Troubleshooting Windows Shadow Copy Service Failures

Druva inSync uses Windows Volume Shadow Service to backup open files. It is possible that backup may fail sometimes due to errors in shadow copy service. This errors are not in Druva Insync software but specific to Microsoft Windows Shadow Copy Service. Following are some common errors with their resolution, 0x8000ffff [Catastrophic failure]. Continuing with actual volume...

Description : Backup may fail with client log showing following error : 0x8000ffff [Catastrophic failure]. Continuing with actual volume... Cause : 1. 2. The COM+ Event System service is not started. The Volume Shadow Copy service is not starting.

Resolution :

Open the Services snap -in. Make sure the services are set as follows: COM+ Event System service Set to Automatic Service is started Volume Shadow Copy service Set to Manual After verification, run the backup again.

0x80042304 : "The volume shadow copy provider is not registered in the system" Description : Backup may fail with client log showing following error: 0x80042304 : ("The volume shadow copy provider is not registered in the system" Cause : Volume shadow copy dll`s are corrupted. Resolution : 1. Stop the Volume Shadow Copy service: Open a command prompt in the el evated mode (Click Start, Type cmd, Right click when you see it below programs, And select Run as Administrator) and change directories to C: \WINDOWS\system32 (this is important when you begin registering the DLLs):

net stop vss 2. Then register the following DLLs and services (be sure you're still in the WINDOWS \system32 directory at your command prompt): regsvr32 ole32.dll regsvr32 vss_ps.dll Vssvc /Register regsvr32 /i swprv.dll regsvr32 /i eventcls.dll regsvr32 es.dll regsvr32 stdprov.dll regsvr32 vssui.dll regsvr32 msxml.dll regsvr32 msxml3.dll regsvr32 msxml4.dll Start the Volume Shadow Copy service by running "net start vss", do a test backup and see how it goes .

0x80042306 : ("The shadow copy provider had an error. Please see the system and a pplication event logs for more information." Description : This error occurs when a VSS provider blocks the creation of the VSS snapshot. This may be caused by installing a new 3rd party VSS provider an existing provider becoming corrupted or Destination drive not compatible with NTFS format. To check this problem, run NTBackup and try performing a manual backup of your System State if it is a VSS problem, the backup will fail. If NTbackup is successful, check your scheduling to make sure that the back up does not clash with other system activity. Otherwise, follow the instructions below. Resolution : 1. VSS Providers Check to see if there are any non -standard providers that are causing the problem when performing the VSS snapshot. To do this, go to the command-line and execute the following command "vssadmin list providers". If there are any non -standard providers listed, consider uninstalling them. Note that the Microsoft default providers are generally very reliable, so uninstalling 3rd party prov iders may solve the problem. If the "vssadmin list providers" command hangs, it is likely that a newly installed VSS provider is malfunctioning. In this case, uninstall these products to resolve the issue. 2. Multiple Backups Ensure that the backup is not running at the same time as another backup as the custom provider may only allow one snap shot at a time. 3. Corrupted data on the drive to be backed up. Run CHKDSK on each drive with the /f switch to fix any errors on the disk. 4. VSS believes the system is in setup process Check the status of the system by following these steps: a. Go to the Registry Editor and locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SYSTEM\Setup

b. Ensure that the following registry values are set to 0: SystemSetupInProgress UpgradeInProgress 5. VSS dll`s are corrupted Re-install the VSS dll`s by following these steps: a. Using command prompt, CD to the WINDOWS \system32 directory b. Stop the Volume Shadow Copy service by executing the command "net stop vss" c. Register the following DLLs and services by executing these commands: regsvr32 ole32.dll regsvr32 vss_ps.dll Vssvc /Register regsvr32 /i swprv.dll regsvr32 /i eventcls.dll regsvr32 es.dll regsvr32 stdprov.dll regsvr32 vssui.dll regsvr32 msxml.dll regsvr32 msxml3.dll regsvr32 msxml4.dll 6. COM+ needs to be re-installed Re-install COM+ by following these steps: a. Backup and then delete HKLM \Software\Microsoft\COM3 b. Boot to Recovery console and rename clbcatq.dll to ~clbcatq.dll. Be sure To use the tilde. c. Boot to normal mode and in Control Panel, open the Add or Remove Programs tool, and then open the Add/Remove Windows Components tool. Do not Make any changes, just click "Next". This reinstalls COM+. 7. Destination drive is not formatted for NTFS.

