BCUninstaller/Bulk-Crap-Uninstaller · error · ManagementException

Action failed with return value

Error message

Action failed with return value {outParams["ReturnValue"]}. Check return codes of Win32_Service class methods for more information.

What it means

The catch-all branch in CheckReturnValue: the WMI ReturnValue is non-zero, not 2 (Access Denied), and not in the ignoredCodes list (e.g. 16 'Marked For Deletion'), so it throws a System.Management.ManagementException with the raw return value and a hint to consult the Win32_Service return-code documentation. Every other failure mode (service not found, dependency running, etc.) lands here.

Solutions

  1. Inspect the numeric ReturnValue in the exception message and look it up in the Win32_Service.Create/Delete/StopService return-code table to identify the specific condition.
  2. Stop dependent services first (and disable recovery) before deleting/stopping.
  3. Catch ManagementException, decode the ReturnValue, and either retry with dependencies resolved or report the specific condition to the user.

Example fix

// before
ServiceEntryFactory.Delete(serviceEntry);

// after
try { ServiceEntryFactory.Delete(serviceEntry); }
catch (ManagementException ex)
{
    // ex.Message contains '...return value <N>'. Decode N per Win32_Service docs.
    logger.Error($"Service op failed: {ex.Message}");
    if (IsDependencyFailure(ex)) StopDependentsFirst(serviceEntry);
}
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

null

Type guard

null

Try / catch

try { ServiceEntryFactory.Delete(serviceEntry); }
catch (ManagementException ex)
{
    var code = ExtractReturnValue(ex.Message);
    switch (code)
    {
        case 14: /* disabled */ EnableService(serviceEntry); ServiceEntryFactory.Delete(serviceEntry); break;
        case 9:  /* not found */ logger.Warn("Service already gone."); break;
        default: throw;
    }
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Any WMI service operation that returns a non-zero code other than the ignored set — e.g. ReturnValue 7 'Service dependency deleted/failed', 8 'Service cannot start', 9 'Service not found', 14 'Service disabled', or the dependency-stop path returning a non-OK code.

Common situations: Trying to delete a service that has running dependencies; stopping a service whose recovery policy restarts it immediately; the service was already removed by another tool (code 9); the service is disabled (code 14).

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of BCUninstaller/Bulk-Crap-Uninstaller@608321de98 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/499d0617360af9d5. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at source/UninstallTools/Startup/Service/ServiceEntryFactory.cs:123

            var classInstance = GetServiceObject(serviceName);

            // Execute the method and obtain the return values.
            var outParams = classInstance.InvokeMethod("Delete", null, new InvokeMethodOptions { Timeout = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1) });
            CheckReturnValue(outParams, 16); // 16 - Service Marked For Deletion
        }

        private static void CheckReturnValue(ManagementBaseObject outParams, params UInt32[] ignoredCodes)
        {
            if (outParams == null) return;

            var exitCode = (UInt32)outParams["ReturnValue"];
            if (exitCode == 0 || ignoredCodes.Any(x => x == exitCode)) return;

            if (exitCode == 2) // 2 - Access Denied
                throw new SecurityException("The user does not have the necessary access.");

            throw new ManagementException("Action failed with return value " + outParams["ReturnValue"] +
                ". Check return codes of Win32_Service class methods for more information.");
        }

        private static ManagementObject GetServiceObject(string serviceName)
        {
            return new ManagementObject("root\\CIMV2",
                $"Win32_Service.Name='{serviceName}'", new ObjectGetOptions { Timeout = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1) });
        }
    }
}

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