| Previous | Next |
| WCM_E_USERNOTFOUND | WCM_E_NAMESPACEALREADYREGISTERED |
WCM_E_NAMESPACENOTFOUND
WCM_E_NAMESPACENOTFOUND is the failure HRESULT 0x80220014 (signed decimal -2145255404, unsigned decimal 2149711892). Its severity bit is 1, facility is 34 (FACILITY_STATE_MANAGEMENT), and the facility-specific code field is 0x0014.
AllStat records the Windows SDK description as “Namespace is not registered.”
Exact meaning and contract boundary
No registered namespace matches the identity. The operation reached ISettingsEngine::GetNamespace, context deserialization, or namespace enumeration using a well-formed identity. The first branch to test is whether the component schema is absent from the target image; keep that separate from the possibility that name/version/language/architecture identity selects a namespace not installed there.
Where the result appears
At this boundary, capture complete ISettingsIdentity attributes and flags, then correlate it with target mode, target ID, architecture, and schema-hive location. Assign ownership only after checking namespaces enumerated by the current engine/context.
Likely cause branches
- the component schema is absent from the target image
- name/version/language/architecture identity selects a namespace not installed there
- an offline context was built for another target
- registration or servicing failed before the namespace became available
Evidence that resolves the ambiguity
- complete ISettingsIdentity attributes and flags
- target mode, target ID, architecture, and schema-hive location
- namespaces enumerated by the current engine/context
- component package and servicing state
- whether the identity is well formed and differs only by one selector
Diagnostic sequence
- enumerate available namespaces before changing the identity
- match the request to the target image’s component/schema version
- install or register the authoritative namespace package through supported deployment tooling
- recreate contexts after changing the target
- distinguish optional component absence from a broken mandatory deployment
Retry and recovery
Retry only after registration, target correction, or identity correction. This is not generally a network-transient condition.
Difference from nearby WCM results
WCM_E_INVALIDVERSIONFORMAT and WCM_E_INVALIDLANGUAGEFORMAT reject malformed identity fields. NAMESPACENOTFOUND means the identity can be read but no registration matches it.
Practical scenario
An answer-file section targets a component removed from a minimal image. Deserialization cannot find that namespace in the target context.
Logging and engineering guidance
For operational telemetry, retain namespaces enumerated by the current engine/context; also record component package and servicing state. Preserve a redacted summary of whether the identity is well formed and differs only by one selector; use a cryptographic hash when that evidence is a file, stream, or generated artifact.
Official Microsoft references.
- Microsoft: SMI error and success constants.
- Microsoft: Settings Management Infrastructure API.
- Microsoft: SMI interfaces.
- Microsoft: ISettingsEngine::GetNamespace.
- Microsoft: ISettingsContext::Deserialize.
Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.