Event ID 12297 — Volume Shadow Copy Service Operations

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

The Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) provides the ability to create a point in time image (shadow copy) of one or more volumes that can be used to perform backups. The service is also used during restores of applications.

Event Details

Resolve

Monitor the system performance and resources

Possible resolutions include:

• Reduce the system or I/O load and retry the operation, or schedule Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) or other operations during the least busy periods for the computer.
• Check the shadow copy storage area association and configuration. If necessary, move the shadow copy storage area (also called the "diff area") to a volume with more storage capacity.

To perform these procedures, you must have membership in Administrators, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

Check the shadow copy storage area association and configuration

To check the shadow copy storage area association and configuration:

1. Open an elevated Command Prompt. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.

2. Type vssadmin list shadowstorage, and then press Enter.

3. Use vssadmin commands as needed to change the shadow copy storage area association and configuration. If necessary, move the volume shadow copy storage area to a different, dedicated volume to improve performance. For more information, see the "Move the volume shadow copy storage area to a volume with more storage capacity" section.

   Note: To successfully create a shadow copy, at least one NTFS file system volume is required with at least 300 MB of free space. Do not store the volume shadow copy storage area on a storage device that can be easily removed from the computer. Do not store the volume shadow copy storage area on a storage device that may not be available to Windows until late in the system startup sequence. For example, a logical unit number (LUN) created on an Internet SCSI (iSCSI) storage subsystem might not appear until a software initiator has started.

For more information about the vssadmin command, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=103401.

Move the volume shadow copy storage area to a volume with more storage capacity

To move the volume shadow copy storage area to a different volume:

Caution: When you change the location of the shadow copy storage area, all previous shadow copies are deleted.

1. Click Start, and then click Computer.

2. Right-click any of the volumes listed, and then click Configure Shadow Copies.

3. Click the volume that is currently used for the volume shadow copy storage area, and then click Settings.

   Note: If shadow copies of the volume are enabled, you must first disable them by clicking the volume, and then clicking Disable.

4. Set the volume shadow copy area volume to a volume with more storage capacity by selecting the volume from the drop-down list under Storage area, and then click OK.

5. Make sure that the volume is still selected, and click Enable. If you are asked to confirm that you want to enable shadow copies, click Yes.

6. Click OK to exit.

Verify

To perform this procedure, you must have membership in Administrators, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

To verify that the Volume Shadow Copy Service is started:

1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Services.
2. In the results pane, double-click Volume Shadow Copy.
3. In Service status, make sure that the status is Started. If the status is not Started, click Start.
4. Make sure Startup type is set to Manual.
5. Click OK.

Related Management Information

Volume Shadow Copy Service Operations

File Services