What does NTSTATUS 0xC000021E (STATUS_DRIVER_CANCEL_TIMEOUT) mean?

 
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STATUS_VDM_HARD_ERROR STATUS_REPLY_MESSAGE_MISMATCH

STATUS_DRIVER_CANCEL_TIMEOUT

The cancel path failed to release the request promptly

Cancellation transfers ownership according to strict IRP and queue rules. A driver must stop hardware activity when required, resolve races with normal completion, release locks and complete or pass the request exactly once. This status indicates that the canceled request remained outstanding long enough to trigger a timeout.

The delayed component may be below the driver that initiated cancellation. Follow the IRP stack and cancellation ownership rather than assuming the top driver is responsible. Completing the request artificially can cause use-after-free if hardware or another driver still owns it.

What to inspect

  • Capture the IRP stack, cancel routine, queue owner and pending hardware command.
  • Check lock ordering and races between cancellation, DPC, timeout and normal completion.
  • Use Driver Verifier I/O verification and framework request logs to detect double ownership.

References


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