W7 backup fails every time

[sargan]

Although originally working, now W7 backup will not work.
I am running 32bit Ultimate

I have emptied the backup drive, the back up starts ... runs to about 80% of progress bar ... then fails with message Backup failed to complete.

The error code is ox81000015

This says that Windows could not zip a file ... and remove any of 3 listed programs ... none of which I have installed.
To be safe I also removed 7zip (even though not listed) another 2 Hr attempt and again fails.

Anybody any idea how to resolve ? ... W7 was supposed to be better at backup compared to Vista

 

[Brink]

Hello Sargan,

You might see if the KB article from Microsoft below may be able to help.

"0x81000015" error message when you back up files in Windows 7
​

In addition, you might also download and merge the ZIP option in the tutorial below. It will reset the associations for ZIP files back to default, and hopefully help.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/19449-default-file-type-associations-restore.html
​

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[sargan]

Hello Sargan,

You might see if the KB article from Microsoft below may be able to help.

"0x81000015" error message when you back up files in Windows 7
​

In addition, you might also download and merge the ZIP option in the tutorial below. It will reset the associations for ZIP files back to default, and hopefully help.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/19449-default-file-type-associations-restore.html
​

Hope this helps,
Shawn

I don't have any of the 3 apps they say to remove installed ... so KB not much help.
I did remove 7zip just in case.
reset zip & tar file associations ... will try backup again

 

[sargan]

OK ... tried again after fixing file associations .... and removal of all my compression programs ... still the same ...

 

[HammerHead]

Worth a Try

I solved this one time by changing the permissions on the directory that it was writing the backup file to. It is worth a try. You can reconfigure you backup in Win backup and that may help. Or you can go to the directory where the backup is stored (that is if you have had a successful backup previous.) and take possession of the directory and files in it.

You may also find this tut useful.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/663-backup-complete-computer-create-image-backup.html

 

[sargan]

I deleted all folders, so it is an empty HDD, so not a folder permissions issue.

 

[Brink]

If you have not already, go ahead and format the HDD as well to make sure it's not a drive permission issue and see if you have the same issue afterwards.

In addition, it wouldn't hurt to run a sfc /scannow command to see if there are any issues with your system files.

 

[sargan]

I did that - no issues .
Looked in event viewer for failure .. it gives extra comment that drive windows is installed on does not have enough free space drive and needs at least 400MB ....windows is on a 232GB partition with 192GB free .. so loads more space than needed.

So it is complaining about the source drive not destination drive.

 

[sargan]

I just limited back up by removing music & pictures ... backup reduced by several GB ....
Now just OS and My documents.
Still fails.

 

[Brink]

Sargan,

You might consider using Macrium Reflect Free to do your backups with instead. It's a great free reliable program.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/73828-imaging-free-macrium.html

 

[HammerHead]

Alternate Method

Brink!

View attachment 220040

 

[mjf]

I did that - no issues .
Looked in event viewer for failure .. it gives extra comment that drive windows is installed on does not have enough free space drive and needs at least 400MB ....windows is on a 350GB partition with 196GB free .. so loads more space than needed.

So it is complaining about the source drive not destination drive.

Windows is conservative about the space required. If your backup configuration is "Let Windows Choose" then you may be attempting an image plus a file/folder backup. Try just attempting an image using the "Create a System Image" button.
By the way it appears you are using 154 GB. IMO this is way too large for regular imaging. I'd get a lot of your data onto a separate partition and try to get your OS partition used space down to ~50GB range. I'm guessing much of your data will be fairly static and another backup mechanism for it is worth considering.

Oh by the way Macrium is good and I use it along with Windows inbuilt.

 

[sargan]

By the way it appears you are using 154 GB. IMO this is way too large for regular imaging. I'd get a lot of your data onto a separate partition and try to get your OS partition used space down to ~50GB range.
Oh by the way Macrium is good and I use it along with Windows inbuilt.

I have a seperate HDD for data & Apps ... and also have 'my documents, pic, music' on seperate physical HDD .

Windows paging file & Photoshop scratch disk also on this 2nd HDD

 

[mjf]

By the way it appears you are using 154 GB. IMO this is way too large for regular imaging. I'd get a lot of your data onto a separate partition and try to get your OS partition used space down to ~50GB range.
Oh by the way Macrium is good and I use it along with Windows inbuilt.

I have a seperate HDD for data & Apps ... and also have 'my documents, pic, music' on seperate physical HDD .

Windows paging file & Photoshop scratch disk also on this 2nd HDD

What's taking up the 154GB?
As a wild guess although windows doesn't store the pagefile contents in the image it certainly sees it as a system file and may want to include the partition it's stored on. Try moving it back to the OS partition.

 

[sargan]

Moving it back to OS paftition would reduce performance.
Always been on seperate HDD ...
Previously backed up ok.

 

[mjf]

I would still keep the pagefile on the OS partition. I'm not so sure about performance gain unless HDD #2 is a faster spinner.
You still haven't said what takes up the space on your OS drive. Is it games?
It seems that Windows is clearly telling you at this stage you don't have sufficient space to backup what it wants to backup. If it was ticking along nicely before then obviously you have changed something related to the size of the backup. The Macrium Reflect option may be the most pragmatic.

Someone else may be able to come along and shed more insight.

 

[sargan]

OK ... my description has confused things.
I have the Paging file on same physical drive. but separate partition ... D:/ (OS is on C:/)

Although Microsoft support site states :

Move the paging file to a physical volume separate from the physical drive that operating system is installed on to reduce disk contention and increase disk performance

So maybe I should put paging file on E:/ ... certainly can't see any benefit to leaving it on C:/ if you have an alternative.
The drives are 7300 spin speeds.

The Photoshop scratch file is already on E:/ (physical different drive) as Adobe advise optimum performance can be obtained that way. (probably for same reason as Microsoft give for paging file)

On C:/ there is notionally only OS, and a couple of small apps that won't allow location to be elsewhere.
Actual size in use OS currently is 40GB ... so rest of that partition is empty. (198 GB)

I could reduce partition .. but don't see why it would gain me anything ?

 

[Brink]

Sargan,

It's just that with the page file set to be on another drive than that of your Windows drive, the entire drive that the page file is on will now also be included in a system image since it is now also considered to be a system drive.

 

[sargan]

why would it need to back up paging file at all ? .... it's just scratch space so it should be treated same as unused HDD space and not backed up.
I could simply remove E:/ from the backup selection ?

 

[Brink]

The page file is considered to be part of the Windows, or the system. A system image includes all of the system. Any drive that is considered to be part of the system cannot be removed from a system image. That's why the suggestion to move the page file back to your Windows 7 drive was made so that you wouldn't have the entire other drive included in the system image backup.