Exclusively opened file on a local hard disk cannot be backed up.

Many underlying components in the operating system may come into play during the backup process, to cause the VSS error. This article offers a guideline to troubleshoot errors related to Volume Shadow Copy.

Below are the steps that you should follow to troubleshoot errors related to Volume Shadow Copy: ( Important: The steps may vary depending on the operating system):

• Prerequisites of Volume Shadow Copy
  Which version of Windows are you using?
  
  Ensure that you are running AhsayOBM / ACB on a supported Windows platform. Refer to the following KB article for the list of supported operating system platforms:
  
  http://wiki.ahsay.com/doku.php?id=public:5001_faq:ahsay_software_compatibility_list_scl_for_version_7.3_or_above
  
  
  
• Reboot the affected machine
  Have you restart the affected computer recently?
  
  Try rebooting the affected machine. In some instances, servers that have not been rebooted in a while may cause VSS malfunction. Reboot your server regularly as a preventive and cleanup measure for your system.
  
  
  
• Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)
  Ensure that the VSS service is started or can be started properly. Restart the VSS service with the following procedure:
  
  
  • Open Services.msc, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, then double click Services.
    
    
  • Right click Volume Shadow Copy, then Restart.
    
  Restart the following related Windows Services as well: COM+ Event System, COM+ System Application, MS Software Shadow Copy Provider and Remote Procedure Call (PRC).
  
  
  
• Re-register VSS files
  Perform the following procedures to ensure that all VSS related components are correctly registered:
  
  In an administrative command prompt, execute the 'RegisterVSS.bat' script file available in the AhsayOBM installation home, reboot the machine afterward.
  
  

   ${Install-Home}\bin RegisterVSS.bat

  Important: You can safely ignore the error message(s) displayed during the process, some of the DLL files are platform specific.
  
  
  

  Latest Windows updates from Microsoft
  Have you installed the latest Windows Updates on the affected computer?
  
  Check if you have installed the latest Windows Updates. There may be known issues identified by Microsoft that can be resolved in a hotfix / update:
  
  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2996928
  
  
  
  Damaged COM+ catalog (for older Windows platforms such as Windows Server 2003)
  Are the COM+ catalog on the affected computer damaged?
  
  Refer to the instructions provided in the following document to clean up the COM+ catalog:
  http://support.microsoft.com/default.as ... -us;315296
  
  
  
  Microsoft Visio
  In some cases, Visio, which is part of Microsoft Office 2003 can cause Volume Shadow Copy to fail. Leverage the event logs found under Event Viewer.
  
  For machine with Visio installed, check if the following event is found:
  
  Event Type: Error
  Event ID: 5013
  Description:
  Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Shadow Copy writer ContentIndexingService called routine VsServiceChangeState
  which failed with status 0x8007041d (converted to 0x800423f4).
  
  To resolve the issue, delete the following registry key with regedit.exe, reboot the computer afterward:
  
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex\Catalogs\Visio
  
  
  
  Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) related issue
  Troubleshoot for VSS related issue. Refer to the following instruction:
  
  Ensure that status of all VSS writers and providers are stable:
  
  

  • To output the list of writers and their status, enter the following commands in an elevated command prompt:
    
    

    vssadmin list writers

    
    Important: All writer should have status of [1] Stable.
    
    

  • To output the list of providers present, enter the following command in an elevated command prompt:
    
    

    vssadmin list providers

    
    If no provider is listed, there may be issue with the installation of operating system itself. Resolution should be pursued with Microsoft support staff.

  
  Ensure that left-over snapshots are cleaned up:
  
  

  • Enter the following command in an elevated command prompt:
    
    

    vssadmin delete shadows /all

    
    This will clean up all VSS snapshots.
    
    Defect operating system may often accumulate hundreds of VSS snapshots that persist in the system and cause Windows to become un-responsive.

  
  In some case, you may not be able to delete the VSS snapshots with the above command. Perform the following instead:
  
  

  • To decrease the maximum shadow storage size, enter the following command in an elevated command prompt:
    
    vssadmin resize ShadowStorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=300MB
    If there is no VSS writer error displayed, but the system is not creating a new VSS snapshot, increase the max shadow storage size on the system instead.
    
    
  • To increase the maximum shadow storage, enter the following command in an elevated command prompt:
    
    vssadmin resize ShadowStorage /For=C: /On=C: /MaxSize=10GB

  
  
  Persisting issue
  Problem persist after going though all steps outlined above?
  
  Issue related to the Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) Windows services, or the Windows operating system itself should be further pursued with Microsoft support staff.
  
  
  

  Keywords

  VSS, volume, shadow, copies, VSC, VS