Categories: Error Codes, Windows VMs, VSS Snapshot, Q-Hybrid, Backup, Alike v4

Introduction

Alike’s Q-hybrid method for Windows based VMs uses a dynamic, in-guest, fully “Quiesced” VSS based snapshots. When using Q-hybrid for Windows backups, you may run into the following error code:

• VSS Error: ShadowCopy creation failed: HRESULT: 80042313
• Error Description: Flush writes timeout

This KB article provides a few reasons this could occur and how to resolve it.

Explanation

This particular VSS error is caused due to high disk activity on the target system. High disk activity prevents VSS from creating a shadow copy in the default time period when a snapshot is being performed.

Resolution

We recommend that you first start by checking the source of the disk activity. Sometimes bad behaviors can be caused by anti-virus programs, etc. that would cause this error. Once you’ve checked the disk activity source, schedule your backups to run at a time when disk activity isn’t as high.

Final Notes

This error is typically occurs when using older versions of Microsoft Windows Server. We highly recommend that you update to the latest version of MS Windows Server, as well as making sure that you are on the current version of Alike.