Windows System State errors

Errors you might see when backing up Windows System State

• [java.io.InterruptedIOException] Failed to generate the backup image of System State Backup
• The backup operation stopped before completing
• The backup of the system state failed
• There was a failure in preparing the backup image of one of the volumes in the backup set
• The parameter is incorrect
• Invalid Signature
• Log of files for which backup failed

These aren’t in any specific order or related to specific versions of Windows.

Fixes

Our software displays errors passed to it from Windows. These are generic and need more investigation. Work through these checks in order:

1. Check there is plenty of free space in the temporary locations. A System State backup uses two temporary locations: one under General and one under Others. The first is filled in automatically when the backup set is created, so the second is easy to miss.

   We recommend setting both to the same location, preferably a local USB disk or a NAS. Avoid the server’s internal drives if they are part of the same RAID array, because that adds disk load to your server. USB disks are cheap and connect to Windows as direct-attached storage (DAS).

   These temporary locations are needed because you will most likely be using incremental backups. So that only the changed data (the delta) is sent each day, the backup software creates a local backup, compares it with the backup stored online, then extracts and sends the delta.

2. Check the Windows event logs (Application and System) for hardware errors, VSS errors or any other unexplained errors.

3. Check that VSS is working. Every backup needs VSS to be healthy. Open a command prompt as administrator and run:

   vssadmin list writers

   All writers should show as stable with no error. A System State backup uses the System Writer. If any writer shows an error, install any pending Windows Updates and restart the device.