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ERROR_AMBIGUOUS_SYSTEM_DEVICE
Windows found multiple devices that satisfy the same system-device identification criteria
This status is about identification ambiguity, not about a device being absent. Plug and Play uses device IDs, instance IDs, hardware IDs, compatible IDs, and other topology information to distinguish devnodes. If the selection criteria do not separate multiple candidates, Windows cannot choose one device as the requested system device.
Capture the criteria used by the caller and enumerate all matching device instances. Compare device instance IDs and parent topology rather than friendly names, which are not unique identifiers. A bus driver that returns unstable or insufficiently unique IDs can also create indistinguishable devnodes. The correct fix is to provide or consume a stronger identity discriminator; picking the first enumeration result merely makes the choice order-dependent and can target different hardware after reboot.
What to inspect
- Record the exact identification criteria passed by the caller.
- List every matching device instance ID and parent devnode.
- Use a stable unique identifier or topology discriminator instead of enumeration order.
References
- Microsoft: Win32 system error codes
- Microsoft: IRP_MN_QUERY_ID
- Microsoft: hardware and compatible IDs
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