The parallel configuration is incorrect. The application failed to start because its parallel configuration is incorrect

Constant Windows updates have resulted in a number of programs not running on modern versions of operating systems. Not all developers keep their games and applications up to date, which can lead to errors when trying to launch them. Most of these errors can be resolved by installing compatibility, but not all. If a message appears when you launch the application that the parallel configuration is incorrect, this can be corrected in a number of ways, which will be discussed below.

Parallel configuration is incorrect: what does it mean?

When the “Parallel configuration is incorrect” error occurs, the Windows operating system independently prompts the user what needs to be done to diagnose it. The error message box indicates that you can check the application event log for more information about the cause of the error. If the program does not have it, you can use the sxstrace.exe command, which allows you to determine which specific module in use has an incorrect parallel configuration.

To diagnose the cause of the error using sxstrace.exe, you need to do the following:

1. Run command line as administrator;
2. Run the following command: sxstrace trace /logfile:sxstrace.etl
3. Next, run the application, which reports that the parallel configuration is incorrect. When an error message appears, click “OK” and return to the command line;
4. Execute on the command line: sxstrace parse /logfile:sxstrace.etl /outfile:sxstrace.txt

Please note: If necessary, you can vary the path to the etl log and the final name of the txt file.

After completing the steps described above, all that remains is to open the created txt file using Notepad or another text editor and examine the results.

Parallel configuration is wrong: how to fix

It is not at all necessary to perform the diagnostics described above, but often it allows you to understand the cause of the error in question. To fix the problem and the “Parallel configuration is incorrect” message no longer appears when starting the program, most often it is enough to resolve the conflict between Windows and the Visual C++ package or make some changes to the registry. Let's look at both options below.

Parallel configuration is incorrect due to Visual C++

When installing games and applications along with them on a computer, most often a package of additional software is installed. This package may contain the libraries Visual C++ 2008, Visual C++ 2010, and so on. If they conflict with Windows, a "Parallel configuration is incorrect" message will appear. In such a situation, you can fix the error as follows:

After this, the “Parallel configuration is incorrect” error should no longer bother you.

Please note: If, after following the instructions described above, the program that caused an error when starting it refuses to open, try reinstalling it.

Parallel configuration is incorrect due to a registry error

Another reason for the “Parallel configuration is incorrect” error to appear is problems in the registry. If the default versions of libraries set by the system differ from the latest installed versions, then the failure in question may occur.

To fix the problem, run Registry Editor. To do this, press Windows + R on your keyboard and enter the command in the “Run” window regedit. The registry editor will open, in which you need to follow the path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE – SOFTWARE – Microsoft – Windows – CurrentVersion – SideBySide – Winners - x86_policy.9.0.microsoft.vc90.crt_(various letters and numbers) - 9.0

In this section, you will see a Default value and two options. Please note that the parameter name matches the default value. If they do not match, change the Default value so that it is identical to the parameter name.

When actively using a PC, users may experience unpleasant situations in which a particular game or program simply refuses to start, producing a certain error. Today in this article we will look at a fairly common error - “The application could not be started because its parallel configuration is incorrect”

There are two most effective methods that help eliminate this error that occurs when launching applications in Windows.

• Reinstalling the Microsoft VISUAL C++ package;
• Editing the registry.

Fixing a parallel configuration error by reinstalling Microsoft VISUAL C++

The first method is very simple and fast. It will not take much of your time, and also will not require any deep knowledge in the computer field. You will need to simply reinstall the program and first remove it.

Very often, programs and games do not start, displaying a parallel configuration error due to incompatibility with the installed versions of the system library Visual C++ 2008 or Visual C++ 2010. These are the ones we will reinstall.

To do this, go to “” and select “” Programs and components«.

Next, in the list of installed programs, remove those that are highlighted in the image below, namely Microsoft Vusial C++ 2005, Microsoft Vusial C++ 2008 and Microsoft Visual C++ 2010, Microsoft Vusial C++ 2015 and Microsoft Vusial C++ 2013 bits X64 and X68.

