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hrBadCheckpointSignature
How to read this HRESULT
For hrBadCheckpointSignature, treat the value as part of a state machine: it says what remained valid and what did not. The decisive boundary is the checkpoint signature is incompatible with the log sequence selected for recovery.
The stored Value is 0xC8000214 (negative JET error -532; -532). The HRESULT carries failure severity, so output state must be treated according to the individual API contract. Current ESE documentation uses JET_errBadCheckpointSignature for the corresponding published JET condition.
The first useful distinction is that hrCheckpointCorrupt also covers a missing or unreadable checkpoint; this code isolates signature mismatch. Start by record checkpoint header, log signature, base name, system path, generation, and provenance of copied files. 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 checkpoint signature is incompatible with the log sequence selected for recovery |
| Narrow corrective direction | use a checkpoint from the same set or allow supported recovery to rebuild state from a complete log sequence |
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.
What to collect first
- Code-specific observation: record checkpoint header, log signature, base name, system path, generation, and provenance of copied files.
- 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.
- All relevant header signatures: record it together with this result and the timestamp of the first occurrence.
Controlled remediation
- Record it,
0xC8000214, the API name, the current phase, and all live context or file owners. - Verify the decisive condition by record checkpoint header, log signature, base name, system path, generation, and provenance of copied files.
- Apply only the narrow correction: use a checkpoint from the same set or allow supported recovery to rebuild state from a complete log sequence.
- 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.
Acceptance criteria for a fix
Boundary with related codes
It specifically means that hrCheckpointCorrupt also covers a missing or unreadable checkpoint; this code isolates signature mismatch. 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 |
|---|---|
hrBadDbSignature | the database signature does not match the backup or log set used for recovery |
hrExistingLogFileHasBadSignature | a log already present in the target log path belongs to a different log sequence or has an unreadable signature |
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.
Actions that can make diagnosis worse
- do not choose files solely by matching names and dates.
- do not patch signatures or headers.
- do not discard the first lower-level Win32, RPC, or JET result merely because a later cleanup call returned a more familiar error.
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
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