What does NTSTATUS 0xC0000260 (STATUS_INVALID_HW_PROFILE) mean?

 
Previous Next
STATUS_UNSUPPORTED_COMPRESSION STATUS_INVALID_PLUGPLAY_DEVICE_PATH

STATUS_INVALID_HW_PROFILE

Hardware profiles are identified state, not a free-form configuration label

STATUS_INVALID_HW_PROFILE concerns a Windows hardware-profile configuration. Microsoft documents GetCurrentHwProfile as returning a profile GUID, display name, and docking state. The system stores the hardware profile GUID in the registry, and applications can use it to keep profile-specific configuration. A profile should therefore be identified by the system-provided state rather than reconstructed from a friendly name.

The public NTSTATUS text does not state which field or registry record made a particular profile invalid, so diagnosis must remain at the API/component boundary that returned it. Common evidence to preserve includes the profile GUID, docking state, Windows build, and whether the problem started after imaging, registry migration, docking/hardware changes, or software that maintains per-profile settings.

Query the current profile through the documented API and compare its GUID/state with the profile identifier consumed by the failing component. Check whether the component cached a profile from another installation or cloned image. Do not manufacture a new GUID or rename a profile in the registry simply because the status says “invalid”; that can orphan configuration keyed by the original GUID. First establish whether Windows itself reports a coherent current profile and whether the application is using that same identity.

What to inspect

  • Capture the system-reported hardware profile GUID, name, and docking state.
  • Compare the current profile identity with any GUID cached by the failing application or service.
  • Investigate image/registry migration and hardware changes before editing profile keys manually.

References

Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.