BackupAssist services fail to start

When a scheduled backup runs or you attempt to kick off a test/specific backup, the BackupAssist service fails to start and consequently your backup fails.

Cause

• The Windows Global Temp Variable - if the Global TEMP variable in Windows is set to a nonexistent drive it can cause the BackupAssist service to fail to start.

• Windows 2003 SP1? - On certain Windows 2003 servers, after SP1? is applied, the BackupAssist service fails to start.

Resolution

• Set the Windows Global TEMP variable to a drive that exists - ie C:\WINDOWS\TEMP. To do this Right-click My Computer > Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables
  Thanks goes to Olivier Revenu for this investigation and fix.

• Reinstall the BackupAssist and BackupAssist monitor services. To do this, conduct the following in a Windows command-line prompt window, from where BackupAssist is installed - eg. C:\Program Files\BackupAssist
  1. uninstallService.exe
  2. BAService?.exe -setup
  3. BAMonSvc?.exe -setup
  4. net start wBackupAssist
  5. net start wBAMon
  
  Figure 1: Reinstalling the BackupAssist Services

  This should re-initiate and register the BackupAssist and BackupAssist Monitor services.