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VSSControl: -2147467259 Backup job failed. Cannot collect writers metadata. VSS asynchronous operation is not completed. Operation: [Gather metadata]. Code: [0x80042318].

KB ID: 1253
Product: Veeam Backup & Replication
Published: 2011-09-30
Last Modified: 2022-01-14
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Challenge

A backup job fails with the following error:
VSSControl: -2147467259 Backup job failed. Cannot collect writers metadata. 
VSS asynchronous operation is not completed.
Operation: [Gather metadata]. Code: [0x80042318].

Cause

The Volume Shadow Copy service within the machine being backed up cannot provide information regarding the VSS writers.

Solution

As this is a GuestOS-level issue, all investigation and troubleshooting must be performed on the machine that was being backed up.

Verify VSS is failing to report VSS writers

  1. Connect to the machine that is being backed up.
  2. Open an Administrative Command Prompt
  3. Run the following command to query the VSS system for a list of active VSS writers:
    vssadmin list writers
    

 

If the results show no active VSS writers, the issue is confirmed and further investigation will need to occur.

Example of empty results.
Example of empty results.

If, instead, the command results in a list of VSS writers, retry the Veeam backup job. If the backup job continues to fail with the same error about "Cannot collect writers metadata.", check if there are any third-party VSS providers using the command:

vssadmin list providers

For more information about issues related to the presence of third-party VSS Providers, see KB1785.

Review Event Viewer

  1. Open Event Viewer on the machine that is failing to back up. (eventvwr.msc)
  2. Review the Windows Logs > Application section for any errors from the Source "VSS"

The following is an example of one possible error:

Event Viewer VSS Example

Troubleshooting

Customers facing this issue have reported that the following troubleshooting options were able to resolve the issue:


If the writers list persists in failing to report, assistance from Microsoft Support may be needed.

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