Frequently Asked Question

To fix the sxstrace.exe error message, "The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect.":

Solution 1. Install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Runtime Libraries, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

x86 (32-bit): https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x86.exe
x64 (64-bit): https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe


Solution 2. Use System Restore to roll back to the latest restore point before the error occurred.

Please refer to the article Use System Restore in Windows 11.

Solution 3. Run a System File Checker scan to fix/restore corrupted or missing sxstrace.exe files.

1. Click the Windows Start button, then type command prompt.
   
   
2. In the pop-up result, click Run as administrator.
   
   
   
   
3. In the User Account Control window, click Yes.
   
   
   
   
4. In the pop-up Command Prompt window, type the following command: sfc /scannow
   
   
   
   
5. Press the Enter key. System scan will begin, wait until the verification phase is finished. If there's an error detected, Windows will try to fix it.
   
   
   
   
6. Once done, close Command Prompt.
   
   

Solution 4. Run a Windows Update scan and install the latest updates.

1. Click the Windows Start button, then select Settings.
   
   
   
   
2. In the left-side pane of the pop-up Settings window, click Windows Update.
   
   
   
   
3. If you opened Windows Update for the first time, it will automatically run a scan, download and install the latest updates. Click the Check for updates button.
   
   
4. Once all updates are downloaded and installed, restart the PC and check if the error message is still appearing.