When trying to create system state backup you might get errors regarding the Volume Shadow Copy state :
Event 22, VSS
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: A critical component required by the Volume Shadow Copy service is not registered. This might happened if an error occurred during Windows setup or during installation of a Shadow Copy provider. The error returned from CoCreateInstance on class with CLSID
Event 12292, VSS
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Error creating the Shadow Copy Provider COM class with CLSID {some id, Class not registered
].
Event 12293, VSS
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Error calling a routine on a Shadow Copy Provider {some id}. Routine details Error calling Query(). [0x80070006] [hr = 0x80070006, The handle is invalid.
].
Event 517, Backup
The backup operation that started at ‘2019-09-10T10:54:55.370000000Z’ has failed with following error code ‘0x8078006B’ (Windows Backup failed to create the shared protection point on the source volumes.). Please review the event details for a solution, and then rerun the backup operation once the issue is resolved.
Also when running :
vssadmin list shadows
You get error like:
In my case the problem was on registry key :
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VSS\Providers
Under this key all the VSS providers listed, in a normal default state there should be only one but if you have installed 3th party backup software you might get more, before playing around with the registry please export this key for backup and restore options. you should eliminate the rough provider, start delete the providers key & restart VSS service each time and then test the result of the :
vssadmin list shadows
If you get “VSS_E_PROVIDER_NOT_REGISTERED (0x80042304): The volume shadow copy provider is not registered in the system.”
You can try import to registry the correct values from this reg key (it will through error but will work after service VSS restart) : Re-reg_Vss-providers.reg
MAKE BACKUP OF THE REGISTRY BEFORE ANY CHANGES !!!
If you will want to re-register the Volume Shadow Copy service, use this command, for windows 2008 :
cd c:\windows\system32Net 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 msxml3.dll regsvr32 /s msxml4.dll vssvc /registerNet Start SWPRV Net Start VSS Here is a ready made script to re-register all vss components : FIXVSS
Re-registering VSS components like this is supported on Windows Server 2012/ R2 and on Windows Server 2016 :
cd /d %windir%\system32 net stop "System Event Notification Service" net stop "Background Intelligent Transfer Service" net stop "COM+ Event System" net stop "Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider" net stop "Volume Shadow Copy" cd /d %windir%\system32 net stop vss net stop swprv regsvr32 /s ATL.DLL regsvr32 /s comsvcs.DLL regsvr32 /s credui.DLL regsvr32 /s CRYPTNET.DLL regsvr32 /s CRYPTUI.DLL regsvr32 /s dhcpqec.DLL regsvr32 /s dssenh.DLL regsvr32 /s eapqec.DLL regsvr32 /s esscli.DLL regsvr32 /s FastProx.DLL regsvr32 /s FirewallAPI.DLL regsvr32 /s kmsvc.DLL regsvr32 /s lsmproxy.DLL regsvr32 /s MSCTF.DLL regsvr32 /s msi.DLL regsvr32 /s msxml3.DLL regsvr32 /s ncprov.DLL regsvr32 /s ole32.DLL regsvr32 /s OLEACC.DLL regsvr32 /s OLEAUT32.DLL regsvr32 /s PROPSYS.DLL regsvr32 /s QAgent.DLL regsvr32 /s qagentrt.DLL regsvr32 /s QUtil.DLL regsvr32 /s raschap.DLL regsvr32 /s RASQEC.DLL regsvr32 /s rastls.DLL regsvr32 /s repdrvfs.DLL regsvr32 /s RPCRT4.DLL regsvr32 /s rsaenh.DLL regsvr32 /s SHELL32.DLL regsvr32 /s shsvcs.DLL regsvr32 /s /i swprv.DLL regsvr32 /s tschannel.DLL regsvr32 /s USERENV.DLL regsvr32 /s vss_ps.DLL regsvr32 /s wbemcons.DLL regsvr32 /s wbemcore.DLL regsvr32 /s wbemess.DLL regsvr32 /s wbemsvc.DLL regsvr32 /s WINHTTP.DLL regsvr32 /s WINTRUST.DLL regsvr32 /s wmiprvsd.DLL regsvr32 /s wmisvc.DLL regsvr32 /s wmiutils.DLL regsvr32 /s wuaueng.DLL sfc /SCANFILE=%windir%\system32\catsrv.DLL sfc /SCANFILE=%windir%\system32\catsrvut.DLL sfc /SCANFILE=%windir%\system32\CLBCatQ.DLL net start "COM+ Event System"
Here is a ready made script to re-register all vss components : FixVSS-2012.bat
Then Restart the following services :
- COM+ Event System
- COM+ System Application
- Distributed Transactions Coordinator
- Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider
- Volume Shadow Copy service
- Networker remote exec service
- Cryptographic Service
This is the list of services responsible for the writers:
List Of Writers:
| VSS Writer | Service Name | Service Display Name |
| ASR Writer | VSS | Volume Shadow Copy |
| BITS Writer | BITS | Background Intelligent Transfer Service |
| COM+ REGDB Writer | VSS | Volume Shadow Copy |
| DFS Replication service writer | DFSR | DFS Replication |
| DHCP Jet Writer | DHCPServer | DHCP Server |
| FRS Writer | NtFrs | File Replication |
| FSRM writer | srmsvc | File Server Resource Manager |
| IIS Config Writer | AppHostSvc | Application Host Helper Service |
| IIS Metabase Writer | IISADMIN | IIS Admin Service |
| Microsoft Exchange Writer | MSExchangeIS | Microsoft Exchange Information Store |
| Microsoft Hyper-V VSS Writer | vmms | Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management |
| NTDS | NTDS | Active Directory Domain Services |
| OSearch VSS Writer | OSearch | Office SharePoint Server Search |
| OSearch14 VSS Writer | OSearch14 | SharePoint Server Search 14 |
| Registry Writer | VSS | Volume Shadow Copy |
| Shadow Copy Optimization Writer | VSS | Volume Shadow Copy |
| SPSearch VSS Writer | SPSearch | Windows SharePoint Services Search |
| SPSearch4 VSS Writer | SPSearch4 | SharePoint Foundation Search V4 |
| SqlServerWriter | SQLWriter | SQL Server VSS Writer |
| System Writer | CryptSvc | Cryptographic Services |
| TermServLicensing | TermServLicensing | Remote Desktop Licensing |
| WINS Jet Writer | WINS | Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) |
| WMI Writer | Winmgmt | Windows Management Instrumentation |
After that check with VSSADMIN LIST PROVIDERS + VSSADMIN LIST WRITERS
see that you have : Writer name: ‘System Writer’
Thank you for this. However, it would have been so much more helpful if you had said which “other” provider to delete or keep. I did it twice, as well as MANY other things trying to get my backup to work again.
In my case, the final fix was keeping the version 1.0.0.7 Shadow Provider.