Volume Shadow Copy Won't Run

[ka6uup]

I am trying to use a really nice backup utility. (Macrium Reflect)
I have found that my main computer (Dell Optiplex 520 with windows XP
SP3)has a problem with VSS. It won't run period.
It is started in Services along with COM+ Event System, Com+ System
Application, MS Software Shadow Copy Provider,and of course Volume
Shadow Copy.

I have Googled this issue for three days and tried everything I can find
but, no luck. Apparently nobody really knows how to fix this.

When running "vssadmin list writers" in a command prompt I get no
writers listed, but do get an error message Error: 0x8000fff.

This also shows up in my Event Viewer as:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 12302
Date: 6/5/2012
Time: 3:14:17 PM
User: N/A
Computer: OWNER-096B7CFAB
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 33 37 00 00 00 00 3637....
0010: 42 55 45 43 58 4d 4c 43 BUECXMLC
0018: 33 36 30 37 00 00 00 00 3607....
5013

and:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 5013
Date: 6/5/2012
Time: 3:14:17 PM
User: N/A
Computer: OWNER-096B7CFAB
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 39 32 00 00 00 00 2292....
0010: 57 53 48 43 49 43 00 00 WSHCIC..
0018: 32 38 37 00 00 00 00 00 287.....

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks much,
Chuck

 

[glee]

I am trying to use a really nice backup utility. (Macrium Reflect)
I have found that my main computer (Dell Optiplex 520 with windows XP
SP3)has a problem with VSS. It won't run period.
It is started in Services along with COM+ Event System, Com+ System
Application, MS Software Shadow Copy Provider,and of course Volume
Shadow Copy.

I have Googled this issue for three days and tried everything I can
find but, no luck. Apparently nobody really knows how to fix this.

When running "vssadmin list writers" in a command prompt I get no
writers listed, but do get an error message Error: 0x8000fff.

This also shows up in my Event Viewer as:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 12302
Date: 6/5/2012
Time: 3:14:17 PM
User: N/A
Computer: OWNER-096B7CFAB
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 33 37 00 00 00 00 3637....
0010: 42 55 45 43 58 4d 4c 43 BUECXMLC
0018: 33 36 30 37 00 00 00 00 3607....
5013

and:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 5013
Date: 6/5/2012
Time: 3:14:17 PM
User: N/A
Computer: OWNER-096B7CFAB
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 39 32 00 00 00 00 2292....
0010: 57 53 48 43 49 43 00 00 WSHCIC..
0018: 32 38 37 00 00 00 00 00 287.....

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks much,
Chuck

Since we have no idea what you actually tried, see here:

How to fix VSS errors in Windows XP and 2003 -
http://ituncovered.com/?p=19

How to troubleshoot Microsoft Volume Shadow copy Service errors (VSS
errors)
http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50010.aspx

VSS Errors - Summary
http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50119.aspx

VSS Error: 0x8004230f - Backup aborted! - Failed To Create Volume
Snapshot (VSS errors)
http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50031.aspx

If no help, there are a number of ideas here:
http://www.2brightsparks.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=932

 

[ka6uup]

Since we have no idea what you actually tried, see here:

How to fix VSS errors in Windows XP and 2003 -
http://ituncovered.com/?p=19

How to troubleshoot Microsoft Volume Shadow copy Service errors (VSS
errors)
http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50010.aspx

VSS Errors - Summary
http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50119.aspx

VSS Error: 0x8004230f - Backup aborted! - Failed To Create Volume
Snapshot (VSS errors)
http://kb.macrium.com/KnowledgebaseArticle50031.aspx

If no help, there are a number of ideas here:
http://www.2brightsparks.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=932

I checked all these sites out but found nothing new.
I should mention:
I have done a repair installation of Winxp.
I have had Acronis 8 on this computer. Never had Shadow Protect on this
computer with Acronis 8 that I know of. It is not on here now.
When re-registering dll files,all return a message saying registeration
OK except vssvs which returns no message whatsoever.
I have run Microsoft Fixit utilities, vssfix and vssreset.bat with no
result.
Thanks,
Chuck

 

[Bert]

I have run Microsoft Fixit utilities, vssfix and vssreset.bat with no
result.
Thanks,
Chuck

Coming in to this discussion late, but I had a similar VSS failure on my
XP Pro system a long time ago, which didn't seem to affect anything
except for producing error messages in the event log.

Like you, I tried every remedy I could find, but I finally fixed it with
the info here

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940184

It's stayed fixed (so far) for about a year.

 

[ka6uup]

Coming in to this discussion late, but I had a similar VSS failure on my
XP Pro system a long time ago, which didn't seem to affect anything
except for producing error messages in the event log.

Like you, I tried every remedy I could find, but I finally fixed it with
the info here

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940184

It's stayed fixed (so far) for about a year.

Thanks, I appreciate the suggestion but I've already tried that.
I also discovered by running the command prompt from the system32 folder
rather than the default folder that vssvs registers ok.
Not sure why.
Chuck

 

[BillW50]

In ka6uup typed:

I should mention:
I have done a repair installation of Winxp.
I have had Acronis 8 on this computer. Never had Shadow Protect on
this computer with Acronis 8 that I know of. It is not on here now.
When re-registering dll files,all return a message saying
registeration OK except vssvs which returns no message whatsoever.
I have run Microsoft Fixit utilities, vssfix and vssreset.bat with no
result.

I hope the XP disc that you ran the repair instillation and the
installed XP had the same SP version. As if one was say XP SP2 and the
other was XP SP3, this usually creates all sorts of problems. And it
isn't easy to fix all that is wrong after this. So a reinstall or using
an older backup copy is far better. I actually use clones instead of
archiving backups. As I can swap drives in about 2 seconds. And having
more than one model really helps out too.

 

[ka6uup]

Of course!

In ka6uup typed:

I hope the XP disc that you ran the repair instillation and the
installed XP had the same SP version. As if one was say XP SP2 and the
other was XP SP3, this usually creates all sorts of problems. And it
isn't easy to fix all that is wrong after this. So a reinstall or using
an older backup copy is far better. I actually use clones instead of
archiving backups. As I can swap drives in about 2 seconds. And having
more than one model really helps out too.

 

[ka6uup]

For future reference:
After more than seven days and a LOT of different things tried I found
the problem!
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex\Catalogs\System
was missing an entry:

Location REG_SZ C:\System Volume Information

I created the new entry and my problem went away.

 

[glee]

For future reference:
After more than seven days and a LOT of different things tried I found
the problem!
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\ContentIndex\Catalogs\System
was missing an entry:

Location REG_SZ C:\System Volume Information

I created the new entry and my problem went away.
Chuck

Good catch, Chuck! What finally brought you to look at that key and
value data?

 

[ka6uup]

I was poking around Microsoft's help and support site and I came across
an area showing the contents of various registry entries.
I noticed what I thought was an extra line in this(System)entry and when
I checked mine, I didn't have that line. So, not having anything to
lose, I tried it and it worked.

 

[glee]

I was poking around Microsoft's help and support site and I came across
an area showing the contents of various registry entries.
I noticed what I thought was an extra line in this(System)entry and
when I checked mine, I didn't have that line. So, not having anything
to lose, I tried it and it worked.

Turns out there is a Microsoft Knowledge Base article very specifically
about this.... intereseting that it didn't turn up in web searches on
this error before.

You receive a "Volume Shadow Copy Service" error message and event 5013
or event 12302 is logged when you use the Backup feature in Windows XP
or in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907574