Fix CNMSSC DLL Error on Windows 11

Some users of Windows They report that every time they start their computer they receive an error that points to a problem with CNMSSC.DLL what does it say It is not a valid Win 32 applicationThis problem is much more common in older versions of Windows (Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10), but there are also reports of it occurring in Windows 11Here, we are going to help you repair the CNMSSC DLL error.

What causes CNMSSC DLL error?

After researching this particular issue, it turns out that there are several scenarios that could end up triggering this error. Here is a list of possible culprits that you should be aware of if you are currently experiencing this problem:

• Canon process in conflict: It turns out that this particular problem is often caused by a Canon printer process. There is no official explanation as to why this is happening, but community members are reporting that it is likely due to a conflicting driver interfering with the CNMSSC.DLL file. To fix the problem if this scenario is applicable, you should try to forcefully stop the Canon printer process via the Task Manager or simply uninstall the main software (Canon Printer Software) in case the first method is not effective.
• Corrupted startup key: If you are receiving this error every time your computer starts up, it is very likely that you are experiencing this behavior due to an unauthorized startup item that is calling CNMSSC.DLL even if the file is no longer present on your printer. You can correct this behavior by cleaning up the Shell startup folder or by running the Autoruns software to delete any unauthorized startup items.
• Outdated version of Windows: It turns out that this problem could also be related to your current version of Windows. Several users facing the same type of problem have confirmed that once they updated their Windows version to the latest build, the problem related to CNMSSC.DLL stopped occurring.
• Remnant key cnmssc~1.dll: Depending on how you uninstalled the Canon printer software and the associated dependency, you may end up experiencing this error on every startup due to a registry key that is still calling the now missing file even though it is no longer present on your system. In this case, the only way to resolve the issue is to remove all mentions of cnmssc~1.dll from your Registry cluster via the Registry Editor.
• Third-party application interference: It turns out that this problem can also occur due to some kind of interference caused by some printer support applications or security suites that are blocking the DLL file from coming into action. You can test this theory by implementing a clean boot and seeing if the error stops occurring. If the error no longer occurs while in clean boot mode, you can systematically get rid of all third-party suites until you identify the culprit.
• Security issue: In certain circumstances, you can expect to deal with this problem after your antivirus suite ended up quarantining CNMSSC.DLL or an associated dependency. In this case, our recommendation is to run a deep scan with Microsoft Safety Scanner and complement it with Malwarebytes to make sure your PC is no longer infected. A Malwarebytes scan will also do the trick to clean up any startup items that may be causing this error.
• Corruption of system files: Depending on the source of this problem, this error can also be caused by some kind of system file corruption that is currently affecting your system. In this case, the quickest and most efficient way to resolve the issue is to implement a repair installation or clean install procedure.

Now that we have reviewed all the possible causes that could trigger the CNMSSC DLL error, let us go through all the confirmed solutions which other affected users have successfully used to get to the bottom of this problem.

Disable the Canon printer process (if applicable)

If you are just starting to troubleshoot this particular problem, the first thing you should do is check if the problem is often caused by the Canon printer process.

There is no clear explanation as to why this happens (from Microsoft), but it may be due to a Canon driver conflict interfering with the CNMSSC.DLL file.

If this scenario is applicable, the easiest way to fix the problem is to try to force stop the Canon printer service via Task Manager.

Several affected users have confirmed that they stopped seeing the CNMSSC.DLL-related error after using Task Manager to effectively disable all Canon-related printer services.

Follow the instructions below for specific instructions on how to do this:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Enterto open the Task Manager trust your
• If the simple interface is open by default, click Show more details to open the expert interface of Task Manager.

• Once you are inside the expert interface in Task Manager, access the Startup tab, then go ahead and look for each Canon printer process and disable it (by right-clicking on it and clicking Disable in the context menu).

• After all Canon startup services have been disabled, restart your PC and see if the error stops occurring.

If the same error keeps occurring  CNMSSC.DLL, please try the following method below to uninstall the potentially conflicting Canon printer software.

Uninstall the Canon printer software (if applicable)

If the first method didn't work for you, the problem is likely caused by the main startup service application (which we tried to disable in the previous method).

If this scenario is applicable, the next logical step would be to uninstall the main application: Canon Printer Software.

Note: Only consider this method if you are not actively using the Canon printer software or any associated dependencies or features. If you are using the native printing feature in Windows, you can easily uninstall the software as the native printing protocol will be used instead.

If this method is suitable for you, please follow the instructions below to uninstall the Canon printer software:

• Press Windows key + R to open a dialog box  Run.
• Then write 'appwiz.cpl' inside the text box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the menu Programs and Features with administrator access.

• If User Account Control (UAC) prompts you, click  Yes to grant administrator access.
• Once you are inside the menu Programs and Features, scroll down through the list of installed programs and locate Canon printer software.
• When you see it, right click on it and select uninstall in the context menu that just appeared.

