BA2503: Winimage general warning¶
| Error code | Product | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| BA2503 | BackupAssist | For BackupAssist 10.1.0 or later. |
Description¶
The System Protection backup was completed but there may be failed VSS components (with errors). This means not all the data was backed up.
This often applies to Hyper-V backups where VSS errors can mean that one or more guests were not backed up but other guests and the host were.
The backup is useful, but not all data is included and the backup may not support a system recovery.
Resolution¶
Below is a list of possible errors and links to the solutions. There is also a section for troubleshooting this type of error on a Hyper-V Server, if the specific error encountered is not listed.
Error 1 - The writer experienced a transient error. If the backup process is retried, error may not reoccur¶
This error occurs when there is an issue with one of the VSS writers on the system. It is recommended that you identify the writer that is causing the issue. To do this, open an elevated command prompt and run the following command:
vssadmin list writers
This will provide an output of all VSS writers known to Windows on that machine. Look specifically for the Last error detail and anything that does not show No Error - is most likely to be the cause of the error.
You should also check the event logs in Event Viewer for further information. The steps to do this are shown in this video.
Error 2 - Some files could not be backed up¶
This is a known issue on Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 which is resolved with hotfix https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/982502.
Error 3 - When a failed VSS component is reported¶
Please see Volume Shadow Copy Error 0x800423f4 - writer error: non retry-able
Error 4 - A Volume Shadow Copy Service operation error has occurred: (0x800423f2)¶
Please see the KB article for Volume-Shadow-Copy-Error-0x800423f2-writer-error-timeout
Errors on Windows 2012 R2 Hyper-V Servers¶
Microsoft has a hot fix and an explanation of the specific error conditions that the hot fix is intended to address. Read the article and apply the fix is if is applicable to your issue, and if the other solutions on this page did not resolve the issue https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3063283
How to investigate this error on a Hyper-V Server¶
If the solutions above did not resolve your problem, you will need to review the event logs, as explained in this section.
When troubleshooting problems with Hyper-V backups, it is important to first determine which guest/s is causing the error. You can do this by checking the Hyper-V VMSS logs, as shown below. You may also be able to identify the guest from the information in the backup report. If you are not able to identify the guest, try backing up the guests one at a time until the errant guest is found.
The guest causing the error can be confirmed by running the backup again without that guest and checking that the backup runs without errors. You can also try a VSS backup on the guest itself using a trial version of BackupAssist. The success or failure of this backup will help to further narrow down what could be causing the error.
If the problem is with backing up data within a guest, you will need to open the Event Viewer inside that guest and review the VSS log entries. These may identify the exact cause of the VSS error.
To view the Hyper-V VMMS logs:
- Click the Start button.
- Click Control Panel.
- Click System and Maintenance.
- Click Administrative Tools.
- Double-click Event Viewer.
- In the left hand navigation window, browse to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > Hyper-V-VMMS.
| Last updated | Created | Further assistance |
|---|---|---|
| 8th January 2018 | 18th August 2017 | BackupAssist Support page |