PC Help Guide

I have been asked to explain what a runtime error is, for some reason a large proportion of you guys have been recieving them this week.

In computer science, runtime or run time describes the operation of a computer program, the duration of its execution, from beginning to termination (compare compile time). The term runtime can also refer to a runtime library, a program or library of basic code that is used by a particular compiler or virtual machine to manage a program written in a computer language while it is running.

A runtime environment is a virtual machine state which provides software services for processes or programs while a computer is running. It may pertain to the operating system itself, or the software that runs beneath it.

So, a runtime error is an error generated during the time at which the computer is running a software application and experiences an issue. Runtime errors indicate bugs in the program or problems that the designers had anticipated but could do nothing about. For example, running out of memory will often cause a runtime error.

Click here to find out more on how to fix runtime errors.