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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
- Microsoft: VSS Automated System Recovery for disaster recovery
- Microsoft: Windows Recovery Environment
- Microsoft: VSS restore initialization
- Microsoft: DiskPart command interpreter
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