Previous Thread
Well is the backup too large to fit on the MSS?
Categories: Backup and Restore
I can't get backup to work on one of my pc's.
The error message get is, " the backup failed because your computer was unable to create a volume snapshot. To resolve this problem, try runnig 'chkdsk /f /r' on each of your hard drives and restart your computer." I ran chkdsk (for a couple hours) and get the same result.
Any clues?
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July 6, 2008 1:15 PM
Shouldn't be... <60Gb in both cases. I have t pc's for which the backup service works and both are in the 20-30 Gb range...
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July 7, 2008 4:26 PM
Brainstorming...
Is there something different about that computer than with the rest? (Different OS, etc?)
Do you have any other encryption utilities or services that may be a problem?
Is your PC going to sleep after a while or are there some other power management apps you're running that may be a problem?
Have you told your computer how nice it looks lately?
Anything else that makes this computer stand out to you?
August 15, 2008 5:34 AM
On the Windows XP Pro system that won't backup to Mediasmart Homeserver:-
Run chkdsk /f /r
This might require a restart before it can run and will take a bit of time
and then check that the System "Volume Shadow Copy" Service is set to Automatic
Control Panel->Adminstrative Tools->Services
September 3, 2008 7:56 PM
I have this exact same problem involving a windows XP laptop. Have run Chkdsk and had no luck. Also checked that "Volume shadow copy" Service and switched it to Automatic, unfortunately no change in the problem.
September 4, 2008 4:17 AM
Can you initiate a manual backup of your laptop? from the
HP Mediasmart Server Control Centre->Tools->Backup Now
September 4, 2008 6:41 AM
No I can't unfortunately. That is how I tested it out after I made your previous suggestions.
September 4, 2008 8:02 AM
Can you give some information on the laptops response when you try to initiate a backup?
Are you able to access the mediasmart server through the HP Mediasmart Server Control Centre running on the laptop?
Can you connect to the Windows Home Server Console using the Control Centre software on the laptop?
How big is your laptop hard drive and what space is free?
Are you running XP service pack 3 on the laptop?
September 4, 2008 8:31 AM
not at the laptop at the moment but here are some of the answers:
Can you give some information on the laptops response when you try to initiate a backup?
When I try and run a backup it starts and then fails after about a minute giving me the message " the backup failed because your computer was unable to create a volume snapshot. To resolve this problem, try runnig 'chkdsk /f /r' on each of your hard drives and restart your computer."
Are you able to access the mediasmart server through the HP Mediasmart Server Control Centre running on the laptop?
Yes I can
Can you connect to the Windows Home Server Console using the Control Centre software on the laptop?
Yes I can
How big is your laptop hard drive and what space is free?
145 gigs capacity
27 gigs used
Are you running XP service pack 3 on the laptop?