 

• Within the uninstall screen, follow the detailed steps to complete the uninstallation, then restart your PC and see if the problem is resolved once the next startup is complete.

If the issue is still not resolved, move down to the next potential solution below.

Clean the Shell startup folder

If you see this error every time your computer starts, it's probably because an unauthorized startup item is calling CNMSSC.DLL, even if the file is no longer in your printer. You can fix this by cleaning up the Shell startup folder or running Autoruns to remove any unauthorized startup items.

This method has been successfully used by many Windows 10 and Windows 11 users.

Note: All you need to do is open the Shell startup folder and delete all the unsolicited startup items from there.

For step-by-step instructions on how to do this, follow the step below:

• Press Windows key + R to open a dialog box  Run.
• Then write 'shell: startup' inside the text box, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the folder Shell Startup with administrator access.
• If requested by the User Account Control (UAC), click  Yes to grant administrator access.
• Once you are inside the folder Homepress Ctrl + A to select everything inside, then right-click on a selected item and click Delete in the context menu that just appeared.

• After you remove all startup items from the Startup folder, repeat the action that was causing the CNMSSC.DLL and see if the problem is now solved.

If the problem is still not resolved, please move on to the next method below.

Remove the responsible startup item via Autoruns

If you get startup errors related to the CNMSSC.DLL file, it is likely that your security suite has removed a malicious file that was part of the infection.

It is not uncommon for some security suites to miss some files when dealing with infections. Sometimes startup items and registry keys will remain on the system, calling the malicious file to run even if the security suite removed the file. Whenever this happens, Windows will automatically trigger a pop-up error.

There are several ways to deal with an error associated with the dnsapi.dll file, but let's look at the easiest approach of the bunch.

Note: Autoruns is a Microsoft-vetted software that can identify, organize and remove unused runonce, run, startup folders and registry keys.

In our case, we can use it to identify and remove startup items (or registry keys) that are calling the file that is no longer there. Here is a quick guide to installing and using Autoruns to remove errors associated with the CNMSSC.DLL file:

• First, let's download the latest version of the Autoruns utility.
• To do this, visit the Autoruns download page from any browser to start the download.
• Once you are inside the correct page, click on Download Autoruns and Autorunsc.

• After the download is complete, extract the .zip file and double-click the executable Autoruns to open it.
• After Autoruns opens, wait until the bootloader is full. list All, then scroll down through the list of available Autorun entries and locate CNMSSC.DLL (see the path in the image).
• Once you see it, right-click on it and select Delete from the context menu to prevent the executable from being called at system startup.

• Restart your computer and see if you see any CNMSSC.DLL warnings at startup.

If the problem is still not resolved, please move on to the next method below.

Update Windows to the latest version

It turns out that this problem might be related to your current version of Windows. Several users who experienced the same problem have confirmed that updating their Windows version to the latest version stopped the problem related to CNMSSC.DLL.

A popular reason that could cause this behavior is when Windows Update You already have a scheduled update ready to update the printing component.

Some users who encountered the same error code reported that they fixed the problem by updating their Windows version to the latest version available. After doing this and restarting their computer, most reported that the CNMSSC.DLL startup error was no longer occurring.

If this scenario is applicable to you, try installing all pending updates for your operating system. Windows and see if this fixes the problem automatically:

• To open the tab Windows Update Settings App, press the Windows key + R to open a Run dialog box.
• Then write 'ms-settings:windowsupdate' inside the text box and press Get in.
• Once you are inside the screen of Windows Update, go to the section on the right and click on Search for updates.
• Then follow the on-screen instructions to install each pending update until your computer is up to date.
• If you are prompted to restart before you can install all pending updates, restart as instructed.

Note: Once startup is complete, return to the Windows Update screen to finish installing any remaining updates.

• After installing all pending Windows updates, you should find that the startup error CNMSSC.DLL stops happening.

If the problem is still not resolved, please move on to the next method below.

Remove cnmssc~1.dll from Registry Editor

If you uninstalled your Canon printer software without taking care of all the dependencies, you may start seeing this error message every time you turn on your computer.

This is because there is still a registry key somewhere that tries to call the now missing cnmssc~1.dll file. To fix the problem, you will need to find and remove all mentions of cnmssc~1.dll from your Registry using Registry Editor.

Many Windows 10 and Windows 11 users confirmed that this method was effective and that we had previously uninstalled the Canon printer software incorrectly.

Here's how to do this:

• Press Windows key + R to open a dialog box Run. Then write 'regedit.msc' inside the text box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Registry Editor  with administrator access.
• When the User Account Control requests it, click  Yes to grant administrator access.
• Once you're inside the Windows Registry Editor, make sure the input Team is selected in the menu on the left, then go to the ribbon at the top and click Edit > Search.
• Inside the dialog text box Search, type 'cnmssc~1.dll' and press Get in.
• Once you find the first result, simply press the key Fromthen press Enter to confirm the deletion.
• Then press F3 to continue the search and continue removing all keys that contain mentions of the file cnmssc~1.dll  until there are none left.
• Restart your computer and see if the startup error stops occurring.

