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ERROR_ARBITRATION_UNHANDLED
A resource arbiter deferred the decision to its parent
ERROR_ARBITRATION_UNHANDLED corresponds to Win32 error value documented as: The arbiter has deferred arbitration of these resources to its parent A device resource arbiter could not make the final allocation locally and passed the request upward. The condition is part of Plug and Play resource negotiation and may be informational during a successful start.
Where the result appears in real systems
- PnP device start and rebalance.
- Bus drivers assigning I/O ports, memory windows, interrupts, or DMA resources.
- Custom driver diagnostics.
What to collect before making changes
Capture the device instance path, parent bus, requested and translated resource lists, and subsequent PnP status; inspect Device Manager problem codes and SetupAPI.dev.log before assuming the deferral caused failure.
Handling and recovery
Allow the parent arbiter to continue processing. Driver code should preserve the resource requirements and avoid converting a legitimate deferral into an immediate device-start error.
What not to infer from this code
This result means the current arbiter declined ownership of the decision; it does not by itself mean that no valid resource assignment exists.
References
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