What does Windows error code 8405 (ERROR_DS_CANT_RETRIEVE_DN) mean?

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: The directory service could not read a distinguished-name attribute.

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ERROR_DS_CANT_REMOVE_CLASS_CACHE	ERROR_DS_MISSING_SUPREF

ERROR_DS_CANT_RETRIEVE_DN

ERROR_DS_CANT_RETRIEVE_DN (8405) is an Active Directory Domain Services error. The directory service could not retrieve a distinguished name needed for the operation. This can indicate a broken object reference, inconsistent directory state, or a failure while reading directory data on the serving DC.

What to check

Record the object DN, naming context, and DC that produced the error.
Check the Directory Service event log and replication status for earlier database or object-reference errors.
Do not edit NTDS.dit or attempt manual database repair before collecting evidence and following a supported recovery procedure.

Useful command

dcdiag /v /c /e

Microsoft: DCDiag · Microsoft: Diagnose AD replication failures · Microsoft: Directory Service system error codes

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