This topic lists some common issues that you may encounter when using Windows Server Backup in Windows Server 2008 R2. For updated troubleshooting information, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=143745. For more in-depth troubleshooting information for events, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=140218.
What problem are you having?
- I cannot recover any
data from a .bkf file that I created using an earlier version of
Windows.
- I tried to create
a backup to a tape drive, but did not see my drive listed for
available locations to store backups.
- In Windows Explorer,
I am not able to see the disk that I used to store my scheduled
backups.
- When I list the
Wbadmin commands at a command prompt, I do not see some of the
commands that are referenced in the documentation.
- When I
perform a system state backup, the time it takes is longer and the
size of the backup is much bigger than for earlier version of the
operating system.
- When I create a
second backup to disk, the first backup seems to have
disappeared.
- My backups appear to have
been lost.
- I cannot manage other
computers using the Connect To Another Computer option.
I cannot recover any data from a .bkf file that I created using an earlier version of Windows.
- Cause: You cannot use
Windows Server Backup to recover backups that were created with the
backup feature (Ntbackup.exe) in versions of Windows prior to
Windows Server 2008.
- Solution: A version of
Ntbackup.exe is available as a download for Windows
Server 2008 users who want to recover data from backups
created using Ntbackup.exe. The downloadable version of
Ntbackup.exe is only for recovering backups created with older
versions of Windows and cannot be used to create new backups. To
download this version of Ntbackup.exe, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82917.
I tried to create a backup to a tape drive, but did not see my drive listed for available locations to store backups.
- Cause: Windows Server
Backup does not support backing up to tape storage devices.
(However, support of tape storage drivers is included in Windows
Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2.)
- Solution: Use a supported
storage media type or solution. Windows Server Backup supports
backing up to external and internal disks; volumes; DVDs, and other
optical and removable media; and remote shared folders.
In Windows Explorer, I am not able to see the disk that I used to store my scheduled backups.
- Cause: This is by design.
Once you specify a disk to be used to store scheduled backups, it
is allocated for that purpose—it is not mounted to a drive letter,
so it is not visible in Windows Explorer. This is done for the
following reasons:
- To keep the disk clear of data that is not
needed. Storing other data on the backup disk can cause loss of
space and loss of backup copies.
- To protect the backups. Hiding the disk in
this way makes it less likely that data will be accidentally
deleted or corrupted.
- To keep the disk clear of data that is not
needed. Storing other data on the backup disk can cause loss of
space and loss of backup copies.
- Solution: The drive will be
visible in Disk Management (Diskmgmt.msc). To release the drive,
you must cancel the scheduled backups. For instructions, see
Modify or Stop
an Automatic Backup Schedule.
When I list the Wbadmin commands at a command prompt, I do not see some of the commands that are referenced in the documentation.
- Cause: This is by design.
Certain commands are only available from the Windows Recovery
Environment, or are hidden but available for use.
- Solution: To see a complete
list of Wbadmin commands, their syntax, and examples, see
the Command Reference for Windows Server 2008 R2
(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=140216).
When I perform a system state backup, the time that it takes is longer and the size of the backup is much bigger than for earlier version of the operating system.
- Cause: This is by design.
System state files have increased in number and size. On Windows
Server 2008 R2, there are approximately 78,752 system
state files, which take up approximately 5.84 GB for the
default installation on an x64-based computer.
When I create a second backup to disk, the first backup seems to have disappeared.
- Cause: Backups are stored using Volume
Shadow Copy Service (VSS) technology on the storage disk. They are
available in the shadow copy that was created of the backup storage
disk.
- Solution: The backups are not lost.
You can use the Wbadmin get versions command or the Recovery
Wizard to see all the versions of backup available. However, when
using Windows Explorer, you will only see the contents of the
latest backup on the disk.
My backups appear to have been lost.
- Cause: Windows Server Backup will
delete the virtual hard disks and create new virtual hard disks,
which creates a lot of I/O traffic and possibly the loss of
backups, in two situations:
- If you create a scheduled backup and start by
creating backups of partial volumes (such as files) and then you
change the scheduled backup to be full volume (block-level) backups
(for example, you start with C:\folder and then change to C:\, or
you start with a system state backup and then you change to a bare
metal recovery backup).
- If you decrease or expand the size of a
source volume for backup, Windows Server Backup will delete the
virtual hard disks for volumes whose layout has changed since the
last backup.
- If you create a scheduled backup and start by
creating backups of partial volumes (such as files) and then you
change the scheduled backup to be full volume (block-level) backups
(for example, you start with C:\folder and then change to C:\, or
you start with a system state backup and then you change to a bare
metal recovery backup).
- Solution: After the backups are
deleted, you cannot get them back. Windows Server Backup will
automatically start creating newer backups when it is started.
I cannot manage other computers using the Connect To Another Computer option.
- Cause: If you cannot use the Connect
To Another Computer option in the Windows Server Backup MMC
snap-in, you may not have the correct security permissions on the
local computer or the remote computer, or you may be trying to
manage a computer running a different version of Windows than the
local computer.
- Solution: You can also perform this
task remotely for another server using the Connect To Another
Computer option in the Windows Server Backup MMC snap-in. Make
sure that you are a member of the Administrators or Backup
Operators group on the remote server. If you are a Backup Operator,
ensure that the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) security
settings on the remote computer are set to allow Backup Operators
to connect to it.
You can only use this feature if the local and remote servers are running the same version of Windows—either both running Windows Server 2008 or both running Windows Server 2008 R2. In addition, you cannot use this feature to manage a computer running any version of Windows client operating system.