The `vcruntime140d_app.dll` is associated with the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017, and it's part of the Microsoft C Runtime Library. The "d" in the file name suggests that this is a debug version of the DLL, used for debugging purposes during application development rather than in release versions of applications distributed to end-users. The "app" likely indicates that this DLL is used for applications, possibly in the context of Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app development, which is supported by Visual Studio.
In the development process, using debug versions of runtime libraries like `vcruntime140d_app.dll` allows developers to run their applications in an environment that's conducive to identifying bugs, as debug versions contain additional debugging information that is not present in release versions. This information can include more detailed error messages, the state of variables at the time of a crash, and other diagnostic information helpful for debugging.
If an application inadvertently requires the debug version of this DLL to run on a system that doesn't have Visual Studio 2017 installed, it might fail to start or operate correctly, showing errors related to the missing `vcruntime140d_app.dll`. This is because debug versions of Visual C++ DLLs are not distributed as part of the Visual C++ Redistributable packages and are typically only found on systems with Visual Studio installed.
To resolve issues related to missing debug DLLs like `vcruntime140d_app.dll`, developers should ensure that their applications are built in the release mode before distribution, which will link the application against the release versions of the necessary runtime libraries, included in the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017. These redistributable packages are designed to be distributed with applications, ensuring that all the necessary runtime components are available on end-user systems.
