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STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_COLLISION
STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_COLLISION means that a caller asked to create a new named object where one already exists. In file-system code, the result commonly depends on the requested creation disposition: a create-only request should fail on an existing file, while an open-or-create workflow may legitimately open the existing object instead.
Why it is useful to keep this status distinct
A collision is a namespace race or an intentional uniqueness check. It is not the same as a sharing violation: the existing object may be closed and fully accessible, but the operation explicitly required a new name. It is also not the same as STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND, which indicates absence rather than presence.
How to handle it safely
- Choose the creation disposition that matches the business rule: create-only, open-existing, create-or-open, replace, or overwrite are different operations.
- For generated names, use an atomic create attempt rather than checking whether the name exists and then creating it later.
- When the existing object is acceptable, inspect its type and ownership before reusing it; do not assume it belongs to the current operation.
- For a directory request, make sure that file-versus-directory expectations are explicit.
On SMB, the protocol specification uses this status when a create-only request encounters an existing non-directory file. This makes it especially important to log both the requested disposition and the resolved object type.
See CreateFile, Creating and Opening Files, and the SMB2 CREATE specification.
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