DLL stands for Dynamic Link Library. They
all form part of microsoft's shared library concept. The main purpose
of .dll files is to save memory and perform certain tasks. When
an executable file(.exe) wants to perform a function, sometimes
that function has not been hard coded within itself but, it can
make a call to a .dll file to complete the function. They become
in a way an extension of a executable file and are only called when
needed. That is why they are called dynamic link files. They are
in a sense executable files that cannot be run directly.
The reason .dll files saves memory is because they don't get loaded
into RAM(Random Access Memory). It's only when a dll files is required,
then and only then will this file be loaded into memory.
You should never remove dll files. Dll files
are an integral part of windows applications. Because some dll files
are shared by programs you should not delete them. DLL files should
be removed as part of the add/remove option in windows. If a dll
file was not deleted there is probably a very good reason why it
was not deleted as part of the removal process.
Dll files have version numbers. These increase
each time a new dll file is released. Most recent versions of dll
files a backwards compatible. This means the dll file will work
in older versions of your windows operating system. Be careful though
as some files do not work well on older versions of operating systems.
Some dll files in windows ME may not be compatible with Windows
98. Check
Microsoft's DLL files and version numbers here
What .DLL File Information is available
There is over 26,000 dll files listed
in our database. Each file can obtain the following information.