Server 2022 shows VSS EventID 20

Question

We have recently started getting the following:
The shadow copies of volume E: were aborted because of a failed free space computation.
There is currently 5TB Free space on the drive and trying to manually create shadow copies also returns and error: 0x080042306

I have been pointed to this article,
0x80042306 error occurs when configuring shadow copies for clustered mount points on another drive in Windows Server - Windows Server | Microsoft Learn
but it does not relate to our situation.

I have also tried the following:
vssadmin resize shadowstorage /For=E: /On=E: /MaxSize=UNBOUNDED
But the issue remains,

Hoping someone has run into the same issue that can advise :)

Answer

Hello there,

Event ID 20 in the VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) logs on Windows Server 2022 typically indicates a problem with a specific VSS writer. VSS writers are responsible for ensuring the consistency of data during a backup operation.

To troubleshoot Event ID 20 in the VSS logs, you can follow these steps:

Open the Event Viewer on the Windows Server 2022 machine.

Navigate to "Windows Logs" > "Application."

Look for events with the source "VSS" and event ID 20.

The error code 0x080042306 typically indicates a problem with creating shadow copies on the system. To troubleshoot this issue, you can try the following steps:

Ensure that the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is running:

Open the Services management console by pressing Win + R, typing "services.msc," and pressing Enter.

Locate the "Volume Shadow Copy" service in the list.

Ensure that the service status is "Running." If it is not running, right-click on the service and select "Start."

Check the status of the VSS writers:

Open an elevated command prompt by pressing Win + X and selecting "Command Prompt (Admin)."

Run the following command: vssadmin list writers

Check if any VSS writer is in a failed state. If you find any writers in a failed state, note down the writer name and contact the associated software vendor for further assistance.

Verify that the necessary disk space is available:

Check if there is sufficient free space on the volume where the shadow copies are being created. Shadow copies require a certain amount of disk space to store the snapshots.

Ensure that the volume where the shadow copies are being created has enough free space to accommodate the shadow copy storage.

I used AI provided by ChatGPT to formulate part of this response. I have verified that the information is accurate before sharing it with you.

Hope this resolves your Query !!

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