ATI 2016 Build 6581 Scheduled Backup task stucks unable to cancel

Bodo, did you upgrade from one or more earlier builds or versions of ATIH to get to build 6581?  If so, then I would recommend going for a clean install of the application to give yourself the best base upon which to build.

You can save a copy of the C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts folder contents which holds all your task configuration files (.TIS) which you could copy back after the new install.

To do a clean install, first uninstall the current application using the Control Panel.

Next, download the Acronis Cleanup tool from the link below in my signature, run this as Administrator and then restart the computer to complete the cleanup actions.

Finally, reinstall ATIH 2016 build 6581 - download the full installer program from your Acronis Account - verify the checksum for the file to ensure the download is good.  Run the installer as Administrator again, then restore the task script files as needed.

Hello Steve ,

Thank you for your response!

I followed your instructions and did a complete clean install.

However, with the latest build, a scheduled file backup did not complete and gets stuck.

ATI status bar states Backup in progress ... calculating remaining time, but there is no progress for hours.

I have to use Windows task manager to stop the runing ATI job.

Deleting the scheduled task and recreating it did not help.

No such issue exists prior to build 6581.

Update:

the same happens with a scheduled image backup task. I recreated the task and when the task starts, it stucks and did not make any progress. No *.tib file is created.

Again, this did not happens with the previous build of ATI2016

Bodo, thanks for your update with the status of actions taken etc.

It sounds very much to me as if this is potentially a MS VSS issue if the main hold up is with 'calculating time...' as this is when ATIH invokes the VSS in the background to make a snapshot for the backup task.

Please try the following steps for this particular task, which will disable VSS only for that one task:

1. Open the folder where your backups settings are saved: C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts
2. Each file there stores settings for particular backup job. Open files one-by-one in Notepad, or open latest modified file (if you have just modified your task), until you find the one that has backup name on 5th line, e.g. MyBackups
3. Click Edit - Replace and replace use_vss="true" with use_vss="false"
4. Save changes and close the file

Try the task again and see what difference it makes - ATIH will use the older snapshot method for this task instead of VSS, i.e. as used with ATIH 2014 and earlier.

Bodo,

You can also do a bit of troubleshooting VSS using the following command from an admin command prompt.

From an Admin Command Prompt type:

vssadmin list writers

This will produce a long list of writers that use VSS on your system.  Look through the list and note the names of these writers and the entries associated with each one.  There are 2 entries that you need to note.  The State entry should be: [1] Stable and the Last error entry should be: No error. For any writers that show anything other than this write down the name of such writers and post them back here in this thread.

THanks Steve,

I've tried your steps suggested and it works fine for all of my backup jobs.

I have a backup job of type files and folders each time I edit the settings of that job using ATI it

resets use_vss to "true" 

Also for new created jobs use_vss is always true

Is there any other setting that allows to default the option to use_vss="false" ?

Bodo,

Unfortunately there is not a way to make use_vss="false" a default value hence the reason for troubleshooting.

Thanks Enachantech,

I followed https://kb.acronis.com/content/4729

but haven't restart Acronis Managed Machine Service to see if it works.

Will post back

The procedure outlined in kb4729 describes a method of enabling the use of Microsofts (Windows) VSS service for the Acronis application Acronis Backup and Recovery 10.  The procedure forces the use of Microsoft VSS rather than that applications Snapapi feature which accomplishes much the same thing as VSS does.  Your following the procedure in the kb article will not have the desired effect in the True Image 2017 product as that product uses Microsoft VSS by default.

The procidure outlined by MVP Steve Smith does the exact opposite of kb 4729 in Acronis True Image 2017, it disables Microsoft VSS in favor of Aconis Snapapi.  Either method works, performes the same basic function, and niether are superior in performance.

If the issue you have is truly a VSS issue then it would behove you to determine that is in fact responsible for your issue.  If it is not at fault then it would behove you to find what is causing your problem.  By follwing my suggestion to run the vssadmin list writers command you will be able to determine if in fact a VSS writer on your system is not working correctly.  By doing that it is possible to find and hopefully fix the underlying problem on your system.  If you determine what if any writer has an issue or shows error I might be able to offer guidance in a solution to address the underlying issue.

