Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Windows Home Server Fails to Backup my Computer

I run WHS on an HP Mediasmart 470 server. WHS has been backing up three clients for many months without any errors. Last week it stopped backing up one of the clients, an HP Pavilion DV8300 running Windows XP Media Center 2005. Based on the error, it turns out all I had to run was chkdsk c: /r to fix the error, but after much trial and error I learned I had to run chkdsk four times until it cleared all the disk errors and I could once again back up! In the process I learned a couple of things.

Below are the two original error messages the client threw when the WHS backup failed. I ran chkdsk c: /r twice but still got the errors and no WHS backup.

I tried System File Checker (sfc /scannow), but the system constantly asked me to insert a system CD I simply to not have. I checked and re-checked all my registry entries to ensure SFC was looking to my HDD for the i386 directory, but I ran SFC over and over and it still kept asking for my system disk. Finally, I found out why from HP help files:
System File Checker scans and restore system files.

NOTE: If your computer has Media Center 2005, a message might display stating Insert Your Windows XP Profession CD2 Now . Click Cancel to continue. This message might display several times and does not affect the repair of standard files that came with your PC.

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=bph05767

So it appears SFC works perfectly fine to confirm the status and replace system files where necessary *despite* the repeated SFC request for me to Insert your Windows XP Professional CD2 Now. Not one of the scores of tech help websites I visited offered this important piece of advice! I must have run sfc /scannow at least ten time before I came across this piece of information.

Once I realized sfc /scannow worked fine, I ran chkdsk c: /r two more times as the most obvious solution. Sure enough, it corrected more errors. I now have a happy green WHS tray icon and a completely backed up client.

ERROR 1:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: HomeServer
Event Category: HomeBackup
Event ID: 773
Date: 5/26/2009
Time: 3:40:37 AM
User: N/A
Computer: SUPERMAN
Description:
Backup of volume C: to HPSERVER failed: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x8007045D): The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8007045D)
at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ThrowExceptionForHRInternal(Int32 errorCode, IntPtr errorInfo)
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Common.Client.Win32.ThrowLastError()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.NTFS.VolumeBuffer.EndRead()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.NTFS.ClusterBitMapReader.Next()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.DoClusterPass1()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.RunWithoutCatch()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.Run()

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.


ERROR 2:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: HomeServer
Event Category: HomeBackup
Event ID: 770
Date: 5/26/2009
Time: 3:40:37 AM
User: N/A
Computer: SUPERMAN
Description:
Backup set 445 on HPSERVER failed: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x8007045D): The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8007045D)
at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.ThrowExceptionForHRInternal(Int32 errorCode, IntPtr errorInfo)
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Common.Client.Win32.ThrowLastError()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.NTFS.VolumeBuffer.EndRead()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.NTFS.ClusterBitMapReader.Next()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.DoClusterPass1()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.RunWithoutCatch()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupOperation.Run()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupSetOperation.RunWithoutCatch()
at Microsoft.HomeServer.Backup.BackupOp.BackupSetOperation.Run()

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

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