Win10 Bad Image Error 0xc0000020 on most applications

10kevin104 · Feb 23, 2020

Good evening,

I've been having issues since a Green Screen of Death this morning where all of my applications upon opening have the following error:

"C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\WindowsCodecs.dll is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or the software vendor for support. Error status 0xc0000020."

I've reset my computer completely and formatted my drives but the issue persists even through a clean installation of Windows, and it does not allow me to do a cloud install.
I have attached the CBS.zip and do not know what else to do, any help would be appreciated.

britechguy · Feb 24, 2020

Try: Doing a Completely Clean (Re)install of Windows 10 Using Media Creation Tool to Create Bootable Win10 Install Media on a USB Thumb Drive and don't skip the step using diskpart to clear the partitions from the target drive.

Also, if you have any additional drives, whether internal or USB, disconnect them from the system if possible.

Sysnative Windows Update · Feb 26, 2020

Hi!

First test the drive:

GSmartControl
Follow the instructions below to check your SMART status with GSmartControl:

Download the portable version of GSmartControl and save it on your Desktop;
Extract the zip file to your Desktop. Open the folder gsmartcontrol-1.1.3-win64 which should be located on your Desktop and double-click gsmartcontrol.exe to launch the program.
Identify your drive in the list (if recognized by the tool), and hover your mouse over it.
You should see something called: SMART status. It will either read: Enabled, in which case you should do the following:
Double-click on it to bring up its window (usually you'll find your drive by its size or its brand name);
Go to the Self-Tests tab, then select Extended Self-test in the Test type drop-down list and click on Execute (this test can take a few hours to complete);
Once the test is over, the results will be displayed at the bottom of the window. Please copy and paste these results in your next reply or take a screenshot;
Also, go in the Attributes tab and if you have any entries highlighted in red or pink, take a screenshot of the GSmartControl window and attach it in your next reply;
Please note: If the SMART Status reads: Unsupported, stop and let me know.

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Win10 Bad Image Error 0xc0000020 on most applications

10kevin104

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britechguy

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Sysnative Windows Update

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