Macrium Reflect Free - creating volume snapshot

I recently downloaded and installed Macrium Reflect Free for my computer running windows 10 Home Edition (I also have a computer that has windows 10 pro - but this is in regards to the computer running windows 10 home)

I started to create the backup and noticed a Failed: Failed - 0x8000fff - Catastrophic failure - Retrying without VSS Writers right under the Creating Volume Snapshot - please wait line.

I did find information - Resolving VSS Writer Errors in Windows 8, Server 2012, and Up – Datto Knowledge Base and I followed the steps there and after doing that I tried to start the backup again with the same message.

The only thing was that the one item that the information stated about repairing VSS Writer I could not find in services.msc.

I did go back and ran vssadmin list writers again and it did not show any errors, but when I tried running the backup it gave that same failure message.

Any suggestions on how to resolve this would be greatly appreciated.


Here is the information from the vssadmin list writers information done from a command prompt.

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.17134.829]
(c) 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>vssadmin list writers
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001-2013 Microsoft Corp.

Writer name: 'Task Scheduler Writer'
Writer Id: {d61d61c8-d73a-4eee-8cdd-f6f9786b7124}
Writer Instance Id: {1bddd48e-5052-49db-9b07-b96f96727e6b}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'VSS Metadata Store Writer'
Writer Id: {75dfb225-e2e4-4d39-9ac9-ffaff65ddf06}
Writer Instance Id: {088e7a7d-09a8-4cc6-a609-ad90e75ddc93}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Performance Counters Writer'
Writer Id: {0bada1de-01a9-4625-8278-69e735f39dd2}
Writer Instance Id: {f0086dda-9efc-47c5-8eb6-a944c3d09381}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'ASR Writer'
Writer Id: {be000cbe-11fe-4426-9c58-531aa6355fc4}
Writer Instance Id: {c06809e2-c2ee-477d-a486-b20ff0281cfd}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'System Writer'
Writer Id: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}
Writer Instance Id: {5f340c70-2ac9-47b0-b058-a414069ff7bd}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Shadow Copy Optimization Writer'
Writer Id: {4dc3bdd4-ab48-4d07-adb0-3bee2926fd7f}
Writer Instance Id: {cabd249c-87ef-487f-89ea-16a7a553e45d}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Registry Writer'
Writer Id: {afbab4a2-367d-4d15-a586-71dbb18f8485}
Writer Instance Id: {57072678-dd4b-46c7-88db-6c70bed15268}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'COM+ REGDB Writer'
Writer Id: {542da469-d3e1-473c-9f4f-7847f01fc64f}
Writer Instance Id: {8da4a7a1-7cf6-49b2-ba9c-78aa5d4cb3d4}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'WMI Writer'
Writer Id: {a6ad56c2-b509-4e6c-bb19-49d8f43532f0}
Writer Instance Id: {1f841f07-1fcc-4cea-89d4-4c3e09ff194a}
State: [9] Failed
Last error: Timed out

Writer name: 'MSSearch Service Writer' --- this is the one that I could not locate in services.msc
Writer Id: {cd3f2362-8bef-46c7-9181-d62844cdc0b2}
Writer Instance Id: {31fa3c7e-2b6d-4774-babb-4bf95bcc2bc6}
State: [9] Failed
Last error: Timed out


C:\WINDOWS\system32>



Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.17134.829]
(c) 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>vssadmin list writers
vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line tool
(C) Copyright 2001-2013 Microsoft Corp.

Writer name: 'Task Scheduler Writer'
Writer Id: {d61d61c8-d73a-4eee-8cdd-f6f9786b7124}
Writer Instance Id: {1bddd48e-5052-49db-9b07-b96f96727e6b}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'VSS Metadata Store Writer'
Writer Id: {75dfb225-e2e4-4d39-9ac9-ffaff65ddf06}
Writer Instance Id: {088e7a7d-09a8-4cc6-a609-ad90e75ddc93}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Performance Counters Writer'
Writer Id: {0bada1de-01a9-4625-8278-69e735f39dd2}
Writer Instance Id: {f0086dda-9efc-47c5-8eb6-a944c3d09381}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'ASR Writer'
Writer Id: {be000cbe-11fe-4426-9c58-531aa6355fc4}
Writer Instance Id: {de8b9089-93a1-412d-b1b9-f8c8caa33372}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'System Writer'
Writer Id: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}
Writer Instance Id: {5f340c70-2ac9-47b0-b058-a414069ff7bd}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Shadow Copy Optimization Writer'
Writer Id: {4dc3bdd4-ab48-4d07-adb0-3bee2926fd7f}
Writer Instance Id: {445e6488-2eb1-486c-9c89-64d6fae96dea}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'WMI Writer'
Writer Id: {a6ad56c2-b509-4e6c-bb19-49d8f43532f0}
Writer Instance Id: {5c61d893-1d48-46a4-ac63-df50676b5d30}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'MSSearch Service Writer'
Writer Id: {cd3f2362-8bef-46c7-9181-d62844cdc0b2}
Writer Instance Id: {1640b7fc-5b76-46ef-8d48-4b62a4933481}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Registry Writer'
Writer Id: {afbab4a2-367d-4d15-a586-71dbb18f8485}
Writer Instance Id: {ba611cc1-0ea6-40d8-86c7-3cf4f09df927}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

Writer name: 'COM+ REGDB Writer'
Writer Id: {542da469-d3e1-473c-9f4f-7847f01fc64f}
Writer Instance Id: {55a93757-6136-41d1-9544-0b7964c22b03}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error


C:\WINDOWS\system32>


Thank You so Very Much

SoFine409 said:

Hi Injr, do you have another backup software installed? I had a similar issue when I first tried Macrium Free, I still had a paid version of Acronis installed. The two programs would not coexist together. I ended up having to remove Acronis. It wasn’t easy because Acronis is exceedingly difficult to completely remove.

I agree with your view of poorly engineered Acronis software. I found it installed low level disk drivers / filters which were not removed by the uninstaller. I had to remove them manually which posed the risk of rendering the PC unbootable. Their support was also useless.

Sorry for the delay, family issues and I was away for a few days.

Thanks for the information - that does explain the issue I am having since I have been using Acronis True Image 2016 since I got this computer.

I wanted to try out Macrium Reflect first to see how I liked it before uninstalling the Acronis True Image software. Sounds like that is not going to be possible.

I had installed the Macrium Reflect a few days before I tried making the backup of the computer so that was not the issue.

I don't recall if Volume Shadow Copy was set to manual or automatic when I noticed the problem, but I do have it set to automatic now. I guess I can try setting it to manual, restarting the computer and then try making the backup again and see if the issue is there and then try it again with it set to automatic, but from what the other folks are saying, I am thinking that it may be a conflict between Acronis and Macrium.

It also sounds like uninstalling Acronis to use Macrium is not going to be an easy task and the support at Acronis will not be of any help

I guess I am stuck with Acronis.

Thanks Again

I do have the free version of Revo Uninstaller on my computer - but if I can get a free trial of the pro and then get rid of all the remnants and it will simply revert back, I may give that a try.

Thanks So Very Much