What does Windows error code 4002 (ERROR_STATIC_INIT) mean?

 
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ERROR_STATIC_INIT

The importation from the file failed.

ERROR_STATIC_INIT is Win32 error 4002 (0xFA2) and belongs to WINS static mapping import. The system description identifies the immediate condition but does not identify the caller, object, policy, device, service instance, or transition that produced it.

Interpret this result at the API boundary that returned it. Capture it before logging, cleanup, or another Windows call can replace the thread-local last-error value. Compare the recorded inputs with the documented precondition for WINS static mapping import rather than starting with a broad system repair.

Where the result appears

  • This result can surface during importing static NetBIOS mappings from a file.
  • This result can surface during initializing a replacement WINS database.
  • It can surface during bulk migration of legacy name records.
  • It can surface during an administrative script feeding an export back into WINS.

Likely causes

  • the import file is malformed, truncated, or uses an unexpected layout.
  • a record contains an invalid NetBIOS name, address, or type.
  • the file encoding or line endings differ from what the importer accepts.
  • the import conflicts with existing static or protected records.

Diagnostic sequence

Diagnosis of it starts with the exact request type: read, write, create, transition, validation, cancellation, or administrative action. Identify the object generation and subsystem owner, then decide whether the failure happened before side effects, during a partial transition, or after completion. This ordering matters in WINS static mapping import because a blind retry can hide stale state or repeat a non-idempotent change.

  • record original import file and cryptographic hash.
  • record line or record where processing stopped.
  • record exporting WINS version and importing server version.
  • record duplicate names, multihomed records, and address syntax.
  • record WINS event log details for the import operation.

Correlate it with the owning component’s operational log, the Windows System log, and any subsystem trace. Telemetry for this Win32 error should preserve native identifiers such as a path or file ID, handle generation, node or peer identity, policy ID, object version, offset and length, or transaction token. Retain decimal 4002, hexadecimal 0xFA2, and the producing API even when a localized message is also shown.

State boundary to prove

The decisive boundary for this Win32 error is whether the import file is malformed, truncated, or uses an unexpected layout. Prove or disprove that proposition using original import file and cryptographic hash together with line or record where processing stopped. When observations for this Win32 error disagree, preserve both and inspect the transition between them instead of choosing the more convenient value.

A focused validation for this Win32 error should recreate the relevant part of this situation: a generated mapping file contains a comment format accepted by a custom tool but not by WINS. Testing a small validated subset isolates the first incompatible record. The negative case should keep the responsible condition unchanged and confirm error 4002; the recovery case should change only that condition and verify a successful result without an unrecorded side effect.

Handling, retry, and recovery

Validate the file without rewriting it, correct the first malformed or conflicting record, and retry with a copy. Keep an export of the current database before importing into production.

Retry it only after evidence shows a change in WINS static mapping import. Initialization, asynchronous completion, recall, or service readiness can justify bounded backoff; malformed metadata, invalid identifiers, policy rejection, unsupported versions, and integrity failures require correction. Before repeating a write or configuration operation after it, query completion state explicitly.

What to log for support and telemetry

  • log decimal 4002, hexadecimal 0xFA2, and the producing API.
  • log the target object and observed WINS static mapping import state.
  • log caller identity, process and thread IDs, machine or node identity, and UTC time.
  • log attempt number, elapsed time, previous result, and any partial side effect.
  • retain the first lower-level or component-specific error before Win32 translation.

Difference from nearby codes

Despite its historical name, it here is the WINS import failure, not C or C++ static object initialization.

Practical example

A generated mapping file contains a comment format accepted by a custom tool but not by WINS.

Developer and administrator guidance

Code that handles it should keep its Win32 domain visible across exceptions, RPC responses, and JSON or REST wrappers. Administrators should verify the subsystem evidence before changing policy, deleting state, forcing failover, or replacing storage. Recovery is demonstrated only when a test observes 4002, changes the responsible condition, and confirms that the same operation succeeds without hidden data loss.

References

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