If you use Windows Restore Point and or Windows System Protection as well as the Acronis True Image product and there truly is a problem with VSS then it is probable that none of the Windows features (Restore points or System Protection) will work correctly either.  This is why it would behove you to investigate the problem further.

I am getting not the results that you described from vssadmin list writers.

The results that I am getting are the following two lines:

Waiting for response.

The response might be delayed, in case a shadowcopy is prepared.

No ATI job is runing at this time.

The error you specify indicates that the VSS service either is waiting for a shadowcopy to finish writing or the service is in a hung state.  I would say the later is the issue.

In Windows 10 Search box type Services and look for a gear icon with a Desktop app reference.

Click on that entry to open the Services app.

Scroll through the list and locate the following services.  It will be necessary to restart each one individually.

COM+ Event System

COM+ System Application

Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider

Volume Shadow Copy

To restart the COM+ Event System left mouse click on the entry in the Services window to select it then, right click on that entry and select Restart.

To restart the remaining services is a bit different as these services should all be set to start manually.  The procedure here is to proceed as described above except for these services you will select Start from the right click menu then after the service starts right click again and select Stop.

If you you encouter any of the last 3 services that are already running or are paused Stop the service first, then start the service and after it has started again then stop that service again.

This should fix the hung state of the VSS service.

I followed your suggestions and here are the result of vssadmin list writers for each writer

State [1]: Stable

Last Error: No Error

Then I modified the corresponding .tis (Script) file for one particular Backup job

and set the property use_vss="true" (was use_vss="false" )

I ran that Backup job manualy and the job runs just fine.

Now I  go ahead to modify the use_vss property of my other backup jobs to see if I get any issues runing them.

Thanks very much for your support, I appreciate it very much!

Your welcome.  It should work fine for you now but if not post back.

There is only one backup job that is not completing with use_vss="true" option

vssadmin list writers gives nor result and when I stop the runing Volume Shadow Copy Service I am getting an Error 1053:

The service did not respond in a timely fashion" when attempting to start, stop or pause a service

I have to rebbot Windows to stop Volume Shadow Copy Service.

I advise that you perform a hard shutdown of Windows 10 so that all services will unload from the system.  Your error now inidcates that the VSS service has exceeded its allocated time to run on your system.  In addition I advise that you run the system file checker to look for any corrupted Windows system files.

To perform a hard shutdown open an admin command prompt and type shutdown /s (include the space between n and /), then press Enter

After the computer shuts down start the computer again.  Once started immediately open an admin command prompt and type sfc /scannow (include the space between c and /), then press Enter.

Allow the system file checker to run to completion.

Now check to see if the problem still exists.

The job still not runing propperly after performing the steps suggested. sfc /scannow reports no integrity issues.

I can try to delete the job and create him from scratch to see if it helps.

After recreating the job the issue still exists

This backup job that gives you the problem, can you tell me what the backup consists of?  Is it a large backup?  Is the source of the backup data on a local drive, (internal within your computer?).

VSS needs sufficient space on disk to work properly.  If smaller tasks work but large ones do not this migh be at cause of the issue.

How is the job setup as well (what makes it different)?  Does this job backup an entire disk, where the others are other disks or only file/folder backups?  

If I have 3 backups - each backing up different drives and one is failing, but the others are not, I might suspect somethign wrong with that disk.  

If I have 3 backups all running against the same 1 disk, but 1 doing a full disk backup, but the other 2 only backing up files/folders, I might suspsect something on that disk, but in a diffeent portion of the disk (such as the bootloader or a recovery parition).  

Thanks you for your support!

The job that raises the hung state, backs up a complete drive (volume).

The source drive is a local drive on a ssd disk with a capacity 165GB and currently 37GB free space.

Windows HDD Management states primary partition, no errors for that drive

The target drive is a hdd, all the other backups are going to the same target hdd.

The job setup is configured to run daily with differential backup mode all other backup options are set to default.

Auto-Cleaning is enabled.

A full backup of that drive produces a 40.5GB tib file and a diff backup about 287MB.

