Fix error The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect

The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect is an error that many Windows 10 users encounter when they try to launch, install or uninstall a program. In this article, TipsMake will guide you how to fix the error The application has failed to start because its side by side configuration is incorrect simply and quickly.

Method 1: Check if the Visual C++ Runtime Library is missing or not?

Step 1 : Press Windows + R and enter command cmd and press OK to open Command Prompt.

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Step 2: Continue entering the command line below to start trace mode.

SxsTrace Trace -logfile:SxsTrace.etl

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Step 3: Now don't close cmd, just open the application that is causing the error The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect and click OK to close the popup.

Step 4: Switch back to cmd and press Enter to stop trace mode.

Step 5: Now to convert the dumped trace file into readable form, you will need to parse this file using the sxstrace tool and to enter this command in cmd:

sxstrace Parse -logfile:SxSTrace.etl -outfile:SxSTrace.txt

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Step 6: The file is parsed and will be saved to the C:/Windows/system32 folder . Press Windows + R , enter the content below and press Enter :

%windir%/system32/SxSTrace.txt

Step 7: This will open the SxSTrace.txt file , which will have all the information about the error ' The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect '.

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Step 8: Find out which C++ runtime library they require and install that specific version from the method listed below.

Method 2: Reinstall the faulty program

If an error occurs when you start a program, the program may be corrupted. Reinstalling the program now is a helpful way to fix your problem. Proceed as follows:

Step 1: Press the Windows + R key combination at the same time to open the Run dialog box .

Step 2: Type control command and click OK to open Control Panel.

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Step 3: Select Large icons in the View by section .

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Step 4: Click Programs and Features .

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Step 5: Right-click on the program that is having problems and select Uninstall .

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Step 6: Download the latest versions of your programs from its official website and install them on your computer.

Step 7: Start the downloaded program and see if it works normally.

Method 3: Install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

The error 'The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect' may occur because the Visual C++ runtime on your computer is corrupted or missing.

Redistributable seems to have fixed the 'The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect' error . The steps are as follows:

Step 1: Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run dialog box , or you can open Start and type control in the search bar to open Control Panel .

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Step 2: Select Programs in the Control Panel folder.

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Step 3: Click Programs and Features .

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Step 4: Right-click each Microsoft Visual C ++ Redistributable program, then click Uninstall .

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Step 5: Install all the updates below one by one that correspond to your system (32-bit or 64-bit).

1. Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)
2. Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package for (x64)
3. Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x86)
4. Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x64)
5. Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Packages (For both x86 and x64)
6. Visual C++ redistributable 2015 Redistribution Update 3

Step 6: Restart the computer and see if the program works normally.

Method 4: Fix the error The application has failed to start because its side by side configuration is incorrect by launching SFC Scan

Step 1: Press Windows + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) .

Step 2: Enter the command below and press Enter .

Sfc /scannow sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:/ /offwindir=c:/windows (Nhập lệnh này nếu lệnh bên trên bị lỗi)

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Step 3: If SFC gives the error message 'Windows Resource Protection could not start the repair service' then run the following DISM commands:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Scanhealth DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

Step 4: Restart your PC to save the changes.

Method 5: Restore the System Store system

Step 1: Press Windows + R and enter ' sysdm.cpl ' then click OK .

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Step 2: Select System Protection and select System Restore .

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Step 3: Click Next and select the desired System Restore .

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Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the system restore process.

Step 5: After rebooting, you can fix the error 'The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect'.

In case the system restore fails, boot your Windows into safe mode and then try running the system restore again.

Method 6: Uninstall Windows Live Essentials

Sometimes Windows Live Essentials can cause conflicts with Windows services. Therefore, uninstalling Windows Live Essentials from Programs and Features can help you fix the error The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect. If you don't want to uninstall Windows Essentials, try repairing it from the program menu.

So you know how to fix the error 'The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect' when using Windows 10. Hopefully this article has provided you with a lot of additional knowledge. Useful, thank you for following the article. Hope you are succesful. If you have any questions that need answering, you can leave a comment below for more specific support. Don't forget to follow other articles on TipsMake's blog!

Samuel Daniel

Update 01 October 2023