What does HRESULT 0x000401E7 (MK_S_MONIKERALREADYREGISTERED) mean?

 
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MK_S_US EVENT_S_SOME_SUBSCRIBERS_FAILED

MK_S_MONIKERALREADYREGISTERED

Moniker is already in the Running Object Table

MK_S_MONIKERALREADYREGISTERED is HRESULT 262631 (0x000401E7) from winerror.h. The documented description is “Moniker is already registered in running object table.” The high-order severity bit is clear, so this is a success result, but it carries more information than plain S_OK.

Registration completed with information that the moniker was already registered in the Running Object Table.

Where the result is encountered

  • This result can appear in IRunningObjectTable::Register; record the producing interface and method.
  • This result can appear in OLE servers exposing running documents; record the producing interface and method.
  • It can appear in containers refreshing active-object registration; record the producing interface and method.

Diagnostic sequence

  • Capture the raw HRESULT 0x000401E7 immediately after the returning method and record whether the caller used SUCCEEDED, FAILED, equality testing, or exception translation.
  • Verify the method-specific state: the existing ROT entry belongs to the intended object instance and registration flags rather than a stale or competing server.

State to verify

The central question is whether the existing ROT entry belongs to the intended object instance and registration flags rather than a stale or competing server.

Correct handling, retry, and recovery

Reuse or deliberately replace the existing registration according to ownership. Do not leave duplicate logical registrations or revoke a cookie owned by another instance.

Evidence to preserve

  • Preserve moniker display name.
  • Preserve existing and requested registration cookie.
  • Preserve server process and object identity.
  • Preserve ROT flags.
  • Preserve last-change time and revocation history.

Difference from nearby HRESULT values

MK_E_UNAVAILABLE indicates no running object can be obtained; it indicates an entry already exists.

Developer and administrator guidance

Practical validation scenario

A document server recovers after a UI restart and tries to register the same document moniker. It verifies the ROT entry points to itself, retains the correct cookie, and avoids publishing a second instance.

References

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