Technology

‘SteamController procedure entry point could not be located in the STEAM_API DLL’ Fix in Windows 7/8/10

The error “The procedure entry point Steam driver could not be located in the dynamic link library” in Windows 7/8/10 is caused by a corrupt, damaged, or incompatible DLL file.

The bug is synonymous with gaming, but it’s actually present with a host of other apps as well.

The core of the error is that the application in question (in your case Steam) will not be able to load a particular DLL file, causing the system to crash with the error cited in your message. For either variant of this error, the problem comes from having a DLL that does not have the valid functionality required for the application to function properly.

The error will be displayed with the following message:

  • [x].exe: entry point not found
  • The SteamController procedure entry point could not be located in the dynamic link library steam_api.dll

Causes

The problem you are experiencing is the result of calling a DLL, but it does not have a function available from within.

While many people will simply tell you to replace the DLL (which is a valid strategy), there may be deeper issues with Windows or the application that is generating the error. Therefore, to properly resolve the problem, you must be absolutely sure that you have fixed any of the possible errors that may be causing it to show, which may be with Windows or other applications on your system.

The main cause of the error is that another program overwritten the DLL that your application is trying to access.

This may be due to a crash, or the other program could have been designed to do it (in the case of antivirus applications). In either case, the solution is to make sure your underlying system is working properly and then any of the DLLs / settings your computer has is working properly as well. The following should help you correct the various errors you are experiencing.

To be more specific about the steam_api.dll error itself, whenever you use a Steam-enabled game, you must connect to Steam via its “API”. An API is an application programming interface, which is a technical language for a set of hooks / actions that can be invoked by another program, for an independent application.

For example, if you try to load COD and log in with Steam, COD will use the Steam API to log in to your service. Ultimately, what it means is that even though the bug cites Steam, Steam is * not * likely to be the problem. The biggest problem is that your game overwritten the original steam_api.dll with one that didn’t work as well. Either way, the fixes are listed below …

Solution

  1. Reinstall Steam

    The first step is to reinstall Steam

    While I mentioned that Steam is not the problem, the main problem is that steam_api.dll will have been overwritten by your game. As such, you need to make sure that you can get the original version back, which means reinstalling it. Doing this is quick and simple:

    – Press the “Windows” + “R” keys on your keyboard

    – Type “control.exe appwiz.cpl” and press “OK”

    – From the displayed list, select “Steam”, right click and select “Uninstall”

    – Wait for the uninstallation to complete and restart your PC

    After restarting the system, you should be able to download and install the latest version of Steam. To do this, simply head over to the Steam website and download the latest version of the client.

    Download and install it. After doing this, restart your system again and try loading the game. Since reinstallation replaces all Steam files, steam_api.dll should be replaced with the latest version.

  2. Reinstall the affected software

    If you don’t have Steam or the reinstallation doesn’t work, you’ll need to reinstall any of the affected programs.

    The error you are experiencing is usually displayed when you are running a game (which is based on Steam). As such, the best way to ensure that you don’t have corrupted files or settings is to simply reinstall said game. This is done by following these steps:

    – Press the “Windows” + “R” keys on your keyboard

    – Type “control.exe appwiz.cpl” and press “OK”

    – From the displayed list, select the game, right click and select “Uninstall”

    – Wait for the uninstallation to complete and restart your PC

    Once restarted, you will want to try reinstalling the game, preferably by downloading a fresh copy from the internet. After doing this, reboot again and see if the error persists. If so, continue with the next steps.

  3. windows update

    The next step is to update Windows.

    This may sound trivial, but the number of people running dangerously outdated systems is remarkable (check out WannaCry for proof of this). Upgrading Windows is free, and for me at least, there’s no reason you shouldn’t want to. The process is very simple and ensures that any potential bugs within your system are properly resolved …

    Windows 7

    – Click on the “Start” button (bottom left)

    – Click on “Control Panel”

    – Click on “System and Security”

    – Under the “Windows Update” heading, select “Check for updates”.

    – Download and install any updates you find

    Windows 10

    – Right click on the “Start” button (lower left task bar)

    – Select “Settings”

    – Click on “Update and Security”

    – Click on “Check for updates”.

    – Let the system download and install any of the updates it requires

    This may require a reboot.

    And honestly, it probably won’t fix your bug … but it should ensure that the system runs as smoothly as possible (fixing most of the bugs that could be causing it to show up). The next step should resolve the error if it is still showing.

  4. Download and replace steam_api.dll on your system

    Lastly, you’ll want to download and replace steam_api.dll on your system.

    Most tutorials will recommend this up front. While it’s fine, there may be other issues at play, that’s why we tried reinstalling first. It is much better to obtain the “official” file from the software vendor by installing the software, than simply downloading some DLL from the Internet. Since they didn’t work, we’ll have to follow the steps outlined here to replace the DLL on your system:

    – Go to Google and search for the download for “steam_api.dll”

    – There will be a series of sites that will appear at the top (usually dll-files.com or similar)

    – Choose one and then find to download the applicable steam_api.dll for your system (be careful to choose the correct x86 / x64 version)

    – Once you find a good site, download the ZIP to your hard drive

    – Open the ZIP and extract the DLL contained in

    – Right click on the DLL and select “Copy”

    – Go to c: / Windows / System32, right click on a blank space and select “Paste”

    – If the system asks to overwrite an existing file, select “OK”

    – From here, you must press the “Windows” + “R” keys on your keyboard

    – At the “Command Prompt” type the following and press “Enter” after each one: regsvr32 / u steam_api.dll + regsvr32 / I steam_api.dll

    This should display a “success” message. After doing this, restart your system and try playing the game again.

If you are still experiencing the error, it suggests that you have more specific problems with your system.

Since this is an Internet article, I do not have access to any of the potential details that your system may have.

Instead, I’d recommend going to a resource that * yes * gives you the ability to fix any of the issues that may be contributing to additional bugs. To do this, you may want to consider consulting various types of resources …

First of all, you * could * take the system to a local repair technician, but in all honesty, it will cost you money for a service where the guy will basically just do what’s in here. Second, it has several online resources, namely “question / answer” communities and live online support.

For this type of error, it would be best to go to an online support community, either Microsoft Answers or SuperUser, which will be able to provide you with feedback specific to your system.

This can be done by clicking on any of the aforementioned sites, registering for free, and then “asking” a question. Put the full error message as a title and a description of how it loads as a message, and then you should wait (usually around 2/3 hours) for responses. MA’s responses are generally quite generic; Superuser responses are more specific, but completely dependent on the guys who are submitting them (most of whom are not very good).

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