Error: The application was unable to start correctly

Problem

Executing some programs of your own creation can sometimes result in the craziest errors. Here is an error that I face sometimes:

The error message:

The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000013). Click OK to close the application.

Showing no clues to solve it and throwing a random error number (or is it an address) like 0xc0000013 this one is a real mystery!

Solution

I have found that this error message typically occurs when something is wrong with the DLL files being loaded by the executable at runtime. I use the awesome Dependency Walker to load the program and find the underlying cause.

For example, I found that I had placed x64 DLL files in the directory of a x86 executable. On running this executable, I was getting this error. On replacing those files with x86 DLL files, the executable loaded fine.