Windows – Why Is Volume Shadow Copy Services stopping

volume-shadow-copywindows 7

I am running Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit.

I am running a backup-over-the-internet software client which depends on the Volume Shadow Copy Services running.

Since I installed Service Pack 1 (or rather, didn't object when Windows Update forced Service Pack 1 on me) the backup service is failing to back everything up because VSC isn't running. Most of the time it fails to back up such noise as the Security Essentials database or the Messenger Live contact list — stuff I really don't care about — but I don't want to fall into the trap of accepting an Error-state backup as "normal".

At the recommendation of the backup software, I have set the VSC service startup mode to be Automatic.

When I look in the Event Log, System channel I can see at boot time:

The Volume Shadow Copy service entered the running state.

…and then two or three minutes later:

The Volume Shadow Copy service entered the stopped state.

How do I figure out why VSC is stopping?

At the suggestion of the backup vendor, I have already followed the suggestions from http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/940184

net stop SENS
net stop EventSystem
net start EventSystem
net start SENS
net stop COMSysApp
net stop SwPrv
net stop VSS

cd /d C:\Windows\system32
regsvr32 ole32.dll /s
regsvr32 oleaut32.dll /s
regsvr32 vss_ps.dll /s
vssvc /register /s
regsvr32 /i swprv.dll /s
regsvr32 /i eventcls.dll /s
regsvr32 es.dll /s
regsvr32 stdprov.dll /s
regsvr32 vssui.dll /s
regsvr32 msxml.dll /s
regsvr32 msxml3.dll /s
regsvr32 msxml4.dll /s

net start SwPrv
net start VSS
net start ProtectedStorage

…and per http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940184 I have deleted the key tree

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\EventSystem\{26c409cc-ae86-11d1-b616-00805fc79216}\Subscriptions

I have also run chkdsk /F and chkdsk /R on both permanent hard disks.

(I had a similar problem with another computer (same OS, same failure, same start point after SP1 install) but the problem went away when I forced Volume Shadow Copy Services to Automatic startup rather than Manual. I did not have to resort to following the Microsoft KB instructions.)

Best Answer

I would call Microsoft support for free since it is related to a Service Pack install. They will probably be able to get to the root of the problem better than trying to solve this on your own, as I these VSS issues tend to be a real killer in my experience.

(800) 936-4900

If you do and they solve it, please post back the anwser.

Related Solutions

Windows – How does VSS (Volume Shadow Copy) handle locked files

Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) relies on application cooperation in order to get a data-consistent snapshot. "Providers" register with the service and are called at the time of snapshot creation in order to create consistent disk images. Since this is a bit of work, the typical set of providers includes the registry and a number of databases.

Typical desktop applications don't participate.

So the answer to your question is something like: VSS creates copies of locked files and the writers of those files are responsible for making them consistent.

YMMV.

Windows 8.1 Insufficient storage available to create shadow copy

Burned an MSDN tech support incident and just got off the phone with the support engineer. He reproduced this problem on a UEFI system with Windows 8.1 installed. It turns out that the -AllCritical qualifier to the wbAdmin command does not work on a UEFI system because Volume Shadow Service (VSS) can not create a shadow copy of the FAT32 EFI partition.

The solution is to explicitly back up the C partition (without the -allCritical option):

wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C:

You can ignore the warning that "this backup cannot be used to perform a system recovery". Both the Recovery and EFI partitions are restored during the system restore operation. (Makes sense... they were created during the initial system installation, so Windows obviously knows how to create them again.)

Some notes related to this issue:

Note that the "Recovery" partition is a misnomer. That partition is actually the boot partition. In a legacy (non-UEFI) system, the "System reserved" partition serves the same purpose.
To manage the files on the "backup" drive, use the vssadmin command line tool. Specifically:
- vssadmin list shadows shows the show copies (i.e. "backups") stored on your backup drive. Note that, while a backup is in progress, the shadow copy is listed as being on the drive being backed up. The backup operation first creates a volume shadow copy on the volume being backed up, and them moves the shadow copy to the backup drive.
- vssadmin delete shadows lets you selectively delete old shadow copies from your backup drive.
To restore a partition, attach the backup disk and boot from the Windows 8.1 distribution media. Select "Repair your computer", then "System image recovery". When the restoration process is done, your EFI and Backup partitions are also restored. (Or at least so claims the Microsoft engineer. I have not verified that this is correct.)
Here are some links (courtesy of the Microsoft tech support guy) that may be helpful:

Edit:

I've discovered that System Image Backup is, in fact present in Windows 8.1; bring up Control Panel/File History, and the link is at the bottom left corner of the window. Scott Hanselman has a blog entry on the subject.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Windows – How does VSS (Volume Shadow Copy) handle locked files

Windows 8.1 Insufficient storage available to create shadow copy

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