Quick answer
Run sfc /scannow from an elevated command prompt. If that doesn't clear it, test your RAM with MemTest86 and run chkdsk /f /r on your system drive.
What's really going on here
I've seen STATUS_INFO_LENGTH_MISMATCH (0xC0000004) pop up in two flavors: either as a blue screen crash or as an event log entry that makes you think your hard drive is melting. The message translates to "the data you sent doesn't match what the system expected." Think of it like ordering a pizza but handing the delivery guy a grocery list — Windows doesn't know what to do, so it bails out.
This usually happens when a program or driver passes a corrupted structure to the kernel. Last month I had a client whose accounting software crashed every Tuesday at 3 PM — turned out a faulty memory stick was corrupting a specific data structure every time the software hit its weekly cache flush. The error code was 0xC0000004 every time. Bad RAM is the sneakiest cause because it doesn't always show up in normal use. Other common triggers: a driver that's half-updated after a Windows patch, or a corrupted system file that's been slowly rotting on a failing hard drive.
Fix steps — in the order I'd actually do them
Step 1: System File Checker (the starting point)
Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Not PowerShell unless you're comfortable with the quirks. Type:
sfc /scannowLet it finish. If it finds corrupted files but can't fix them, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth next, then run sfc again. I've seen this fix about 40% of 0xC0000004 cases, especially if the error happens during app launches or file operations.
Step 2: Check disk for bad sectors
Corrupted file structures can cause this. Run:
chkdsk C: /f /rYou'll need to reboot. This scans the surface of your drive and fixes file system errors. If chkdsk reports bad sectors and can't recover data, you're looking at a new drive soon. Had a client last month whose print queue died because of this exact scenario — chkdsk found 12 bad sectors, replaced the drive, error never came back.
Step 3: Test your memory
Download MemTest86 (free version is fine). Burn it to a USB stick using Rufus. Boot from it and let it run for at least one full pass. Even a single error means your RAM is bad. A faulty stick can corrupt data structures in transit, triggering this error when any program tries to read or write memory in a specific pattern. If MemTest86 finds errors, replace the offending stick. Don't bother with Windows Memory Diagnostic — it's too forgiving and misses intermittent errors.
Step 4: Check for driver conflicts
Open Event Viewer and look under Windows Logs > System for events with source BugCheck or Kernel-General right before the error timestamp. The error description often names a driver file. Common culprits: old network drivers, GPU drivers that got half-updated, or third-party antivirus filters. If you see a pattern, roll back that driver or uninstall it. For instance, I've seen Realtek audio drivers from 2019 cause this on Windows 11 builds after the 22H2 update — the driver's IOCTL structure changed size, and Windows didn't match.
Alternative fixes if the main ones fail
System Restore
If the error started after a recent change, roll back to a restore point from before it began. This is the nuclear option for driver issues. Go to Control Panel > System > System Protection > System Restore. Pick a point before the error started. I've had machines where a Windows Update caused a driver mismatch — rolling back two weeks cleared it instantly.
Check for third-party software conflicts
Boot into Safe Mode. If the error doesn't appear, it's likely a third-party driver or service. Use Autoruns (from Sysinternals) to disable non-Microsoft services one by one and reboot until you find the culprit. Common offenders: old VPN clients, disk encryption tools, and anti-cheat software for games.
Repair install Windows
If nothing else works, do a repair install using the Windows 11 installation media. Choose "Keep personal files and apps." This replaces system files without wiping your data. It's a full day's work but usually fixes even stubborn 0xC0000004 errors that other tools miss.
Prevention tip for next time
Run sfc /scannow monthly, and check your drive's SMART status with CrystalDiskInfo. Bad RAM is the hardest to catch — if you see random 0xC0000004 errors across different apps, test your memory before you waste time reinstalling Windows. I keep a MemTest86 USB in my toolkit because I've seen this error kill a server's backup process silently for weeks before anyone noticed.
Also, never install drivers from "driver updater" tools. They push mismatched versions that cause exactly this error. Get them straight from the hardware vendor's site.