1432 - Initial VSS troubleshooting on Windows

This guide outlines the initial steps to be taken in the event of a VSS error on the ESE backup agent. Please attempt all steps and then run a test backup. If these steps do not resolve the error, please consult this guide for more in-depth VSS troubleshooting, or log a ticket with Redstor Support.

If you need to log a ticket, please include the most recent backup logs, as this will assist us in providing a solution quickly. Also include the VSS information mentioned in the final step of this guide.

Initial troubleshooting steps

1. Grant Redstor service administrator permissions

2. Prevent antivirus software from interfering

3. Manually set the VSS provider

4. Update Windows

5. Reboot the machine

6. Export VSS information for a support ticket

1. Grant Redstor service administrator permissions

Many VSS errors are caused by the backup agent not having the correct permissions to initiate a backup. The following steps show how to change which account the ESE service runs with.

1. Open Windows Services and locate the Redstor Pro ESE service.
2. Right-click the service name and select Properties. Click the Log On tab.

3. Select This account: and enter the name of either a local or a domain account. You can use Browse to search the available accounts.
4. Enter the password for this account in both boxes and click OK at the bottom.
5. Right-click the Redstor Pro ESE service and select Restart. Once the service has restarted, please reattempt the backup.

2. Prevent antivirus software from interfering

Some antivirus software will prevent the backup agent from accessing files during backup. If this occurs during VSS snapshot creation, it can result in a VSS error. This guide contains our recommended antivirus exclusions to put in place on the machine being backed up. Please ensure that the relevant directories and processes are not being blocked by any installed antivirus products.

3. Manually set the VSS provider

On machines with multiple VSS providers installed, the agent will use the operating system default. This can lead to a VSS provider error. The provider can be manually set to the correct one via these steps:

1. Open the Redstor ESE agent and go to the Options button at the top.
2. Go to Advanced in the sidebar and locate the VSS Provider setting.
3. Change this from Operating system default to Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider 1.0.

   

4. Click OK and reattempt the backup.

4. Update Windows

As it is a Microsoft tool, sometimes VSS issues are the result of Windows updates being out of date. Please check for and install any available Windows updates.

5. Reboot the machine

Restarting the machine will clear any existing VSS information resetting the writers and providers into a stable state. It will also apply any Windows updates pending installation.

6. Export VSS information for a support ticket

Should you require further assistance, please log a support ticket. When doing so, please include a zip file containing the latest backup logs and the files created by the commands listed below. You will need to run these commands from an elevated command prompt.

vssadmin list writers >C:\writers.txt
vssadmin list providers >C:\providers.txt
vssadmin list shadows >C:\shadows.txt
vssadmin list shadowstorage >C:\shadowstorage.txt