Server backup process fails and "0x80070005" errors are logged in Windows Server 2012 Essentials

This article describes an issue in which an Error [0x80070005] Access is denied error occurs during a server backup process in Windows Server 2012 Essentials.

Applies to:   Windows Server 2012
Original KB number:   2747459

Symptoms

Assume that you try to back up a server that is running Windows Server 2012 Essentials by using the Windows Server Backup feature. However, the backup operation doesn't finish, and the following event is logged in the Application log:

Event ID: 547
Description:
The backup operation that started at '?2012?-?03?-?31T07:00:05.748719600Z' has encountered errors for the volume(s)'F:'. Log of files not successfully backed up 'C:\Windows\Logs\WindowsServerBackup\Backup_Error-31-03-2012_02-00-05.log'.

If you open the log file that is described in the event, you see logs that resemble the following:

Error in backup of F:$Extend$RmMetadata$TxfLog\ during write: Error [0x80070005] Access is denied.
Error in backup of F:$Extend$RmMetadata$TxfLog$TxfLog.blf during write: Error [0x80070005] Access is denied.

Cause

This issue occurs when a drive that uses the NTFS file system is configured for file-level backup. Because the $RmMetaData directory is NTFS internal data and cannot be accessed by other process, this issue occurs.

Workaround

To work around this issue, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

Configure the server backup policy on the affected drive as block-level backup. After you do this, the whole volume is selected for backup.

Method 2

Set a registry key to exclude the files that are mentioned in the event from file-level backups. These files are used by NTFS, and they can safely be ignored.

Important

This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

  1. In Registry Editor, locate the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup

  2. Right-Click FilesNotToBackup, point to New, and then click Multi-String Value.

  3. Type IgnoreNTFS, and then press Enter.

  4. Right-click IgnoreNTFS, and then click Modify.

  5. In the Value data box, type \$Extend\* /s.

  6. Click OK, and then close Registry Editor.

  7. Restart the server.