The shadow copy provider had an unexpected error

Posted on by Imran Rashid
Reading Time: 2 minutes

If you receive one of the errors below within backup exec or the event log, the fix can be found below. Please be careful when making changes to a live system, if unsure please seek help.

1) Click Start
2) Click Run
3) Type cmd, and click OK.
4) Type the following commands at a command prompt. Press enter after each command.

  • cd /d %windir%\system32
  • Net stop vss
  • Net stop swprv
  • regsvr32 ole32.dll
  • regsvr32 oleaut32.dll
  • regsvr32 vss_ps.dll
  • vssvc /register
  • regsvr32 /i swprv.dll
  • regsvr32 /i eventcls.dll
  • regsvr32 es.dll
  • regsvr32 stdprov.dll
  • regsvr32 vssui.dll
  • regsvr32 msxml.dll
  • regsvr32 msxml3.dll
  • regsvr32 msxml4.dll

Note The last command may not run successfully.

5) Perform a backup operation to verify that the issue is resolved.

Errors:
Error returned while creating the volume shadow copy:0xffffffff
Error 0x8004230F: The shadow copy provider had an unexpected error while trying to process the specified operation.
.
Error 0x80004002: No such interface supported
.
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: A critical component required by the Volume Shadow Copy Service is not registered. This might happened if an error occurred during Windows setup or during installation of a Shadow Copy provider. The error returned from CoCreateInstance on class with CLSID {faf53cc4-bd73-4e36-83f1-2b23f46e513e} and Name VSSEvent is [0x80040154].
.
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: A critical component required by the Volume Shadow Copy Service is not registered. This might happened if an error occurred during Windows setup or during installation of a Shadow Copy provider. The error returned from CoCreateInstance on class with CLSID {faf53cc4-bd73-4e36-83f1-2b23f46e513e} and Name VSSEvent is [0x80004002].
.
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error calling routine CoCreateInstance. hr = 0x80040154.
.
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error calling routine CoCreateInstance. hr = 0x80004002
.
Volume Shadow Copy Service error: An internal inconsistency was detected in trying to contact shadow copy service writers. Please check to see that the Event Service and Volume Shadow Copy Service are operating properly.

32 thoughts on “The shadow copy provider had an unexpected error”

  3. Jim Wesley

    Dear Sir:

    I followed the instructions to resolve Shadow copy error
    0x8004230f and I continuing to receive the same error when
    attempting a backup or to create restore point. I had been working with 2 people from Micro Support: Lucia Yu SRX1094112055 and Sunny Sun SRX1105625793 for six months
    to resolve this problem and other problems I’m having. We have resolve all the problems except 2 and this is one of them. They have abandon me and my problems, since reporting back to them two weeks ago that the error is continuing to occur, I have received no respond from them. Can you help?
    I did receive Windows Vista 64 bit with SP2 and this resolved many problems except the Shadow copy error continuing.

    Thank
    Jim Wesley

  4. Hi Jim

    Make sure you follow the instructions carefully. I have had several other visitors contact me with the same issue and when I asked them to follow the instructions again, it helped resolved the problem. They were missing parts of the instructions.

    If you continue to experience problems, please get back to me.

  5. Jim Wesley

    I tried the instructions again and recevied the same results:
    – eventcls.dll was loaded but the call to DllInstall failed
    error 0x8000ffff.
    – ed.dll was loaded but the entry point DllRegister was
    not found.
    – vssui.dll and msxml.dll fialed to load. Make sure the binary is stored at the specified path, also msxml4.dll same reason.

  8. Andy James

    Thankyou very much

    Been on the phone to Microsoft for ages.

    This post helped me resolve the issue

    Thankyou I.T Guru 🙂

  9. Daltan

    I have been struggling to resolve this one for one of my clients. Followed the instructions and issue was resolved. Ta

  11. Jim Wesley

    I received from Microsoft Support Windows Vista 64 bit with SP2 after I installed the software this problem started, before receiving Windows Vista 64 bit with SP2, I was having problems installing many Windows updates. Now I have no problems installing the Windows Vista 64 bit upates, in fact its states ‘Windows is up to date’, but I can’t backup my computer or create restore points. I’m also working with Micro Support to resolve this problem, they have given me many instructios to follow to resolve the backup copy and restore point problems and they can’t resolve the problem
    either. This has been going on for four months.

