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STATUS_HIVE_UNLOADED
The mount was removed while a stale key reference remained
RegUnLoadKey removes a mounted hive from the registry namespace without modifying its backing file. Code that retains a handle, object path, or cached wrapper after unload can receive this status when it attempts another operation.
The correct recovery is to reestablish the mount deliberately and reopen the key, not to keep retrying the stale handle. Unload coordination must include worker threads, notifications, and components that may have opened descendants of the mount point.
What to inspect
- Record who unloaded the hive and whether the unload was expected.
- Close all descendant handles and stop registry notifications before unload.
- Reopen keys only after a successful, verified reload.
- Confirm that the backing file was not moved or replaced between operations.
References
- Microsoft Learn: RegUnLoadKey
- Microsoft Learn: RegLoadKey
- Microsoft Learn: Registry Functions
- Microsoft Open Specifications: NTSTATUS values
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