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CI_E_STRANGE_PAGEORSECTOR_SIZE
Catalog page size is incompatible with the storage sector size
CI_E_STRANGE_PAGEORSECTOR_SIZE is HRESULT 0x8004181E. Windows documents it as “Page size is not an integral multiple of the sector size of the volume where index is located.”
Interpretation in context
This result belongs to validating on-disk index geometry against the volume that stores the catalog. The configured page size is not an integral multiple of the volume sector size.
Conditions to test
- Catalog data was moved to storage with different geometry.
- Legacy configuration uses an unsupported page size.
- Virtual disk reports unexpected sector characteristics.
- Metadata is damaged and contains an implausible value.
Compare the failing case with a control that preserves catalog page size and changes only logical and physical sector sizes; this prevents unrelated environment differences from dominating the test.
Incident record
- Check catalog page size.
- Check logical and physical sector sizes.
- Check volume identity and migration history.
- Check catalog version and integrity results.
Capture catalog page size before releasing objects, closing handles or reconnecting. Retain the raw HRESULT with logical and physical sector sizes, component version, UTC timestamp and correlation ID.
Step-by-step diagnosis
- Query sector geometry from the actual mounted volume.
- Compare it with catalog metadata.
- Check whether the catalog was copied rather than rebuilt.
- Preserve evidence before recreating suspected corrupt data.
Preserve the component version and target identity, then alter only the condition described as the configured page size is not an integral multiple of the volume sector size.
Retry decision
Move/rebuild the catalog on supported storage or correct the approved configuration. Repeated startup cannot change disk geometry. Record whether validating on-disk index geometry against the volume that stores the catalog produced any content, update or state transition before returning.
Retry only after a concrete change in catalog page size or logical and physical sector sizes.
What the value cannot establish
It does not mean the volume is full or that ordinary document pages are malformed. Without the call boundary for validating on-disk index geometry against the volume that stores the catalog, it also cannot identify which wrapper or configuration layer introduced the condition.
Adjacent contract states
CI_E_DISK_FULL concerns capacity; this HRESULT concerns incompatible storage geometry.
Developer and administrator actions
- Record catalog page size with the returned HRESULT
- In telemetry, correlate logical and physical sector sizes with the target and component generation
- For regression coverage, force the documented condition: the configured page size is not an integral multiple of the volume sector size
Concrete scenario
A legacy catalog image is restored onto a 4K-sector virtual disk. Rebuilding the catalog on the target volume resolves the geometry mismatch.
Official Microsoft references
- Microsoft: content-indexing helper-function values — official contract information relevant to this HRESULT.
- Microsoft: Content-Indexing values
- Microsoft: HRESULT values
- Microsoft: Windows Search SQL syntax
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