Fix: Error 87 ‘The Parameter is Incorrect’

Some Windows users are reporting that they are seeing the “Error 87 the Parameter is Incorrect” error every time they try to open an application. In some cases, the encountered error message is: “LoadLibrary failed with error 87: The parameter is incorrect.”  Some affected users are reporting that the issue only occurs with one or two applications while other users report that the error pops up with virtually any application that they try to open. The issue is not exclusive to a certain Windows version as it’s confirmed to appear on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10.

What is causing the “Error 87 the Parameter is Incorrect” error?

We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that are commonly being used to solve this particular problem. Based on what we gathered, there are several different potential culprits that have the potential of causing this issue:

Method 1: Performing a Clean Boot

Performing a clean boot will start Windows with the minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This procedure will help us figure out if the issue is caused by some sort of software conflict that occurs when the “Error 87 the Parameter is Incorrect” message appears.

Several affected users that we’re also looking for a way to fix the issue have reported that the error stopped occurring while they were in a clean boot state. Once they confirmed that an application or a driver was producing the error message, they proceeded to strip down installed software component until the issue was no longer occurring even when Windows booted up normally.

Here’s a quick guide on performing a clean boot an figure out the software culprit that is triggering the error message:

1. First things first, ensure that you are signed in with a user that has administrative privileges.
2. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type “msconfig” inside the text box and press Enter to open up the System Configuration window. When prompted by the UAC (User Account Control), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.

   

3. Inside the System Configuration window, select the Services tab from the ribbon bar at the top and start by checking the box associated with Hide all Microsoft services. Then, turn your attention to the remaining services above and hit the Disable all button to prevent any 3rd party services to be enabled at the next system startup.

   

4. After you hit Apply to save the changes, select the Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager.

   

5. From the Startup tab of Task Manager, select each service individually and then click on Disable to prevent it from running at the next system startup.

   

6. Once all necessary items have been disabled, close Task Manager and restart your computer.
7. At the next system startup, your machine will boot into a Clean Boot State.
8. Repeat the action that was previously triggering the “Error 87 the Parameter is Incorrect” and see if the issue has been resolved.
9. If the procedure was successful, revisit step 3 and 5 and systematically re-enable the startup items & services that you disabled coupled with reboots until you discover your culprit.

If this method didn’t resolve the issue for you, move down to the next method below.

Method 2: Performing a CHSDSK, SFC & DISM scan

As it turns out, this particular issue can also be caused by system file corruption that might end up messing with the display drivers. Several users struggling to resolve the same issue have reported that the issue was resolved after they performed a CHKDSK, SFC or a DISM scan. These are two built-in utilities that are known to fix a lot of system-file related issues.

Here’s a quick guide doing this on any Windows computer:

1. Once you’re ready to initiate the scan, press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “cmd” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up an elevated Command Prompt

   

   Note: When you’re prompted by the UAC (User Account Control), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.

2. Inside the elevated Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter to initiate a CHKDSK scan:

   chkdsk X: /r
   Important: X is simply a placeholder. Replace it with the letter of the drive you are trying to target. 
   

   Note: A CHKDSK scan will scan your entire drive looking for integrity violations and logical errors. If any inconsistencies are found, the utility will attempt to fix these problems by repairing soft bad sectors and ensuring that hard bad sectors are never used again.

3. Once the scan is complete, restart your machine and see if the issue is resolved at the next system startup. If the same error is still occurring, move down to the next step below.
4. Follow Step 1 again to open up another elevated Command Prompt. Then, type the following command and press Enter to initiate an SFC scan:

   sfc /scannow
   

   Note: The System File Checker (SFC) utility will scan all protected system files and replace any corrupted files that it manages to find with locally stored copies located in a compressed folder (exact location is (%WinDir%\System32\dllcache)

5. Once the procedure is complete, restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved at the next system startup.
6. If you’re still encountering the issue, follow Step 1 once again to open another elevated Command Prompt. Then, type the following command and press Enter to initiate a DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scan:

   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

   Note: A DISM scan uses Windows Update to fetch the files required to fix the corrupted occurrences that are identified. That’s why is important to ensure that you have a stable internet connection before performing this last step.

7. Once the procedure is complete, restart your computer and see if the issue has been resolved at the next system startup.

If the same “Error 87 the Parameter is Incorrect” error is still occurring, move down to the next method below.

