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ERROR_GRAPHICS_NO_PREFERRED_MODE
VidPN mode set has no preferred mode
ERROR_GRAPHICS_NO_PREFERRED_MODE is HRESULT 2499358 (0x0026231E) from winerror.h. AllStat describes it as “Specified mode set does not specify preference for one of its modes.” In the Windows display topology or Desktop Window Manager operation, the value reports a nonfailure state that must not be collapsed into plain S_OK.
Accepting this result requires proving the documented state rather than checking only SUCCEEDED(hr).
Where the status is encountered
- VidPN mode-set, topology, and path negotiation; capture the exact API, object, and phase because the same numeric success severity does not define the state by itself.
- Display miniport and graphics-kernel dataset enumeration;
- DWM composition and GDI redirection-surface handling;
Keep it attached to the operation that returned it. Interpreting it outside that API contract can turn a normal continuation or partial result into an incorrect retry or false completion.
What must be true before accepting it
Verify that the absence of preference is allowed and another deterministic selection rule is available. Validation of it keeps a success-severity result from becoming a broader promise than the API made.
Also confirm that returned outputs belong to the current operation generation and were not inherited from an earlier attempt.
Difference from nearby results
MODE_NOT_PINNED concerns the active pin; NO_PREFERRED_MODE concerns preference metadata within a mode set.
Using one generic success branch for it and its neighbor can lose output, repeat work, or misreport completion.
Correct handling and recovery
Enumerate all valid modes and choose using policy, current mode, or user selection. Do not assume the first enumerated mode is stable across drivers.
Retry after it only when a recorded input, capability, resource, policy, or state has changed.
Practical scenario
A monitor descriptor exposes several valid modes but no preferred flag. The display service chooses the current native-sized mode by policy.
References
- Microsoft: VidPN model and enumeration
- Microsoft: Desktop Window Manager overview
- Microsoft: HRESULT values
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