You could rely on the age old custom of typing that code into Google and clicking on the first site that seems like it can help. Or you can install Error Messages for Windows, a tiny application that will help you figure out what's going on without firing up your web browser.
Just type your error code into the box and Error Messages for Windows will show you what the message means. Or if you want to try memorizing the complete list, you can click on the Error Code list tab and scroll through all of the known error codes.
Oh, and by the way, error code 8309 means "the user buffer is too small."
[via gHacks]
