Windows error 4209 (ERROR_WMI_DP_FAILED): meaning and diagnosis

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: the selected WMI data provider accepted the request but could not complete its provider-specific work.

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ERROR_WMI_SERVER_UNAVAILABLE	ERROR_WMI_INVALID_MOF

ERROR_WMI_DP_FAILED

Routing succeeded; provider execution did not

Unlike a missing-provider status, this result means that WMI selected a data provider but the provider could not carry out the requested operation. The root cause is therefore usually in the provider's own query, collection, method, or state-change path rather than GUID discovery alone.

In a driver provider, the failure may surface while completing a WMI IRP or while a callback interprets a WNODE buffer. In a user-mode provider, it can arise while the provider obtains the backing device or service data. The precise provider-specific status and event-log entry are more useful than retrying an operation whose prerequisites are still absent.

Evidence to capture

Log the request kind, block GUID, instance selector, provider version, and underlying status returned by the provider.
Check that output buffers and input data match the registered MOF layout and required alignment.
Separate an execution failure from malformed registration, an unknown item, and a transient service outage before selecting remediation.

References

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