When you encounter this issue, you’ll receive the following full error message;
What are VSS and SPP?
Volume Shadow Copy Service or VSS is used to create backup copies or snapshots of Windows computer files and drivers. It is available if you are using NTFS, and these copies can be saved on a local or external hard drive. If the service is stopped, the backup process related to VSS will fail.Software Protection Service or sppsvc.exe enables the download, installation, and enforcement of digital licenses for Windows and Windows applications.
The logs for these can found with the Event Viewer. Run eventvwr.msc to open it. In the Event Viewer, you can check the Application log for any ERROR reported by these services. VSS errors will appear in the Application Log as entries with a source labeled VSS and SPP for Software Protection Service. The backup failed.A Volume Shadow Copy Service operation failed. Please check “VSS” and “SPP” application event logs for more information. (0x807800A1)Additional Information:The writer experienced a transient error. If the backup process is retried, the error may not reoccur. (0x800423F3)
System Image Backup error 0x807800A1 & 0x800423F3
If you’re faced with any of these error codes, you can try our recommended solutions in the order presented below and see if that helps to resolve the issue. Let’s take a look at the description of the process involved concerning each of the listed solutions.
1] Check Volume Shadow Copy & Software Protection Services
To restart the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) on Windows 10, do the following:
Press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.In the Run dialog box, type cmd and then press CTRL + SHIFT + ENTER to open Command Prompt in admin/elevated mode.In the command prompt window, type the command below and hit Enter after each line:
Once the commands execute successfully, try the system image backup again. The operation should complete successfully. You need to also check if the Software Protection Service is disabled. If it is, then Start it and ensure that it is set to default which is Automatic (Delayed Started). Also read: How to fix VSS errors 0x0000007E, 0x80042306, 0x80070057.
2] Create System Image using PowerShell
Command lines are less prone to errors provided the syntax are correct, unlike GUIs that can suffer a glitch every now and then. This solution simply entails creating the system image backup using PowerShell on Windows 10.
3] Use third-party imaging software
This solution requires you to use 3rd party Imaging, Backup and Recovery Software to create the system image backup. You’ll achieve the same result as with the native system image backup utility in Windows 10. Related reads:
System Image Backup fails with error codes 0x807800C5 and 0x8078004FWindows Backup Error 0x81000019, A shadow copy could not be created.
All the best.
