HRESULT 0xC026234A (ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN

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Description:

Specified mode is not in the specified mode set.

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ERROR_GRAPHICS_MULTISAMPLING_NOT_SUPPORTED	ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_VIDPN_TOPOLOGY_RECOMMENDATION_REASON

ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET

Locate the failing graphics boundary: graphics mode not in modeset

ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET, value 0xC026234A, is produced by vidpn when the mode object was supplied to a mode set that does not contain it. The investigation should stay attached to mode-set membership and to the exact generation in which it was obtained.

ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET: VidPN handles and subobjects are generation-bound. For ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET, A monitor hot-plug, docking action, session switch or mode commit can invalidate an otherwise well-formed cached object. For ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET, 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.

Evidence that makes this result actionable

Capture item	Why it matters for `ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET`
Decisive capture	mode ID, mode-set handle, source/target owner, topology generation and enumeration order
Current graph state	VidPN, topology, source and target mode sets, and the present path connecting them
Supporting trace	source and target IDs, topology generation, path descriptors, pinned modes, mode-set handles and monitor timing data
Object identity	mode-set membership
Rejected boundary	the mode object was supplied to a mode set that does not contain it

For ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET, 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 ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET.

A controlled comparison

Freeze the ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET generation. Record mode ID, mode-set handle, source/target owner, topology generation and enumeration order. Before diagnosing ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET, do not resize, hot-plug, recreate or release the object under examination.
Run the narrow ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET comparison. reacquire the correct mode set and select a mode enumerated from it. During the ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET comparison, keep every driver, monitor, resource format and unrelated policy unchanged.
Observe the layer after ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET. For ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET, if the exact check passes, record the next HRESULT or visible outcome. A different downstream result shows that the ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET boundary was crossed.
Repeat ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET through a lifecycle transition. For ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET, exercise one relevant resize, mode switch, device recreation, hot-plug or session change and confirm that this result does not reuse stale handles.

The comparison with ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_PINNED is especially useful: ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_PINNED means a member exists but no mode is pinned. For ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET, recording both names prevents a broad “graphics error” label from merging distinct ownership, capability and lifetime problems.

Correction and proof

Retain owner mode-set identity with each mode and invalidate it after reassignment. Repair of ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET 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 ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET 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 ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET; unrelated adapter, monitor and application state remains unchanged.
For ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET, debug-layer, ETW or driver diagnostics no longer report the rejected mode-set membership contract during the same scenario.
The application handles recurrence of ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET without an unbounded retry loop, leaked resource, duplicate composition target or stale topology handle.

Implementation notes for `ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET`

For ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET, log source and target IDs, topology generation, path descriptors, pinned modes, mode-set handles and monitor timing data. When the ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET 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 ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET 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 ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET.

Technical references

Microsoft: Introduction to Video Present Networks — background for the mode-set membership boundary involved in ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET.
Microsoft: VidPN objects and interfaces — background for the mode-set membership boundary involved in ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET.
Microsoft: Enumerating cofunctional VidPN modes — background for the mode-set membership boundary involved in ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET.
Microsoft: Determining VidPN support — background for the mode-set membership boundary involved in ERROR_GRAPHICS_MODE_NOT_IN_MODESET.

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