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hrBadBackupDatabaseSize
The exact boundary reported here
For hrBadBackupDatabaseSize, treat the value as part of a state machine: it says what remained valid and what did not. The decisive boundary is the backed-up database file length is not aligned to the database page-size boundary expected by ESE.
The stored Value is 0xC8000231 (negative JET error -561; -561). The HRESULT carries failure severity, so output state must be treated according to the individual API contract. Current ESE documentation uses JET_errBadBackupDatabaseSize for the corresponding published JET condition.
The first useful distinction is that the legacy message names 4 KiB, while modern ESE documentation describes alignment to the database page size. Start by record exact byte length, page size from metadata, transfer byte counts, final chunk size, storage object length, and hashes. That separates a reproducible incident from a later generic cleanup or service error.
Objects and state involved
| Diagnostic layer | database, patch, log, and backup metadata that establish one recoverable lineage |
|---|---|
| Relevant API surface | hard recovery, database-header inspection, patch application, and post-restore validation |
| Code-specific boundary | the backed-up database file length is not aligned to the database page-size boundary expected by ESE |
| Narrow corrective direction | recopy the complete file and verify length and hash; never pad or truncate a database to force alignment |
A hard-recovery failure leaves the restored database invalid; retry begins from a fresh restored copy., database state, signature, page size, consistent time, and required logs must agree.
Adjacent conditions
This result specifically means that the legacy message names 4 KiB, while modern ESE documentation describes alignment to the database page size. Related values below can appear in the same workflow but require a different response:
hrPatchFileMismatch | the database patch file was not generated from the backup database being restored |
|---|---|
hrDatabaseInconsistent | the database is not in a clean transaction-consistent state and requires recovery before normal use |
hrConsistentTimeMismatch | the database last-consistent timestamp does not match the recovery or backup lineage being applied |
Keep the original constant and hexadecimal value in telemetry. Replacing this result with “backup failed” or “database warning” removes the state information needed to select the next legal API call.
Diagnostic record
Preserve the first result before retries, cleanup, service restart, or file replacement changes the evidence. The diagnostic record should identify the exact API phase and the owner of every handle or artifact involved.
- Code-specific observation: record exact byte length, page size from metadata, transfer byte counts, final chunk size, storage object length, and hashes.
- Backup identity and restore map: record it together with this result and the timestamp of the first occurrence.
- Required log positions: record it together with this result and the timestamp of the first occurrence.
- Database header and state: record it together with it and the timestamp of the first occurrence.
- Signatures, page size, and hashes: record it together with it and the timestamp of the first occurrence.
Actions that can make diagnosis worse
- do not modify the only backup copy in place.
- do not attach a dirty or mismatched database as if it were clean.
- do not discard the first lower-level Win32, RPC, or JET result merely because a later cleanup call returned a more familiar error.
Corrective path
- Record it,
0xC8000231, the API name, the current phase, and all live context or file owners. - Verify the decisive condition by record exact byte length, page size from metadata, transfer byte counts, final chunk size, storage object length, and hashes.
- Apply only the narrow correction: recopy the complete file and verify length and hash; never pad or truncate a database to force alignment.
- After it, recreate any context invalidated by the failure; do not carry stale HBC, cursor, file, or restore-map state into the retry.
- repeat the smallest non-destructive test that reaches the same boundary, then verify both the return value and the resulting file, cursor, backup, or database state.
Acceptance criteria for a fix
Technical references
- JetExternalRestore behavior — API ordering, file semantics, warning/error interpretation, or recovery behavior relevant to it.
- Database header information
- ESE error-code table
- Microsoft JET_ERR enumeration
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