My current target framework is .NET Framework v4.0.

I'm having issues importing the DLL as I get the "BadImageFormatException" similar to this post BadImageFormatException when loading 32 bit DLL, target is x86

From there I realised that the DLL (retrieved from NuGet) can only be built in x64, but my solution can only be x86 as that is what the team has decided on. So I can't change the configuration to x64.

I'm currently using P/Invoke to import it (DllImport). My machine is x64. For context, this DLL is built with managed native c code and I am trying to convert it to c#. I cannot touch the dll as it is not my library, but my project is in c#.

Since I am not allowed to change my project settings, and the DLL can only be built in and run in x64, is there any other way to solve this issue?

CodePudding user response：

You can not load a 64-bit dll in a 32-bit process. Your options are:

1. Update your application to x64 mode. This typically requires all native components to be changed to x64 versions. You said you team decided on x86, but decisions can be re-evaluated if you have good enough reasons to.
2. Find a way to get a x86 version of your library. This might involve creating your own build, so it might be expensive.
3. Run your library in a separate process, and use your favorite RPC/IPC method to communicate between the processes. This will typically make deploying and debugging your application at least a bit more difficult, depending on how frequently the library is used.