Windows System Image backup failing

Hi, does System Restore work? That's dependent on VSS too.

Fixing VSS:
a. Macrium Reflect (free) - so often recommended for routine and regular disk imaging- has a tool for fixing VSS on its GUI.
b. Tweaking.com's repair tool (free) has a VSS repair option.

To find either, use a search engine.

I suspect it's more subtle. If System Restore is running (failures to restore happen frequently on systems as you may know) then VSS as such is probably ok.

I found Volume Shadow Copy Service set to Stopped

- could be that other services are affected. Again I'd refer you to Tweaking.com's tool to reset services to default, but you don't like that so you'll have to find another way.

My guess is it's more a matter of how the XML file is produced or read, which is somehow related to the change you've made.

Maybe you need simply need to reconfigure File History and set up your backup job again.

Feel free to research parts of the error messages for clues, some of which I have screen OCR'd for you:

This event is not displayed correctly because the underlying XML is not well formed. Below is the raw text of the event.

A Volume Shadow Copy Service operation failed. Please check 'VSS" and "SPP‘ application event logs for more information. (0x807800A1)
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...9-59de299cfeec

The writer experienced a transient error. If the backup process is retried, the error may not reoccur. (0x800423F3)
Naive English error: should be recur
KB1796: Transient and Non-transient errors when using guest processing
How to fix: 0x800423f4, The writer experienced a non-transient error. If the backup process is retried, the error is likely to reoccur | BC Blog
Not the same number, mentions a tool called Vssdiag

Seems like you ignored my post #4 from that list.

What's
Win 10 Pro 1904?

As you decline the option of using Tweaking.com's tool, I suggest you perform an in-place upgrade repair install of Windows which keeps all progs and data. Tutorial available if needed.

You need either an iso or bootable medium of the same build as your installed Windows.

This should ensure services are set to default etc.

I've not had problems reported when people have used just a specific repair. And you should be safe if you follow the preparatory steps, and you also use disk imaging routinely as is so often recommended here.

Even w/o visiting this forum often, I do the following:
- create system restore points a few times daily
- keep a Windows installation USB flash drive
- create a new repair disk at the end of backups that are the subject of this thread occasionally
- have SyncBack Pro set to backup my drives on a regular schedule.
- that’s all in addition to running a system image backup about every week as mentioned in the first sentence of this thread.

- - - Updated - - -

I ran tweaking.com and its VSS repair in safe mode before and after in-place repair install and neither time solves the posted problem.

I ran an in-place repair install with upgrade (not that the latter was needed) and the backup still failed.

Not sure what's next...