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Windows Server 2008 VSS errors 8193, 12293

I recently installed Acronis Backup and Recovery 2011 as well as Symantec Backup Exec 2010 to a Windows Server 2008. After doing so, I began getting VSS errors 8193 and 12293. I have since uninstalled them both, but the errors remain. I saw there was a PAQ that involved registering some DLLs. I tried that and it didn't help. Any ideas?

8193 Error
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error calling routine Cannot find anymore diff area candidates for volume \\?\Volume{92d83252-8227-11e0-a522-782bcb0ad808}\ [0]. hr = 0x8000ffff, Catastrophic failure

Operation:
Automatically choosing a diff-area volume
Processing EndPrepareSnapshots

Context:
Volume Name: \\?\Volume{92d83252-8227-11e0-a522-782bcb0ad808}\
Execution Context: System Provider

12293 Error
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Error calling a routine on a Shadow Copy Provider {b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5}. Routine details EndPrepareSnapshots({b7bb93b9-79b0-4acf-aec2-5b8b8e18d2eb}) [hr = 0x80042302, A Volume Shadow Copy Service component encountered an unexpected error.
Check the Application event log for more information.
].

Operation:
Executing Asynchronous Operation

Context:
Current State: DoSnapshotSet

ASKER

Using Windows Server 2008 R2

Run sfc /scannow

ASKER

can i do that while the server is in use?

Yes you can

ASKER

Same problem still exists after the scannow

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/windowsbackup/thread/c5a3689c-175e-4ae0-8826-6d52a8dbea67/

ASKER

interesting....i will try that this evening

ASKER

No dice. I deleted all registry entries, restarted and still have the same problem. I tried to install the recommended hotfix (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2182466), but got the following error

The update is not applicable to your computer

ASKER

If it is helpful, I have SP1 installed on this OS

Have you removed all backup software?

ASKER

Everything but Carbonite. Doesn't use vss as I recall

I would keep looking for Arconis and\or Symantec.

ASKER

I have already gotten rid of all things acronis. Is it safe to remove all things Symantec from registry?

If you have removed the software you should be good

ASKER

I have removed all Symantec products. So we're back as square one I guess?

You removed and rebooted?

ASKER

Yes

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/winserverfiles/thread/7b52f7c1-a783-409e-9af3-da64567676df

ASKER

I didn't have any .bak keys as mentioned in that link

Man, I hate to say this but really looks like an issue that MS might need to take a look at.

Call Symantec and Acronis I believe these softwares have caused the problem

ASKER

I have been dealing with the high tier of tech support with Acronis and have gotten no where. About 6-8 hours in with them.

Thanks for your help.

ASKER

Do you know the number and correct department to call Microsoft for something like that?

Have you called Symantec? Have seen post with Symantec has been causing the problem more the Arconis.

https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?gprid=1163&st=1&wfxredirect=1&sd=gn

ASKER

I have yet to call Symantec. I wasn't having any problems with their software. I was experiencing problems with Acronis, so I started there. I just uninstalled the Symantec to help troubleshoot.

From what I see is that most of the errors point to Symantec

ASKER

Got a link or two?

Did have some links but would have to go back searching for them

Just thought I'd like you to know that I have the exact same issue on a Hyper-V machine after installing Acronis Advanced Server Backu & Recovery Hyper-V Edition. In shorter words, I installed the win agent, the hyper-v agent and the core services.

Now my VSS is broken like yours.

I've opened up a support case at Acronis, I'll keep you posted.

As a temporary remedy:
If possible, turn off the virtual machines and do a non-VSS emergency backup. Be aware that a non-VSS backup of a server holding a database, domain controller, exchange or any other DB-based service, will most likely give you a non-consistent backup that will not work when restored.

Iæm reverting to a shut-down non-vss backup during off-work hours until Acronis comes up with a support answer.

Jesus Christ, I found the solution! I just can't believe it. But a USB disk attached directly to the server caused the VSS to fail. Found it on a webpage along with many other resolutions:

http://kb.backupassist.com/articles.php?aid=2971

Just "Ejected" the USB disk from the Safely-remove-hardware and the VSS errors disappeared instantly! Fantastic.

The USB disk wasn't involved in the backup or beeing taken backup of. Well.. problem solved. Just wasted 20 hours of my weekend for a stupid error, but hey as long as it works. Anyhow, check out the webpage if any of the other possible solutions work for you.

ASKER

Interesting.....looking forward to testing this out!!!

It seems that if a disk is formatted with a certain cluster size if disturbs VSS. I see hints at 4k cluster size. So a reformat with NTFS and standard settings on the USB drive might help.

Let me know how it goes, I've found several other things you can try as well :)

ASKER

Most interesting. I'll let you know something soon. I've spent far too much time on this issue and I'm anxious to get it figured out!

ASKER

We're making progress. I unplugged the external hard drive that since then, error 12293 has no recurred. I was still getting error 8193 though, so I canceled the Acronis backup from the previous night that was hung. It gets hung every night b/c of errors. I also deleted the backup job permanently. This all happened about 3pm EST. I didn't get any VSS errors until 1:58am when I got the 8193 error saying

Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error calling routine RegQueryValueExW({f782463b-33bb-4043-ad8d-60b728d26a6c},,...). hr = 0x80070002, The system cannot find the file specified.

The drive it lists causing the problem is my E: drive which is the location for quite a bit of my company data. Mostly software exe files, Excel files, Word files, etc.

