HRESULT 0xC00E003D (MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL

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Description:

Either the pointer to the MQQUEUEPROPS structure has a null value, or no properties are specified in it.

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MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_RESTRICTION_PROPID	MQ_ERROR_PROPERTY_NOTALLOWED

MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS

Why the exact HRESULT matters

MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS belongs to the Message Queuing HRESULT facility, but its useful meaning is narrower than a generic messaging failure. Interpret it as empty or null queue-property structure, not as a general transport outage. The wrapper structure must point to at least one coherent property triple.

For MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, MSMQ uses arrays whose indexes bind a property identifier, an MQPROPVARIANT value, and optionally a status result. When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, misaligned counts or reordered arrays can make the logged property differ from the one actually rejected.

When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, the property namespace is split among message, queue, computer, private-computer, and management properties. In the MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS path, A numeric identifier meaningful in one structure is not automatically legal in another API.

Subsystem context

Subsystem	MSMQ property arrays and their parallel identifier, value, and status elements
Decisive boundary	the property identifier, VARTYPE, value, operation, and buffer ownership are validated separately
Code-specific focus	empty or null queue-property structure
Primary recovery rule	Initialize cProp and all parallel arrays together; zero-filled memory alone is not a valid request.

When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, do not merge this result with other property failures: identifier, VARTYPE, value, size, required companions, and operation eligibility are diagnosed by different codes. For MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, the code-specific boundary is empty or null queue-property structure.

Minimum useful telemetry

The complete apropid/apropvar/astatus triples in original order; associate it explicitly with MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS.
When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, the api name and whether the structure was input, output, or both; capture the value before cleanup or retry changes it.
In the MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS path, the first failing property rather than only the aggregate hresult; compare it with a known-good call using the same account and queue type.
For this MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS result, record the queue path or format name, local/remote placement, transactional flag, caller SID, process build, and UTC correlation ID when they apply.

For MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, log certificate thumbprints, provider names, SIDs, GUIDs, lengths, and hashes where useful, but do not log private keys, symmetric keys, credentials, or confidential message bodies.

Step-by-step diagnosis

Record the unsigned HRESULT, MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, and the native API or COM method before a framework replaces it with a generic exception.
When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, capture the first failing property rather than only the aggregate HRESULT.
In the MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS path, capture the complete aPropID/aPropVar/aStatus triples in original order.
Reproduce with the smallest queue/message/property set that still returns MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS; change one precondition at a time.
For MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, verify the postcondition after the failed call: queue existence, message presence, directory object state, transaction outcome, or generated output may differ by result.
When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, apply the code-specific recovery rule: Initialize cProp and all parallel arrays together; zero-filled memory alone is not a valid request.

Retry and cleanup

Initialize cProp and all parallel arrays together; zero-filled memory alone is not a valid request.

When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, the retry decision must account for side effects that may already exist. In the MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS path, query queue, message, directory, or transaction state first whenever the result leaves completion uncertain.

Avoiding a false diagnosis

In the MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS path, changing a queue ACL or restarting the service does not correct an invalid identifier, VARTYPE, value, structure, or property combination. The specific focus for MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS remains empty or null queue-property structure.

In the MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS path, A successful test under an interactive administrator account does not prove that the production service account has the same profile, token, directory access, or key permissions.
For this MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS result, restarting MSMQ before collecting evidence can invalidate handles and erase the first useful event; it is a containment action, not a root-cause diagnosis.

Example

A queue configuration service encounters MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS. For MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, it logs the rejected property index and rebuilds the request from a typed schema instead of retrying the same arrays. When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, the acceptance test then changes only the decisive precondition and confirms both the HRESULT and the actual queue/message state.

A regression test should force MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS, assert the raw value and relevant outputs, then correct only the documented precondition and verify the intended success or neighboring HRESULT.

References

Microsoft: queue properties and MQQUEUEPROPS — source used for the MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS analysis.
Microsoft: MSMQ message properties — source used for the MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS analysis.
Microsoft: MQCreateQueue — source used for the MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS analysis.
Microsoft: Message Queuing error and information codes — source used for the MQ_ERROR_ILLEGAL_MQQUEUEPROPS analysis.

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