FormatMessage error

[HighCommander4]

When I try to convert the result of GetLastError() into a string error message using FormatMessage(), it always, without exception, returns 0 and a subsequent call to GetLastError() produces 8, which, according to MSDN, means out of memory. I don't see any reason why I would be constantly low of memory, my computer has 512 MB RAM, I get the error even if there are no other applications running, and I do not have any other memory problems (for example I don't get std::bad_alloc exceptions even though I use the STL extensively). Can anyone help me?

[greg_dolley]

Can you please post the code?

Greg Dolley

[HighCommander4]

Can you please post the code?

Greg Dolley

Here is the code I use to get an error message string based on an error code:

string LastError()
{
unsigned long error_code = ::GetLastError();

if (error_code == NOERROR)
return "No error";

const unsigned long format_control = FORMAT_MESSAGE_ALLOCATE_BUFFER |
FORMAT_MESSAGE_IGNORE_INSERTS |
FORMAT_MESSAGE_FROM_SYSTEM;
void* buffer = NULL;
if (FormatMessage(format_control, NULL, error_code, MAKELANGID(LANG_NEUTRAL, SUBLANG_DEFAULT),
reinterpret_cast<char*>(buffer), 0, NULL) == 0)
return "Unknown error, error code is " + lexical_cast<string>(error_code) +
" (FormatMessage error code is " + lexical_cast<string>(::GetLastError()) + ")";

string result = const_cast<const char*>(reinterpret_cast<char*>(buffer));
::LocalFree(buffer);
return result;
}

The function always, without exception, returns "Unknown error, error code is [various error codes] (FormatMessage error code is 8)"