Windows Backup Succesful but Inconsistent

Question

I originally posted this message on the Windows Server forum and they indicated that our problem was a SQL issue and I should re-post this issue here. 

We recently restored our server using the bare metal restore from our backups.  Ever since doing that, the server backup reports that "backup was successful but some components backed up were in a inconsistent state".  The backup error log reports the following information.

Writer Failures
Writer Id: {8D5194E1-E455-434A-B2E5-51296CCE67DF}
Instance Id: {D6BD8A51-8E3F-4FCD-B388-D19EC9D33315}
Writer Name: WIDWriter
Writer State: 8
Failure Result: 800423F4
Application Result: 1
Application Message: (null)
   Component: master
   Logical Path: ALPHA\MICROSOFT##WID
   Component Result: 800423F4
   Component Message: (null)
       File Spec: C:\Windows\WID\Data\master.mdf Recursive: 0
       File Spec: C:\Windows\WID\Data\mastlog.ldf Recursive: 0
   Component: model
   Logical Path: ALPHA\MICROSOFT##WID
   Component Result: 800423F4
   Component Message: (null)
       File Spec: C:\Windows\WID\Data\model.mdf Recursive: 0
       File Spec: C:\Windows\WID\Data\modellog.ldf Recursive: 0
   Component: msdb
   Logical Path: ALPHA\MICROSOFT##WID
   Component Result: 800423F4
   Component Message: (null)
       File Spec: C:\Windows\WID\Data\MSDBData.mdf Recursive: 0
       File Spec: C:\Windows\WID\Data\MSDBLog.ldf Recursive: 0
   Component: SUSDB
   Logical Path: ALPHA\MICROSOFT##WID
   Component Result: 800423F4
   Component Message: (null)
       File Spec: C:\Windows\WID\Data\SUSDB.mdf Recursive: 0
       File Spec: C:\Windows\WID\Data\SUSDB_log.ldf Recursive: 0
*-----------------------------*

We have looked in the forum and not found a lot of information on this issue.  We have done a chkdsk /f as someone suggested without success.  The only other clue we have is that the restored drive was larger than the one that was replaced during the restore.  We have tested that before without issue, but maybe it has something to do with it.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Answer 1

       File Spec: C:\Windows\WID\Data\master.mdf Recursive: 0
       File Spec: C:\Windows\WID\Data\mastlog.ldf Recursive: 0

Hello,

It reports all database files of the Windows Internal Database. As long as they are in use by WID, you can't backup/restore with Windows Backup. You can only run SQL Server backups or you have to shutdown the WID service, which is not the best way to backup databases.

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Olaf Helper

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Answer 2

OK, what is interesting is that this all worked before the restore.  We just have the base installation installed and no third party apps or SQL products.  So I can't figure out why the system would have these locked open and not synchronize them during the backup.

Answer 3

Something you have installed uses the "Windows Internal Database".  Normally you don't backup these files directly.  They were probably excluded from your backup previously.  You cannot backup the files because they are in use.  You would need to use a SQL Backup of the instance to get a consistent backup.

Please see:

http://www.mssqltips.com/sqlservertip/1577/administering-your-windows-internal-database-microsoftssee-instance/

Answer 4

Very interesting.  We installed, but then removed WSUS on the server.  During the removal, it caused problems with the Remote Access Service which Microsoft had to fix to get going again.  The article lists that WSUS uses the internal database, so I wonder if this is some leftover problem from the WSUS removal.  The strange thing is that we repaired the WSUS issue months ago and had been successfully backing up the server.  This only appeared when we did a restore to the new drive.

Answer 5

Removing WSUS does not remove the WID, because it might still be in use by other applications.

You might have had the WID service disabled before, then the backup would work because the files are not in use.

Please see:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc708610(v=ws.10).aspx

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc708546(v=ws.10).aspx

Answer 6

OK, if I disable the WID service, then the backup works.  However, when I do that it shuts down the Remote Access Management Service which I believe is controlling the access control for the Remote Access functions.  If I can figure out how to get Remote Access to not use WID then I am golden

 

Answer 7

I have disabled the WID service and all is good.  Thanks for the solution.  We are going to wait a while before we remove it just to make sure that nothing else is broken.

Answer 8

Hi,

SQL databases should be backed up with SQL-aware backup Tools (not with Windows backup).

On the other hand, you can dump your SQL databases to flat files and then backup these flat

files via regular Windows backups

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Sebastian Sajaroff Senior DBA Pharmacies Jean Coutu