System Writer error

Question

Hi. I have a server that is running windows Server 2016 standard edition and i'm having a problem with doing cloud backups and local automatic backups. Whenever a backup is trying to take place, the following error comes up "System state backup of component [System Protected Files;] failed". I have had a look at the VSS list and all the writers that are listed are in stable condition with no errors, it's only system writers that is not listed. I have done the following:

1. Stop and start VSS service
2. Reregister the VSS DLL files
3. Restart the server numerous times

kindly advise on a solution to this problem.

Answer 1

None of the above worked.

Answer 2

To resolve the issue of the missing System Writer in your VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) list, you can follow these steps:

1. Check Registry Settings: Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VSS\VssAccessControl Ensure that the value for NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE (REG_DWORD) is set to 1. You may also want to check the entries for other services such as LOCAL SERVICE and NetworkService as indicated by event ID 8213.
2. Verify Permissions: Ensure that the process hosting the System Writer has sufficient access rights. It should be running under a local account such as Local System, Administrator, Network Service, or Local Service.
3. Restart Services: After making changes, restart the following services:
   • COM+ Event System
   • Volume Shadow Copy
4. Check VSS Writers: After performing the above steps, open an elevated command prompt and run the command vssadmin list writers to verify that the System Writer is now listed.

If the System Writer still does not appear, you may need to investigate further by checking the Application event log for any related errors that could provide additional insights into the problem.

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References:

• System state backup by using Windows Server Backup fails with error: System writer is not found in the backup
• No VSS writers are listed when you run vssadmin list writers
• No VSS writers are listed when you run the vssadmin list writers command in Windows Server