What does HRESULT 0x800401C6 (CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP) mean?

 
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CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP

There was an error in a Windows GDI call while converting the DIB to a bitmap.

CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP has hexadecimal value 0x800401C6 (unsigned 2147746246, signed -2147221050). AllStat records “There was an error in a Windows GDI call while converting the DIB to a bitmap.” The narrow interpretation is that a Windows GDI call failed while converting stored DIB presentation data to an OLE 1 bitmap. The failing stage is exporting OLE 2 presentation data during conversion to an OLE 1 stream.

The high bit in 0x800401C6 is set, so this is a failure rather than a success or informational result. Its facility field is 4 (FACILITY_ITF) and its low 16-bit code is 454 (0x01C6). Those bit fields classify the value, but they do not identify the failing object by themselves; the native method, object identity, and first producer of CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP remain essential.

API stage

Understanding CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP requires this subsystem context: OLE 1/OLE 2 conversion combines callback I/O, binary parsing, structured storage, and presentation conversion. For CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP, retaining the stage and byte offset is essential because a read failure, format failure, missing stream, and GDI failure require different repairs.

  • Associate CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP with one exact operation in OleConvertOLESTREAMToIStorage, OleConvertIStorageToOLESTREAM, OLESTREAM callbacks, structured-storage streams, and presentation-data conversion.
  • Confirm that CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP came from exporting OLE 2 presentation data during conversion to an OLE 1 stream, rather than from cleanup or a wrapper that ran afterward.
  • Preserve any IErrorInfo, underlying Win32 result, provider message, or callback failure that preceded CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP; the HRESULT alone should not erase a more specific cause.

Verification steps

  1. Capture CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP at the first native return before a wrapper maps it to a generic exception.
  2. Identify the exact object, method, and lifecycle phase involved in exporting OLE 2 presentation data during conversion to an OLE 1 stream.
  3. Capture BITMAPINFOHEADER fields and total buffer length.
  4. Validate color-table and pixel offsets before passing data to GDI.
  5. Test a normalized compatible DIB copy while preserving the original evidence.
  6. Reproduce CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP with one controlled input or state change, and verify that the correction changes the decisive evidence rather than merely hiding the result.

Interpretation limits

  • CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP can result when the DIB header, color table, stride, or pixel extent is inconsistent.
  • CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP can result when GDI resources cannot be created in the current session.
  • CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP can result when the DIB format is valid for modern consumers but unsupported by the legacy bitmap conversion path.

Incident record

A useful CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP incident records the conversion direction, OLESTREAM Get or Put callback result, requested byte count, actual byte count, storage class, stream names, presentation format, bitmap or DIB metadata, and commit state. For CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP, also retain the application and component build, architecture, process and thread IDs, COM apartment, operation correlation ID, elapsed time, and the first state-changing event before the failure. When logging CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP, redact content and credentials while preserving types, lengths, hashes, opaque identities, and lifecycle generations needed to reproduce its contract.

  • For CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP, capture BITMAPINFOHEADER fields and total buffer length.
  • For CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP, validate color-table and pixel offsets before passing data to GDI.
  • For CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP, test a normalized compatible DIB copy while preserving the original evidence.

Recovery conditions

Correction. For CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP, normalize the presentation to a legacy-compatible DIB or regenerate it from the live object before conversion. Retry boundary. Retry after format normalization or resource recovery; do not alter object-native data merely to satisfy the presentation path. Before repeating the CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP operation, record stream positions and byte counts, release temporary GDI objects, and discard or roll back any output storage that was only partly written.

Practical scenario

A 32-bit alpha DIB cannot be represented by the target legacy path; rendering the object into a compatible 24-bit presentation enables export. This isolates CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP within OLE 1/OLE 2 storage conversion and provides a regression test for the stated correction.

Difference from related HRESULTs

CONVERT10_E_OLESTREAM_BITMAP_TO_DIB is the opposite direction, importing a legacy bitmap into DIB form. For CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP, keep those outcomes separate in exception mappings, telemetry dimensions, user messages, and automated retry policy.

Developer and administrator guidance

For CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP, make OLESTREAM callbacks report exact byte counts, validate format headers before allocating, preserve structured-storage commit boundaries, and separate bitmap from DIB ownership. Regression coverage for CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP should include short reads and writes, invalid format records, absent standard streams, truncated presentation data, large dimensions, callback errors, and failure before versus after storage commit.

Operational repair for CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP must target the evidence-backed owner: preserve the original document and reproduce with a copy; repair the producing application or converter only after the failing conversion stage and file provenance are identified. Retain before-and-after traces for CONVERT10_E_STG_DIB_TO_BITMAP so the change can be attributed and reversed.

References

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