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STG_E_INCOMPLETE
Downloaded storage file is incomplete
STG_E_INCOMPLETE is HRESULT 2147680769 (0x80030201) from winerror.h. The documented description is “The file download was aborted abnormally. The file is incomplete.” The result belongs to asynchronous or incremental retrieval of a file being exposed through storage APIs. The important boundary is not merely failure but which object and state transition established: the transfer ended abnormally before the complete storage payload became available.
STG_E_INCOMPLETE means that the transfer ended abnormally before the complete storage payload became available.
Where the result appears
- Preserve storage path or identity, STGM mode, stream or storage name, transaction generation, file hash, and backing provider before releasing or replacing the object that returned this result.
An incident record must distinguish caller, runtime, provider, and backing resource while testing whether the transfer ended abnormally before the complete storage payload became available.
Typical causes and interpretation
The immediate contract boundary is specific: the transfer ended abnormally before the complete storage payload became available. Common cause branches include the following:
- Network transfer was interrupted.
- The source closed before the declared length arrived.
- A partial cache entry was mistaken for a complete document.
Confirm the cause branch that explains why the transfer ended abnormally before the complete storage payload became available by using call arguments, object state, metadata, device information, or provider traces.
Correct handling and recovery
The primary recovery is to discard or quarantine the partial artifact, resume only with validated range and identity information, and reopen after completion. The failure report should capture the relevant state during asynchronous or incremental retrieval of a file being exposed through storage APIs so it is clear why the transfer ended abnormally before the complete storage payload became available.
Retry this result only when evidence shows the state behind “the transfer ended abnormally before the complete storage payload became available” can change and the operation is repeatable.
Practical scenario
A browser helper receives half of a compound document before the connection resets; it refuses to parse directory sectors from the partial cache.
Difference from related HRESULTs
STG_E_TERMINATED records an intentional termination; it emphasizes that the available file is incomplete after abnormal abortion.
Developer and administrator guidance
Exercise direct and transacted modes, read-only and writable paths, cancellation, malformed input, and cleanup after partial output.
Administrators should repair the component owning asynchronous or incremental retrieval of a file being exposed through storage APIs as a versioned unit instead of copying arbitrary DLLs.
References
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