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ERROR_GRAPHICS_INCOMPATIBLE_PRIVATE_FORMAT
Interpret the result in its owning layer: graphics incompatible private format
ERROR_GRAPHICS_INCOMPATIBLE_PRIVATE_FORMAT, value 0xC0262355, is produced by vidpn when the candidate primary surface private attributes differ from the active primary surface contract. The investigation should stay attached to primary-surface private format compatibility and to the exact generation in which it was obtained.
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.
Capture before recreating objects
| Capture item | Why it matters for it |
|---|---|
| Object identity | primary-surface private format compatibility |
| Rejected boundary | the candidate primary surface private attributes differ from the active primary surface contract |
| Decisive capture | public format, driver private-format bytes, allocation origin, current primary and mode transition |
| 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 |
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.
Reproduce one variable at a time
- Freeze the result generation. Record public format, driver private-format bytes, allocation origin, current primary and mode transition. Before diagnosing this result, do not resize, hot-plug, recreate or release the object under examination.
- Run the narrow this result comparison. recreate the surface through the current device/driver path and compare. During the result comparison, keep every driver, monitor, resource format and unrelated policy unchanged.
- 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.
- 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_WRONG_ALLOCATION_DEVICE is especially useful: ERROR_GRAPHICS_WRONG_ALLOCATION_DEVICE concerns allocation ownership by a different device. Recording both names prevents a broad “graphics error” label from merging distinct ownership, capability and lifetime problems.
Recovery contract
Do not reuse opaque private-format metadata across devices, resets or mode generations. 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 primary-surface private format compatibility 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 primary-surface private format compatibility boundary involved in it.
- Microsoft: VidPN objects and interfaces
- Microsoft: Enumerating cofunctional VidPN modes
- Microsoft: Determining VidPN support
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