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ERROR_NO_VOLUME_ID
The volume identifier required for link tracking is unavailable.
ERROR_NO_VOLUME_ID is decimal 1173 (0x495). Distributed Link Tracking associates object identifiers with volume identity so references can be repaired after files move. This result means the required volume ID could not be found; it does not simply mean that a drive letter is missing.
Why volume identity can be absent or unusable
- the target filesystem or volume does not provide the expected tracking metadata
- a clone, image restore, or disk conversion produced inconsistent identity state
- the volume was mounted, replaced, or re-created between discovery and use
- object-identifier metadata is unavailable for the selected file
- the operation crosses a redirector or storage layer that cannot supply tracking information
Important evidence
- volume GUID path, drive letter, filesystem type, serial/identity data, and mount generation
- file path and object identifier involved in the tracking request
- whether the volume was cloned, restored, snapshotted, or moved recently
- local versus remote path and the storage protocol in use
- state of the Distributed Link Tracking Client service
Drive letters are presentation aliases and can change independently of the underlying volume. Logging only C: or D: is therefore inadequate for diagnosing an identity failure.
Diagnostic sequence
- verify that the file still resides on the volume the application discovered
- identify the filesystem and confirm that the tracking operation is supported there
- inspect recent imaging, cloning, restore, mount, and storage events
- refresh the file and volume handles rather than reusing stale ones
- compare object and volume identity before recording a repaired link
Recovery
If the application can fall back to an ordinary path reference, report that automatic move tracking is unavailable and continue only when stale-link risk is acceptable. For required tracking, stop and repair the volume or deployment workflow. Generating arbitrary identifiers in application code would not make them valid Distributed Link Tracking metadata.
A retry is appropriate after remount, metadata repair, or reacquiring the correct volume. Repeating against the same unsupported filesystem or stale handle will not create a volume ID.
Design guidance
Systems that clone Windows volumes should use supported imaging and generalization procedures and must not assume that every copied identifier remains valid. Applications should pair a path with their own stable business identifier so a link-tracking failure does not make the referenced document indistinguishable.
Related conditions
ERROR_NO_TRACKING_SERVICE means the workstation tracking service is unavailable. ERROR_UNRECOGNIZED_VOLUME reports an unrecognized filesystem. ERROR_FILE_INVALID indicates that an open file became invalid after volume change. Error 1173 is specifically the absence of the volume identity needed by tracking.
Example
A cloned NTFS disk is attached beside its source, and an application attempts to establish tracking information for a moved document. The expected volume identity cannot be resolved and 1173 is returned. The administrator corrects the cloning/deployment process and the application reacquires the file by volume GUID rather than retrying with the same drive-letter handle.
References
- Microsoft: System Error Codes (1000–1299)
- Microsoft: Distributed Link Tracking and Object Identifiers
- Microsoft: Link tracking information and volume ID
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