| Previous | Next |
| ERROR_WMI_DP_NOT_FOUND | ERROR_WMI_ALREADY_ENABLED |
ERROR_WMI_UNRESOLVED_INSTANCE_REF
A registration relationship cannot be followed
This status is about the registration graph rather than a single client lookup. The provider describes blocks, instance naming, and related registration data; an unresolved instance reference means that WMI cannot resolve a referenced instance set from the active registration. It can appear after a partial update, a removed block, or an inconsistent order of provider initialization.
Static instance data is supplied with the registration information, whereas dynamic names are generated by the provider at request time. Mixing those models, changing the instance list without re-registering, or leaving a reference to a removed GUID can leave the registration internally inconsistent even when the provider binary still loads.
How to diagnose registration consistency
- Capture the complete registration generation, including every
WMIREGGUID, its flags, instance count, and any linked blocks. - Apply removal and replacement of related blocks as one coherent update; do not leave consumers observing half of a new schema.
- Test device arrival and removal paths, not only the initial registration during boot.
References
- Windows WDK: registration and update requests
- Windows WDK: static and dynamic instance names
- Windows WDK: block registration flags
Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.