Dealing with VSS Writer Issues During Backups
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TechWhiz42
I'm having some trouble with VSS writers causing issues during backups. I've checked using 'vssadmin list writers' and everything reports no problems, but my backup software still claims there are VSS writer issues. Rebooting usually resolves this, but I'd prefer to avoid a reboot due to change control protocols. Does anyone here have any tips or solutions for fixing VSS writer issues without needing to restart the server?
Answers
VSS can indeed be a pain! On our older backup solution, the backup team often found themselves opening multiple tickets for failed backups. We’d restart services like VSS and cryptographic services, and that typically got things back on track. It seemed pretty random across our large number of servers. Automating larger parts of the backup process helped us a lot.
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Without knowing the specific error, it's tricky to give a precise fix. But often, VSS writer issues stem from having too little reserved space for the snapshots. You might want to check that out.
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What kind of issues are you facing, and what backup software are you using? Also, have you checked if your antivirus or malware protection is interfering with VSS operations?
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Instead of rebooting to fix VSS issues, try running 'vssadmin delete shadows /all' to remove any stale snapshots. That can help clear the problems without needing a restart.
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StorageNinja17: Thanks for the tip! I didn’t know about that command.
BackupWarrior56: Just a heads up, though—deleting all shadows will remove older snapshots too. Be careful if you rely on those for quick file version rollbacks!