BA618: Snapshot failed due to pending Windows servicing reboot¶
| Error code | Product | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| BA618 | BackupAssist | For BackupAssist 15.0.5 or later. |
Description¶
System Protection and Cloud Backup jobs use the Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to create a consistent snapshot of disk volumes while the system is running. The snapshot is taken at the start of the backup and must complete before data is copied.
BA618 is reported when the snapshot fails with a VSS provider error and BackupAssist detects that Windows is waiting for a reboot to complete a servicing operation. In this state VSS writers become wedged and cannot participate in a new snapshot until the server is rebooted. The condition is not a BackupAssist defect - no data was copied and no backup was produced.
Common causes:
- Windows Update installed one or more updates and the server has not been rebooted.
- A Windows feature or role was added or removed via DISM or Server Manager and a reboot is pending.
- File rename or delete operations are queued to run at next boot (PendingFileRenameOperations).
When BA618 is reported in the summary, the underlying VSS error (BA901 or BA904) is suppressed from the summary section.
Resolution¶
Resolution 1 - Reboot the server (recommended)¶
Reboot the server to allow Windows to complete the pending servicing operation. Once the reboot is finished and the server is back online, run the backup again.
Resolution 2 - Schedule backups outside the Windows Update window¶
If the server reboots automatically after updates, adjust the backup schedule so that jobs do not run in the window between update installation and the automatic reboot. Alternatively, configure Windows Update to reboot immediately after installation rather than deferring.
Resolution 3 - Disable pending-reboot detection (advanced)¶
If BA618 is being reported incorrectly in your environment, the detection can be disabled via a registry override. When disabled, BackupAssist reverts to reporting the underlying VSS error code (BA901 or BA904) on snapshot failures.
- Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe) as an administrator.
- Navigate to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Cortex I.T\BackupAssist\v{major} (replace {major} with the installed major version number, e.g. v14).
- Create a new String Value (REG_SZ) named VssDetectPendingRebootOnSnapshotFailure and set its value to false.
- The change takes effect on the next backup run - no service restart is required.
Note on the backup report¶
BA618 appears in the backup report summary section with the message: The snapshot failed because Windows servicing is pending a reboot. Reboot the server to clear the pending servicing state, then retry the backup.
The job status is reported as "Errors occurred". The underlying VSS error (BA901 VSS_E_BAD_STATE or BA904 VSS_E_PROVIDER_VETO) is recorded in the diagnostics log but suppressed from the report summary when BA618 is active.
| Last updated | Created | Further assistance |
|---|---|---|
| 6th Aug 2026 | 6th Aug 2026 | BackupAssist Support page |