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ERROR_RESTART_APPLICATION
The application must restart before the operation can finish safely.
ERROR_RESTART_APPLICATION is Win32 error 1467 (0x5BB). It is a state-transition result: the current process instance cannot complete the requested change with its existing modules, resources, or registered state. The code should not be treated as a generic crash or blindly retried in a loop. The caller must preserve user work, close the affected instance in an orderly way, and decide whether Windows, an installer, or the application itself will initiate the replacement process.
Why a restart is requested
- an update replaced or scheduled replacement of files loaded by the process
- configuration is read only during process initialization and cannot be reloaded safely
- a recovery or servicing workflow requires a fresh process with new command-line state
- a component detected an internal transition that cannot be applied to active objects
- Restart Manager or Windows Error Reporting is coordinating application recovery
What to log before exiting
Capture the operation that returned 1467, application version, executable path, process ID, loaded component version involved, unsaved-document count, restart command line, and whether RegisterApplicationRestart was active. Record who owns the restart decision. A service, interactive application, installer, and updater need different handling and must not all launch replacement instances.
How to interpret the result
Confirm that 1467 came directly from the relevant API or component rather than from a wrapper that maps unrelated failures. Determine whether restarting only the application is sufficient or whether another result requests a full operating-system reboot. Check for pending update state, files in use, and a documented recovery callback.
Test the restart path with unsaved data, multiple instances, elevated and non-elevated launches, and command lines containing sensitive values. A successful restart must not duplicate background agents or reopen documents twice. If the process is managed by a service manager, return control to that manager rather than spawning a detached copy.
Recommended response
Save recoverable state, stop accepting new work, close handles and transactions, then terminate through the normal application lifecycle. Use Application Recovery and Restart facilities when appropriate, but validate and minimize restart arguments. Present a clear user choice when immediate restart would interrupt work. Automated systems should enforce a bounded restart count to prevent a persistent 1467 condition from becoming a restart storm.
Application restart versus system reboot
ERROR_RESTART_APPLICATION asks for a new application process. ERROR_SUCCESS_REBOOT_REQUIRED and ERROR_SUCCESS_REBOOT_INITIATED concern restarting Windows. Conflating them can turn a small process refresh into unnecessary machine downtime or, conversely, leave kernel-level changes unapplied.
Example
A desktop client installs an in-process plug-in update while the old DLL remains loaded. The updater returns 1467. The client saves open tabs, registers a restart command, exits, and the new instance loads the replacement DLL. Reissuing the update inside the same process would continue using the old mapped image.
References
- Microsoft: System Error Codes (1300–1699)
- Microsoft: RegisterApplicationRestart
- Microsoft: Registering for application restart
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