AIS Backup fails backing up opened exclusive files

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Tread
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:55 am
Location: United States

AIS Backup fails backing up opened exclusive files

Post by Tread »

After many years of using AIS Backup successfully, I'm suddenly having a problem with failure to backup opened exclusive files.

Hardware: Pentium 4 - Intel D925XECV motherboard, 400 GB SATA hard drive
backup on an external hard drive (MyBook)

Software: Windows XP Pro, SP3 - AIS backup version 3.0.0.410

Problem: Backup proceeds normally through registry backup but fails during opened exclusive file backup with a message that "Opened Exclusive File Support Failed". Looking in the log, I see this message: "Exception: EOleSysError: VSS_E_UNEXPECTED_PROVIDER_ERROR", followed by: ERR Failed to initialise Volume Copy Shadow Service on drive C:\

History leading to the problem:
I had two partitions on my hard drive, the first with XP and the second with another (old, unregistered copy) of XP which I had used years ago to restore to the first partition when I installed this hard drive. I wanted to delete this partition and shrink the first partition to make way for Linux in a dual boot configuration. I defragged the partition, then used Gparted (Gnome Partition Editor) from a .iso image on CD-ROM. to delete the one partition and shrink the other. Well, the second partition was deleted and the first shrunk, but then the drive was borked and could not be recognized. OK, no problem, I booted from my BartPE CD and installed my AHCI driver, then tried to restore from my backup on my external hard drive and got the message that the disk may not be formatted - so I formatted that partition and then restored without problems. Came up running and all was right with the world - until I tried to run my first backup at which time I began getting the errors.

I was attempting an incremental backup to the external hard disk. I have tried using the Tools-Extra tools-Repair/Register VSS Modules and rebooting with no luck. I have checked the services and see that both MS Software Shadow Copy Provider and Volume Shadow Copy have a Startup Type of Manual. It occurred to me that when I formatted the partition, I assigned a Volume Name different from the original (maybe there was not a name originally), so thinking that might be the problem I started a new backup job, just backing up the Windows folder. This was labeled by the AIS backup program with the new volume name, but I still had the same error.

The only thing I have been able to turn up on the web relating to this problem is from this German site:
http://www.clickbay.de/win/volume-shadow-copy-error.htm

I have been reluctant to try his solution and modify my registry. What I have seen as far as disk signatures is that in my MBR, locations 01B8 to 01BC (I think this is the signature location) are 64 47 65 47. In the registry, in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\STORAGE\Volume
I have 6 entries:

1&30a96598&0&Signature44FDFE06Offset.........
1&30a96598&0&Signature47654764Offset.......
1&30a96598&0&Signature47654764Offset.......
1&30a96598&0&Signature47654764Offset.......
1&30a96598&0&SignatureD77FD77FOffset.......
1&30a96598&0&SignatureD77FD77FOffset.......

I have no idea why there are this many entries or why the signatures are different on some.

So, any suggestions to solve this problem?
Tread
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:55 am
Location: United States

Post by Tread »

I found some more info here:

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

I found this interesting, from the link:

"The problem is to do with the fact that the cloned drive still has the same signature as the old drive, therefore windows assumes that all the old VSS data is still present on the drive, which it is not unless you did a sector-by-sector image of the entire drive, rather than an image of the file system which is the default. What you need to do is change the signature of the drive so that Windows thinks that it is a new volume and re-initialises VSS."

Does this mean that VSS writes something to the hard drive that is not part of the file structure? That would explain why reformatting my drive and then restoring the files broke VSS, but why doesn't this happen to everyone who installs a new drive and restores it from AISBackkup? Wouldn't the new drive have the same signature as the old one after restoration and also be missing the "old VSS data"?

Anyway, I tried the recommended BartPE with mbrfix. I could run mbrfix listpartitions OK, but when I tried to savembr I got an "access denied" error. I'll be trying to make this work over the weekend.
Barry
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Posts: 1529
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 3:16 pm

VSS Problems

Post by Barry »

AISBackup full restore has been tested to alternative drives many times with different versions of Windows and without the problem you have with VSS. AISBackup does make the necessary changes to the registry to enable backup to a new partition.

