BadImage, error code 0xc000012f – a failure that manifests itself when starting or installing any software, both built into the system and from third-party publishers. Mainly users of the latest generation of Microsoft operating systems from the Windows family are tormented by this, especially after installing updates. In the About window, you will see something similar to “The program is not designed to run or contains an error.”

How to fix error 0xc000012f on Windows 7, 8, 10: step by step instructions

Of course, BadImage 0xc000012f doesn’t come out of nowhere, since every system event has a cause. What are the reasons for 0xc000012f? Sadly, she is not one of those whose origins can be explained. It can be anything from incorrect Windows settings and system registry problems to crashes when starting the program itself or intrigues of viruses. Therefore, you have to try and tinker.

Method one. Reinstallation.

The easiest way to troubleshoot a BadImage crash that is clear to everyone:

• Go to the Control Panel.
• Open Programs and Features or Add or Remove Programs.
• Find the application giving 0xc000012f at startup.
• Delete.
• Install again using the existing installer.
• Check

Everything is simple and clear, besides, it is offered by the system itself as the first solution, even before the start of dancing with a tambourine of the level “contact the system administrator”.

Method two. Cleaning

It is possible that BadImage with the code 0xc000012f arose due to the clutter of the HDD with unnecessary and, therefore, potentially malicious files. You need to remove them, which at the same time will increase the overall performance of the OS. Here’s how to do it:

• Press the key combination Win + R or go to Start and select “Run”.
• Write cleanmgr in the input field.
• Select the drive where the system is installed.
• Click “System Files”
• Make sure that “Update log files” is not checked.
• Clean up.
• Repeat the procedure for all HDDs if there is more than one.
• Check the crashing application.

It is possible that among the junk system files there were components that led to problems with 0xc000012f.

Method three. Removing KB2879017

The reason why we did not delete the update logs during the OS cleaning process is this method. The KB2879017 update is not just an update, but a “cumulative” update, that is, a set of updates. Often, it was after installing it that applications began to fail with the code 0xc000012f. We act as follows:

• Press the key combination Win + R or go to Start and select “Run”.
• Enter wusa.exe / uninstall / kb: 2879017 in the input field .
• Wait for the uninstallation to complete.
• Start the crashing application.

If this does not help, and the problem with BadImage lies not in the “crooked” KB2879017 – we will check Windows entirely for failures and problems.

Method four. SFC

If the simpler methods available to ordinary users did not help, we will move on to the advanced ones. Since “contact the system administrator” is not an option for us by default – we will be “our own system administrator”. Let’s scan the OS for problems with components:

• Go to Start and select “Run” or use the combination Ctrl + R.
• Enter cmd to start the console.
• In the console write sfc / scannow and press Enter.
• Wait until the end of scanning and repairing damaged components, if any.
• Reboot your PC.
• Check the operation of an application that does not start with 0xc000012f.

This method is already one of the more advanced, and if it did not help, we will try to correct the situation in even more laborious ways.

The fifth method. System rollback

“The last chance” for those who are critically important to run an unstable application with 0xc000012f, getting rid of this problem. In this case, important files and parameters may be lost, so make a backup copy of your documents and photos, preferably on a separate HDD or on a third-party partition. What we need:

• Go to Start and select “Run” or use the combination Ctrl + R.
• Type rstrui.exe to start System Restore.
• In the window that opens, click Next and select a restore point that precedes the start of failures due to error 0xc000012f.
• Find Affected Programs will show you a list of applications that the OS is likely to affect in the process. They will have to be reinstalled or reinstalled.
• Click Next and Finish.
• Wait for completion. Do not restart your PC or turn it off in the process – Windows will do everything by itself.

After this long process is over, check if the application is running. Reinstall it if necessary. System rollback should fix problems with BadImage and code 0xc000012f.

Result

The most reliable way to resolve the issue is to roll back the system to an earlier state. But it is not suitable for everyone – some are afraid to do it on their own, some are afraid of losing files and settings, and someone simply has disabled the creation of restore points. This is why to troubleshoot 0xc000012f.