Option to use VSS greyed out in Server 2003

Word to the Bird     Dec 27 9:32PM 2017 GUI

How do you turn on VSS in server 2003?

The VSS service is started and all the latest KB patches are installed

the option in the program is there however it is greyed out....


kevinvinv    Dec 28 10:05AM 2017

I know I see this on Windows if I dont run duplicacy as an Administrator by right clicking on the duplicacy icon.

Is that maybe the cause?


gchen    Dec 28 1:41PM 2017

Yes, you need to run duplicacy as administrator. Kevinvinv is right -- make sure to exit the current running instance by right clicking on the duplicacy icon otherwise you're just reactivating the current instance.


Word to the Bird    Dec 28 11:23PM 2017

as the actual built in admin

or any administrator account?

the admin account i use when i run it from that account it doesnt have the option to turn on VSS


gchen    Dec 29 1:11PM 2017

Technically, the VSS option will be enabled if the process token has elevated privileges. Run Duplicacy as administrator from the right click menu should do it, but I don't know if an admin account is sufficient.


Word to the Bird    Dec 29 11:26PM 2017

SeBackupPrivilege Back up files and directories

           Disabled

SeRestorePrivilege Restore files and directories

           Disabled

are you talking about these?


Word to the Bird    Jan 8 9:58PM 2018

this is still an issue for me.... no matter what i try


gchen    Jan 9 11:27AM 2018

If you run Duplicacy as administrator (from the right click menu), do you still have the vss option greyed out?


Word to the Bird    Jan 9 6:12PM 2018

yes sir


gchen    Jan 9 9:22PM 2018

Did you exit the current running instance of Duplicacy first? That is, there should not be a Duplicacy icon in the system tray when you right click the Duplicacy icon on the desktop to run it as administrator.


Word to the Bird    Jan 10 12:14AM 2018

of course....

thought maybe the issue was because previous versions were not enabled.... enabled them

killed the system tray icon... checked the task manager... right clicked and ran as admin and the same thing came up....


gchen    Jan 10 11:26AM 2018

I just noticed you're running Windows Server 2003. That might be the problem as the API function that Duplicacy calls to check the elevated privileges may not work on Server 2003 and XP. I'll try to release a new 2.1 beta that fix this later today.


gchen    Jan 10 10:58PM 2018

I found the correct API to check if the process is running with elevated privileges, but then realized that the CLI version supports the -vss option only on Windows Vista and later. The interface of the Volume Shadow Copy Service is different on XP and Server 2003, which makes it difficult for the CLI version to support -vss on these early versions of Windows. Therefore, for these Windows versions the VSS checkbox should be hidden at all times.

I apologize for misleading you into believing that we would support VSS on Windows Server 2003.


Word to the Bird    Jan 10 11:07PM 2018

VSS is there.... it can do previous versions....

Acronis cloud is able to evoke the call to it....granted i had to install a bunch of VSS patches to make it work... but it does... what is it doing??>

and here is what comes back from the VSSadmin

it looks the same as 2008 and 2012

C:\Documents and Settings\stealth>vssadmin list writers vssadmin 1.1 - Volume Shadow Copy Service administrative command-line (C) Copyright 2001 Microsoft Corp.

Writer name: 'System Writer' Writer Id: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220} Writer Instance Id: {f488aabe-a938-416d-b9bb-8b3e426276ee} State: [1] Stable Last error: No error

Writer name: 'MSDEWriter' Writer Id: {f8544ac1-0611-4fa5-b04b-f7ee00b03277} Writer Instance Id: {7bcb61fe-3cd1-4975-92ea-f5a2e6bb92f5} State: [1] Stable Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Registry Writer' Writer Id: {afbab4a2-367d-4d15-a586-71dbb18f8485} Writer Instance Id: {5f123b0d-4a59-48f0-8295-43f6acff8b9d} State: [1] Stable Last error: No error

Writer name: 'Event Log Writer' Writer Id: {eee8c692-67ed-4250-8d86-390603070d00} Writer Instance Id: {24f8b22d-b581-438e-9693-a6fdfc58b41e} State: [1] Stable Last error: No error

Writer name: 'COM+ REGDB Writer' Writer Id: {542da469-d3e1-473c-9f4f-7847f01fc64f} Writer Instance Id: {d4c2613f-dc56-4f02-8a60-61d283f94627} State: [1] Stable Last error: No error

Writer name: 'WMI Writer' Writer Id: {a6ad56c2-b509-4e6c-bb19-49d8f43532f0} Writer Instance Id: {6c982035-ebe2-46dd-9dbf-9eaa35bbec99} State: [1] Stable Last error: No error

Writer name: 'BITS Writer' Writer Id: {4969d978-be47-48b0-b100-f328f07ac1e0} Writer Instance Id: {a1daa435-a5a3-4b93-aadd-23435d0b1b60} State: [1] Stable Last error: No error


gchen    Jan 11 11:42AM 2018

A c/c++ program to support VSS on Vista or later needs to use the Windows SDK, but on XP and Server 2003 it need to use the Volume Shadow Copy Service SDK. So usually those backup software have to have two different binaries, one for each SDK. I implemented VSS in Duplicacy CLI without using the Windows SDK -- as far as I know this is the only pure go implementation of VSS. I don't know if it is possible to support XP and Server 2003 without using the Volume Shadow Copy Service SDK. Considering both XP and Server 2003 have passed the end of life, I'm not sure if it is worth the effort to make the -vss option work on them.