One other item of note, I noticed at 1:13AM, there is a VSS event saying it shutt down due to idle timeout (Event ID 8224). Not an error though.

Would absolutely love your thoughts.

Check this out when it's a 8193 alone:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/winserverfiles/thread/7b52f7c1-a783-409e-9af3-da64567676df

Let me know how it goes!

ASKER

Thanks for the suggestion. I had actually seen that article before and none of those registry keys were wrong on my server. I also noticed that article says the user experiences the 8193 error when the WS2008 backup executes. To my knowledge there is no backup executing during the times when the error is occurring.

What is the filsystem of the E: drive? How is it attached to the server? Is it directly attached? SAS/SCSI/SATA?

Are you getting the 8193 error all day long without any backup running?

I've also read a few articles where the user ended up searching through the registry for acronis and deleting those keys and rebooting.

ASKER

It is attached directly, SATA I believe. The file system is NTFS. Size is about 500GB.

Here are the times I received the 8193 error. Started at 1:58am, 2:38am, 2:46, 3:01, 3:13, 3:32, 3:39, 3:58, 4:15, 4:27, 4:42, 4:52, 7:00, 8:23. None since 8:23.

I do have Exchange on this server, although the Exchange files is not stored on E:\.

One item of interest, just after these errors, except at 8:23, there is a VSS event (Event ID 8224...not an error) that says The VSS service is shutting down due to idle timeout. I thought that was curious.

It is also curious that the error only appears to be happening at night. The only backup I have running at the moment is Carbonite and that runs all day.

I also have already tried that acronis registry solution of deleting the keys. That did not help.

Try a CMD prompt and do a

vssadmin list providers

and post the result here. I think its just that a registry key is missing. I want to check if the Acronis VSS writer is still listed.

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Im pretty confident we got the solution now :)

ASKER

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Administrator>vssadmin list providers
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001-2005 Microsoft Corp.

Provider name: 'Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider 1.0'
Provider type: System
Provider Id: {b5946137-7b9f-4925-af80-51abd60b20d5}
Version: 1.0.0.7

ASKER

I just deleted that registry key. It looked like it was incorrect form the values. We'll see what happens tonight.

just one provider listed? Thats strange, there should be many. Try the routine for reregistering the providers:

cd /d %windir%\system32

Net stop vss
Net stop swprv

regsvr32 /s ole32.dll
regsvr32 /s oleaut32.dll
regsvr32 /S vss_ps.dll

Vssvc /Register

regsvr32 /s /i swprv.dll
regsvr32 /s /i eventcls.dll
regsvr32 /s es.dll
regsvr32 /s stdprov.dll
regsvr32 /s vssui.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml.dll
regsvr32 /s sxml3.dll
regsvr32 /s msxml4.dll

Net start vss
Net start swprv

ASKER

I think I'm going to wait until tomorrow to do that. I think we may have solved our problem w/ the registry key fix. I definitely thought it strange w/ just the one provider.

Agree. Its good not to change too many things at once.

ASKER

Hurray. This is the first night in about a month without VSS errors!

I'm attempting an Acronis backup now to see if it causes any errors. Will let you know.

Fantastic!

PS. Check the job options and see that it is set to use VSS and "System Providers" (which is default). It's important that you use VSS for consistent backups of DB's, Exchange, DC's etc.

ASKER

I did make sure it is set to System Providers. The latest problem is the back is running extremely slow. I started it 5 hours ago and it's only 3% done. It's only about 200GB of data. It's not asking for user interaction. Curious.

Hm.. thats a new one. Is there any progress at all? I think it's hung, I've seen it many times.

Another curious conincident is that I'm attending an Acronis course tomorrow and friday with ACE certification in the end.. :D So I'm pretty sure we'll get this solved.

Try cancelling the job and looking through the logs. I wouldn't spend to much time on it, just see if it runs ok again tomorrow. Or do a manual start now.

ASKER

I got in touch with some Acronis technical support and the problem was the SnapAPI drivers needed to be reinstalled. I'm up and working fine now. Thanks so much for your help with this.

Great you got it solved. I hate struggling with Acronis. Just attended the Acronis Acadamy ACE certification course this week, and that explained alot. BUT it also shows me that the product is full of bugs and strange caveats. When it works it works, and restore is always flawless. But getting the backup to run stable is a tough one.

The SNAP API is what handles the backup task when you don't select a VSS provider. It's the Acronis Technology that allows the backup software to take moment-in-time-snapshot (picture if you will) of your disk and keep track of changes so that they don't overwrite the data that Acronis wants to backup. In other words it gives a consistant dataset (not for DB's though, then you MUST use VSS).

:)

ASKER

Thanks for all your help.....working great now!

Hi all, I removed the key fro reg but no matter what I do it will not re-create the provider. I am on Windows 2008 R2. Now my backups does not run at all, tried creating the batch files and register compo but with no luck. Really lost here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

SpiderPig:
Are you installing the absolutely latest build of Acronis 11.5?
Doublecheck their support page anyway. Just do it please. Make sure you have the absolutely latest build.

Acronis is a buggy software, and alot of the hassles are fixed in the 11.5 editions. :)

I am actually using CA ARCserve D2D r16 with the latest built. These two crapy ones uses VSS so I assumed recreating vss provider will do the trick, but wasn't able to.

I suggest you create a new thread since this is an Acronis question and they use different proprietary VSS providers.

I recommend you use the system provider in the OS (Windows) if available. But anyhow. Create a new thread and PM me the URL.