Fix 0x8078002A Windows Backup Error

This post will help you fix the Windows backup error One of the backup files could not be created. (0x8078002A), The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error (0x8007045D) on your Windows 11/10 computer. While taking a backup of their system using an external drive, a few users have faced this issue where the backup process fails and an error gets displayed on their Windows PC.

The error message says:

The backup failed.

One of the backup files could not be created. (0x8078002A)

Additional Information:
The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error (0x8007045D)

In this post, we will explain why this error occurs and share some fixes that help you fix the issue.

Why does my Windows Backup keep failing?

If you are trying to create a system image or take a Windows backup on a large sector (greater than 4 KB) external hard drive, you may encounter this error due to compatibility issues. Microsoft has said that users may receive this error if they use a logical sector drive of a size other than 512 bytes for Windows system image backup and restore operations. Apart from this, a corrupt Windows installation, forced shutdown, or corrupt system files could also trigger this error.

Fix 0x8078002a Windows Backup Error

Here are the fixes you may use to fix the Windows Backup error One of the backup files could not be created. (0x8078002A), The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error (0x8007045D) you may see on your Windows 11/10 PC:

1. Enable the Windows Backup and Volume Shadow Copy services.
2. Run Check Disk Tool on External Drive.
3. Use a different drive that reflects the supported sector size.
4. Create a registry key to emulate the disk sector size as 4KB.

Let us see these in detail.

1] Enable the Windows Backup and Volume Shadow Copy services

Windows Backup and Volume Shadow Copy are two main services that need to be running to successfully carry out the backup operation on a Windows PC.

To check if these services are enabled, press Win+R and type services.msc in the Run dialogue box to open the Services window. Navigate to the Volume Shadow Copy service and look under the Status column. If it doesn’t show running, double-click on the service name. Then in the services properties window, make sure the Startup type is not set as Disabled. If it is, change it to Manual (Windows default option) or Automatic and click on the Start button.

Next, run the Windows Backup process following the same set of steps.

2] Run Check Disk Tool on External Drive

Check Disk Tool is a Windows utility software that checks the disk for errors. Run it on the external media and see if it helps.

3] Use a different drive that reflects the supported sector size

If your backup tool doesn’t support the 4K logical disk sector size, you will possibly encounter this error. To resolve this, specify a different storage location if you have a different storage device for backup. For example, you can choose a DVD, a network drive or a different hard drive on your computer to create a system image using your backup tool.

Read: Fix The system cannot find the file specified

4] Create a registry key to emulate the disk sector size as 4KB

Microsoft suggests that the error can be rectified by creating a registry key that will cause Windows 11 or later to behave like Windows 10 and force the sector size to be emulated as 4 KB. However, you must create a system restore point prior to making any changes to the Windows Registry. The restore point will recover the system to an earlier time in case a wrong move damages your OS.

Following steps show how to use the Registry Editor to create that key:

1. Click on the Windows Search icon and type ‘registry editor’.
2. Click on the Run as administrator option on the right panel under the Registry Editor app.
3. Click Yes in the User Account Control prompt that appears.
4. In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following path: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\stornvme\Parameters\Device
5. In the right panel, right-click anywhere in the empty area and select New > Multi-String Value.
6. Name it ForcedPhysicalSectorSizeInBytes.
7. Double-click on the key name.
8. Type * 4095 in the Value data field.
9. Click on OK button.
10. Exit Registry Editor and reboot Windows.

Now try taking Windows backup using the same hard drive.

The above solutions will hopefully resolve the issue.

How do I fix Windows Backup?

To fix Windows Backup errors, you must first enable the Windows Backup and Volume Shadow Copy services on your Windows 11/10 PC. If you’re using an external hard drive for taking backups, make sure the disk sector size should not exceed the supported 4-KB sector size. You may also run an SFC scan on the external drive to fix system file corruption issues.

Read Next: Fix Error 0x80070002 during Windows Backup.