Windows error 5917 (ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: An input string of characters is not in a valid format for the data it represents.

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ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_TERMINATION	ERROR_CLUSTER_DATABASE_TRANSACTION_IN_PROGRESS

ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT

An input string of characters is not in a valid format for the data it represents.

ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT is Win32 error 5917 (0x171D) and belongs to Failover clustering cluster textual property parsing. For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, the system description identifies the immediate condition but does not identify the caller, object, policy, device, service instance, or transition that produced it.

Interpret ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT at the API boundary that returned it. Capture ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT before logging, cleanup, or another Windows call can replace the thread-local last-error value. For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, compare the recorded inputs with the documented precondition for Failover clustering cluster textual property parsing rather than starting with a broad system repair.

Where this result appears

ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT can surface during Failover Cluster management during cluster textual property parsing.
ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT can surface during Cluster service processing where an input string is terminated but not valid for the type of data it represents.
ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT can surface during a role or node transition whose evidence includes property name and exact redacted string.
ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT can surface during automation expected to parse and validate the property locally, then send its canonical representation.

Likely causes

For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, an input string is terminated but not valid for the type of data it represents.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, the management view for cluster textual property parsing changed before the request committed.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, a concurrent cluster transition invalidated expected grammar, units, or identifier format.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, the caller attempted recovery without first confirming that it could parse and validate the property locally, then send its canonical representation.

Diagnostic sequence

Diagnosis of ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT starts with the exact request type: read, write, create, transition, validation, cancellation, or administrative action. For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, identify the object generation and subsystem owner, then decide whether the failure happened before side effects, during a partial transition, or after completion. For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, this ordering matters in Failover clustering cluster textual property parsing because a blind retry can hide stale state or repeat a non-idempotent change.

For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, record property name and exact redacted string.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, record expected grammar, units, or identifier format.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, record locale and encoding.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, record management command and conversion path.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, record UTC timestamp, cluster functional level, and the cluster textual property parsing transition generation.

Correlate ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT with the owning component’s operational log, the Windows System log, and any subsystem trace. Telemetry for ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT 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 5917, hexadecimal 0x171D, and the producing API even when a localized message is also shown.

State boundary to prove

The decisive boundary for ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT is whether an input string is terminated but not valid for the type of data it represents. Prove or disprove that proposition using property name and exact redacted string together with expected grammar, units, or identifier format. When observations for ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT disagree, preserve both and inspect the transition between them instead of choosing the more convenient value.

A focused validation for ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT should recreate the relevant part of this situation: a script supplies a localized decimal or malformed GUID to a cluster property. Canonical formatting fixes the request. The negative case should keep the responsible condition unchanged and confirm error 5917; the recovery case should change only that condition and verify a successful result without an unrecorded side effect.

Suggested diagnostic fields

For error 5917, keep winerr_5917_api, winerr_5917_object, winerr_5917_state_before, winerr_5917_request, winerr_5917_first_status, winerr_5917_verification. These fields distinguish the initial state, requested transition, first status, and verified recovery result.

Handling, retry, and recovery

Parse and validate the property locally, then send its canonical representation. For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, generate a focused cluster log for the failure window and preserve the first error rather than only the final management message.

Retry ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT only after evidence shows a change in Failover clustering cluster textual property parsing. For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, 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 ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, query completion state explicitly.

What to log for support and telemetry

For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, log decimal 5917, hexadecimal 0x171D, and the producing API.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, log the target object and observed Failover clustering cluster textual property parsing state.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, log caller identity, process and thread IDs, machine or node identity, and UTC time.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, log attempt number, elapsed time, previous result, and any partial side effect.
For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, retain the first lower-level or component-specific error before Win32 translation.

Difference from nearby codes

For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, eRROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT names the cluster-specific boundary for cluster textual property parsing; a generic Win32 paraphrase would lose the object and transition context.

Practical example

A script supplies a localized decimal or malformed GUID to a cluster property. Canonical formatting fixes the request.

Developer and administrator guidance

Code that handles ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT should keep its Win32 domain visible across exceptions, RPC responses, and JSON or REST wrappers. For ERROR_CLUSTER_INVALID_STRING_FORMAT, administrators should verify the subsystem evidence before changing policy, deleting state, forcing failover, or replacing storage. Recovery is demonstrated only when a test observes 5917, changes the responsible condition, and confirms that the same operation succeeds without hidden data loss.

References

Microsoft: System Error Codes (4000–5999) — reference for error 5917.
Microsoft: Failover clustering documentation — reference for error 5917.
Microsoft: Get-ClusterLog — reference for error 5917.
Microsoft: Troubleshoot unexpected cluster failover — reference for error 5917.

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