How to Download and Fix wininit.exe?

Sometimes Windows system displays error messages regarding corrupted or missing wininit.exe files. Situations like that can occur, for example, during a software installation process. Each software program requires certain resources, libraries, and source data to work properly. Corrupted or nonexistent wininit.exe file can therefore effect in failed execution of the started process.

wininit.exe file Windows Start-Up Application. The file was developed by for use with software. Here you will find detailed information about the file and instructions how to proceed in the event of wininit.exe related errors on your device. You can also download wininit.exe file compatible with Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Vista devices which will (most probably) allow you to solve the problem.

Compatible with: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Vista

User popularity

3.1 Scanning for malicious software
3.2 System and driver update
3.3 System File Checker tool
3.4 System recovery

4 Download wininit.exe

4.1 List of wininit.exe file versions

File info

General information
Filename	wininit.exe
File extension	EXE
Description	Windows Start-Up Application

Software
Program	Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
Author	Microsoft Corporation

Details
MIME type	application/octet-stream
File type	Executable application
System	Windows NT 32-bit
Copyrights	© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Character set	Unicode
Language cod	English (U.S.)

Most common wininit.exe file related problems

There are various types of errors related to wininit.exe file. wininit.exe file may be located in wrong file directory on your device, may not be present in the system, or may be infected with malicious software and therefore not work correctly. Below is a list of most common error messages related to wininit.exe file. If you encounter one listed below (or similar), please consider the following suggestions.

wininit.exe is corrupted
wininit.exe cannot be located
Runtime Error - wininit.exe
wininit.exe file error
wininit.exe file cannot be loaded. Module was not found
cannot register wininit.exe file:
wininit.exe file could not be loaded
wininit.exe file doesn't exist

wininit.exe

Application could not be started because wininit.exe file is missing. Reinstall the application to solve the problem.

Problems related to wininit.exe can be addressed in various ways. Some methods are meant only for advanced users. If you don't have confidence in your skills, we suggest consulting a specialist. Fixing wininit.exe file errors should be approached with utmost caution for any mistakes can result in unstable or unproperly working system. If you have the necassary skills, please proceed.

How to fix wininit.exe errors in just few steps?

Remember, before taking any action related to system files perform a backup copy of your data!

wininit.exe file errors can be caused by various factors, so its is beneficial to try to fix them using various methods.

Step 1: Scan your computer for any malicious software

Windows files are commonly attacked by malicious software that prevents them from working properly. First step in addressing problems with wininit.exe file or any other Windows system files should be scanning the system for malicious software using an antivirus tool.

If by any chance you don't have any antivirus software installed on your system yet, you should do it immediately. Unprotected system is not only a source of file errors, but, more importantly, makes your system vulnerable to many dangers. If you don't know which antivirus tool to choose, consult this Wikipedia article – comparison of antivirus software.

Step 2: Update your system and drivers.

Installing relevant Microsoft Windows patches and updates may solve your problems related to wininit.exe file. Use dedicated Windows tool to perform the update.

Go to the Windows "Start" menu
Type "Windows Update" in the search field
Choose the appropriate software program (name may vary depending on your system version)
Check if your system is up to date. If any unapplied updates are listed, install them immediately.
After the update has been done,restart your computer in order to complete the process.

Beside updating the system, it is recommended that you install latest device drivers, as drivers can influence proper working of wininit.exe or other system files. In order to do so, go to your computer or device producer's website where you will find information regarding latest driver updates.

Step 3: Use System File Checker (SFC) tool

System File Checker is a Microsoft Windows tool. As the name suggests, the tool is used for identyfing and addressing system file related errors, including those related to wininit.exe file. After an error related to%fileextension% file has been discovered, the program attempts to automatically replace the wininit.exe file with properly working version. To use the tool:

Go to the Windows "Start" menu
Type "cmd" in the search field
Locate "Command Prompt" result – don't run it yet:
Click the right mouse button and select "Run as Administrator" option
Type "sfc /scannow" in console prompt to start the program and follow the instructions

Step 4: Restoring Windows system

Another approach is to restore system to previous state, before the wininit.exe file error occured. In order to restore your system, follow the instructions below

Go to the Windows "Start" menu
Type "System Restore" in the search field
Start the system restore tool – it's name may differ depending on version of the system
The application will guide you through the process – read the messages carefully
After the process has finished, restart your computer.

