NTSTATUS 0xC000A141 (STATUS_CANNOT_SWITCH

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: A Windows run-level switch was rejected because required services would not stop or restart.

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STATUS_GPIO_INCOMPATIBLE_CONNECT_MODE	STATUS_INVALID_RUNLEVEL_SETTING

STATUS_CANNOT_SWITCH_RUNLEVEL

The run-level transition could not complete

This NTSTATUS maps to the documented run-level error family used by Windows service infrastructure. It is an aggregate transition result: one or more participating services refused the stop or restart needed for the requested level. The code does not identify the service that blocked the switch.

Inspect SCM status and transition events to find the first service that remains in an incompatible state. Service dependencies matter because a failure higher in the dependency graph can prevent several later services from changing state. Fix the blocking service rather than changing run-level numbers blindly.

What to inspect

Capture the requested run level and the service states at the time of failure.
Find the first service that refused or could not perform the required transition.
Inspect dependencies and pending controls before retrying the entire switch.

References

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