What does HRESULT 0x80220012 (WCM_E_USERALREADYREGISTERED) mean?

WCM_E_USERALREADYREGISTERED

The Windows SDK describes the condition as “User is already registered.”

Documented meaning

The SMI user registration already exists. The operation reached registration of per-user settings identity for a user that already has an entry. The first branch to test is whether initialization runs twice for the same user; keep that separate from the possibility that two deployment workers race to register one identity.

Operation phase

At this boundary, capture stable user identity/SID and target image, then correlate it with existing user entries and their status. Assign ownership only after checking process and thread performing each registration attempt.

Root-cause branches

• initialization runs twice for the same user
• two deployment workers race to register one identity
• recovery retries registration without checking the previous outcome
• the caller uses a different textual account form that resolves to the same user

Diagnostic record

• stable user identity/SID and target image
• existing user entries and their status
• process and thread performing each registration attempt
• whether the first operation committed before a later timeout
• transaction or settings-context boundaries around registration

Correction workflow

• treat an existing matching registration as idempotent only after verifying its identity and status
• serialize per-user registration in the deployment coordinator
• query before creating when the API supports that workflow
• Do not delete a valid entry merely to make repeated initialization succeed
• Separate duplicate registration from stale or corrupt user state

Retry policy

A retry that repeats registration is inappropriate. Continue with the existing entry if it matches the intended user, or repair a mismatched registration explicitly.

Nearby HRESULT distinctions

WCM_E_USERNOTFOUND is the inverse lookup/removal condition. USERALREADYREGISTERED confirms an entry exists and blocks duplicate creation.

Concrete example

Setup resumes after a restart and reruns the same per-user initialization. The second registration sees the committed entry from the first pass.

Official Microsoft references.

• Microsoft: SMI error and success constants.
• Microsoft: Settings Management Infrastructure API.
• Microsoft: SMI interfaces.
• Microsoft: ISettingsEngine::GetNamespace.
• Microsoft: ISettingsContext::Deserialize.