What does Windows error code 799 (ERROR_ORPHAN_NAME_EXHAUSTED) mean?

ERROR_ORPHAN_NAME_EXHAUSTED

orphaned files could not all be recovered because no new recovery names were available.

ERROR_ORPHAN_NAME_EXHAUSTED indicates this condition: During file-system repair, Windows found files or directories no longer reachable from their expected directory structure. Recovery normally places them under a recovery directory using generated names, but the available naming space was exhausted.

Where the result appears

• chkdsk recovery of orphaned files.
• large-scale directory metadata corruption.
• volumes whose recovery directory already contains many generated entries.
• repair after a crash, controller failure, or interrupted metadata update.

What to collect

• the chkdsk log and count of discovered versus recovered orphans.
• contents and naming pattern of the recovery directory.
• the directories or indexes whose damage created the orphans.
• disk health and prior metadata or I/O errors.

Handling and recovery

Preserve the volume, move already recovered files out of the recovery directory as directed, and rerun the supported repair so remaining orphans can receive names. Examine recovered content before restoring it because names and original directory relationships may be lost.

Common misinterpretation

The limit concerns generated recovery names, not ordinary free disk space. Deleting unrelated files may not create usable names in the recovery directory.

References

• Microsoft: System error codes 500–999