0x80042308 : "The specified object was not found" Description : This error indicates that the backup process is having difficulties with backing up Open Files. Cause : This is due to a problem with the Volume Shadow Copy Service in Windows that is utilized to perform b ackups of any open files or files that are in use at the time of the backup process. Resolution : According to Microsoft Premier Support this is the correct procedure to follow when re -registering the Volume Shadow Copy service DLL's:CD to Windows\System32 Net stop vss Net stop swprv regsvr32 ole32.dll regsvr32 vss_ps.dll Vssvc /Register regsvr32 /i swprv.dll

regsvr32 /i eventcls.dll regsvr32 es.dll regsvr32 stdprov.dll regsvr32 vssui.dll regsvr32 msxml.dll regsvr32 msxml3.dll regsvr32 msxml4.dll Reboot your . After reboot, open a command prompt and run: vssadmin list writers Ensure that all your writers are displayed w/o errors .

0x8004230c : ("Shadow copying of the specified volume is not supported" Cause : The cause of this error is usuall y a needed service has been disabled or is not starting properly. Resolution : Perform the following. Open Control Panel->Click the Classic View in the Tasks pane ->Double click Administrative Tools ->Double click Services->Scroll down and double click the Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider ->In the Start-up Type menu, select Automatic->Click the Start button->Click Apply / OK. Next, scroll down to the Volume Shadow Copy service and perform the same steps. Exit everything and reboot the computer. 0x80042312 : ("The maximum number of volumes for this operation has been reached.") / 0x80042317 : ("The specified volume has already reached its maximum number of shadow copies.")

Description : The limitation in number of shadow copies per volume is 64. This is the reason that VSS_E_MAXIMUM_NUMBER_OF_VOLUMES_REACHED error occurs when you tried to create 65 volume shadow copies When the storage limit is reached, older versions of the shadow copies will be deleted and cannot be restored. There is a limit of 64 shadow copies per volume that can be stored. When this limit is reached, the oldest shadow copy will be deleted and cannot be retrieved.

Resolution : Please try to take backup after some time.

0x80042313 : ("The shadow copy provider timed out while flushing data to the volume being shadow copied.")

Description : Check whether the Volume Shadow copy services are started. To do this: 1. Go to start, type services.msc in start search box and press enter. 2. Now, check Volume shadow copy is r unning. If not set it to Start Cause : The VSS backups are failing due the high disk activity. High disk activity does not allow VSS to create a shadow copy in the default time period when the volumes are frozen for snapshot. Resolution : Perform the backups when the disk activity is less to avoid third party applications meddling around.

0x80042314L : ("VSS encountered problems while sending events to writers.") Desciption : The system was unable to hold I/O writes. Cause : This can be a transient problem. Resolution : It is recommended to wait ten minutes and try again.

0x80042315 : ("An error occurred while trying to contact VSS writers. Check for associated errors in the event log.") Cause : This error is caused due to a problem wit h the Volume shadow copy service in Windows that is utilized to perform the backups of any open files or files that are in use at the time of the backup job. Resolution : i) ii) iii) Click on Start, type Services in Start Search. When the Services page is open, chec k for Volume Shadow Copy service. Right click on Volume Shadow Copy service (VSS) and Check if it is started. It is stopped select Start or Restart.

0x80042316 : ("Another shadow copy creation is already in progress. Please wait a few moments and try ag ain.")

Description : This warning is given typically when the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is unable to run due to another instance of VSS already running.

Resolution : 1. More than one backup program installed If you have more than one backup pro gram installed on your machine, disable all of the programs except for one and try run the backup job again. 2. Previous VSS snapshot hasn't completed properly and is still running Stop and Re-start the Volume Shadow Copy service. You can do this by going to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services. Once in Services, find Volume Shadow Copy and right click and select 'Restart'. Also a reboot of the has been known to clear this issue up as well. 3. Re-register .dll files associated with VSS servi ce. Open command prompt and change directory to windows/system32 and type in the following commands regsvr32.exe /i eventcls.dll regsvr32.exe /i swprv.dll regsvr32.exe vssui.dll regsvr32.exe vss_ps.dll regsvr32.exe msxml.dll regsvr32.exe msxml2.dll regsvr32.exe msxml3.dll regsvr32.exe ole32.dll regsvr32.exe oleaut32.dll regsvr32.exe es.dll regsvr32 stdprov.dll Vssvc /Register 4. Apply hotfix to XP X64 Bit. An update is available that fixes various Volume Shadow Copy Service issues in Windows XP X64 Bit http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en -us;891957

0x80042319 : ("A writer did not respond to a GatherWriterStatus call the writer may either have terminated or it may be stuck."

Description / Cause : This error occurs when the creation of the Volume Shadow Copy times out. This is more common during periods of high disk activity, or on disks that are heavily fragmented. Resolution : Hotfix A hot fix is available for Windows XP X64 Bit (including SBSXP X64 Bit) that resolves this error. It has been included in the latest service pack. The hot fix is available from: http://support.microsoft.com/kb /833167/en-us http://support.microsoft.com/kb/975928

0x80042318 : ("An error occurred while trying to contact VSS writers. Check for associated errors in the event log)

The writer infrastructure is not operating properly. Check that the Event Service and VSS have been started, and check for errors associated with those services in the error log.

