Virtual Shadow Copy service fatal errors

[Steven Stern]

Sometime in the last few weeks (according to the event log), VSS has stopped
working during my backups. Any help on getting VSS working again will be
appreciated.

I've been through Google and the newsgroups and have determined the following.

1) If I open a command prompt very soon after logging in, it appears OK:

vssadmin list writers
vssadmin 1.0 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001 Microsoft Corp.

Waiting for responses. These may be delayed if a shadow copy is being
prepared.

Writer name: 'WMI Writer'
Writer Id: {a6ad56c2-b509-4e6c-bb19-49d8f43532f0}
Writer Instance Id: {c0089fe9-e140-446b-ac90-e5750ce24fbb}
State: [1] Stable

Writer name: 'MSDEWriter'
Writer Id: {f8544ac1-0611-4fa5-b04b-f7ee00b03277}
Writer Instance Id: {8958779f-b584-4941-b5ae-54298da7441f}
State: [1] Stable

Writer name: 'IIS Metabase Writer'
Writer Id: {59b1f0cf-90ef-465f-9609-6ca8b2938366}
Writer Instance Id: {953aeaf9-9b2a-40b9-92a4-dcca5a175ded}
State: [1] Stable

Writer name: 'Microsoft Writer (Bootable State)'
Writer Id: {f2436e37-09f5-41af-9b2a-4ca2435dbfd5}
Writer Instance Id: {d3727d95-15d6-4834-a3c9-ea495a8d5ffe}
State: [1] Stable

2) About 2 minutes later, it's DOA.


vssadmin list writers
vssadmin 1.0 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001 Microsoft Corp.

Error: 0x8000ffff

Between (1) and (2) above, the following errors were logged:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 5013
Date: 2/7/2004
Time: 10:30:16 PM
User: N/A
Computer: SDS
Description:
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Shadow Copy writer ContentIndexingService
called routine RegQueryValueExW which failed with status 0x80070002 (converted
to 0x800423f4).

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 57 53 48 43 4f 4d 4e 43 WSHCOMNC
0008: 32 32 33 30 00 00 00 00 2230....
0010: 57 53 48 43 49 43 00 00 WSHCIC..
0018: 32 38 37 00 00 00 00 00 287.....


Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 12302
Date: 2/7/2004
Time: 10:30:19 PM
User: N/A
Computer: SDS
Description:
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: An internal inconsistency was detected in
trying to contact shadow copy service writers. Please check to see that the
Event Service and Volume Shadow Copy Service are operating properly.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 42 55 45 43 58 4d 4c 43 BUECXMLC
0008: 33 36 32 34 00 00 00 00 3624....
0010: 42 55 45 43 58 4d 4c 43 BUECXMLC
0018: 33 35 39 34 00 00 00 00 3594....


Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 5013
Date: 2/7/2004
Time: 10:33:03 PM
User: N/A
Computer: SDS
Description:
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Shadow Copy writer ContentIndexingService
called routine RegQueryValueExW which failed with status 0x80070002 (converted
to 0x800423f4).

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 57 53 48 43 4f 4d 4e 43 WSHCOMNC
0008: 32 32 33 30 00 00 00 00 2230....
0010: 57 53 48 43 49 43 00 00 WSHCIC..
0018: 32 38 37 00 00 00 00 00 287.....

Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 12302
Date: 2/7/2004
Time: 10:33:03 PM
User: N/A
Computer: SDS
Description:
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: An internal inconsistency was detected in
trying to contact shadow copy service writers. Please check to see that the
Event Service and Volume Shadow Copy Service are operating properly.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: 42 55 45 43 58 4d 4c 43 BUECXMLC
0008: 33 36 32 34 00 00 00 00 3624....
0010: 42 55 45 43 58 4d 4c 43 BUECXMLC
0018: 33 35 39 34 00 00 00 00 3594....


The disk is 60% used. XP Pro, SP1, patches up to date.

Other stuff that might be relevant...

NAV 2004
ZoneAlarm 4.5.538

These Windows services are started:

Alerter
Ati HotKey Poller
Automatic Updates
COM+ Event System
COM+ System Application
Computer Browser
Creative Service for CDROM Access
Cryptographic Services
DHCP Client
Diskeeper
Distributed Link Tracking Client
DNS Client
Error Reporting Service
Event Log
Help and Support
IIS Admin
Infrared Monitor
IPSEC Services
Logical Disk Manager
Messenger
Network Connections
Network Location Awareness (NLA)
Norton AntiVirus Auto Protect Service
PGPsdkService
Plug and Play
Pml Driver HPZ12
Print Spooler
Protected Storage
Remote Access Connection Manager
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
SAVScan
Secondary Logon
Security Accounts Manager
Server
Shell Hardware Detection
Symantec Core LC
Symantec Event Manager
Symantec Settings Manager
System Event Notification
System Restore Service
Task Scheduler
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telephony
Terminal Services
Themes
TrueVector Internet Monitor
Upload Manager
Volume Shadow Copy
WebClient
Windows Audio
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)
Windows Management Instrumentation
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration
WMDM PMSP Service
Workstation

 

[Steven Stern]

I seem to have solved the problem!

Thanks to the thread at

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=...4184-AFFF-8012D79AAA44%40microsoft.com&rnum=5

It seems that when I was beta testing Office 11 (aka Office 2003), Visio
installed a key in the Content Indexing Service creating a separate index
catalog for Visio files. When I uninstalled Visio, that key didn't go away.
Because CISVC was disabled, it never made a difference to content indexing.
However, it certainly got on the wrong side of VSS.

I deleted

hklm\SYSTEM\CurrentControlset\Control\ContentIndex\Catalogs\visio

and now VSS seems to run OK.

Go figure!

