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VssAdmin: Unable to create a shadow copy: Catastrophic failure

We have a Windows 2003 R2 SP2 server that has just started to receive these error messages. Along with these two error messages, we also get an Event ID: 509 refering to our Exchange server data file. That portion of the EventID is at the bottom of this email. I originally thought that it was to do with the Symantec Backup Exec v12.5 so I made sure that it was fully updated but it happened again last night and not during the backup. This time it was in the morning.

Anyone got any ideas?

Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 7001
Date: 5/5/2010
Time: 8:51:21 AM
User: N/A
Computer: SERVER1
Description:
VssAdmin: Unable to create a shadow copy: Catastrophic failure
Command-line: 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\vssadmin.exe Create Shadow /AutoRetry=5 /For=\\?\Volume{081c06ac-971d-11de-b23b-002219d78484}\'.

...and also this message

Event Type: Error
Event Source: VSS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 12289
Date: 5/5/2010
Time: 8:46:27 AM
User: N/A
Computer: SERVER1
Description:
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error WaitForMultipleObjects(1,007170A0,1,10000) == 0x00000102. hr = 0x8000ffff.

....and the last error message regarding Exchange

A request to read from the file "D:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\mdbdata\priv1.edb" at offset 2640269312 (0x000000009d5f5000) for 4096 (0x00001000) bytes succeeded, but took an abnormally long time (125 seconds) to be serviced by the OS

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Matthias Abt

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johnbowden

ASKER

the error appears to be on drive C: which we are not running shadow copies. Only drive D: which is where all our data is.
I will get the other information updated here

johnbowden

ASKER

C:\>vssadmin list volumes
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001 Microsoft Corp.

Volume path: C:\
Volume name: \\?\Volume{25fac646-96e5-11de-978a-806e6f6e6963}\
Volume path: D:\
Volume name: \\?\Volume{081c06ac-971d-11de-b23b-002219d78484}\

C:\>chkdsk
The type of the file system is NTFS.
Volume label is Volume_1.

WARNING! F parameter not specified.
Running CHKDSK in read-only mode.

CHKDSK is verifying files (stage 1 of 3)...
63664 file records processed.
File verification completed.
5737 large file records processed.
0 bad file records processed.
0 EA records processed.
4 reparse records processed.
CHKDSK is verifying indexes (stage 2 of 3)...
212410 index entries processed.
Index verification completed.
5 unindexed files processed.
CHKDSK is verifying security descriptors (stage 3 of 3)...
63664 security descriptors processed.
Security descriptor verification completed.
5561 data files processed.
CHKDSK is verifying Usn Journal...
537397496 USN bytes processed.
Usn Journal verification completed.
Windows found problems with the file system.
Run CHKDSK with the /F (fix) option to correct these.

51295544 KB total disk space.
17264630 KB in 51171 files.
17164 KB in 5562 indexes.
0 KB in bad sectors.
629716 KB in use by the system.
27072 KB occupied by the log file.
33384034 KB available on disk.

512 bytes in each allocation unit.
102591089 total allocation units on disk.
66768069 allocation units available on disk.

C:\>

So it looks as the file system needs to be fixed. I have scheduled a fix once the server is restarted (that will be tonight) and will run the same check again to see the results. I also disabled shadow copies on both C: and D:
I will update you tomorrow
Thanks

johnbowden

ASKER

CHKDSK was the solution