What does NTSTATUS 0xC0000159 (STATUS_FULLSCREEN_MODE) mean?

 
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STATUS_INTERNAL_DB_ERROR STATUS_TOO_MANY_CONTEXT_IDS

STATUS_FULLSCREEN_MODE

Check the console/compatibility mode before changing application logic

STATUS_FULLSCREEN_MODE states that an operation cannot be performed while fullscreen mode is active. The status does not identify the rejected operation, so the useful evidence is the console or compatibility state at the exact failing call. Historically, 16-bit and NTVDM applications are particularly relevant because Microsoft documents graphical screen-buffer modes that require the legacy console path.

Microsoft also documents that 16-bit NTVDM applications on 32-bit Windows can force the console to the older implementation, and that legacy console mode supports APIs and graphical buffering behavior needed by such applications. The status should therefore not be treated as a generic display-driver error merely because “fullscreen” appears in the message. It can represent a mode restriction at a console/compatibility boundary.

Capture the API or subsystem request that returned the status, whether the process is native or NTVDM-hosted, console implementation/mode, and the transition that entered fullscreen. Reproduce the operation before and after leaving fullscreen to establish causality. Do not disable fullscreen globally as the first fix if the application intentionally depends on legacy graphics behavior; determine whether the rejected operation can be moved to a windowed phase or avoided only for that mode.

What to inspect

  • Log the exact operation that failed; the NTSTATUS alone does not name it.
  • Identify native versus NTVDM/16-bit execution and whether legacy console mode is active.
  • Compare the same operation in windowed and fullscreen states before changing display drivers or permissions.

References

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