no
September 4, 2008 8:59 AM
Goblin said: not at the laptop at the moment but here are some of the answers: Can you give some information on the laptops response when you try to initiate a backup? When I try and run a backup it starts and then fails after about a minute giving me the message " the backup failed because your computer was unable to create a volume snapshot. To resolve this problem, try runnig 'chkdsk /f /r' on each of your hard drives and restart your computer." Are you able to access the mediasmart server through the HP Mediasmart Server Control Centre running on the laptop? Yes I can Can you connect to the Windows Home Server Console using the Control Centre software on the laptop? Yes I can How big is your laptop hard drive and what space is free? 145 gigs capacity 27 gigs used Are you running XP service pack 3 on the laptop? no
Ok, it would appear that there is a problem with the volume shadow copy service on your laptop which might need to be fixed. To investigate this, when you have a chance, open a command prompt on the XP laptop and run
'vssadmin list writers'
and confirm that vss writers are listed
and
'vssadmin list shadows'
and confirm no shadow copies present in the system
September 4, 2008 9:12 AM
'vssadmin list writers' -
I get back the following Writer names
'MSDEWriter'
'Microsoft Wrister (bootable State)'
'WMI Writer'
'Microsoft Writer (Service State)'
Thing of note is that all are [1] Stable except the WMI Writer which is [7]Failed
'vssadmin list shadows' -
No shadow copies present in the system
September 4, 2008 10:28 AM
Goblin said: 'vssadmin list writers' - I get back the following Writer names 'MSDEWriter' 'Microsoft Wrister (bootable State)' 'WMI Writer' 'Microsoft Writer (Service State)' Thing of note is that all are [1] Stable except the WMI Writer which is [7]Failed 'vssadmin list shadows' - No shadow copies present in the systemGoblin said: 'vssadmin list writers' - I get back the following Writer names 'MSDEWriter' 'Microsoft Wrister (bootable State)' 'WMI Writer' 'Microsoft Writer (Service State)' Thing of note is that all are [1] Stable except the WMI Writer which is [7]Failed 'vssadmin list shadows' - No shadow copies present in the system
Good, so now we are narrowing down the issue to the Windows Management Instrumentation(WMI) server. Assuming you have rebooted etc etc and the problem above persists I suggest downloading the microsoft WMI diagnosis utility and seeing first if it can help you.
Can you let us know how you get on?
September 4, 2008 11:45 AM
updated: September 4, 2008 11:54 AM
I have been having the exact same problem with my Vista SP 1 (32 bit) computer. I have not made a successful backup in over 130 days (I was able to successfully backup for about the first 2 months of owing the MediaSmart Server before failing).
5 other computers on my network (3 of them Vista) have no problem backing up. Attempts to manually create backups gives me the same "unable to create a volume snapshot" error message (and yes, I've done chkdsk /f/r more times than I can count).
I have tried everything I've seen suggested here as well as at the We Got Served forums (particularly this thread: http://forum.wegotserved.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=463) and Microsoft forums. Not only have I had no luck but I've rarely seen this issue resolved in any of the threads I've followed.
Before getting into what I have tried already, I have one question. I am running TrueCrypt on the PC that fails. I created a TrueCrypt file on a second internal hard drive which is not in my backup configuration. Could this be the problem? Is there a known problem with TrueCrypt?
If there is, I'm confused since my backup failures started to occur well after TrueCrypt was installed.
ANY help or suggestions are greatly appreciated since this has been driving me crazy for several months. Thanks.
Ron
EDIT: I may have not been clear. I am not running TrueCrypt on my MediaSmart Server. I am running it on the PC that fails to backup.
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September 11, 2008 11:41 AM
I see that this is a fairly wide spread issue. I thought that I had a con figuration problem.The problem I have is with the PC connected directly to the router.The laptop backs up without a hitch every night.I was about to rub check disk,but from the above post ,this doesn't resolve the issue.So far all auto backups for the PC have failed except for one.This in itself presents another issue.Why would all the others fail and one complete?
I have System Restore running.Should I turn this off?
Kaspersky A/V
Counter Spy
Win Patrol
Vista Sp1
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September 22, 2008 8:26 AM
I had a similar problem with a new VAIO - it backed up a couple of times but then gave similar messages to those above. Chkdsk fixed a few index problems and reported clear but backup still failed. I ran Spinwrite 6 (from grc.com) and it uncovered a bunch of bad blocks so I replaced the VAIO under warranty and there are no problems with the new one.
I think that the backup works at a cluster level (rather than through ntfs) and is not fault tolerant if the drive can't find a sector - so even a blank area with a bad block will make it fail whilst chkdsk will skip straight past it because its not on the 'map'.
- on another note I've used Spinwrite to recover disks that Windows flat refused to acknowledge, its a really useful bit of software
September 22, 2008 1:22 PM
I have Spinwrite. I will give it a try when I get home from work and report back. It would be great if Spinwrite corrected the problem. I haven't seen that suggestion on any of the other similar threads I am following.
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