[SOLVED] Windows 10 System Image Backup Failed

System image backup failed for many reasons

It's necessary to create a system image backup in case of unexpected system issues or data loss. It contains all the system files and personal files on the system partition at a point in time, and allows you to restore your computer to a good state without reinstalling Windows or programs.

However, due to some causes, system image backup may fail with different error messages. This usually indicates the possible cause, such as disk errors, not enough space, VSS errors, volumes larger than 2088958 megabytes, etc.

With this in mind, this article describes several ways to fix the "system image backup failed" error. If it does not work, you can directly use 3rd-party free backup software, which can handle these issues well.

How to fix the "system image backup failed" error

Here are  x useful methods to fix "system image backup failed" error, you can select one of them according to the possible reasons.

Way 1: Run SFC scan

If you receive the backup storage location error, there are some problems with your backup drive. You can try to check if there are corrupted or damaged system files using the sfc /scannow command. 

Step 1. Press the Windows + X key to open a Command Prompt window.

Step 2. Then, type “sfc /scannow” (without quotes) and press Enter. 

This will fix this problem or at least tell you what went wrong. When this finishes, you should be able to create system image backup without errors.

Way 2: Free up disk space

If you receive the "not enough space" error, you can choose to free up disk space, such as uninstall useless programs, delete or transfer large files, clean up disk space, etc. To clean up disk space for C: drive, please follow the steps below:

Step 1. Type disk cleanup in the search box and select it.

Step 2. Then, select C: drive from the drop-down menu and click OK to access the disk cleanup window.

Step 3. You can select the files you want to clean up in the C: drive, and click OK > Delete Files to confirm. 

You can also click the Clean up system files button and select C: drive to analyze how much data you can clean up. Just select the files and click OK > Delete Files to get started. 

Way 3: Extend system partition 

Except for cleaning up C: drive, you can also choose to extend system partition in Disk Management. You need contiguous unallocated space, and it only supports extending volumes in NTFS or RAW.

Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon and select Disk Management.

Step 2. Right-click the C: drive and select Extend Volume. It is only available when there is contiguous unallocated space.

Step 3. In the Extend Volume Wizard guide, click Next. 

Step 4. Select the disk to extend volume and click Next > Finish. 

If there’s no unallocated space next to C: drive, you need to delete the contiguous partition to create unallocated space, and then, execute the extension.

Way 4: Increase shadow storage space

If you receive the VSS errors, you can try to increase the shadow storage space and see if it works. Please be sure the Voume Shadow Copy service is running. 

Step 1. Type cmd in the search box and select Run as administrator. 

Step 2. Type vssadmin list shadowstorage and press Enter to check existing shadow storage. 

Step 3. Type vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=C: /on=C: /maxsize=10% and press Enter to increase the maximum space for shadow copies to 10% of C: drive. 

Way 5: Configure system protection

If the system image backup still fails in Windows 10, you can enable and create system restore points. It will also create shadow copies and give you another layer of protection for your system and files.

Step 1. Type "create a restore point" in the search box and select it from the list of results.

Step 2. Under the System Protection tab, click the Configure button.

Step 3. Then, check Turn on system protection, and click OK. you can use the slider to change the amount of space it uses (5% to 10% is usually sufficient).

Now, it will create a system restore point automatically when system changes are made.

If you want to manually create a restore point right now,go back to the System Properties window, click Create > name it, and click Create.

After a system restore point is created, you can try system image backup again.

Way 6: Shrink system partition

"Volumes larger than 2088958 megabytes cannot be protected. (0x807800B4)" only occurs when you are trying to backup volumes larger than 2TB in Windows 7. Windows backup creates a virtual hard disk (.vhd) to store the image file, which can't be larger than 2040GB. 

To work this around, you can shrink your volume or upgrade your system to Windows 8 or Windows 10/11. In the later versions of Windows, system image backup is saved in an advanced virtual disk format .vhdx, which does not have the size limitation.

Workaround: create system image backup with AOMEI Backupper 🔥

If the Windows 10 backup keeps failing after trying all these methods, you can turn to AOMEI Backupper Standard, one of the best free Windows backup software, released by AOMEI Tech, with 10 years of experience in the data protection industry.  

AOMEI Backupper

Why Choose AOMEI Backupper?

• Backup the system disk in 3 simple steps, either GPT or MBR, ensuring you can backup disk larger than 2TB successfully.
• Schedule backup system daily, weekly, and monthly.
• Provide users with different options to greatly reduce backup disk space and prevent not enough space errors. 
• Support both Microsoft VSS and AOMEI services to eliminate the volume shadow copy error.
• Encrypt the backup image to avoid any unwanted access (if needed).
• Create a bootable USB to restore system when the computer fails.

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Learn how to create a system image of Windows 10 with AOMEI Backupper below.

Step 1. Select the backup solution 

Download free backup software - AOMEI Backupper Standard and open it after installing. Then, click the Backup tab, and select System Backup.

Step 2. Select a destination path 

The program will select all the system and boot-related partitions automatically. You just need to select the destination path by clicking the folder icon below. 

Step 3. Set up backup task and backup system 

 By default, this software will enable necessary options, such as backup services, compression levels, incremental backup, etc., to avoid system image backup failed errors. You still need to enable Schedule Backup by clicking it and selecting backup interval, such as Weekly, or Monthly. Then, click Start Backup to create system image backup in Windows 10. 

After the backup completes, you can create a bootable media in case of the unbootable system.

If you want to restore the system image backup to another computer which has dissimilar hardware in the future, you need to use the Universal Restore feature in advanced editions.

Closing Words

This article describes 6 useful methods to fix the "system image backup failed" error in Windows 10. You can select one of them based on the possible cause.

Of course, if you don't want to spend time trying these methods one by one, you can directly use this free backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard to create system image backup. With it, you can easily restore your system when needed.