| Previous | Next |
| hrBadLogSignature | hrBadCheckpointSignature |
hrBadDbSignature
What this return value changes
For hrBadDbSignature, treat the value as part of a state machine: it says what remained valid and what did not. The decisive boundary is the database signature does not match the backup or log set used for recovery.
The stored Value is 0xC8000213 (negative JET error -531; -531). The HRESULT carries failure severity, so output state must be treated according to the individual API contract. Current ESE documentation uses JET_errBadDbSignature for the corresponding published JET condition.
The first useful distinction is that a database can be structurally readable yet belong to another ESE lineage. Start by capture database header signature, log signature, backup identity, restore map, file hash, and original path. That separates a reproducible incident from a later generic cleanup or service error.
Objects and state involved
| Diagnostic layer | cryptographic-style ESE identity signatures linking database, logs, checkpoint, and backup set |
|---|---|
| Relevant API surface | soft recovery, hard recovery, database attachment, and backup verification |
| Code-specific boundary | the database signature does not match the backup or log set used for recovery |
| Narrow corrective direction | restore the matching database and logs as one set instead of mixing copies from separate backups |
ESE signatures identify lineage; they are not interchangeable with filenames or timestamps., a signature mismatch commonly indicates mixed files even when each file is individually readable.
Evidence worth preserving
Preserve the first result before retries, cleanup, service restart, or file replacement changes the evidence. The diagnostic record should identify the exact API phase and the owner of every handle or artifact involved.
- Code-specific observation: capture database header signature, log signature, backup identity, restore map, file hash, and original path.
- All relevant header signatures: record it together with this result and the timestamp of the first occurrence.
- Generation and base name: record it together with this result and the timestamp of the first occurrence.
- File hashes and provenance: record it together with this result and the timestamp of the first occurrence.
- Restore map and backup ID: record it together with this result and the timestamp of the first occurrence.
Use hashes, lengths, IDs, generation numbers, and redacted samples instead of copying directory contents or sensitive database values into routine logs. For this it investigation, a complete provenance chain is often more useful than a second automatic retry.
How to distinguish nearby results
It specifically means that a database can be structurally readable yet belong to another ESE lineage. Related values below can appear in the same workflow but require a different response:
hrBadLogSignature | a transaction log header signature does not match the expected log sequence |
|---|---|
hrBadCheckpointSignature | the checkpoint signature is incompatible with the log sequence selected for recovery |
hrFLDTooManySegments | an index key definition contains more segments than the legacy record manager supports |
Keep the original constant and hexadecimal value in telemetry. Replacing it with “backup failed” or “database warning” removes the state information needed to select the next legal API call.
A safe response sequence
- Record it,
0xC8000213, the API name, the current phase, and all live context or file owners. - Verify the decisive condition by capture database header signature, log signature, backup identity, restore map, file hash, and original path.
- Apply only the narrow correction: restore the matching database and logs as one set instead of mixing copies from separate backups.
- After it, recreate any context invalidated by the failure; do not carry stale HBC, cursor, file, or restore-map state into the retry.
- repeat the smallest non-destructive test that reaches the same boundary, then verify both the return value and the resulting file, cursor, backup, or database state.
Actions that can make diagnosis worse
- do not patch signatures or headers.
- do not choose files solely by matching names and dates.
- do not discard the first lower-level Win32, RPC, or JET result merely because a later cleanup call returned a more familiar error.
Acceptance criteria for a fix
Technical references
- ESE error codes — API ordering, file semantics, warning/error interpretation, or recovery behavior relevant to it.
- ESE files and signatures
- JetExternalRestore
- Microsoft JET_ERR enumeration
Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.