STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_COLLISION (0xC0000035): The object name already exists

Cause 1: The path you're writing to already has a file or folder with that exact name

This is the boring, common one. You're copying a file, running an installer, or saving a document to a path that already contains an object with the same name. Windows won't overwrite it silently in many contexts (especially if the object is a folder and you're trying to create a file with the same name). The error shows up as 0xC0000035 but the message can also appear as "Cannot create a file when that file already exists".

What's actually happening here is that Windows is trying to create a new object in a directory, but that directory already has an entry with the same name. The NTFS filesystem treats file and folder names in the same namespace — you can't have a file data.txt and a folder data.txt in the same directory. That's not a Windows bug; it's how the file system works.

The fix

1. Navigate to the exact path where the error occurs. If you don't know it, look at the error details or the program's log file.
2. Check if there's already a file or folder with that name. If there's a folder where a file should be (or vice versa), rename or delete the conflicting object.
3. If the object is a folder that you need to keep, change the name of the new file you're trying to create. Or move the existing folder elsewhere.
4. For installers, delete the partial installation folder. Many installers create a temp folder with the product name, and if it's left over from a previous failed install, the new one collides.

Pro tip: enable "show hidden files" (View > Hidden items in Explorer) because the conflicting object might be hidden. I've wasted an hour chasing a phantom collision that turned out to be a hidden desktop.ini.

Cause 2: Registry key already exists (common during driver or software installs)

Some installers try to create a registry key that already exists from an earlier version or a previous uninstall that didn't clean up properly. The registry is a tree, and each node has to have a unique name under its parent. If the key already exists, you get 0xC0000035 instead of a friendly "key already exists" message.

This happens a lot with GPU driver installers and third-party firewalls. The installer's registration step fails, and the whole setup rolls back. The real trigger is often an incomplete uninstall that leaves orphaned registry entries.

The fix

1. Open regedit.exe as Administrator.
2. Back up the registry first: File > Export > All. Do this even if you're confident. Registry edits can brick Windows if you delete the wrong node.
3. Look in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE for the vendor or product name that's failing. You can often see it in the error dialog or the installer log.
4. Delete the orphaned key, then rerun the installer. If the key is needed by the installed software (like a partially installed driver), uninstall that software first via Settings > Apps, then delete the leftover key.

Don't go deleting keys randomly. If you're not sure, check the manufacturer's uninstall utility first. For NVIDIA, use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU); for AMD, use their cleanup utility.

Cause 3: File system metadata collision (rare but nasty — drives with non-standard names or reparse points)

Sometimes the collision isn't a real file but a filesystem artifact. This happens with:

• Reparse points (junctions, symlinks) pointing to the same target.
• Case-insensitive vs case-sensitive directories (on Linux subsystem or with fsutil.exe file setCaseSensitiveInfo).
• Corrupted NTFS metadata where two entries point to the same name.

This is the "I've checked the folder and there's nothing there" situation. Windows insists the name exists, but you can't see it. The reason is that the folder might be a junction or symlink that appears as a real folder, and your new file is trying to use a name that the symlink itself occupies.

The fix

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run dir /a in the parent directory to see hidden and system files.
2. Check for reparse points with dir /al /s — look for or entries.
3. If you find a symlink/junction with the same name as your file, either remove the link (if you don't need it) or rename your file.
4. If no reparse point, run chkdsk /f on the drive. NTFS metadata corruption can produce phantom names. You'll need to reboot for chkdsk to run.

I've seen this happen on OneDrive-synced folders where the cloud provider creates junction-like placeholders. The fix there is to pause syncing, rename your file, and then resume.

Quick-reference summary

The most important thing is to identify which layer is colliding. The error message alone won't tell you — you have to look at the context. If it's during a file copy, it's the file system. If it's during installation, it's usually the registry. If you've checked both and nothing's there, suspect reparse points or corruption.