HRESULT 0x80042403 (VSS_E_ASRERROR_NO

Status / error code:

Category:

Constant name:

Source:

Facility:

Operating System:

Description:

ASR must restart before recovery-disk preparation can finish.

Could be also:
Constant	Type	OS
VDS_E_ALREADY_REGISTERED	HRESULT	Windows

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VDS_E_ALREADY_REGISTERED	VDS_E_ANOTHER_CALL_IN_PROGRESS

VSS_E_ASRERROR_NO_ARCPATH

VSS_E_ASRERROR_NO_ARCPATH is the failure HRESULT 0x80042403 (signed decimal -2147212285, unsigned decimal 2147755011). Its severity bit is set, the facility field is 4 (FACILITY_ITF), and the facility-specific code is 0x2403.

Recovery disk preparation requires a restart. AllStat describes this result as a request to restart the computer so Windows can finish preparing a hard disk for restore. The missing path is therefore a recovery-environment state problem, not a license to invent or manually type a firmware path.

AllStat records the official condition as: “The computer needs to be restarted to finish preparing a hard disk for restore. To continue, restart your computer and run the restore again.” This wording should be interpreted at the VSS/ASR stage described below, not as a generic disk or COM failure.

Where VSS_E_ASRERROR_NO_ARCPATH appears

The value appears while ASR is preparing boot-critical disk information for disaster recovery. A preceding disk operation has changed enough state that the current Windows RE or Windows PE session cannot continue with a reliable boot-path view.

Likely causes

Disk preparation changed identifiers or layout information that becomes authoritative only after re-enumeration at boot.
The recovery session still holds stale storage or firmware-path state after a target disk was introduced or modified.
A controller or virtual-machine configuration change is not reflected in the running recovery environment.
Automation suppresses the required reboot and repeatedly resumes the same invalid session.

Evidence to capture before changing storage

Record the last successful ASR preparation step and every disk operation performed before this code.
Capture disk identifiers, firmware boot mode and controller configuration before restarting.
Preserve the recovery log that explicitly requests restart; it is more useful than a later generic boot failure.
Note whether the same disk inventory is expected after restart or whether hardware will also be changed.

Diagnostic sequence

Do not attempt to fabricate an ARC-style path from disk numbers shown by one boot session.
Verify that all intended storage devices are attached and stable before initiating the restart.
After reboot, reacquire the disk inventory and compare identifiers rather than assuming disk numbering is unchanged.
If the code recurs without any new disk change, inspect controller drivers and recovery-media compatibility.

Recovery and retry

Complete the requested restart into the supported recovery environment and begin a new restore attempt. A blind loop inside the same ASR session cannot refresh the boot-time path information that the result says is unavailable.

What this HRESULT does not prove

This result does not by itself indicate that a disk is too small, excluded, damaged or missing. It identifies a restart boundary in disk preparation.

Difference from nearby VSS results

VSS_E_ASRERROR_DISK_RECREATION_FAILED reports inability to create the target layout. Here, preparation has advanced to a state that must be finalized and rediscovered through reboot.

Practical example

A recovery operator changes the target disk layout and immediately asks ASR to continue. The environment reports that preparation is incomplete; after a controlled restart, the disk is rediscovered with its final identity and restore can resume.

Guidance for backup software and telemetry

Recovery software should surface this HRESULT as a reboot-required state and persist enough context to verify the next session. Reporting it as an undifferentiated failure encourages unsafe manual edits to boot metadata.

A useful support record includes the operation phase, backup set or restore session identifier, recovery-environment version, firmware mode, exact disk identities, source and target capacities, online/exclusion state, and the first related VSS or storage event. Preserve identifiers needed to distinguish the affected devices while applying the organization’s normal redaction rules to customer-specific labels and paths.

Official Microsoft references

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