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hrDeleteBackupFileFail
Why this result matters
hrDeleteBackupFileFail means backup cleanup could not delete an artifact it was responsible for removing.
The stored value is 0xC800020C (negative JET error -524; -524). Current ESE documentation uses JET_errDeleteBackupFileFail for the corresponding published JET condition.
The first useful distinction is that cleanup failure does not prove the backup data itself is invalid, but it can contaminate the next destination. Start by recording the exact path, file attributes, sharing handles, security descriptor, Win32 error, and whether the file belongs to the current set.
Do not confuse it with
This result specifically means that cleanup failure does not prove the backup data itself is invalid, but it can contaminate the next destination. Related values below can appear in the same workflow but require a different response:
hrMakeBackupDirectoryFail | ESE could not create the temporary directory required by the backup workflow |
|---|---|
hrLogFileNotFound | an incremental Directory Service backup cannot assemble the required transaction-log set |
hrBFInUse | the caller attempted to abandon or repurpose a buffer page that still has an active owner or dependency |
Forensic checklist
- Code-specific observation: record the exact path, file attributes, sharing handles, security descriptor, Win32 error, and whether the file belongs to the current set.
- ACL and Win32 error: capture the value and timestamp from the first occurrence.
- Backup end/abort result: capture the value and timestamp from the first occurrence.
- Exact path and owner job: capture the value and timestamp from the first occurrence.
- File attributes and open handles: capture the value and timestamp from the first occurrence.
Objects and state involved
| Diagnostic layer | temporary backup directories, copied artifacts, cleanup ownership, and final status |
|---|---|
| Relevant API surface | external backup setup/teardown and filesystem operations around copied files |
| Code-specific condition | backup cleanup could not delete an artifact it was responsible for removing |
| Narrow corrective direction | quarantine or remove the artifact after verifying ownership and keep the failed cleanup visible in backup status |
Cleanup errors can leave a destination that is unsafe for the next backup attempt. A cleanup path must distinguish artifacts owned by the current job from prior verified backups.
Actions that can make diagnosis worse
- Do not recursively delete a destination whose provenance is unknown.
- Do not hide cleanup failure behind the original successful copy status.
Validation after correction
- Record it,
0xC800020C, the API name, the current phase, and all live context or file owners. - Verify the condition by recording the exact path, file attributes, sharing handles, security descriptor, Win32 error, and whether the file belongs to the current set.
- Apply only the targeted fix: quarantine or remove the artifact after verifying ownership and keep the failed cleanup visible in backup status.
Acceptance criteria for a fix
A useful regression test should force the condition “backup cleanup could not delete an artifact it was responsible for removing”, call one documented API transition, and assert the exact HRESULT.
Technical references
- ESE backup error codes — API ordering, file semantics, warning/error interpretation, or recovery behavior relevant to this HRESULT.
- Begin external backup
- End external backup
- Microsoft JET_ERR enumeration
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