C++ library functions that are used by various programs. These functions are part of the C++ Standard Library, which provides a range of standardized functionalities such as file operations, string manipulation, and mathematical computations. When developers create C++ applications using Visual Studio 2015, they often utilize these library functions to implement core features of their applications.
However, the applications themselves do not contain these library functions. Instead, they rely on the msvcp140.dll file to provide them. This approach allows for more efficient use of system resources, as multiple applications can share the same library instead of including their own copies. It also simplifies updates and bug fixes to the library since changes to the DLL are automatically available to all applications that use it.
If the msvcp140.dll file is missing or corrupted on a user's computer, it may result in errors when trying to run C++ applications that depend on this file. These errors typically prompt the user that the file is missing or could not be found. To resolve such issues, the user needs to install or repair the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable package, which will ensure that the msvcp140.dll and other essential runtime components are correctly installed on the system.