What does HRESULT 0xC0262347 (ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_GAMMA_RAMP) mean?

ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_GAMMA_RAMP

What Windows rejected: graphics invalid gamma ramp

Windows reports ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_GAMMA_RAMP (0xC0262347) at the vidpn checkpoint. Here, the gamma-ramp representation or values do not satisfy the selected path contract. That narrows the first investigation to VidPN path gamma data instead of the entire GPU stack.

This result: VidPN handles and subobjects are generation-bound. A monitor hot-plug, docking action, session switch or mode commit can invalidate an otherwise well-formed cached object. The built-in one-line message identifies the immediate result; diagnosis also needs the producing API, object ownership and the display generation current at the time.

Build a useful diagnostic record

Preserve the unsigned HRESULT, symbolic name, first failing API and timestamp in one record. If cleanup later fails too, keep that secondary result separately from this result.

Separate state from capability

1. Freeze the result generation. Record gamma type, control-point count, channel values, target ID, color basis and driver capability. Before diagnosing this result, do not resize, hot-plug, recreate or release the object under examination.
2. Run the narrow this result comparison. apply the identity gamma ramp in the same path and compare with the rejected ramp. During the result comparison, keep every driver, monitor, resource format and unrelated policy unchanged.
3. Observe the layer after it. for it, if the exact check passes, record the next HRESULT or visible outcome. A different downstream result shows that the boundary was crossed.
4. Repeat it through a lifecycle transition. for it, exercise one relevant resize, mode switch, device recreation, hot-plug or session change and confirm that it does not reuse stale handles.

The comparison with ERROR_GRAPHICS_GAMMA_RAMP_NOT_SUPPORTED is especially useful: ERROR_GRAPHICS_GAMMA_RAMP_NOT_SUPPORTED means the path cannot apply that ramp type. Recording both names prevents a broad “graphics error” label from merging distinct ownership, capability and lifetime problems.

Verify the repaired path

Validate ramp type, range and monotonic requirements before setting target gamma. Repair of it is complete only when the original call succeeds or returns its documented nonfatal status and the same lifetime test remains correct after a second display transition.

• The result trace identifies one producing API and one current graphics object, rather than only the final UI symptom.
• The passing run changes exactly the condition described for it; unrelated adapter, monitor and application state remains unchanged.
• debug-layer, ETW or driver diagnostics no longer report the rejected VidPN path gamma data contract during the same scenario.
• The application handles recurrence of it without an unbounded retry loop, leaked resource, duplicate composition target or stale topology handle.

Implementation notes

Log source and target IDs, topology generation, path descriptors, pinned modes, mode-set handles and monitor timing data. When the path returns a count, size, status flag or replacement object, retain it even on a nonfatal result because it can direct the next call.

A production fallback for it should be explicit: pause rendering, re-enumerate, rebuild one cache entry, recreate a device, or decline a protected path only when this layer calls for that action. Reinstalling every display component, deleting all caches or forcing a resolution change is not an evidence-based fix for it.

Technical references

• Microsoft: Introduction to Video Present Networks — background for the VidPN path gamma data boundary involved in it.
• Microsoft: VidPN objects and interfaces
• Microsoft: Enumerating cofunctional VidPN modes
• Microsoft: Determining VidPN support

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