The shadow copies of volume C: were deleted, Event ID 25

We noticed that the shadow copy backup was failing, and upon investigating, we stumbled upon an Event Log that says the shadow copies of volume C: were deleted with Event ID 25. This error implies that shadow copy storage cannot expand quickly enough to accommodate new snapshots. In this post, we are going to talk about this issue and see what you can do to resolve it.

Following is the exact error message that we see.

The shadow copies of volume C: were deleted because the shadow copy storage could not grow in time. Consider reducing the IO load on the system or choose a shadow copy storage volume that is not being shadow copied.

Fix The shadow copies of volume C: were deleted, Event ID 25

If the shadow copies of volume C: were deleted with Event ID 25 on your Windows computer, follow the solutions mentioned below.

1. Restart the Volume Shadow Copy Service
2. Manage I/O Load
3. Manage ShadowCopy Storage (Volume Shadow Copies)
4. Create shadow copy properly
5. Fix Disk Error

Let us talk about them in detail.

1] Restart the Volume Shadow Copy Service

First of all, we need to reboot the Volume Shadow Copy service and then retry. This is usually the first solution that one should try upon encountering an issue with shadow copied. To restart the service, you need to follow the steps mentioned below.

1. Open Services.
2. Look for Volume Shadow Copy, right-click on it, and select Restart.
3. If the service is not running, you need to right-click on it and select Start.

Finally, check if the issue is resolved.

2] Manage I/O Load

If you through the event log message, it suggests we reduce the I/O Load. The easiest way to do so is by closing the programs that are not in use or are consuming a lot of resources. To do so, open the Task Manager, right-click on the process, and select End Task. However, this will work only when you run the VSS manually, but if it’s not manual, you can try keeping resource-hogging processes closed. Additionally, go through the solutions mentioned below.

3] Manage ShadowCopy Storage (Volume Shadow Copies)

In this solution, we are going to increase the space of volume to accommodate its growth. To do so, you need to follow the steps mentioned below.

• Launch the Command Prompt as an administrator.
• Run the following command to check the current space.

vssadmin list shadowstorage

Note the Used and Allocated values to determine if adjustments are needed.

• Now, set a Reasonable Maximum Shadow Storage Limit. You need to avoid letting VSS use the entire volume. Microsoft recommends 10-20% of the volume size for most workloads.

vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=C: /on=C: /maxsize=20%

• Clear the shadow copy.

vssadmin delete shadows /for=C: /oldest <-- Delete oldest

vssadmin delete shadows /for=C: /all <-- Delete all (use cautiously)

You need to make sure to keep at least one shadow copy; only delete all the copies if you have tried everything and nothing seems to work.

4] Create shadow copy properly

If making changes to the vssadmin as mentioned earlier didn’t work for you, let’s create a shadow copy properly. If you are using Windows 11/10 Pro or Enterprise edition, go ahead and use diskshadow.exe to create shadow copy properly. To do so, you need to run the following commands in the order mentioned below.

• To invoke DiskShadow.

diskshadow

• Now, to set Persistent Snapshots for backup.

SET CONTEXT PERSISTENT <-Writers enabled

SET CONTEXT PERSISTENT NOWRITERS -<-Writers disabled

• To add the volume and create the shadow copy, run the following commands.

ADD VOLUME C:

CREATE

• Finally, you need to exit the prompt by running – EXIT.

Do keep in mind that this will not work if you are using Windows 11/10 Home as Diskshadow.exe is not available there.

5] Fix Disk Error

One of the ways to resolve the VSS issue is by fixing the disk error using the CHKDSK command. We need to open the Command Prompt as an administrator and then execute the following command.

chkdsk /f /r C:

Make sure to replace c with the drive letter you want to repair.

Hopefully, with the help of these solutions, you will be able to resolve the issue.

Read: Shadow copies of volume C were aborted because shadow copy storage could not grow

How to fix Volume Shadow Copy Service?

To resolve Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) issues, first ensure adequate storage allocation by resizing the shadow copy space using vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=C: /maxsize=15%, then check and repair disk errors with chkdsk C: /f to eliminate file system corruption blocking VSS operations; restart the VSS service via net stop vss and net start vss to reset its state, and finally free up at least 10-15% of the volume’s disk space to allow shadow copies to grow without interruption during high I/O activity.

Read: Fix VOLSNAP Event ID error on Windows computers

How do I remove Volume Shadow Copy files?

To remove Volume Shadow Copy files, open an elevated Command Prompt and run vssadmin delete shadows /for=C: /all to delete all shadow copies on the target drive (replace C: with the desired volume). If you want to delete older files, you can run vssadmin delete shadows /for=C: /oldest.

Read: The Com Server with CLSID cannot be started VSS error.