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ERROR_CANNOT_EXECUTE_FILE_IN_TRANSACTION
Execution is blocked while another transactional writer owns the file modification
ERROR_CANNOT_EXECUTE_FILE_IN_TRANSACTION is a Transactional NTFS (TxF) file-system status. CreateFileTransacted documents a specific execute-access restriction when a file is part of another transaction. The system status further explains that a file open for modification in an unresolved transaction can be executed only by a transacted reader. This prevents a normal executable open from observing or running an ambiguous version while the writer may still commit or roll back.
Identify the transaction modifying the executable and determine why it remains unresolved. Deployment and updater code should not launch a binary before the transaction that publishes it has completed. Close stale writer handles, commit or roll back at the intended boundary, and then open the committed file for execution. Do not bypass the condition by copying handle values or widening execute access; the restriction protects version isolation, not ACL evaluation.
What to inspect
- Correlate the executable path with the transaction that currently modifies it.
- Ensure installers and updaters commit publication before launching the binary.
- Use the proper transacted reader only when execution within that same transaction is intentional.
References
- Microsoft: CreateFileTransacted and miniversion views
- Microsoft: TxF isolation, locking, and file views
- Microsoft: listing files locked by a transaction
- MS-ERREF: TxF and KTM status definitions
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