Visual C libraries in the list of installed programs

The next step is to restart your computer and download Visual C++ installation packages from the official Microsoft website.

After downloading the packages, install them and restart the PC again and try to run the application that was throwing the error “The application could not be started, the parallel configuration is incorrect.”

Making corrections to the registry

This method is somewhat more complicated than the previous one. It will require your utmost care and strict adherence to instructions.

Attention! You perform all operations with the registry at your own peril and risk. It is recommended that you create a restore point before you begin.

Launch the “Run” window using the key combination “ Win"+"R" and enter the command " regedit«.

The combination of the “Win” + “R” buttons on the keyboard

The Registry Editor will open. You need to go to the following path, opening the folders on the left side of the window that opens:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE – SOFTWARE – Microsoft – Windows – CurrentVersion – SideBySide – Winners – x86_policy.9.0.microsoft.vc90.crt_(various letters and numbers) – 9.0

After following the specified path, 3 parameters will be displayed on the right side of the window. The first one will be named "(Default)" and the other two will be numeric names.

So, the value of the “(Default)” parameter should correspond to the name of the last parameter in this folder. If this is not the case, then you need to change the value of the “Default” parameter to a value equal to the name of the last parameter in the folder by double-clicking on it.

Correspondence between values ​​and name in the Windows registry

Now follow the path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE – SOFTWARE – Microsoft – Windows – CurrentVersion – SideBySide – Winners – x86_policy.8.0.microsoft.vc80.crt_(various letters and numbers) – 8.0

And do the same thing, that is, check that the default value of the parameter matches the name of the last parameter in the folder. And if they are different, change the value of the “(Default)” parameter.

After all the manipulations have been done, restart the computer and try to run the program that gave the error “The application could not be started because its parallel configuration is incorrect.”

When launching programs, most often old ones, users sometimes encounter the error “The application could not be started because its parallel configuration is incorrect.” This error has much in common with another error, the description of which indicates that one or another DLL file is missing on the computer, and yet they are different. All programs launched in the Windows environment in one way or another use its resources, represented by system components, in particular, Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable libraries.

Each program contains a manifest that specifies which versions of components are used. When an application starts, Windows reads the manifest, and then searches for the required components and, if not found, displays the corresponding error. Let's say the manifest of the program you are launching indicates that it uses Microsoft Visual C++ 2008. If this version is not available on the system, Windows will try to find the required library in an older version. In this case, a conflict often arises, which results in an error indicating an incorrect configuration.

Reinstalling Microsoft Visual C++

In the vast majority of cases, the cause of the above error is a conflict between MSVC components of versions 2008 and 2010. The simplest and most obvious way to fix it is to reinstall them. Go to “Programs and Features”, first uninstall the problematic program, then find the Microsoft Visual C++ packages of the specified versions in the list and uninstall them.

Restart your computer. Then download from the official website www.microsoft.com the required versions (the easiest way to find is via Google) and install them sequentially.

Please note that the problem may not only be related to versions 2008 and 2010; all packages may need to be reinstalled. If some MSVC packages are missing on your system, and it is desirable to have versions from 2005 to 2015, download and install them. Restart your computer, reinstall the program, run it and check if the error disappears. In most cases, installing/reinstalling MSVC solves the problem. If the error occurs again, it is also recommended to reinstall the NET Framework component (downloaded from the Microsoft website).

Manifest Analysis

To avoid reinstalling all versions of MSVC, you can use the built-in console utility sxstrace.exe, which allows you to analyze manifests and find out which component is causing the conflict. To do this, run a command prompt as administrator and run the following command:

sxstrace trace -logfile:D:/sxsTrace.etl

As a result of the tracing, the data will be saved to a file sxsTrace.etl to the root of drive D. Now let's convert the resulting file into a readable text document. To do this, immediately run the following command:

sxstraceparse -logfile:D:/sxsTrace.etl -outfile:D:/sxsTrace.log

Open the resulting text document and find in it a line with the elements “Error” or “ERROR”.

