NTBackup doesn't work - error message "Error returned while creating the volume shadow copy:80042301"

Are you using an FAT32 filesystem? If so, you need to disable volume shadow copy in the advanced options of NTBackup (but, of course, you should never use FAT32 on an XP system unless you absolutely have to...).

Thanks for the response - I believe I'm using NTFS - WinXp came preloaded on the machine - Inspiron laptop.  I had a disk failure a few weeks ago which meant I had to take the disk out, connect to another PC, and recover.  But apart from losing data which I had to restore from my back up copies (as in my first posting) the machine has been fine since.

I loaded NTbackup after getting the machine fully operational.  I've trawled the net for other incidences of problems like this and can only find the following:

http://www.pro-networks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16112 

I tried the advice to start the 2 volume shadow services, but I get the same error (1067) as this correspondent.  Unfortunately, there's no solution proposed for his problem.

So, if you can help I'd be very grateful.

I believe I'm using NTFS

O.k., then let's better make sure before taking any drastic measures : Right click on your hard drive in My Computer, and select properties. See if it says that the filesystem is indeed NTFS.

If it is, here are two things you can try:

• Make sure the COM+ Event System service is enabled (open services.msc and,
  if it isn't already, re-enable this service).
• Windows Setup might have encountered a problem in the past. To check for the specific issue I have in mind, run "REG.EXE QUERY HKLM\System\Setup".
  If any of the SystemSetupInProgress/UpgradeInProgress values is different than zero, then you will get the message you mentioned. In that case, run the following commands:
  
  REG ADD HKLM\system\setup /v SystemSetupInProgress /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
  REG ADD HKLM\system\setup /v UpgradeInProgress /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
  

If none of the above apply/help, then, unfortunately, you are dealing with what I would call a hard problem. In my experience, VSS sometimes reveals unexpected interactions with a number of apparently unrelated system settings. This means that some very obscure misconfigurations of some other part of the system can cause VSS to malfunction. If this is true for you, then Microsoft Technical Support is your best bet, but you have to decide if the problem is important enough for you to go down that route. They will solve your problem, but it will cost you...

P.S.: I forgot to mention, regardless of the issue you have with VSS, you should get your backup to work by disabling Voulme Shadow Copy for your backup. This is from NTBackup Help on the consequences of doing this: "Selecting Disable volume shadow copy disables the default point-in-time shadow copy method used to create the backup. If this option is disabled, some files open or in use during the backup may be skipped."

Message Edited by Dietmar on 08-27-2004 10:48 AM

Thanks again.

First my apologies for my loose language.  I should have said I was running NTFS - just a figure of speech that "I believe I'm using NTFS".  I have also checked via My Computer as suggested and it confirms NTFS.

I tried your COM Event system action - via the admin tools and services, but it won't start - I get an error message "Could not start COM+ Event Scheduler on local computer Error 126 - the specified module could not be found"

I also tried the REG.EXE query but I got a window on the screen which appeared and then disappeared almost immediately -certainly before I had any chance to see what it said.

Lastly - just in case its relevant - my PC is running on WinXP and NTFS, but I wanted to backup to another PC which is networked to it.  That PC is only Win98 and is running under FAT32 file system.  I have mapped a folder on that disk to the WinXP PC, and that's where I'm trying to back up to.  I didn't mention it before because when I first tried to do the backup and had the problem, I then tried to eliminate that PC and the network connection as a cause of thr problem by a backup to an area on my NTFS disk on the original (same) (NTFS) PC - ie trying to eliminate causes of the problem. 

It's just occurred to me that the link to the FAT32 disk on the other PC will still be active and could be still causing a problem even though I'm only using it as the target for the backup.  But I've just disconnected the drive and tried back up again and it still fails with the same problem error message.

I tried your COM Event system action - via the admin tools and services, but it won't start - I get an error message "Could not start COM+ Event Scheduler on local computer Error 126 - the specified module could not be found"

Aughh, that's bad. There's no need to look any further. The fact that the COM+ Event Sceduler cannot start is the casue of your VSS error. VSS depends on the COM+ subsystem for its functionality, and will fail if that susbsystem is damaged, as clearly is the case for you. I might add that this situation also means that, quite likely, lots of other functionality of your system is damaged, too. Here are some suggestions to try and fix things, in the given order:

• Run the System File Checker (sfc) and pray that this might resolve your problem.
• You did not say if you are running SP2. If you don't, you might as well install that service pack and see if that fixes things. SP2 introduced significant changes to the COM+ susbsystem, and it might well be that it will resolve your problem in the process of upgrading COM+.
• Go to http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315296 and follow the instructions there to clean up and reinstall your COM+ system.
• I am running out of ideas if none of the above help...

I also tried the REG.EXE query but I got a window on the screen which appeared and then disappeared almost immediately -certainly before I had any chance to see what it said.

Sorry, I should have told you to open a command prompt first (type cmd in the Run... prompt), and type the commands I gave there. No need to retry this now, though. Oh, and your networking situation is not related to this issue.

Hello euse, Dietmar,

I'm also having the same error code as discussed in this thread.
(There's also a similar thread in the MCSE forum
http://www.mcse.ms/message34183.html )

I am running Win XP Pro SP2 with both my drives in NTFS

with regard to the solutions offered:

1. Make sure the COM+ Event System service is enabled (open services.msc and,
if it isn't already, re-enable this service).

Check. I can set the service to Auto/Manual/Disable easily. Tried both Auto and Manual but still getting the error.

2. Windows Setup might have encountered a problem in the past. To check for the specific issue I have in mind, run "REG.EXE QUERY HKLM\System\Setup".
If any of the SystemSetupInProgress/UpgradeInProgress values is different than zero, then you will get the message you mentioned. In that case, run the following commands:

REG ADD HKLM\system\setup /v SystemSetupInProgress /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
REG ADD HKLM\system\setup /v UpgradeInProgress /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

I have run the command and the output is this:

=============================================================================
REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Setup
 SetupType Reg_Dword 0x0
 SystemSetupInProgress REG_DWORD 0x0
 CmdLine REG_MULTI_SZ D:\WINDOWS\System32\oobe\msoobe.exe /update\0
 SystemPrefix REG_BINARY CF0B000000A041510
 SystemPartition REG_SZ \Device\HarddiskVolume1
 OsLoaderPath REG_SZ \

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Setup\AllowStart

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\Setup\Pid
=============================================================================

As you can see, my SystemSetupInProgress has a value of 0, but I don't have the UpgradeInProgress value in my registry (confirmed via regedit). Should I add in this "extra" value manually?

Also, it might be worth mentioning that I've installed WinXP on my D drive (boot). Is that a problem with Shadow Copy?

Other Services that might be related:
1. MS Software Shadow Copy Provider - Manual (can be set to Auto - error 80042301 persists)
but when I Start the service it fails with the following message:

Could not start the MS Software Shadow Copy Provider sevice on Local Computer.
Error 1067: The process terminated unexpectedly.

2. Volume Shadow Copy - Automatic
can be started and stopped with no errors.
have tried starting the service and then running Backup, but error 80042301 persists.

 

Sorry for the long message. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ray

 

Hi all,

someone has worked out a possible solution to the Volume Shadow Copy issue

http://www.byfai.com/backupvss.php

In short, just run "regsvr32 ole32.dll" in the command line. (Please read through the write up in the link provided first)

It worked for me. Hope it works for anyone with this similar problem as well (^_^)