What does HRESULT 0x8004231A (VSS_E_WRITER_ALREADY_SUBSCRIBED) mean?

Status / error code:

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Constant name:

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Description:

The writer has already successfully called the Subscribe function.  It cannot call Subscribe multiple times.

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VSS_E_WRITER_NOT_RESPONDING	VSS_E_UNSUPPORTED_CONTEXT

VSS_E_WRITER_ALREADY_SUBSCRIBED

VSS_E_WRITER_ALREADY_SUBSCRIBED A VSS writer called its Subscribe operation more than once after a successful subscription. This is a writer lifecycle or implementation problem, not a lack of disk space.

What to check

Identify the writer shown in the backup application log or VSS events and determine which service or application hosts it.
Check whether the application or writer service was restarted during an in-progress backup session.
If the writer is third-party, collect its version and event logs for the vendor; repeated subscription is not corrected by resizing shadow storage.

vssadmin list writers

Microsoft: In-box VSS writers

Microsoft: VSS requesters

Microsoft: VSS documentation portal

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