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hrNotInitialized
Diagnostic focus
hrNotInitialized means an ESE call requiring a running instance was made before successful initialization.
This result is the legacy Directory Service backup/restore HRESULT form of the ESE condition normally written as JET_errNotInitialized. Preserve the original value 0xC8000405 when a wrapper also exposes a signed JET_ERR.
The key comparison is: hrTermInProgress means initialization once existed but shutdown has started. The first useful observation is to trace JetCreateInstance/JetSetSystemParameter/JetInit outcomes and the thread that issued the failing call. This evidence shows whether startup, normal operation, shutdown, or restore ordering is the actual boundary.
The ESE objects in play
| Diagnostic layer | ESE instance state and call ordering |
|---|---|
| Typical API surface | JetCreateInstance, JetSetSystemParameter, JetInit, JetTerm, and restore entry points |
| Code-specific boundary | an ESE call requiring a running instance was made before successful initialization |
| First corrective direction | make initialization success a hard prerequisite and do not publish the instance to workers early |
Initialization parameters are generally established before JetInit. Handles derived from an instance are not reusable after teardown.
Evidence that resolves the ambiguity
A useful trace should preserve the first failing operation and the state of the ESE instance state and call ordering.
- Code-specific observation: trace JetCreateInstance/JetSetSystemParameter/JetInit outcomes and the thread that issued the failing call.
- the successful or failed JetInit/JetTerm sequence and the component that owns it; associate it with this result rather than with a later generic exception.
- all still-live sessions and child handles at the transition.
- the first request accepted after shutdown or before initialization completed.
Nearby results that mean something different
hrInvalidOperation | the engine state, object type, or call ordering makes the requested operation invalid |
|---|---|
hrTermInProgress | the instance teardown boundary: new work reached ESE after termination had begun |
hrFeatureNotAvailable | an API or option is recognized but absent from the engine build or operating mode in use |
A disciplined correction path
- Freeze the failing request context and record
0xC8000405, the Jet API name, and the current instance/session ownership. - Verify the code-specific precondition: trace JetCreateInstance/JetSetSystemParameter/JetInit outcomes and the thread that issued the failing call.
- Apply the targeted fix: make initialization success a hard prerequisite and do not publish the instance to workers early.
- Before retrying the operation, reconcile instance state, admission control, and child-handle cleanup.
- Add a regression test that reproduces the old failure and proves cleanup leaves no stale handles; then repeat the smallest read-only or disposable test that exercises the corrected precondition.
Actions that can hide or worsen the problem
- Do not reuse instance-derived handles after the lifecycle transition.
- Do not start a second initializer to work around an ordering defect.
Developer-facing acceptance test
Build a focused test that reproduces it at the ESE instance state and call ordering layer. The corrected test should change only the decisive condition—an ESE call requiring a running instance was made before successful initialization—and should prove that cleanup is safe if the call still fails.
Technical references
- ESE API functions — used to verify the ESE object model, API ordering, or error family relevant to this HRESULT.
- Using ESE and esent.h
- JET error codes
- Microsoft: JET_ERR enumeration
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