Powershell/CMD Exit Code 3221225794

Question

Powershell/CMD Exit Code 3221225794

Shelley Ford 1

We have an file transfer automation application where it can run different applications if needed i.e. WinSCP, PSFTP.exe (Putty), Winzip, etc. We use a lot Powershell in some of the file transfer processes. We have one new file transfer process that needs to transfer a large number of files (one file transfer process for each file). What we're finding is the Powershell step is failing. When we view the application logs the following:

Powershell.exe

Process created, PID 11200. Proc count = 101. Single Mode Proc count = 0

12/31/23 22:18:30 Application 'Powershell.exe' complete, ErrorCode: 3221225794

I did some research and found that error is:

Error Code 3221225794
-1073741502 · 0xC0000142 · C0000142 · 3,221,225,794

The application failed to initialize properly.
Usually for interactive apps a user with administrator rights is required. Moreover, the 
user must log on at least once to allow Windows to prepare the Windows Station and Desktop.

This error also may indicate that the application has been launched on a Desktop to 
which the current user has no access rights. Another less possible cause is that either 
gdi32.dll or user32.dll has failed to initialize.`

We have another file transfer process that executes the cmd.exe command that is also failing periodically with the same error. This one doesn't run as much as Powershell.

The file transfer application itself runs under a domain account. There eight services so transfers can continue even of the main console isn't running. Three of the services run under the same domain account while the others run under the Local System account.

Not all processes using Powershell or cmd.exe are failing all the time. Just the one is and periodically.

Since the services are running the application processes and not an individual user as indicated by the explanation of the error, I'm unsure how to resolve this. Has anyone gotten any suggestions?

Rich Matheisen 47,901 Reputation points

2024-01-09T19:52:56.08+00:00

What receives the error? Is it PowerShell when it launches the (unknown) "file transfer app"? Or is it the file transfer app (and PowerShell is just relaying the failure code?

You don't say what sort of error checking (if any) is done by you PowerShell script, nor do you note what executable is running in the process that was started launched.
Shelley Ford 1 Reputation point

2024-01-09T23:31:32.3633333+00:00

Hi,

The file transfer application launches Powershell.exe then Powershell runs the script that has been defined in the transfer process to run. I can't do any error checking through the script because it never gets to the point of running the script. When it launches Powershell and then the script, I see information written to the application logs that was coded in the script i.e.

01/09/24 16:31:09 Attempting to start

Powershell.exe

Process created, PID 18744. Proc count = 10. Single Mode Proc count = 7

File name: somefilename.zip

Source Directory: some\source\directory\

Pattern: some regex pattern

WinSCP command file:

blah, blah

01/09/24 16:31:11 Application 'Powershell.exe' complete, ErrorCode: 0

But when we get the "322" error we only see

Powershell.exe

Process created, PID 11200. Proc count = 101. Single Mode Proc count = 0

12/31/23 22:18:30 Application 'Powershell.exe' complete, ErrorCode: 3221225794

And again, it doesn't happen for every single file transfer process.
MotoX80 36,291 Reputation points

2024-01-11T17:50:30.1166667+00:00
We have one new file transfer process that needs to transfer a large number of files (one file transfer process for each file)

Does your application limit the number of concurrent processes that it launches, or does it try to run hundreds of Powershell processes all at the same time? Check your task manager, in the details page sort by name and look to see how many instances of Powershell.exe are running.
Or use this PS script to report on the PS processes, when they started, and their command line parameters. Do you have PS processes that are not ending? Reduce the concurrent process count, maybe start by limiting it to 10 processes at one time.

$procs = get-process -Name powershell foreach ($p in $procs) { "{0} - {1} - {2}" -f $p.id, $p.StartTime, ((Get-CimInstance Win32_Process -Filter "ProcessId=$($p.Id) ").CommandLine) } "Count = {0}" -f $procs.count
Rohit Ramchandra Shinde 20 Reputation points

2024-07-29T06:11:05.5733333+00:00

3221226252 what is this error code and when it comes
MotoX80 36,291 Reputation points

2024-07-29T11:58:28.1333333+00:00

Rohit, you should ask your own question and provide details of where you see that error and what program/script you are running. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/support/quality-question