    Thanks
    Jim Wesley

  16. Hi Jim

    Could you please provide me with screen shots of your problem and detail what you have tried. Could you please communicate with me via the link towards the left ‘Free IT Support’

    Thanks

  20. lyuba

    hi, i’ve been having problems with the system restore. no restore points ever been made despite automatic option is checked. when i try to make a manual restore point it shows me the 0×8004230F error code. i’ve tried applying your sugestion but after typing
    •regsvr32 ole32.dll
    •regsvr32 oleaut32.dll
    •regsvr32 vss_ps.dll
    it says that there is an error 0x80070005.
    i don’t know what the problem is.
    btw i’m having some problems with the sound. and also the svchost. also had some viruses, which i’m now removing with kaspersky. thought the problem was from norton, which i had installed when i bought the laptop. but i’m not sure. so any ideas about the new error?
    thanks in advance

  21. lyuba

    hi again,
    i’ve resolved that issue. it seams that the settings have been changed for accounts and this was the reason for receiving the 0×80070005 error when tryin to register the first dll- s. i suppose it’s some of the troians i’ve had thanks to my antivirus. so i run the command prompt with right button:run as administrator and did it.
    guess this might help somebody else.
    but now i’m stuck with the – eventcls.dll was loaded but the call to DllInstall failed with error 0×8000ffff.
    i’ve restarted after registering the above dll-s.
    but i don’t know where to check if the sound shadow copy service is set to manual.

  22. rcmlaw

    I am having same problem–any attempt to create a restore point returns error 0x8004230F. In Services, Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider is set to Manual, and Volume Shadow Copy is set to Automatic.

    I copied and run the batch file. I get errors when it attempts to register the following:

    es.dll (loaded, but entry-point DllRegisterServer not found).
    vssui.dll (not loaded).

    However, according to a post by JohnDavidWood at http://forums.seagate.com/stx/board/message?board.id=onetouch&message.id=1727, those failures are expected on Vista (es.dll will fail to register on Vista, and vssui.dll exists only on Windows 2003). Some of the msxml files will fail to load as well, based on the version of Windows being run, but again, that is expected.

    So I have had no unexpected problems running the batch file. But it still did not fix the problem.

    I am running Vista Home Premium on a Dell Studio. Also Norton 360. I have seen elsewhere on the web that Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium have limitations with respect to System Restore. Some suggest Norton could be causing the problem, but turning off Norton made no difference. Any more idea?

  23. Craig

    You know where to look for fixes
    A problem which has been bugging me for 7 months and you helped me resolve in 5 minutes. 🙂

  27. jonhocut

    This was a very helpful post. Thank you for posting this and sharing the information. It would be great if you could get Symantec and Microsoft technicians and documentation people to read it as well!

  28. JCDUBS

    Woo thank’s bro this error was getting on my nerve’s nothing could fix it not even microsoft Tech.

    Did these steps and bam it work’s again!

    Thanks!

  29. K.Khizra

    Hi,

    I have a little different issue. I can create restore point without any difficulty but I am getting this error ” The shadow copy provider had an unexpected error while trying to process specified command” when I am running command “vssadmin list shadows /for=C:” on cmd prompt.

    This is very important command to proceed in my project. My other laptops can run this command successfully but not this one.

    I followed the instructions but most of the commands are getting failed, like
    vssvc /register
    regsvr32 /i swprv.dll
    regsvr32 /i eventcls.dll
    regsvr32 es.dll
    regsvr32 stdprov.dll
    regsvr32 vssui.dll
    regsvr32 msxml.dll

    Please advise. Also I checked the writers by doing ‘vssadmin list writers’ and found that VSS Metadata Store writer and Shadow Copy Optimizer are there with stable status and no error….

    Thank you

    Khizra

  30. Bill Duncan

    First there is God and God is Love. Then there is Microsoft the maker of wonders so fine that they cannot fix them when they become corrupt and bad. Then there is this site for which please accept my deep gratitude for it works.
    One thing your readers shold note. I kept getting little banners warning that this did or did no work. Get rid of these by the “X” box and plough on…..and you also will find the promised land………
    REGARDS and MANY THANKS

  31. Tasha

    May I just start out by saying that I cannot possibly begin to express the amount of gratitude I have for you. This error has been plaguing my parent’s computer for the longest time and I have hit more dead ends and time wasted hitting said dead ends than I care to remember.
    I am not a computer wizard, but my parents put their faith in me for these kinds of things, and as such I am grateful that I have someone like you to put my faith in. Thanks to people like you, I learn a little more every day. Thank you for your wonderfully applied knowledge!

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