System State Error: There is no data available for the backup. Please check your settings and environment.

Last Modified

Fri Jul 19 16:12 GMT 2019

Description

  • The System State Backup fails with error, "There is no data available for the backup. Please check your settings and environment."
  • Opening Command Prompt running the command vssadmin list writers it lists all the writers below:
    • System Writer
    • ASR Writer
    • WMI Writer

Environment

  • Cove Data Protection (Cove)

Solution

  • Root cause is a result of errors within Windows backup subsystems (typically involving VSS writers on device)
    • Information on VSS writers can be located within Application event logs (Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application)
      1. Select Filter current log on right-hand side
      2. Check Critical, Warning, and Error under Event level
      3. Select Event sources dropdown, scroll down to VSS, and check it
      4. Click outside dropdown > OK
      • If errors are not obviously present, run Windows Backup to replicate issue
        • Windows Backup does not involve our software and will indicate issues within Windows that our software is not responsible for
    • Resolve errors present
      • May require reaching out to Microsoft support for additional assistance
  • Another reason could be that there is a service which has a registry entry with an invalid image path (e.g. the filepath is listed as a network path, or the file no longer exists.)
    • System State backups should be backing up local paths only, so it will fail if it finds a network path (even if the network path refers back to this device.)
    • To search for these paths:
  1. Press Windows Key + R
  2. Type msinfo32.exe and click OK
  3. Navigate to Software Environment then Services
  4. Sort by Path column a few times and confirm all paths are to a local drive, and that the file still exists
  5. A network entry might look like: \\ComputerName\SoftwareName\Executable.exe (instead of C:\Program Files\SoftwareName\Executable.exe)
  6. If so, find the local path to that executable in file explorer
  7. Once found, edit the registry to replace the network path with the local path (or delete the key if the file no longer exists):
    1. Press Windows Key + R
    2. Type regedit and click OK
    3. Backup up the registry via File menu (by exporting it to a safe location)
      • Note: Editing the registry incorrectly can lead to further system issues; please ensure that keys and entries are backed up before making any changes.
    4. Press CTRL + F and search for the faulty path
    5. Once found, replace it with the local path e.g. D:\SoftwareName\Executable.exe, or delete the registry key entirely (e.g. the folder that contains that imagepath) if the file no longer exists
    6. Search through the whole registry again to confirm no more instances appear by pressing F3
  8. Run the backup again.