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Troubleshooting Server Backup and Restore Errors

  • Article

Updated: March 30, 2011

Applies To: Windows Home Server 2011

  • Server backup error messages

    • Server Backup was not successful because of insufficient memory

    • Server Backup was not successful because of not enough free space

    • One or more of the selected items were not backed up

    • The selected drive is greater than 2 TB and cannot be included in Server Backup. Consider dividing the hard disk on which the drive is located into drives that are smaller than 2 TB

  • Server recovery error messages

    • Server Restore did not finish successfully because of an incorrect folder configuration

    • Did not detect an external backup hard drive

    • Could not complete the server restore

    • Could not reset server to factory default settings

    • Server Recovery was unable to connect to the server.

Server backup error messages

Server Backup was not successful because of insufficient memory

Description

Server Backup was not successful because one or more of the following conditions was not compatible with the current amount of memory:

  • Too many folders

  • Requires too much storage capacity

  • Too many folders included in Server Backup

Solution

To back up the server successfully, do one of the following:

  • Install more memory on the server.

    Important

    It is recommended that you consult information from the manufacturer of the server before starting the installation process.

  • You can also correct this problem by consolidating or deleting folders to reduce the total number of folders on the server.

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Server Backup was not successful because of not enough free space

Description

Server Backup was not successful because there is not enough free space on the external hard drive that you are using for server backup to contain the backed up data. You must replace the existing hard drive or reduce the number of items to back up.

Note

If you choose to keep the existing number of items to backup, you must replace the existing hard drive with a larger hard drive. Adding an additional hard drive to Server Backup will not correct the problem.

Solution

To replace the backup target hard drive

  1. Connect a larger hard drive to the server.

  2. Open the Dashboard.

  3. Click Computers and Backup, and then click Customize Backup for the server.

  4. Click Change Server Backup settings.

  5. In the Customize Server Backup Wizard, click Next, and then click Change Server Backup settings.

  6. Clear the check box for the existing hard drive that is the current backup destination, select the new hard drive as the new backup destination, and then click Next.

    Warning

    If the new hard drive is not listed, click Show all drives that can be used as backup drives, and then click Refresh list.

  7. Finish the wizard.

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One or more of the selected items were not backed up

Description

One or more of the items selected to be backed up were not included because the folder is not available. You must make the items available or remove them from Server Backup.

Solution

If the missing items are intended to be backed up, you must ensure that the hard drive on which the items are located is physically connected to the server and turned on.

To verify that all hard drives are properly connected to the server

  1. Open the Dashboard.

  2. Click Server Folders and Hard Drives, and then click Hard Drives.

  3. Ensure that all of the hard drives listed in server storage are physically connected to the server, turned on, and functioning properly.

If the missing items are not intended to be backed up, you must remove them from Server Backup.

To remove items from Server Backup

  1. Open the Dashboard.

  2. Click Computers and Backup, and then click Customize Backup for the server.

  3. In the Customize Server Backup Wizard, click Next, and then click Change Server Backup settings.

  4. Select the hard drive that is the backup destination, and then click Next.

  5. Continue to the Select which items to back up page, and then clear the check boxes of the items that are not available for backup.

  6. Finish the wizard.

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The selected drive is greater than 2 TB and cannot be included in Server Backup. Consider dividing the hard disk on which the drive is located into drives that are smaller than 2 TB

Server backup will back up only hard drives that are 2 TB or less in size. This is a limitation in the Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) file format. While it is not recommended and might expose you to the risk of data loss, you can apply a registry change that will allow you to back up hard drives that are larger than 2 TB.

Important

This workaround does not solve the issue that server backup can back up 2 TB of data or less per hard drive. With this workaround, you can start server backup on a hard drive that is larger than 2 TB. However, when the data on the hard drive exceeds 2 TB, server backup will back up only 2 TB of data. Any data over the 2 TB limit will not be backed up.

Add the following registry key:

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows Server\Server Backup

  • Type = QWORD

  • Key name = MaxVolumeSize

  • Value = n, where n is some number larger than 2 TB.

