What does HRESULT 0x80030013 (STG_E_DISKISWRITEPROTECTED) mean?

 
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STG_E_NOMOREFILES STG_E_SEEKERROR

STG_E_DISKISWRITEPROTECTED

STG_E_DISKISWRITEPROTECTED: exact failure boundary

0x80030013 corresponds to STG_E_DISKISWRITEPROTECTED. The platform message is Disk is write-protected. This result is returned while creation, modification, commit, rename, or deletion through structured storage. The diagnostic question is whether the backing medium or storage policy does not permit the requested write.

Evidence to capture

  • Record this result, 0x80030013, the native method name, process and thread IDs, operation ID, component build, architecture, and elapsed time.
  • Capture stream names, offsets, lengths, transaction state, backing path, and the validity of partially written output.
  • Keep IErrorInfo, provider extended status, relevant device/storage events, and the first lower-level failure.
  • When handling this result, release interfaces in child-before-parent order, close native handles once, and do not commit or replace output whose validity is uncertain.

Likely causes to separate

  • The volume or removable medium is physically write-protected.
  • The file or mount is exposed read-only.
  • A storage snapshot or policy layer denies modification.

Focused diagnostic test

Reproduce the same native call with the same object identity and change one cause candidate at a time. Preserve the first provider or lower-layer result and compare object state before cleanup. A different HRESULT after one controlled change is a new boundary, not proof that the original operation is fully repaired.

Correction

open read-only when modification is unnecessary or remove the documented write protection before creating a fresh writable transaction.

Verification

After correction, repeat the operation that returned this result. Verify the intended API operation completes and that any output, ownership transfer or persistent state is valid; do not treat disappearance of the dialog alone as success.

Technical references

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