If the same type of problem still occurs, please move on to the next method below.

Implement a clean boot

You may encounter the CNMSSC.DLL error code due to some kind of application or service conflict with the printer dependencies.

To see if this is the case, you can force Windows to boot with only essential drivers and startup programs. This type of startup (clean boot) will help you identify any software conflicts that may be causing this particular problem.

Here are the steps to perform a clean boot in Windows and see if a third-party service or startup item is causing this startup error:

• Make sure you are logged in with a password. windows account that has administrative privileges.
• Press Windows key + R to open a dialog box Run, then type “msconfig” and press Enter to open the System Configuration window. 

Note: If User Account Control (UAC) prompts you, click  Yes to grant administrative privileges.

• Inside the window System settings, go to the tab Services and check the box next to Hide all Microsoft services.

Note: This will ensure that you are not disabling any critical services that the operating system needs.

• Then disable all remaining services at once by clicking the button Disable all.

Note: This operation will prevent third-party services and other non-essential built-in services from causing an application conflict that could result in the startup error. cnmssc.

• Once all services have been disabled, click on Apply changes, then go to the tab Start and click Open Task Manager. 

• En Task Manager, go to the tab Status and start selecting each service individually, then click Disable to prevent it from running at startup.

• Once all third-party services have been disabled, close the task manager and restart your computer to the mode clean boot.
• When the next startup sequence is complete, open the Microsoft Store and see if you can download the app or game that was previously crashing. If not, you can identify which conflicting app or service is causing the error code by systematically re-enabling everything that was disabled, one item at a time, along with frequent reboots until you find which one is causing the problem.

In case this method has confirmed that no third-party application, service, or process is causing the issue, move on to the next method below.

Start a security scanner analysis

If none of the methods so far were effective in your case, the next step should be to make sure that you are not experiencing this problem due to a virus infection.

To make sure that's not the case, you can try running the Microsoft Safety Scanner from the safe mode.

Note: This will ensure that you are using the most powerful virus removal tool Microsoft has ever developed, without worrying about third-party interference.

Here is a quick guide to help you run the Microsoft security scanner in safe mode:

• Turn on your computer (or restart it if it's already on) and wait until you reach the initial login screen.
• Once you see the initial login window, click on the icon on (Lower right corner).
• After you see the power contact menu, press and hold the key Shift while you click Restart so that your computer Boot in safe mode.
• As soon as you do this, your computer will reboot and the new state will be applied.
• Eventually, your computer will reach the menu. Problem solving. When you see it, click on Solve problems.
• Once you are inside the menu Advanced, start by clicking on Configuration start of the long list of options available.
• Inside the menu Startup configurationpress F5 to start in safe mode with networking.

Note: It is important that you start in safe mode with networking, so that your computer will have Internet access later when we download and use the utility Windows Safety Scanner.

• Once your PC has successfully booted into Safe Mode with Networking,  Download the latest version of Microsoft Safety Scanner from according to your Windows bit version.
• Wait until the download is complete, then double-click the file MSERT.exe to open Microsoft Safety Scanner. If you are prompted with the prompt UAC (User Account Control), Click on Yes to grant administrative privileges.
• Follow the remaining prompts to start a scan with Microsoft Safety Scanner.
• Now, you must wait calmly until the process is completed.
• Once the process is complete, restart your computer to start it in normal mode, then see if the operation has allowed you to eliminate the problematic startup error.

If this method did not work for you, feel free to move on to the next method described below to find a way to address the virus infection problem with a third-party utility.

Implement a Malwarebytes scan

If the CNMSSC.DLL file is not in its correct location and your virus scan reveals suspicious activity, you should implement a security scanner to remove the infection. malware.

Based on past experience with similar covert viruses, the most efficient software to use in this case is Malwarebytes. It is free and will identify most malicious programs that exhibit this behavior.

If the scan completes successfully and the virus infection is removed, restart your computer and see if there is any evidence of the CNMSSC.DLL file at the next system startup.

In case this process reveals that the CNMSSC.DLL file is genuine, move down to the final potential fix below.

Perform a repair or clean installation

If you have made it this far and are still encountering the CNMSSC.DLL error, it is clear that you are dealing with a serious corruption issue that cannot be resolved conventionally.

In this case, the only way to fix the problem is to reset all Windows components to ensure that any instances of corrupted system files are removed.

Most users choose the radical solution: a clean installation which does the job but also deletes any personal data including apps, games, media, and documents.

If you want to take a less destructive route that allows you to update your Windows components without affecting any of your personal files (games, apps, photos, documents, etc.), you should perform a repair installation. This will allow you to keep all of your personal data.

In case you want to make a repair facility, you need to get step-by-step instructions on how to complete this procedure. Thank you for reading us, on our portal you can access more information of interest. See you in a next post.