To add a new registry key

  1. On the server, click Start, click Run, type regedit in textbox, the and then OK.

  2. In the navigation pane, expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, expand SOFTWARE, expand Microsoft, expand Windows Server, and then expand Server Backup.

  3. Right-click Server Backup, click New, and then click QWORD,

  4. Type MaxVolumeSize for the name of the key.

  5. Right-click MaxVolumeSize, and then click Modify.

  6. Type a value greater than 2 TB in the Value data textbox, and then click OK. For reference, 2TB is 0x1FDFFE00000 or 2190431223808 bytes.

Server recovery error messages

Server Restore did not finish successfully because of an incorrect folder configuration

Description

An application that is considered a critical system component is using a shared folder, which is included in Server Restore. You must reinstall the application in a different folder.

Solution

Uninstall the application, and then reinstall it to a different folder that is not included in Server Storage.

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Did not detect an external backup hard drive

Description

The Recover Your Server wizard did not find an external hard disk drive connected to the server that contains a backup file.

Solution

To recover the server successfully, you must have an external hard disk drive that is connected to the server that contains a backup of the server. Connect the external drive that contains the backup to the server, and then click Next.

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Could not complete the server restore

Description

Your server was not restored because of one or more of the following conditions:

  • The hard drive that you chose to restore your server is too small. You must use a hard drive that is 160GB or larger.

  • No hard drives were found that could be used to recreate the drive configuration in the backup.

  • A probable system disk may have been excluded by mistake.

  • A USB disk may have been assigned as a system disk.

Solution

To restore the server successfully, do one of the following:

  • Install a hard disk drive on the server that is 160 GB or larger.

  • Ensure that there is the same number or more hard drives as there were in use at the time of the backup that you are using. Each of the hard drives must be the same size or larger than the hard drives that were backed up. You may need to add or change hard drives. Verify that all hard drives are connected properly, and then try again.

  • Make sure that you are using the server recovery media supplied by the manufacturer of this product.

  • Ensure that the hard disk drives are installed and functioning properly, and that a driver is available for each of the hard disk drives.

  • Disconnect all USB drives from the server except the drive that contains the backup file.

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Could not reset server to factory default settings

Description

Your server was not reset to factory default settings because of one or more of the following conditions:

  • The hard drive that you chose for factory reset is too small. You must use a hard drive that is 160GB or larger.

  • The XML file that describes the manufacturer specified disk configuration could not be found.

  • The hard drive configuration on the server does not match the hard drive configuration on the recovery DVD provided by the manufacturer.

Solution

To reset the server to factory default settings successfully, do one of the following:

  • Install a hard disk drive on the server that is 160 GB or larger.

  • Ensure that there is the same number or more hard drives as there were in use at the time of the backup that you are using. Each of the hard drives must be the same size or larger than the hard drives that were backed up. You may need to add or change hard drives. Verify that all hard drives are connected properly, and then try again.

    • If the hard drive configuration matches, only the system volume will be affected.

    • If the hard drive configuration does not match, all hard drives on the server drive will be affected. This may include files and folders that were stored in server storage.

  • Make sure that you are using the server recovery media supplied by the server manufacturer.

  • Ensure that the hard disk drives are installed and functioning properly, and that a driver is available for each of the hard disk drives.

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Server Recovery was unable to connect to the server.

Description

Your server was not recovered because of one or more of the following conditions:

  • The client computer cannot connect to the server.

  • The recovery process was initiated from a different client computer.

  • The server restore version running on the server is different from the version running on the client computer.

  • A server recovery operation is already in progress.

Solution

To successfully recover the server, do one of the following:

  • Restart the server in recovery mode.

  • Disconnect any client computers that are participating in the recovery process, and then try again.

  • Ensure that you are using the correct Server Recovery media from the manufacturer.

  • Only one server recovery operation can run at a time. Allow the recovery operation in progress to finish before starting another.

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