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QPLIST_E_BAD_GUID
The property-set GUID token is malformed
QPLIST_E_BAD_GUID is HRESULT 0x80041659. Windows documents it as “Invalid guid.”
Interpretation
This result belongs to legacy Windows property-list parsing and is returned while converting a present textual GUID into a binary property-set identifier. The exact condition is: the token is truncated, has invalid hexadecimal characters, incorrect hyphens/braces or invisible encoding characters.
This value belongs to the legacy property-list parser used to describe indexed properties and their types. Diagnose the external list as structured configuration: preserve line, column, token, type grammar and the property-list version instead of treating the file as arbitrary text. The exact public message comes from the legacy SDK contract; current property-system documentation does not replace the property-list grammar that rejected this file.
Concrete sources
Rejection of the property list does not yet distinguish file access, tokenization, type composition, GUID syntax or duplicate-definition failure.
Observability checklist
- Associate raw GUID token with the exact UTC timestamp and correlation identifier.
- Compare failing and known-good values for byte sequence under the same provider or handler version.
- Record the source and normalization path of first invalid offset, not only its display form.
- Record template substitution before releasing the relevant objects.
- Associate property-list file identity and hash with the exact UTC timestamp and correlation identifier.
Hash the complete file if it is sensitive while retaining encoding, line, column, raw token class and the surrounding property declaration.
Investigation order
- Capture raw GUID token and byte sequence at the call boundary that returns this result.
- Confirm the operation reached converting a present textual GUID into a binary property-set identifier with the intended first invalid offset.
- record the raw bytes and first invalid character, then compare with the authoritative schema GUID.
Begin with a one-property list accepted by the same parser, then restore the failing declaration token by token while preserving encoding and line endings.
Corrective action
Replace it with the canonical identifier only after strict parsing succeeds. Delay cannot repair a deterministic file, token or type-grammar defect; retry only after the property list or its readable source changes.
What must not be inferred
It does not prove that every property definition is unusable or that reindexing is required; it identifies a property-list read or grammar boundary.
Neighboring status codes
QPLIST_E_EXPECTING_GUID reports an absent field rather than malformed syntax.
Developer and administrator guidance
Reproduction example
A template removes the last hexadecimal digit with the closing brace. Strict generation-time parsing catches the exact defect.
Official Microsoft references
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