Method 3: Rolling back (Uninstalling) the display drivers

As it turns out, this particular issue can also be caused by a corrupted or incomplete display driver. Some users that have been encountering this exact issue have reported that the issue stopped occurring after they used Device Manager to roll back the display driver (or uninstalling the driver) if no rollback action was available.

Doing so will not have a long-lasting effect on your computer since Windows 10 is equipped to install any missing drivers back on your computer.

Here’s a quick guide on  rolling back or uninstalling the display drivers:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “devmgmt.msc” and press Enter to open up Device Manager.

   

2. Inside Device Manager, expand the drop-down menu associated with Display Adapters.
3. Next, right-click on your display adapter and choose Properties from the context menu.

   

   Note: If you have two different display drivers ( a dedicated and integrated option), it’s preferable that you deal with both.

4. Inside the Properties screen, go to the Driver tab and click on Roll Back Driver. Then, follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.

   

   Note: If the Roll Back Driver version is unavailable, click on Uninstall Device instead.

5. Once the process is complete, restart your computer. At the next system startup, your OS will complete the installation. If the driver was previously uninstalled, Windows will automatically search for and install the latest driver version.
6. Now that the display driver has been modified, repeat the action that was previously triggering the “Error 87 the Parameter is Incorrect” error and see if the issue is still occurring.

If the same error is still occurring, move down to the next method below.

Method 4: Restoring the Windows Update Service

If you’re getting the “Error 87 the Parameter is Incorrect” error while trying to start the Windows Update service, chances are the default services have been modified to the point where some entries have become corrupted.

Several users encountering this exact issue have reported that they managed to fix the issue indefinitely after following the steps necessary to restore to the default services and the settings.

Important: The steps below are only applicable to Windows 10.

Here’s a quick guide on restoring the Windows Update service:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “notepad” and press Enter to open up the default text editor.
2. Inside the Notepad utility, paste the following code:

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv]
   "PreshutdownTimeout"=dword:036ee800
   "DisplayName"="@%systemroot%\\system32\\wuaueng.dll,-105"
   "ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
   "ImagePath"=hex(2):25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,00,6f,00,\
   74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,\
   00,76,00,63,00,68,00,6f,00,73,00,74,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,2d,00,\
   6b,00,20,00,6e,00,65,00,74,00,73,00,76,00,63,00,73,00,00,00
   "Start"=dword:00000003
   "Type"=dword:00000020
   "Description"="@%systemroot%\\system32\\wuaueng.dll,-106"
   "DependOnService"=hex(7):72,00,70,00,63,00,73,00,73,00,00,00,00,00
   "ObjectName"="LocalSystem"
   "ServiceSidType"=dword:00000001
   "RequiredPrivileges"=hex(7):53,00,65,00,41,00,75,00,64,00,69,00,74,00,50,00,72,\
   00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,\
   65,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,47,00,6c,00,6f,00,62,00,61,00,6c,00,50,00,72,00,69,\
   00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,65,00,\
   61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,50,00,72,\
   00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,54,00,63,00,\
   62,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,\
   00,41,00,73,00,73,00,69,00,67,00,6e,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,6d,00,61,00,72,00,\
   79,00,54,00,6f,00,6b,00,65,00,6e,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,\
   00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6d,00,70,00,65,00,72,00,73,00,6f,00,\
   6e,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,\
   00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6e,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,73,00,65,00,51,00,\
   75,00,6f,00,74,00,61,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,\
   00,00,00,53,00,65,00,53,00,68,00,75,00,74,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,6e,00,50,00,\
   72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,00,00
   "FailureActions"=hex:80,51,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,14,00,00,\
   00,01,00,00,00,60,ea,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv\Parameters]
   "ServiceDll"=hex(2):25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,00,6f,\
   00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,\
   77,00,75,00,61,00,75,00,65,00,6e,00,67,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,00,00
   "ServiceDllUnloadOnStop"=dword:00000001
   "ServiceMain"="WUServiceMain"
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv\Security]
   "Security"=hex:01,00,14,80,78,00,00,00,84,00,00,00,14,00,00,00,30,00,00,00,02,\
   00,1c,00,01,00,00,00,02,80,14,00,ff,00,0f,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,\
   00,00,02,00,48,00,03,00,00,00,00,00,14,00,9d,00,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,\
   05,0b,00,00,00,00,00,18,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,\
   20,02,00,00,00,00,14,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,\
   01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv\TriggerInfo]
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv\TriggerInfo\0]
   "Type"=dword:00000005
   "Action"=dword:00000001
   "Guid"=hex:e6,ca,9f,65,db,5b,a9,4d,b1,ff,ca,2a,17,8d,46,e0
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wuauserv\TriggerInfo\1]
   "Type"=dword:00000005
   "Action"=dword:00000001
   "Guid"=hex:c8,46,fb,54,89,f0,4c,46,b1,fd,59,d1,b6,2c,3b,50

