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STG_E_INVALIDFLAG
Invalid structured-storage flag combination
STG_E_INVALIDFLAG is HRESULT 2147680511 (0x800300FF) from winerror.h. The documented description is “Invalid flag error.” The result belongs to STGM, commit, enumeration, or provider-specific flags passed to a storage API. The important boundary is not merely failure but which object and state transition established: the flag value contains unknown bits or a combination forbidden by the method contract.
STG_E_INVALIDFLAG means that the flag value contains unknown bits or a combination forbidden by the method contract.
Where the result appears
- This result can surface in a IStorage, IStream, ILockBytes, property storage, compound-file parsing, or persistence code.
- Map the failure to one concrete operation among StgOpenStorage, StgCreateStorageEx, IStorage, IStream, IPropertyStorage, STATSTG, and the selected STGM mode.
- Preserve storage path or identity, STGM mode, stream or storage name, transaction generation, file hash, and backing provider before releasing or replacing the object that returned this result.
An incident record must distinguish caller, runtime, provider, and backing resource while testing whether the flag value contains unknown bits or a combination forbidden by the method contract.
Typical causes and interpretation
The immediate contract boundary is specific: the flag value contains unknown bits or a combination forbidden by the method contract. Common cause branches include the following:
- Mutually exclusive access modes are combined.
- A flag intended for creation is passed to an open operation.
- A newer flag reaches an older implementation.
Confirm the cause branch that explains why the flag value contains unknown bits or a combination forbidden by the method contract by using call arguments, object state, metadata, device information, or provider traces.
Correct handling and recovery
The primary recovery is to construct flags from named constants for the exact API and negotiate version support before retry. The failure report should capture the relevant state during STGM, commit, enumeration, or provider-specific flags passed to a storage API so it is clear why the flag value contains unknown bits or a combination forbidden by the method contract.
Retry this result only when evidence shows the state behind “the flag value contains unknown bits or a combination forbidden by the method contract” can change and the operation is repeatable.
Practical scenario
A wrapper ORs STGM_TRANSACTED and a provider-only direct-mode flag, producing a combination the compound-file implementation cannot honor.
Difference from related HRESULTs
STG_E_INVALIDPARAMETER covers any bad argument; it narrows the defect to a flag field.
Developer and administrator guidance
Administrators should repair the component owning STGM, commit, enumeration, or provider-specific flags passed to a storage API as a versioned unit instead of copying arbitrary DLLs.
References
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