Above in the search results block, look for the line starting with “INFO”. It will indicate the version of Microsoft Visual C++ that is needed for your program to run. If the version listed in the trace file is not available in Programs and Features, download and install it.

Errors occurring while working with standard Windows applications are common. If you see a message about problems with the parallel configuration (Error 14001 - The application could not start because its parallel configuration is incorrect), then the system could not find the necessary resources to launch the application libraries. This happens due to malfunctions individual software components and failures in the parallel configuration that writes the libraries and resources that are needed to run the application.

Fault Analysis

To identify the problematic component and module, you should use Sxstrace exe. To do this you need:

You should compare the required version of the application with the existing one, if they do not match, this is the problem. The problem can be solved by installing the required version of the program.

Reinstalling components

After checking, you need to install the correct software components. Most often this is Microsoft Visual C++. To update:

In addition to this program, you may need to reinstall the NET Framework:

For the Ten, you should also check the readiness of all systems for updates:

After all the manipulations done, the desired application should launch immediately.

Correction via the registry

If the previous methods did not help, you should correct the error through the directory:

After the corrections, you should close the registry and restart the system. The error should disappear after these steps.

Other ways

Perhaps the cause of the problem is that the system cannot download and install updates on its own. To solve this problem should download"Troubleshooter" for the OS. After installation, just run it, and it will fix the problems itself.

In addition, there are several other methods for solving error No. 14001.

SFC Team

Using SFC Scan will allow find and fix damaged files. To do this:

If a message will appear“Windows Resource Protection” means that there is damage, but the program cannot fix it. This can be corrected by repeating the procedure in safe mode. To do this, in the tenth and eighth versions of the OS you need to do reboot the PC with the "Shift" key held down. In earlier versions, simply restart the system and hold down the F8 key during the restart.

System Restore

More radical measures include rolling back the OS to an earlier version. To do this:

This option is only available if the system has been enabled and configured to save restore points.

Removing Windows Live components

Windows Live is a series of applications and programs from Microsoft that are built into the system. Sometimes they are the cause of many errors and then it is better to get rid of them:

After removal, you should restart your computer and continue working.

Reset to factory settings

The most radical remedy in Windows 10 is a return to the original factory settings. To do this you need:

The method should be used only if all other recovery methods are useless.

Just the other day I had a problem. I think from the title of the article you already understand which one it is. When installing one of my favorite toys on my PC, I accidentally rejected the installation of C++ and DirectX. The installation was successful. But when I started the program, I saw a system error message that the application could not be started because its parallel configuration was incorrect, etc.

90% of the time, this error occurs due to conflicts or missing required Visual C++ components. Most likely it is the absence. If, when installing a program or game, you unchecked the installation of additional software, it turns out that all the system libraries and components necessary for correct operation were not installed. This could also happen as in my case, simply by canceling the installation of these same components.

This can be solved very simply.

Another solution

As I wrote above. The described methods help in 90% of cases, but what about the remaining 10? Read below.

Don't forget the end of our error message: "Check the Application event log for more information, or use the sxstrace.exe command-line tool for more information." That's why let's run our sxstrace program. You need to run it on a command line running as administrator.

To launch the console follow these steps:

Enter the command sxstrace trace -logfile:sxstrace.etl
Without closing the console, run the program with the error. Then just close the error message.
At the command prompt, enter the command sxstrace parse -logfile:sxstrace.etl -outfile:sxstrace.txt
Open the sxstrace.txt file itself

In this file you can find out the bit depth and the required version of Visual C++ components. Feel free to go to the Internet and download, install, reboot and launch our program. In the end, everything should work perfectly!