| Previous | Next |
| VFW_E_INVALIDMEDIATYPE | VFW_E_INVALIDSUBTYPE |
EVENT_E_ALL_SUBSCRIBERS_FAILED
Meaning and numerical form
EVENT_E_ALL_SUBSCRIBERS_FAILED is HRESULT 2147746305 (0x80040201; signed -2147220991). AllStat records its meaning as “An event was unable to invoke any of the subscribers”. In practical terms, it is returned when the COM+ Events service dispatches an event but every selected subscriber invocation fails.
The severity bit in 0x80040201 is set, so this result is a failure result rather than a success or informational status. Its facility is 4 (FACILITY_ITF) and its low 16-bit code is 513 (0x0201). Those fields classify the value but do not identify the component instance, call, object or input that produced it.
Evidence to collect
A useful this result record includes the native API or interface method, component or CLSID, process and thread IDs, architecture, apartment where relevant, operation correlation ID, elapsed time, input identity, and the first state-changing event before failure. When diagnosing it, preserve IErrorInfo, an inner HRESULT, Win32 status, device event or provider message when available.
- Capture 1 for it: event class CLSID, interface and method name.
- Capture 2 for it: each subscriber CLSID, subscription ID and individual HRESULT.
- Capture 3 for it: delivery mode, security identity and activation log for every attempted subscriber.
Telemetry for it should retain types, lengths, hashes, stable opaque identifiers and lifecycle generations while redacting content and credentials. This makes repeated incidents comparable without exposing subscription identities, event payloads, account SIDs or credentials.
Where the failure belongs
This result belongs to COM+ Events catalog and delivery. COM+ Events separates publishers, event classes, subscriptions and subscribers through catalog records. A useful it diagnosis therefore follows both the catalog relationship and the eventual subscriber invocation. The decisive condition is this: the COM+ Events service dispatches an event but every selected subscriber invocation fails. Record the first native producer instead of relying only on a framework exception translated several layers later.
Do not infer from this result alone that reinstalling, rebooting or repeating the whole workflow is appropriate. Because it can cross process and language boundaries, its correction depends on the object identity, lifecycle generation, input and state at the first failing call.
Likely causes
- Possible cause 1 for it: all subscriber components reject or throw during the event method.
- Possible cause 2 for it: activation or security fails for each persistent subscriber.
- Possible cause 3 for it: publisher filtering selects only unhealthy subscribers.
Diagnostic sequence
- Capture it at the first native return and identify the exact object and method.
- Confirm that the observed path matches this the condition: the COM+ Events service dispatches an event but every selected subscriber invocation fails.
- compare the live state with the method contract before changing configuration.
- collect the code-specific evidence listed above and preserve any more specific preceding error.
- change one evidence-backed cause at a time, then repeat the smallest operation that can prove the correction.
- Add a regression check that distinguishes it from the related outcomes described below.
Correction and retry boundary
- Corrective action 1 for it: repair subscriber-specific activation or method failures and retain per-subscriber diagnostics.
- Corrective action 2 for it: quarantine a persistently failing subscription instead of hiding aggregate failure.
- Corrective action 3 for it: test the event contract with one subscriber at a time.
Retry guidance for it. Retry only when delivery semantics allow duplicate events and subscriber failures were transient; attach an event ID so subscribers can deduplicate. A it retry must avoid this hazard: deliver an event twice, modify the wrong catalog object or hide partial subscriber completion. It must also preserve the evidence needed to locate the original producer of it.
Difference from nearby HRESULTs
EVENT_S_SOME_SUBSCRIBERS_FAILED is partial success; it means no selected subscriber completed successfully. Keep these outcomes separate in logs, exception mappings, user messages, dashboards and automated retry policy.
Developer and operational guidance
Code handling it should log the failed stage before cleanup, keep ownership and lifecycle transitions explicit, and avoid converting every failure into a generic message. Tests for it should cover the primary cause, one adjacent HRESULT and the retry boundary so a future change cannot turn a deterministic contract failure into an uncontrolled loop.
Operational repair for it should use the COM+ Administration APIs, Component Services and the owning deployment package. Avoid unsupported configuration edits or component replacement unless evidence identifies that layer. Retain the original trace and a post-fix trace so the result can be attributed and the change reversed.
Practical scenario
A configuration event targets three subscribers whose service accounts all lost launch rights; restoring those rights changes it to successful delivery. The result scenario narrows the result to a reproducible contract boundary and supplies a concrete before-and-after test.
Official Microsoft references
Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.