How to Fix the Error "There was a Problem Starting PhotoViewer.DLL" In Windows 7

I found a very strange error when I was trying to edit an image the other day using the Windows 7 that said:

There was a problem starting C:\Program Files\Windows Photo Gallery\PhotoViewer.dll
The specified module could not be found.

This problem only occurred when I right-clicked on an image and choose the edit option. I would then get the above error message, it's really annoying and I found a few work around fixes for the problem. In this article I will give you a few possible solutions that should stop the PhotoViewer.dll error code in Windows 7.

So what is basically happening here is Windows 7 is trying to open the image using PhotoViewer.dll and the location is wrong in the registry. The easiest fix for this is to set the image type to open with the default program you want to use to edit the file. This is a very easy fix to perform, just follow these steps:

1 - Right Click the file
2 - Click Open with Drop out box
3 - Click Choose default program
4 - Click the program you want to always open this file type with
5 - If the program you want to use isn't listed click Browse
6 - Navigate to the program you want to use and click to highlight its executable
7 - Click Open
8 - Check the box labeled "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file"
9 - Click OK

This should solve your problem with the error message, unless you are trying to set the program to Windows Photo Gallery (which is typically the cause of this error message). If this is the case then you will want to try the next fix.

The next possible solution is to edit your registry to clear up a possible file location issue with Windows 7. Basically you will delete a registry entry that is probably telling the PhotoViewer.dll a wrong location of the file. To do this follow these steps:

Click Start
Click Search Bar
Type regedit
Hit Enter
Navigate to - HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\jpegfile\shell\edit
Right Click on the Edit Key
Click Delete

This should remove the file location association for the PhotoViewer.dll and fix your problem. If you don't see the key listed above in the registry then this fix doesn't pertain to your issue and you shouldn't try it.

If you really want to use Windows Photo Gallery as the default image editor for your files, you can also try downloading and installing the newest Windows Live Photo Gallery (it's better anyway). The installation of the newer version of this software resolves this issue with the PhotoViewer.dll.

Well I hope this guide helps you to clear up your error "There was a Problem Starting PhotoViewer.DLL" in Windows 7.