What Is Renaming Your DLL Files?
DLL files are dynamic link libraries. DLL files provide applications that run on your computer resources to run more efficiently and use less space. A good example is a printer driver. When this driver contained as a DLL file, each program on your computer does not need a separate set of instructions to run the printer. It just uses the existing DLL file.
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Risks to Renaming DLL Files
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Since various DLL files are used by multiple computer programs, perhaps even your operating system, renaming your files will likely cause the programs not to work as intended. You would need to reprogram every application that uses the renamed DLL file with the new DLL file's name to correct this.
Preventing Deletion During a Change
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For the average user, the only foreseeable reason to ever change the name of a DLL file would be to ensure it does not get deleted during an upgrade. This would allow you to resort your old file if the new one did not work on your computer system. Some upgrades may do this automatically during a software upgrade.
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Example of When You Might Rename a DLL File
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You might choose to change the name of the hypothetical DLL file printerdrv.dll to printerdrv.old if you were about to add a replacement file but wanted to ensure the old file was still available as a backup.
Benefits of DLL Files
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DLL files help developers by providing modules for their programs that allows for shorter programming times. They reduce the space needed on hard drives by preventing identical instructions from being repeated. It provides a consistent user experience for similar activities across multiple programs.
Recommendation
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You should refrain from renaming DLL files unless you know exactly what you are doing. Altering even a small DLL file on your computer may result in system-wide computer problems.
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