Solution To Vpmsece4.dll Error

The vpmsece4.dll file belongs to Symantec AntiVirus from Symantec Corporation. Listed below is an instance of the Vpmsece4.dll error and its solutions.

Vpmsece4.dll error

When you start Microsoft Outlook, you may receive the following error message:

“The Add-in “Symantec AntiVirus Outlook Protection” (C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\vpmsece.dll) cannot be loaded and has been disabled by Outlook. Please contact the Add-in manufacturer for and update. If no update is available, please uninstall the Add-in”

Cause of the Error

The above vpmsece4.dll error occurs when Symantec AntiVirus is unable to recreate Extend.dat file.

Resolution Method

To resolve the above vpmsece4.dll error, perform the following tasks in the sequence they appear:

Task 1 – Remove Symantec Antivirus 10 from Outlook’s Add-in Manager

To achieve this in Outlook 2003, perform the following steps:

  1. Open Outlook, click the Tools menu, and then click Options.
  2. Next, click the Other tab and then click Advanced Options.
  3. Now, click Add-In Manager and clear the checkbox before Symantec AntiVirus 10.
  4. Restart Outlook.

If the error still persists, perform the steps illustrated in Task 2

Task 2 – Locate and Delete all copies of Extend.dat

Note: You need to login as an Administrator to be able to delete copies of Extend.dat file for all local user accounts

Before you search for the Extend.dat file, ensure Windows is configured to show all files.

To configure Windows to show all files, in Windows XP computer, perform the following steps:

  1. Click the Start menu and then click My Computer.
  2. Next, click the Tools menu and then click Folder Options.
  3. Now, display the View tab.
  4. Select Show hidden files and folders under Hidden files and folders section.
  5. Next, clear the checkboxes before Hide file extensions for known file types and Hide protected operating system files.
  6. If a warning message appears, click the Yes button.
  7. Click the Apply button and then click OK.

Now, locate and delete all copies of Extend.dat. To achieve this, perform the steps mentioned below:

  1. Close Outlook.
  2. Click Start and select Search.
  3. Click All files and folders.
  4. Next, type extend.bat in the All or part of the file name box.
  5. Select Local Hard Drives from the Look in drop list and click the Search button.
  6. Press Ctrl+A to select all the copies of extend.dat that appear in the search result, right-click and click Delete.
  7. Restart the computer.

In case a Group Policy that hides system files is applied on the computer you are performing the search, the search result will not show any extend.dat even when you have configured Widows to show all files. If the search results do not report any copy of the extend.dat file, complete the steps mentioned in the next task.

Task 3: Delete all copies Extend.dat from Command Prompt

  1. Click Start and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type cmd and press Enter.
  3. At the command prompt, type the following command and press Enter:
    cd "C:\Documents and Settings\<local_user>\Local Settings\Application  Data\Microsoft\outlook"
    Note: <local_user> points to the name of the current user.
  4. Next, to delete the extend.dat file, type the following command and press Enter:
    del extend.dat
  5. Next, perform the steps 3 and step 4 to delete the extend.dat file for every user local account on the computer.
  6. Restart the computer.

DLL errors, such as vpmsece4.dll errors, may also occur due to a corrupt or damaged Windows registry. To prevent DLL errors and other problems from occurring due to registry-related issues, regularly scan your registry using top-rated registry cleaner software, such as RegServe. It is an advanced tool that allows you to perform custom registry scans to fix DLL errors.