What does HRESULT 0xC0262352 (ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING) mean?

ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING

What Windows rejected: graphics invalid scanline ordering

Windows reports ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING (0xC0262352) at the vidpn checkpoint. Here, the target mode uses an invalid progressive/interlaced ordering value. That narrows the first investigation to target signal scanline order instead of the entire GPU stack.

Validate the target signal, not the render surface

Scanline ordering belongs to the target timing and distinguishes progressive from interlaced signal forms. Preserve the complete target mode, including refresh numerator and denominator, total size and active size. Compare with a mode enumerated by the monitor/driver rather than synthesizing the enum alone. Changing the render-target format or swap-chain buffer cannot correct an invalid target signal ordering.

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

For ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING, 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_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING.

Separate state from capability

1. Freeze the ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING generation. Record scanline-order enum, refresh numerator/denominator, target timing and monitor capabilities. Before diagnosing ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING, do not resize, hot-plug, recreate or release the object under examination.
2. Run the narrow ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING comparison. select a timing enumerated from the target mode set. During the ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING comparison, keep every driver, monitor, resource format and unrelated policy unchanged.
3. Observe the layer after ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING. For ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING, if the exact check passes, record the next HRESULT or visible outcome. A different downstream result shows that the ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING boundary was crossed.
4. Repeat ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING through a lifecycle transition. For ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING, 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_INVALID_MONITOR_FREQUENCYRANGE_CONSTRAINT is especially useful: ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_MONITOR_FREQUENCYRANGE_CONSTRAINT concerns timing-range constraints. For ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING, recording both names prevents a broad “graphics error” label from merging distinct ownership, capability and lifetime problems.

Verify the repaired path

Preserve scanline ordering from validated monitor or driver timing data. Repair of ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING 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_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING 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_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING; unrelated adapter, monitor and application state remains unchanged.
• For ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING, debug-layer, ETW or driver diagnostics no longer report the rejected target signal scanline order contract during the same scenario.
• The application handles recurrence of ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING without an unbounded retry loop, leaked resource, duplicate composition target or stale topology handle.

Implementation notes for ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING

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

Technical references

• Microsoft: Introduction to Video Present Networks — background for the target signal scanline order boundary involved in ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING.
• Microsoft: VidPN objects and interfaces — background for the target signal scanline order boundary involved in ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING.
• Microsoft: Enumerating cofunctional VidPN modes — background for the target signal scanline order boundary involved in ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING.
• Microsoft: Determining VidPN support — background for the target signal scanline order boundary involved in ERROR_GRAPHICS_INVALID_SCANLINE_ORDERING.

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