Issue


Creation of a system state backup or Windows system backup fails due to an invalid temp directory being selected


Resolution


Please ensure the temp drive selected matches ALL the criteria below:



For System State backup (MS Windows System State Backup module), the target volume CANNOT be a:


  • Critical Volume

    Critical volumes refers to the volumes present on the system which house the operating system and other files which are essential for the OS to function properly. In the event of a disaster these volumes are required to bring your server back up and running.


  • Source Volume

    Source volume is any volume that contain a file that is included in the backup (e.g. component selected to be included in the system state data by the WSB during the backup, you do not have the option to exclude any file).


  • Network Share (limitation for Windows Server 2008 only).

    Network share refers to a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path to a remote shared folder.

    Important: This restriction only implies to Windows Server 2008. For Windows Server 2008 R2 or above, the target volume can be a network share.

For System backup (MS Windows System Backup module), the target volume CANNOT be a: 


  • Critical Volume
  • Source Volume  


Important: For both backup types the temp directory CANNOT be a sub directory and must be set to root level on the drive i.e. D:\


For best performance it is recommended to use a dedicated local drive


Critical Volume Workaround


Although the preferred method would be to use an alternative drive there is a regedit that can be used to override the restriction and allow the temp drive to be a critical drive.


In v8 of the OBM you should get prompted to automatically switch this. Although if you would rather carry this out manually the regedit can be found here  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/944530