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STATUS_FILE_SYSTEM_VIRTUALIZATION_METADATA_CORRUPT
The virtualization namespace metadata is unreadable
A virtualization provider and the ProjFS filter maintain metadata that distinguishes a virtualization root and records projected-item state. This status means that metadata is structurally invalid or inconsistent, so the platform cannot safely route operations to the provider or reason about placeholders under the root.
The projected files visible to applications are not the only state involved. Copying the directory with a tool that omits reparse data or extended metadata, restoring only part of the root, or storage corruption can leave an apparently normal tree that is no longer a valid virtualization instance.
What to inspect
- Record the root path, volume, reparse and virtualization metadata, provider version, and the operation that first failed.
- Check whether the root was copied, restored, moved across volumes, or manipulated while the provider was stopped.
- Compare behavior with a newly created root from the same provider and configuration.
- Recreate or restore the root using provider-supported procedures rather than editing metadata directly.
References
- Microsoft Open Specifications: NTSTATUS values
- Microsoft: Windows Projected File System
- Microsoft: starting a ProjFS virtualization instance
- Microsoft Windows classic sample: ProjFS provider code
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