Veeam Support Knowledge Base
VSS Errors Related to the 'NTDS' VSS Writer

VSS Errors Related to the 'NTDS' VSS Writer

KB ID:	1697
Product:	Veeam Backup & Replication Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows
Version:	ALL
Published:	2012-12-03
Last Modified:	2024-09-03

By subscribing, you are agreeing to have your personal information managed in accordance with the terms of Veeam's Privacy Notice.

Cheers for trusting us with the spot in your mailbox!

Now you’re less likely to miss what’s been brewing in our knowledge base with this weekly digest

Oops! Something went wrong.

Please, try again later.

Challenge

This article discusses an error that occurs due to VSS and Veeam's Guest Processing technique for Domain Controllers. It is relevant to all backup jobs for both virtual and physical Domain Controllers.

A job processing a Domain Controller with Application-Aware Processing fails with one of the following errors:

Unable to release guest. Details: Unfreeze error: [Backup job failed. Cannot create a shadow copy of the volumes containing writer's data. A VSS critical writer has failed. Writer name: [NTDS]. Class ID: [{b2014c9e-8711-4c5c-a5a9-3cf384484757}]. Instance ID: [{66fddc15-0e4c-4a2a-ad31-32eaf6dae8a3}]. Writer\'s state: [VSS_WS_FAILED_AT_POST_SNAPSHOT]. Error code: [0x800423f4].]

Error: VSSControl: 0 Backup job failed.
Cannot create a shadow copy of the volumes containing writer's data.
Cannot prepare the [NTDS] data to a subsequent restore operation.
Cannot process NTDS data.
Cannot create a backup copy of the BCD.

Error: VSSControl: -1 Backup job failed.
Cannot create a shadow copy of the volumes containing writer's data.
Cannot prepare the [NTDS] data to a subsequent restore operation.
Cannot process NTDS data.
Cannot create a backup copy of the BCD. Cannot get [BcdStore] object. COM error: Code: 0xffffffff

Solution

The actions listed in this section are to be performed within the Guest OS of the DC that is having these issues.

Attempt each of the following troubleshooting angles individually, testing the job after each.

Reboot the Domain Controller

As these errors are related to the Microsoft VSS subsystem, a reboot often is the fastest way to alleviate any issue which may be occurring at the OS level.

Isolate Anti-Virus Interference

Disabling the antivirus temporarily can help isolate whether the issue is related to interference from the antivirus. Disable\uninstall the antivirus fully and run the Veeam job. If the job works, reenable\reinstall the antivirus, and if the job begins to fail again, the antivirus needs to be investigated.

Many antivirus solutions, such as SentinelOne, have developed modules that monitor and prevent access to the boot configuration data (BCD). These "boot protection modules" have been known to prevent Veeam's Application-Aware Processing from working with Domain Controllers. During the backup job's Application-Aware Processing step, for Domain Controllers only, the BCD is temporarily modified to enable SafeBoot. If your antivirus solution allows, consider placing the Domain Controllers in a policy or grouping with said boot protection features disabled to prevent them from interfering with backup operations.

For more information about anti-virus exclusions recommended for Veeam Backup & Replication review: https://www.veeam.com/kb1999

Verify that the 'NTDS' VSS writer is stable

From an elevated command prompt run the following command:

vssadmin list writers

Example results:

Writer name: 'NTDS'
Writer Id: {b2014c9e-8711-4c5c-a5a9-3cf384484757}
Writer Instance Id: {ee24b741-eaf7-4663-8f95-b92ae8c5e164}
State: [1] Stable
Last error: No error

If the 'NTDS' VSS writer is not listed as "State: [1]Stable", reboot the Domain Controller.
If the 'NTDS' VSS writer fails to remain stable and job failures persist, further investigation using VSS Trace may be necessary.

Note: If the 'NTDS' VSS writer does not appear in the list, it is advisable to contact Microsoft support to investigate why the writer is not present.

More Information

Isolating VSS issue using Windows Server Backup

As an isolation step, enable the Windows Server Backup feature within Server Manager. Then perform a full backup, including the system state.

If this fails with a similar VSS error, there is likely an OS-level issue that will require deeper investigation. Veeam Support will do its best to assist with investigating and will be available to work with you and Microsoft Support.

Rarer Solutions

The following solutions have been reported to Veeam Support by multiple customers facing an issue with their 'NTDS' VSS writer. While rare, these have been shown to resolve OS issues that may be preventing the VSS operations from completing. They are provided here to aid in the possible resolution of edge cases.

Verify that there are no .bak keys in the ProfileList within the Registry.

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

Example of .bak profile

Check for WMI repository corruption and rebuild the WMI repository.

To submit feedback regarding this article, please click this link: Send Article Feedback
To report a typo on this page, highlight the typo with your mouse and press CTRL + Enter.

Spelling error in text

Thank you!

Your feedback has been received and will be reviewed.

Oops! Something went wrong.

Please, try again later.

You have selected too large block!

Please try select less.

KB Feedback/Suggestion

This form is only for KB Feedback/Suggestions, if you need help with the software open a support case

Product

Topic

Description

By submitting, you are agreeing to have your personal information managed in accordance with the terms of Veeam's Privacy Notice.

This site is protected by hCaptcha and its Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply except as noted in our Privacy Policy.

Verify your email to continue your product download

We've sent a verification code to:

An email with a verification code was just sent to

Didn't receive the code? Click to resend in sec

Didn't receive the code? Click to resend

Thank you!

Your feedback has been received and will be reviewed.

Oops! Something went wrong.

Please, try again later.