Windows 7 Issues with Windows Backup

fredsan42

New Member
This is a long message, beware.

I recently installed build 7000 on my machine, but I've been having trouble with the built-in backup software.

The short version of the issue is that backups of C:\ no longer work.


The long version:

Windows successfully creates a shadow copy, but then fails at 6% with the error message "Backup failed. Windows Backup had to skip all drives included in backup. Make sure that the drives are plugged in and working correctly. (0x810000FF)." Yes, the drives are plugged in and working correctly. :)

In Event Viewer, there is a somewhat more useful error message: "Drive C:\ was not backed up. The error is: The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect. (0x8007007B)."

I have my backup configured to backup the entire C:\ drive only. If I configure it to backup D:\ and not C:\, and make no other configuration changes, it works. However, when I switch it back to C:\, it doesn't. I think there is either some corruption or confusion within my system. I've tried deleting the <systemname> directory from the backup location, so it has no knowledge of having ever done another backup.

After initially installing, I used gparted under Ubuntu to resize the primary C:\ partiiton and increase its size. Part of this resize involved moving the partition "left" on the disk, which caused my system to be unable to boot. However, I used the repair feature on the DVD to get it to boot again. The system ran a chkdsk as well and fixed some things. But a chkdsk now comes back clean.

I think somewhere in the Windows Backup configuration or in the partition table somewhere, it's looking at the old start location for the partition and getting confused. But it should be able to be fixed because everything else works fine.

So, if you've read this far, here's my two questions:

1) Does anyone know where Windows Backup stores it configuration so I can let it clear it out and restart?
2) Perhaps more importantly, does anyone know how to get Windows Backup to increase its logging or somehow give me more details about what it's doing when it fails at 6%?

Thanks.
 
I have used the windows backup utility both in the 32 bit and 64 bit edition of the windows 7 beta build 7000. I have not experienced any problems in the 4 backups of each i have made so far. Sounds like it is having trouble making an image of certain files and folders on your hard drive. Ensure that you are the owner of those files and folders as well as you having admin permission to run the program.
 
Thanks, but unfortunately I think there's more to it than that. I created a folder that I opened up full permissions to on C:\. I tried a backup of only that folder and got the same error message. The system is somehow confused about C:\.
 
Yes, Windows 7 is on my C:\ drive and I am dual-booting, although I haven't booted into Vista since I installed 7. I have a 360GB drive that used to be just C:\ (primary) and D:\ (factory "RECOVERY" partition). In preparation for installing the Windows 7 beta, I resized my primary partition to shrink it by 15GB. I created a new partition in that free space. I installed Win7 there, but later decided I wanted another 15GB, so I shrunk the original partition again, relocated the Win7 partition, and increased its size. As mentioned in my first post, this caused me to be unable to boot, but the recovery mode on the install DVD was able to locate and fix the problem with me not really having to do anything.
 
Fred!!! I see your having the SAME exact issue I am having. I also saw ur post over at microsoft technet. Hopefully we can help eachother, or at least find more people with our issue. My issue differs slightly in the percentage complete. I get to about 80% before mine fails. But what is wierd is that it starts at single digit percents and then immediatly jumps to 50% complete. anyway here is my setup

Windows Vista32bit and Windows 7 64bit dual boot. To install windows 7 64bit because i have a sony vaio z, there was an issue with installing windows 7 64bit on the MBR partition my sony was using with its EFI. If u made a new primary partition there is no way to convert it to GPT without erasing the whole drive. So i made a logical partition and let the Windows 7 installation do the formatting to GPT for me with no erasing of old data. If not many others ended up formating themselves and erasing their old vista boot. If anyone else reading was having this issue i explained it a little better here Windows 7 on Sony Z - Page 10 - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion.
Anyway that all is prolly irrellevent here. So i had primary active partition vista, and a logical partition windows 7. Dual boot up. And i was running fine until i attempted to do backups.
I was getting this backup error so i assumed it may have something to do with a logical partition. Using acronis disk director I made the logical partition with windows 7 into a primary partition. Then tried to backup... same error. Then i thought mayb it had something to do with an active partition. So using disk director again i now made the Windows 7 partition Primary and Active. This created problems with bootmgr, so if anyone reading experiences this when making ur windows 7 partition ona dual boot active. Just insert ur windows 7 install cd and repair the startup files next startup. It may take two attempts to do this but it will work. So now I attempted to backup and recieved the same error. Im exactly were your at i beleive but i backup jumps to 50% after a minute or so and then fails around 80%. It does this even if i delete the incomplete backup(it does have some files in there). Let me kno ur thoughts fred..



Yes i know i ramble its very late for me. kthx

i found the SOLUTION!!!!!!! i am going to test a few other things out later today, but ill post with the answer later today

Ok its a simple one. I can only speak if this works if u make ur partition with windows 7 primary and active. Im am pretty damned sure it wouldnt matter because the issue isnt with that or the normal backup process would have been fixed after making it active and it was not.

go to start menu... go to backup and restore... and rather then the normal way i always have tried from on the right side where it says backup now. go to the left pane and it says turn off schedule... create an image backup... create a system recovery disk


that way works for me 100% but i cant set it to do weekly backups or anything else. its a solution for a manual backup only. let me kno if this helps or u have any other insight. i will attempt one more backup using the scheduled normal backup method to see if anything has changed on that part.
 
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I am having the same but slightly different problems with w7 backup.... it used to crash at about 80% but now completes (I assume they have changed something in the recent updates).

It now completes but has error messages sayng it has skipped some files. When I look at the skipped files the wre either not in the backup plan (i.e. a whole network disc !) or they are files they just don't exist !

Come on MS a intergarted backup system that won't backup !
 
Having come across a Win7Pro backup failure on a clients PC I have resolved after short investigation. In this particular case two things became evident. Firstly the target backup location has to be indexed. I personally prefer not to index by default, particularly external drives which migrate between many PCs. Secondly ensure that backup is not attempting to backup non existent folders. In this particular case the User libraries contained a reference to a previously installed flash drive for a historic backup which was not installed for further attempted and frustrated backups. Restore also would not work for numerous backups and seems to relate to the lack of flash drive to accommodate what transpired to be merely an empty folder and or the disabled indexing on an external drive used for several migrated backups. I would advise attempting backups with custom selection and start with zero selected then add some small files to identify similar issues that may frustrate the process although I imagine faulty partition and drive links will inevitably frustrate the process. Hope this is of some value to the forum.
 
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