3. Once the code is pasted, go to the ribbon at the top and select File > Save As.
4. In the Save As window, name the file whatever you want, but ensure that you change the extension from .txt to .reg. Next, set a location for the .reg file and click the Save button.
5. Double-click on the .reg file and click Yes at the confirmation prompt to make the necessary to the registry.

Method 5: Enabling Split Tunneling (if applicable)

Some affected users have reported that in their case, the issue was caused by the fact that Split Tunneling has been turned off automatically in the latest versions of Windows 10 due to some security concerns. If you’re encountering this issue when trying to open your VPN application, you can resolve the issue by executing a series of Powershell commands that will help you re-enable Split Tunneling.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “powershell” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up an elevated Powershell window. If prompted by the UAC (User Account Control) prompt, click Yes to grant admin access.

   

2. Inside the elevated Powershell prompt, type the following command and press Enter to see details about your VPN Connection:

   Get-VPNConnection

3. You’ll get a list with info about your VPN, including the Name and the split tunnelling feature. If the split tunneling feature is set to False, take note of the name as we’ll need it in the steps below.

   

4. Type the following command and press Enter to enable Split Tunneling:

    "Set-VPNConnection" -Name "Name of VPN" -SplitTunneling $True"

   Note: “Name of VPN” is simply a place holder for the name of your VPN that you discovered at step 3.

5. Once the command is processed successfully, restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved at the next system startup.

Method 6: Editing the Registry (if applicable)

If you’re encountering the “Error 87 the Parameter is Incorrect” error while trying to disable the MessagingService_48ab2 service or OneSyncSvc_54186de service, you will be able to resolve the issue with a simple Registry edit. This method is typically reported to be effective on Windows 10 computers.

Here’s a quick guide on disabling the MessagingService by using the Registry Editor:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “regedit” and press Enter to open up the Registry Editor. When prompted by the UAC (User Account Control), click Yes to grant admin access.
2. Inside the Registry Editor, use the left-hand pane to navigate to one of the following two locations (depending on which service you want to disable):

   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\OneSyncSvc_48ab2
   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\OneSyncSvc_54186de

3. Once you get to the right key, move over to the right-hand side and double-click on the Start DWORD.
4. Next, set the Base to Hexadecimal and then set the Value data to 4 (Disabled).

   

5. Close the Registry Editor, restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved at the next system startup.

If the issue is still occurring, move down to the next method below.

Method 7: Renaming the atig6pxx.dll file

If you’re encountering the “Error LoadLibrary failed with error 87: The parameter is incorrect error” when trying to open Vegas Pro or a similar editing program and you have an ATI graphics card, you are probably suffering from a recurring problem that has affected a lot of users in a similar situation.

Several users that have been encountering this exact issue have reported that they have managed to solve it by modifying a DLL file named atig6pxx.dll. After doing this, they reported that they were able to open the editing program that was previously failing with this particular error.

Here’s what  you need to do:

1. Use the search function on your Windows taskbar to search for “atig6pxx.dll”. You can press Windows key + S to bring up the Search function instantly.
2. From the list of results, right-click on atig6pxx.dll and choose Open File Location. It should lead you directly into the System32 folder.
3. Next, right-click on the atig6pxx.dll file and choose Rename. Then, simply add the .bak extension at the end of the .dll extension. This will essentially instruct your OS to ignore this file. Click Yes at the confirmation prompt, then click Yes once again if you’re prompted by the UAC (User Account Control).

   

   Note: If the extensions are not visible from the get-go, go to the ribbon bar at the top of the File Explorer window, click on View and ensure that the box associated with File name extensions is enabled.

   

4. Once this modification is complete, restart your computer and see if the issue is still occurring when you launch a video editing software.