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DV_E_DVTARGETDEVICE_SIZE
tdSize parameter of the DVTARGETDEVICE structure is invalid
DV_E_DVTARGETDEVICE_SIZE is the failure HRESULT 2147745900 (0x8004006C, signed -2147221396) from winerror.h. The documented description is “tdSize parameter of the DVTARGETDEVICE structure is invalid”. In practical terms, DVTARGETDEVICE::tdSize does not describe a valid complete target-device buffer. Interpret it in the context of validating FORMATETC::ptd before device-specific data rendering or transfer.
Relevant contract
COM data-transfer structures are compound contracts: a field can be numerically well formed yet invalid for the provider, object instance, requested aspect, or ownership rules. Diagnosis therefore has to preserve the complete descriptor and the exact method that consumed it.
- Associate this result with one exact operation in IDataObject, FORMATETC/STGMEDIUM negotiation, data advisory enumeration, or OLE rendering.
- Confirm that this result came from validating FORMATETC::ptd before device-specific data rendering or transfer, rather than from cleanup or a wrapper that ran afterward.
Likely cause branches
- It can result when tdSize is smaller than the fixed header.
- It can result when tdSize exceeds the allocated buffer or wraps during arithmetic.
- It can result when driver, device, port, or DEVMODE offsets point outside tdSize even though the total size appears plausible.
Evidence to preserve
A useful incident records the IDataObject identity, method, clipboard format, aspect, lindex, tymed mask, target-device size, advisory cookie, and ownership of every returned interface or medium.
- Capture tdSize, allocation length, and all four offsets.
- Validate every offset and terminating string inside the same buffer.
- Check 32/64-bit marshalling and packed-structure assumptions at process boundaries.
Diagnostic sequence
- Identify the exact object, method, and lifecycle phase involved in validating FORMATETC::ptd before device-specific data rendering or transfer.
Recovery and retry
Correction. rebuild the variable-length DVTARGETDEVICE buffer from validated strings and DEVMODE data, then set tdSize to the exact byte count. Retry condition. Retry only with a newly constructed buffer; changing tdSize alone can expose out-of-bounds fields. Before repeating the operation, release every returned STGMEDIUM according to pUnkForRelease, retain advisory cookies only after successful DAdvise, and discard enumerated formats after the data object is replaced.
Practical scenario
A print-oriented data object receives a structure copied with sizeof(DVTARGETDEVICE), omitting the appended device strings; allocating the complete variable-length record resolves the failure.
Difference from related HRESULTs
DV_E_DVTARGETDEVICE can cover broader descriptor defects; it specifically points to tdSize and the extent it claims.
Developer and administrator guidance
Copy complete FORMATETC and DVTARGETDEVICE structures, preserve signed lindex values, intersect tymed masks before requesting data, and encode STGMEDIUM ownership explicitly. Regression coverage should include provider-advertised versus caller-invented formats, supported and unsupported DVASPECT/tymed combinations, sentinel lindex values, malformed target-device sizes, and replacement during advisory callbacks.
Compare the data provider, consumer, and registered handler versions; repair a handler only when traces identify that provider as missing or incompatible.
References
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