I have seen problems with VSS on XP and usually the Tools / Extra Tools / Register/Repair VSS works. Is there another product running on the PC that may be using VSS at the time AISBackup is running?

Have you tried testing the operating system files are all present and correct?

From a Command Prompt: sfc /scannow - you will need a Windows XP disk with SP3.

Are you using Truecrypt? This product can cause problems with VSS if a drive is not mounted as 'removable'.

Barry
Tread
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:55 am
Location: United States

Re: VSS Problems

Post by Tread »

Barry wrote:Is there another product running on the PC that may be using VSS at the time AISBackup is running?
No - I have closed the browser and e-mail client just as I normally do when making a backup. The same products are running as have always been running when everything worked OK.
Barry wrote:Have you tried testing the operating system files are all present and correct?

From a Command Prompt: sfc /scannow - you will need a Windows XP disk with SP3.
I do not have an XP disk with SP3, only SP2. The system has been upgraded to SP3 by automatic updates.
Barry wrote:Are you using Truecrypt? This product can cause problems with VSS if a drive is not mounted as 'removable'.
No

I have changed the disk signature by using mbrfix (referenced in one of the links in my previous posts), run from a command prompt in Windows. At reboot, Windows reinstalled the disk drivers and there is a new subkey in HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\STORAGE\Volume with the same disk signature that I entered with mbrfix.
This did not fix the problem, so I am out of ideas.
Barry
Site Admin
Posts: 1529
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 3:16 pm

Disk signatures

Post by Barry »

AISBackup correctly sets the disk signature after restore.

To ensure that Windows will work with the new disk signature I suggest that you restore from the backup using the original backup you restored over the top of the running session, this will re-set the storage back to what it should be. From the restore from backup form choose the backup session / right click The 'C' drive and choose Select Windows, Registry and Programs then compete the restore.

If VSS is still not working then try the Tools/ Extra Tools / VSS Repair option once more, then reboot.

If there is still a problem with VSS maybe we can get more information from the event logs, Right click Computer / Manage / Event Viewer

Barry
Tread
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Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:55 am
Location: United States

Post by Tread »

Barry - thanks for your prompt reply. I tried what you suggested, but nothing worked. As for the event viewer, that has been broken for a long time. When I open it, I get a big red X with the message ""MMC could not create the snap-in." I think this was broken during one of the MS automatic updates long before I began having the recent AIS Backup problems.
Barry
Site Admin
Posts: 1529
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 3:16 pm

XP SP3

Post by Barry »

There is more of your Windows broken that just VSS then?

I recommend borrowing a Windows XP SP3 CD if possible to try the sfc /scannow.

It is possble for you to make your own if you have the necessary ingredients:

Google: slipstream Windows XP SP 3

As you already have a backup perhaps you could also try uninstalling SP3, running the sfc and then reinstall SP3 and 100's of updates - may take a while.

Barry
Tread
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:55 am
Location: United States

Post by Tread »

Hi Barry,

I appreciate your replying over the weekend. The event viewer has been broken for quite a while and yet AISBackkup worked just fine.

I don't know anyone with an XP Pro SP3 disk. I may look into one of your other suggestions later, but I've spent all the time I want to on this problem for this week. The only opened exclusive files not getting backed up are Windows\system32\config\software and a couple of Norton files associated with my Norton 360 security suite. I am about to the point where I think learning Linux would be a better use of my time than trying to repair a crippled Windows installation.

Anyway, thanks for your help.
nikkil
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2012 2:08 pm

Post by nikkil »

Just a hunch here. Try disabling Norton and see if it makes a difference.
You're never a loser until you quit trying. Image
Tread
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:55 am
Location: United States

Post by Tread »

nikkil wrote:Just a hunch here. Try disabling Norton and see if it makes a difference.
I disabled Norton firewall and anti-virus, but it didn't make any difference.
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