HRESULT 0x000401E6 (MK_S_US): meaning and diagnosis

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MK_S_US reports that IMoniker::CommonPrefixWith found the two monikers share their entire identity as the common prefix.

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MK_S_HIM	MK_S_MONIKERALREADYREGISTERED

MK_S_US

Both monikers are the common prefix

MK_S_US is HRESULT 262630 (0x000401E6) from winerror.h. The documented description is “Common prefix is both monikers.” The high-order severity bit is clear, so this is a success result, but it carries more information than plain S_OK.

The common-prefix calculation succeeded and reports that the two monikers share their entire identity for this comparison.

Where the result is encountered

This result can appear in IMoniker::CommonPrefixWith equality-like outcomes; record the producing interface and method.
This result can appear in link deduplication; record the producing interface and method.
It can appear in running-object lookup preparation; record the producing interface and method.

Diagnostic sequence

Capture the raw HRESULT 0x000401E6 immediately after the returning method and record whether the caller used SUCCEEDED, FAILED, equality testing, or exception translation.
Verify the method-specific state: both monikers are equivalent under the prefix operation, while any stronger identity or binding assumptions are verified separately.

State to verify

The central question is whether both monikers are equivalent under the prefix operation, while any stronger identity or binding assumptions are verified separately.

Correct handling, retry, and recovery

Treat the whole moniker as the common prefix and avoid generating an unnecessary relative suffix. Use IsEqual or binding only when the application requires stronger identity proof.

Evidence to preserve

Preserve display names and moniker classes.
Preserve IMoniker::IsEqual result.
Preserve bind context.
Preserve returned prefix ownership.
Preserve object identity after binding when relevant.

Difference from nearby HRESULT values

MK_S_ME and MK_S_HIM identify one operand as a strict or selected prefix; it indicates the shared prefix covers both.

Developer and administrator guidance

Practical validation scenario

A document contains two independently reconstructed monikers for the same embedded item. It lets the link manager collapse the path representation, then IsEqual confirms the intended equality contract.

References

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