 

[Guest]

Hi

I have had a serious problem with backup (and VSS) getting lots of different types of errors when trying to d
a backup operation. For a long time, backup worked fine, then seemingly "broke", and never would work again
despite many, many different things I've tried. I've traced all the errors into the Virtual Storage Shadow (VSS)
component of Windows XP, something I knew nothing of before this problem. I was led into VSS by errors tha
showed up in the event log that would show up immediately after backup started. From an external viewpoint
I would start backup (either through the GUI, by command line, or via scheduled task) and it would just "hang"
generally during the time that there was a message on the screen saying that it was "preparing to use volum
shadow copy". I've learned of the vssadmin command, with the 3 flavors of the 'list' subcommand. VSSADMIN is not documented in th
usual XP places; there is a description available in the Windows XP support pages at Microsoft. Microsoft's hel
pages, though, describe many subcommands of vssadmin but none of them seem present except the three flavor
of the list subcommand. Clearly the documentation is inadequate in local XP Help and incorrect at Microsoft

My VSS problems had many different symptoms, including events 5012, 5013, different register sets, which I won'
go into here. I was able to finally find some linkage into documentation of VSS problems, but for Server 2003, no
Windows XP. Subsequently, I found out that there is a major fix, see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;833167,
available for Server 2003, which fixes a multitude of problems in VSS. Through bugging Microsoft enough, I was bucked
to a 2nd-level support person, who discovered that the problems were also present in Windows XP and, further, that they
are substantially resolved by changes in Service Pack 2, available next month, I believe he said. I was privileged to
obtain an early access to SP2 to try and indeed, it di
solve all of my backup problems. Here is the list of problems I found for backup that seem only to be documented fo
Server 2003, but which I was having (along with a couple of symptoms which I've not found documented yet). The ful
list of problems in VSS are discussed in the description of the Windows Server 2003 hotfix mentioned above. It is noteworthy tha
several of the problem descriptions refer to high I/O load, etc., slow CPU, etc., but I had these exact symptoms despit
the fact that my XP2100+ system with 2 SATA RAID drives is essentially doing nothing other than backup when th
errors occurred. Also, despite a couple of statements that disk space must be low, I had over 50GB on residenc
disk and 30GB on the disk to "backup to", so these problem descriptions are clearly misleading. It is also noteworth
that using the "disable shadow copy" (on the GUI) or "/snapff" on the command-line interface does not prevent backu
from using VSS, so don't bother trying. I was able to get backup to quit using VSS, though, if I turned off the backu
of the "systemstate". However, in my case, getting a backup without getting "systemstate" was rather pointless; perhap
it is for you, also

If you're having these problems, I suggest you contact Microsoft to obtain access to Windows XP Service Pack 2. Yo
should realize, though, that SP2 is pre-release, that it may have problems that it could introduce, that it will hav
to be removed to install the released SP2, etc., ad nausem

To
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Guest]

Hi

I have had a serious problem with backup (and VSS) getting lots of different types of errors when trying to d
a backup operation. For a long time, backup worked fine, then seemingly "broke", and never would work again
despite many, many different things I've tried. I've traced all the errors into the Virtual Storage Shadow (VSS)
component of Windows XP, something I knew nothing of before this problem. I was led into VSS by errors tha
showed up in the event log that would show up immediately after backup started. From an external viewpoint
I would start backup (either through the GUI, by command line, or via scheduled task) and it would just "hang"
generally during the time that there was a message on the screen saying that it was "preparing to use volum
shadow copy". I've learned of the vssadmin command, with the 3 flavors of the 'list' subcommand. VSSADMIN is not documented in th
usual XP places; there is a description available in the Windows XP support pages at Microsoft. Microsoft's hel
pages, though, describe many subcommands of vssadmin but none of them seem present except the three flavor
of the list subcommand. Clearly the documentation is inadequate in local XP Help and incorrect at Microsoft

My VSS problems had many different symptoms, including events 5012, 5013, different register sets, which I won'
go into here. I was able to finally find some linkage into documentation of VSS problems, but for Server 2003, no
Windows XP. Subsequently, I found out that there is a major fix, see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;833167,
available for Server 2003, which fixes a multitude of problems in VSS. Through bugging Microsoft enough, I was bucked
to a 2nd-level support person, who discovered that the problems were also present in Windows XP and, further, that they
are substantially resolved by changes in Service Pack 2, available next month, I believe he said. I was privileged to
obtain an early access to SP2 to try and indeed, it di
solve all of my backup problems. Here is the list of problems I found for backup that seem only to be documented fo
Server 2003, but which I was having (along with a couple of symptoms which I've not found documented yet). The ful
list of problems in VSS are discussed in the description of the Windows Server 2003 hotfix mentioned above. It is noteworthy tha
several of the problem descriptions refer to high I/O load, etc., slow CPU, etc., but I had these exact symptoms despit
the fact that my XP2100+ system with 2 SATA RAID drives is essentially doing nothing other than backup when th
errors occurred. Also, despite a couple of statements that disk space must be low, I had over 50GB on residenc
disk and 30GB on the disk to "backup to", so these problem descriptions are clearly misleading. It is also noteworth
that using the "disable shadow copy" (on the GUI) or "/snapff" on the command-line interface does not prevent backu
from using VSS, so don't bother trying. I was able to get backup to quit using VSS, though, if I turned off the backu
of the "systemstate". However, in my case, getting a backup without getting "systemstate" was rather pointless; perhap
it is for you, also

If you're having these problems, I suggest you contact Microsoft to obtain access to Windows XP Service Pack 2. Yo
should realize, though, that SP2 is pre-release, that it may have problems that it could introduce, that it will hav
to be removed to install the released SP2, etc., ad nausem

To
(e-mail address removed)