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ERROR_NO_SUCH_USER
The user lookup reached an authority but found no matching user object
This code is associated with user-object lookup and open operations in the SAM or domain security database. It differs from ERROR_INVALID_ACCOUNT_NAME, which rejects the form of a name, and from domain reachability errors, where the correct account authority could not be contacted. A stale configuration entry can therefore produce this result even while the SID of a formerly existing account remains on files or ACLs.
Check the server or domain argument first, then query the user in that exact authority. Account names are not globally unique across a local SAM and domains, so an unqualified name can be looked up in the wrong place by surrounding code. For cleanup operations, retain the original SID if available; failure to open a user by name is not a reason to replace every unresolved SID in security descriptors.
What to inspect
- Record the target server/domain and the exact account name used for lookup.
- Check whether the account was renamed, deleted, or created in another authority.
- Keep name-resolution failure separate from ACL entries that still contain a valid historical SID.
References
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