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STATUS_CHILD_MUST_BE_VOLATILE
A child cannot outlive its volatile registry parent
A volatile key exists only in memory and is discarded when the hive is unloaded or the system shuts down. Creating a stable child below it would imply that the child should survive while its parent does not, so the Configuration Manager rejects the hierarchy.
The fix is a design choice, not a retry: either create the child as volatile too, or place persistent configuration below a stable parent. Volatile keys are appropriate for runtime-discovered state, but not for settings that must survive reboot.
What to inspect
- Check the REG_OPTION_VOLATILE option used for the parent and child.
- Classify the data as runtime state or persistent configuration.
- Move persistent data to a stable branch owned by the component.
- Test unload and reboot behavior so volatile state is not treated as durable.
References
- Microsoft Learn: RegCreateKeyEx
- Microsoft Learn: Registry Hives
- Microsoft Learn: Registry Functions
- Microsoft Open Specifications: NTSTATUS values
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