0x8004230f : ("The shadow copy provider had an unexpected error while trying to process the specifi ed operation")

Cause : This issue occurs because the VSS system files are not registered or The MS Software Shadow Copy Provider service is not start. Resolution : To resolve this issue, follow these steps: 1. Set MS Software Shadow Copy Provider service to Manual by going to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services. If this does not resolve the problem follow step 2 . 2. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK. Type the following commands at a command prompt. Press ENTER aft er you type each command. cd /d %windir%\system32 Net stop vss Net stop swprv regsvr32 ole32.dll regsvr32 oleaut32.dll regsvr32 vss_ps.dll vssvc /register regsvr32 /i swprv.dll regsvr32 /i eventcls.dll regsvr32 es.dll regsvr32 stdprov.dll regsvr32 vssui.dll regsvr32 msxml.dll regsvr32 msxml3.dll regsvr32 msxml4.dll Note the last command may not run successfully. Perform a backup operation to verify that the issue is resolved. For further assistance please refer Microsoft KB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940032

0x80042301 : ("The backup components object is not initialized, this method has been called during a restore operation, or this method has not been called within the correct sequence." ) Description : A Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) writer depends on another writer on a computer that is running Windows XP X64 Bit Service Pack 2 (SP2).This other writer has a component list that has no local components. A Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) writer depends on another writer on a computer that is running Windows XP X64 Bit Service Pack 2 (SP2).This other writer has a component list that has no local components. In this scenario, the VSS writer is not successful when it tries to create a snapshot, and you receive the following error code: 0x80042301 . Cause :

The Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) returns an instance of the error 0x80042301 (VSS_E_BAD_STATE) if a snapshot does include remote components and does not include any local componen ts. Resolution : A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft and can be downloaded from http://support.microsoft.com/hotfix/KBHotfix.aspx?kbnum=976461&kbln=en -us

For further assistance please refer Microsoft KB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976461

0x80042326 : ("The volume being reverted was lost during revert.")

Description : Sometimes, during the backup process, some Volume Shadow Copy service writers might fail because of time -out errors that cause the backup to fail. A Volume Shadow Copy service writer is a program or a service that uses Volume Shadow Copy service to save information to a shadow copy storage area. Cause : You may experience a problem that causes certain Volume Shadow Copy service writers to time out during a lengthy shadow copy creation. This problem occurs especially on computers that have slow hard disks, low memory, or low C PU speed; or on computers that have the disk write cache disabled. Resolution : To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows. For further assistance please refer Microsoft KB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/826936

0x80042321 : ("Some shadow copies were not successfully imported.")

Description : When you use the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to create more than 10 transportable hardware snapshots in Microsoft Windows XP X64 Bit, some of these snapshots may not be imported within the allocated time. If the snapshots are not imported, the import operation fails. Cause : This problem occurs because of low time -out values. VSS does not wait long enough for the logical uni t numbers (LUNs) to come online. This problem occurs when hardware arrays approach the VSS limit of 64 shadow copies per shadow copy set. This hotfix extends the time -out period to allow for the VSS limit. Resolution : To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows . For further assistance please refer Microsoft KB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896592

0x80042320 : ("No shadow copies were successfully imported.")

Description : When a Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) -based application uses the IVssBackupComponents::ImportSnapshots() API to import a shadow copy that was created on a Microsoft Windows based computer, the ImportSnapshots() call may fail with a "VSS_E_NO_SNAPSHOTS_IMPOR TED" error. This issue occurs when the shadow copy was created from volumes that span multiple partitions. Cause : In a volume that spans multiple partitions or multiple disks, the VSS Service marks only the first partition. Because the additional partitions are not marked, VSS cannot later import the shadow copies for the additional volumes. Resolution : A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. Which can be downloaded from http://support.microsoft.com/hotfix/KBHotfix.aspx?kbnum=932532&kbln=en -us For further assistance please refer Microsoft KB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932532

0x80042324 : ("The remote is running a version of the Volume Shadow Copy Service that does not support remote shadow-copy creation.") Remote machine that exposes the share to snapshot runs a VSS version that does not support creation of snapshots for shares. The remote is running a version of the Volume Shadow Copy Service that does not support remote shadow -copy creation.

0x80042325 : ("A revert is currently in progress for the specified volume. Another revert cannot be initiated until the current revert completes.")

A reverts is currently in progress for the specified volume. Another revert cannot be initiated until the current revert completes.

0x8004230e : ("The given shadow copy provider does not support shadow copying of the specified volume")

The shadow copy provider does not support shadow copying the specified volume.

0x8004230d : ("The object already exists" )

The object is a duplicate. A component with the same logical path and component name already exists.