If all the above-mentioned methods failed and the wininit.exe file problem has not been resolved, proceed to the next step. Remember that the following steps are intended only for advanced users.

Download and replace wininit.exe file

The last solution is to manually download and replace wininit.exe file in appropriate folder on the disk. Select file version compatible with your operating system and click the "Download" button. Next, go to your web browser's "Downloaded" folder and copy the downloaded wininit.exe file.

Go to the folder where the file should be located and paste the downloaded file. Below is the list of wininit.exe file example directory paths.

Windows 10: C:\Windows\System32\
Windows 8.1: C:\Windows\System32\
Windows 8: 1: C:\Windows\System32\
Windows 7: C:\Windows\System32\
Windows 7: C:\Windows\System32\
Windows Vista: ---
Windows Vista: ---

If the steps did not solve your wininit.exe file problem, you should consult a professional. A probability exists that the error(s) might be device-related and therefore should be resolved at the hardware level. A fresh operating system installation might be necessary – a faulty system installation process can result in data loss.

File versions list

Filename wininit.exe

System Windows 10

File size 216504 bytes

Date 2017-03-18

Download

File details
	MD5	ed867d527027dbab6cf9cb7aac85b89e
	SHA1	86f5b1b084b242ecddaaa4316b88397347a90216
	SHA256	9120edd8225a30ce573426e22dfe5683f89f19f007927cce5cc336e4473e641d
	CRC32	f87cbc9b
	Example file location	C:\Windows\System32\

Filename wininit.exe

System Windows 8.1

File size 115712 bytes

Date 2014-11-21

Download

File details
	MD5	dc02677945bdabd6b0c6a29914aa21ef
	SHA1	99f95e73b86d00d589e2ed36f2885472ae41c9b9
	SHA256	fd0577c402bf8440f6db3f4d852a15c8bb51870814a790b5fecc541b5e5afc46
	CRC32	8d0dbdbd
	Example file location	C:\Windows\System32\

Filename wininit.exe

System Windows 8

File size 101376 bytes

Date 2012-07-26

Download

File details
	MD5	7109ff769fff962869c50d720f7aa7d7
	SHA1	d7538e3570602d428a1325bde6131bd04ee68afb
	SHA256	890cb2e09f03f4a8a762319edb5eab6d0d2ebf6173e136d6591fffce8b7e27fa
	CRC32	04ed8071
	Example file location	1: C:\Windows\System32\

Filename wininit.exe

System Windows 7

File size 129024 bytes

Date -0001-11-30

Download

File details
	MD5	94355c28c1970635a31b3fe52eb7ceba
	SHA1	2de5c051c0d7d8bcc14b1ca46be8ab9756f29320
	SHA256	c4e98f07170cec69cacdd5cedb8927e48a2a299cb1b8cda87526e768af6174f0
	CRC32	d6e0ee4d
	Example file location	C:\Windows\System32\

Filename wininit.exe

System Windows 7

File size 96256 bytes

Date -0001-11-30

Download

File details
	MD5	b5c5dcad3899512020d135600129d665
	SHA1	c7bba9840c44e7739fb314b7a3efe30e6b25cc48
	SHA256	f6b4d18fa0d3c4958711ac0d476c21a6fdf2897f989a0ad290b43f463dd8b5b0
	CRC32	05b12bd3
	Example file location	C:\Windows\System32\

Filename wininit.exe

System Windows Vista

File size 96768 bytes

Date -0001-11-30

Download

File details
	MD5	101ba3ea053480bb5d957ef37c06b5ed
	SHA1	738ef691944f08cf0c405a52f3f55e99ef6e8e6e
	SHA256	9a02771da9c226552a1766c2dd0295eca8b5b80aae13076ffce6a806fa5c21b8
	CRC32	8588afab
	Example file location	---

Filename wininit.exe

System Windows Vista

File size 123904 bytes

Date 2008-01-21

Download

File details
	MD5	117ea87df785ca1b9d821f6f213dce07
	SHA1	9ad5c2277da37cd167fca1238ef7e64814c28984
	SHA256	b9c1b9da26015b8d5a356da81e263cd6eede172fde09f46064f91f943cb1561a
	CRC32	5d2dc5a0
	Example file location	---