Troubleshooting System State backups (using wsb plugin)
This FAQ can be updated each time new errors with known fixes or better troubleshooting techniques are developed.
Troubleshooting system state backup on server 2008 can be time consuming and there are various factors which can cause wsb system state backup to fail within the Scomis remote backup service .
First of all, check that the disk on the drive which the system state backup is running on has free space. Open the backupclient console, go to Tools, Plugins, System State / WSB. Note the drive it’s backing up to. ie C:\
Check that there is at least 15GB (ideally much more) as the WindowsImageBackup folder needs around 10-15GB for the vhd image file.
Once fixed, or if the above is irrelevant, proceed with the below troubleshooting –
Checking vss writers are all up and running
A good process to follow is opening an elevated command prompt
C:\Windows\System32>vssadmin list writers
Check to see if any of the writers listed are showing as Timed out, failed, waiting for completion etc. They should all show as Stable and No Error.
ie
Writer name: ‘System Writer’
Writer Id: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}
Writer Instance Id: {85177af5-14dd-45bd-b410-6e6be412b5f2}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error
If there are any writers which have failed or are awaiting completion, identify these and restart the corresponding service as per the table below
| VSS Writer | Service Name | Service Display Name |
| ASR Writer | VSS | Volume Shadow Copy |
| BITS Writer | BITS | Background Intelligent Transfer Service |
| COM+ REGDB Writer | VSS | Volume Shadow Copy |
| IIS Config Writer | AppHostSvc | Application Host Helper Service |
| IIS Metabase Writer | IISADMIN | IIS Admin Service |
| Microsoft Exchange Writer | MSExchangeIS | Microsoft Exchange Information Store |
| Microsoft Hyper-V VSS Writer | vmms | Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management |
| Registry Writer | VSS | Volume Shadow Copy |
| Shadow Copy Optimization Writer | VSS | Volume Shadow Copy |
| SQLServerWriter | SQLWriter | SQL Server VSS Writer |
| System Writer | CryptSvc | Cryptographic Services |
| WMI Writer | Winmgmt | Windows Management Instrumentation |
If the VSS writers continue to cause trouble, a scheduled reboot of the server is recommended so all services are restarted and this can fix the issue.
Other things to check –
Registry entry to enable system state backups to critical volumes
Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
To enable the system state backup files to be targeted to critical volumes, you must set the value of the AllowSSBToAnyVolume registry entry under the following registry subkey:
Set the value of this entry as follows:
Data type: DWORD
Value data: 1