On which disk (target/source) vss needs sufficient space to work properly?

I also run Windows Error checking for that drive but no errors are detected.

I have another backup job that runs without any issues that backs up a different drive on the same ssd with capacity of 187GB (22GB free)

and a full backup results in a 130GB tib file.

VSS would need sufficient space on drive C.  It looks like you might not have enough space on see for the snapshot to complete.  You can adjust disk space needed for VSS by adjusting the amount of space used for System Protection.  Right click the Windows Start button and select System then select System Protection. 

You will see your installed drives in the list that appears.  If system protection is on it will be shown as in in the list.  Your C drive may have to many restore points saved and is using up space for snapshots so you can remove some of those to regain some disk space, oldest first.

You can enable System Protection on other disks in your machine here as well and thus VSS can use space on those disks.  Something you might consider.

In general terms you should not have more than about 10% of free disk space set for use by System Protection.

I would also advise that you seriouly consider replacing your current C drive with a larger one which would solve the problem as well.

Could there be an issue given there is only gig free on the system drive?

Ian

System drive has currently 18.9GB free

Here's a rule of thumb you should live by for any hard drive.  No hard drive (not HDD or SSD) should ever get below 10% of the total available space.  Yesterday you stated:  

The source drive is a local drive on a ssd disk with a capacity 165GB and currently 37GB free space.

Today:

System drive has currently 18.9GB free

Something is eating up disk space... and your just at that 10% threshold right now.

VSS snapshots, patches, increased page file, etc.  You're under your 10% cap and if you have an SSD, performance is already dwindling considerably.  If you have a HD, it already sucks, but this low space makes it worse.  VSS needs that space to "snapshot" the current data before it is backed up, but your system is most likely already contending with the remainig space, just to remain useful at this point.  Ultimately, you need a bigger drive. If you can upgrade to a 500GB SSD (about $120) I'm sure your VSS issues will go away and your system performance should increase.  If/when you upgrade that drive (I do recommend a 500GB SSD for you), look up "over provisioning".  Basically, you shring the usable space by at least 10% and leave that for the OS and the drive to take advantage of to increase performance and extend the life of your drive.  10% can be a lot of space. I use 250GB SSD's for my OS and typically give them 15-20GB for overprovisioning.  You lose that space, but even when the drive starts reaching full capacity it still functions welll. 

I concur with Bobbo on the point of your need for a larger drive which I stated previously.

As for over provisioning, todays SSD's are over provisioned by the manufacturer.  Some users still add an additiional 10% over provionsing manually as a hedge against poor performance.  The reality is however that a Windows 10 system on an SSD does not need that extra 10%.   In prior versions of Windows Some installs to SSD's resulted in poor performance as the available space decreased so the added 10% over provisioning wisdom was born.  The real issue was that prior versions of Windows were not always good at determining if Windows was installed on a solid state drive therefore, Trim functions on the drive were not triggered as necessary which contributed to poor performance.

Windows 10 is much much better at detecting SSD's and thus Trim commands issued  to these drives does occur on a weekly basis to Optimize the disk and keep performance at peak levels which for most eliminates the need to be concerned about over provisioning tactics of days past.

Thanks for the info Enchantech!  Good to know - I didn't realize that overprovisioning wasn't needed with windows 10 as I was under the impression that some disks could still use the extra space if they run out of caching during large file transfers or large que-depth jobs (which I don't have any of).  I also assumed that with free space, if the set caching starts to go (over time) then the additional overprovisioned space would come in handy.

Your welcome Bobbo.  To check in Windows 10 that Windows does detect your drive as an SSD open File Explorer, select your target drive, right click and select Properties.  Click the Tools tab and then select Optimize.  A windows will open showing drive information and defrag/optimization status.  If your SSD shows correctly as a Solid State Drive you can click on it to select it and if you then click on the Optimize button a Trim command will be sent to the drive.

A drive with larger capacity is not an option for me, at the moment.

The system partition (164GB) sits on an SSD drive (total 1TB) and Windows 10 drive management option to expand the volume is greyed out.

I still encounter difficulties runing my scheduled backups.

