Every fan of computer games, in one way or another, has heard about the hit of the early 2000s (and the next decade) called “Stalker” from talented developers from Ukraine. The universe of “STALKER” is not limited exclusively to the game, since the very direction and basis of the plot have been continued / spread in countless books and films, small fan stories and topics that have been released in “free floating”.
Such “romanticism” and post-apocalyptic atmosphere remains relevant, even though there have been no significant game or literary breakthroughs for a long time. But in attempts to install the game of this series on computers with a modern technical component, some users become victims of an error, which is characterized by the appearance of a notification about the absence of the file “xrAPI.dll”, which is necessary for the full launch of the software. But what is the reason for this error and what are the options for solving it? All this will be discussed within the framework of this article.
Contents
Reasons and solutions
So, as mentioned earlier, the problem file is called “xrAPI.dll”, which means that it is part of the “X-Ray” game engine, the authors of which are the same talented Ukrainian guys from GSC Game World. But in fact, this information is for reference only, since it is not directly related to the causal relationship in this situation. The essence of the problem is standard for dynamic link library files – these are two main factors:
- Antivirus software action.
- Incorrect installation or incorrectly assembled repack.
And taking this information into account, you should start looking for possible solutions.
Option 1
To begin with, it is worth checking that the antivirus used on the computer did not recognize virus software in this dll file, which could lead to its transfer to an isolated quarantine. To test this theory, it is enough to do the following (the Norton Security antivirus acts as a test subject):
- Using the program icon in the tray, open the main interface of the antivirus and go to the “Security” section.
- Find “History” among the tabs presented.
- You will see a report on the latest manipulations that were carried out by the antivirus.
- Click on the “Show” button in order to narrow the range of your search as much as possible by selecting “Quarantine” among the available options.
- Find the file you need in the list, within the framework of the article it is “xrAPI.dll” and select it with a mouse click.
- To go to the recovery menu, it remains to click on the “Additional settings” button.
- Finally, click on the “Restore” button.
These actions will lead to the fact that in the future the antivirus will not recognize this component as a malicious object.
Option 2
“STALKER” – this is one of those series, which is famous for its modifications. But their messy installation, or the installation of mods that were written by talented yet non-professional enthusiasts, can cause the game to refuse to work properly. And this can become a key factor in the manifestation of the problem under consideration. Therefore, the most appropriate fix option would be to try to reinstall the game, but disabling add-ons and mods as much as possible, that is, to carry out a “clean installation of the game”. Including, it should not be ruled out that the absence of the requested dynamic library is associated with a “crookedly assembled repack”. You can check this by changing the author of the repack or assembly.
Conclusion
As you can see from the information provided, the causal relationship is extremely simple, therefore, the options for correcting the error are as simple as possible. But you should not rely on resources that offer to download the missing file and simply place it in the system directories or in the game folder. Firstly, it is not known where this file comes from and what it contains in its structure, and secondly, it may turn out to be simply pointless, since the antivirus will quarantine it again. Do not look for a solution “on the side”, you can do everything yourself.