I have to go thu stoping and restarting the services COM+, Microsoft Shadowcopy provider, volume shadow copy, the latter cannont be stoped without a windows reboot.

Again, these symptoms did not occur with the previous build of ATI2016

Bodo, not sure that we can help you further on this particular issue.

The options that I see that you have would be as follows:

1. Downgrade from build 6581 to the earlier build where you didn't see this problem, assuming that this does not repeat after doing so.
2. Upgrade to a larger drive.  Note: You may want to use a third-party disk management tool if considering allocating more space to your OS partition as Windows Disk Management is very limited in what it will allow you to do, but using a tool such as MiniTool Partition Wizard will offer you many more options, assuming that you have free space from which to give to the OS partition.
3. Upgrade to ATIH 2017 build 8029 which now offers a specific option to control how snapshots are made without the need to edit .TIS configuration files. See KB 59440: Acronis True Image 2017: 'Snapshot for backup' option overview
4. Raise this as a Support Case directly with Acronis Support based on the issue starting with build 6581 - reference this forum topic to show all the investigation performed to date.

Bodo,

What version of Windows are you running, Windows 7, 10 ?  Can you provide a screenshot of Windows Disk Managment for us here?

Hello, Thank you all for your respones, appreciate it very much.

Meanwhile I raised a Support Case with Acronis support and they provided me with this solution, that works for me:

1. Terminate Acronis True Image 2016

2. Terminate all runing Acronis Processes

3. Deactivate all Acronis services (i.e. all Services having "Acronis" in their name)

4. Rename the following two folders:

• C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Database  to   ...\Database_Old
• C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts      to    ...\Scripts_Old

Note: Renaming of the folders above results in a rebuild of the Acronis Database, so all scheduled Tasks will be deleted.

5. Enable and restart all Acronis services, set the Startup Property to Automatically

6. Add an existing backup to the List of scheduled Backups (http://www.acronis.com/en-us/support/documentation/ATI2016/#3504.html)

Note: #6 did not work here due to an error message, instead added a new scheduled Backup.

So far, my scheduled backups are runing without any troubles.

Bodo, thanks for the update / feedback, good to hear that your backups look to be running fine now.

Hi Steve,

now I did an upgrade to ATIH 2017 that allows to control how snapshots are made for each backup.

Then I came across this post https://forum.acronis.com/forum/104089 helping me to find the root cause of the stuck backup.

My SQL Server installation stores all its database on a partion that always fails to backup with ATIH, using

the snapshot option VSS or Acronis Snapshot.

However, ATIH creates a backup for that partition if I choose No Snapshot for the backup which didnot interfere with

SQL Server own vss mechanism. But this may result in inconsistent databases in the image

Hi Bodo, there are several applications which don't like being touched by VSS / Snapshot including SQL Server, Quick Books, Outlook Mail - essentially any applications which keeps a lot of data in memory rather than writing it out to disk or which holds lots of locks on application files and data.

Glad that you have been able to upgrade to 2017 build 8029 to get access to the new controls for VSS etc - they make it a lot easier to control without having to keep going and editing task .TIS files.

Bodo,

VSS is actually supposed to backup SQL server - where as SnapApi won't.  However, even VSS can be finicky for open databases because it only accounts for the database changes at that exact moment in time, which could already be changing the moment after the database snapshot is locked by VSS.  Good practice for any database, is to use the proprietary backup methods that some with them - SQL and Oracle have scheduled backups that can be taken directly within them, and then you can back those up with Acronis.  That would be your first line of defense, but I would also hope that you might be able to shutdown the database and scheduled intervals and back it up in a closed state from time to time.  AT work, I would schedule our database to close at midnight.  I would then run a backup at about 12:30AM.  I would then have a scheduled task to start the database at 1AM.  Througout the day, we would also have SQL back itself up every 6 hours.  

This worked well, because no one was actually on the database when Acronis backed it up, and it also backed up the SQL created backups from the day.  Of course, every database is different and shutting it down may not be feasible.  If not, hopefully you're taking SQL backups as well. 

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms187510.aspx

Ditto Bobbo,  Best practice is outlined correctly.