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VSS_E_ASRERROR_SYSTEM_PARTITION_HIDDEN
VSS_E_ASRERROR_SYSTEM_PARTITION_HIDDEN is the failure HRESULT 0x80042416 (signed decimal -2147212266, unsigned decimal 2147755030). Its severity bit is set, the facility field is 4 (FACILITY_ITF), and the facility-specific code is 0x2416.
The active system partition has an unsupported hidden or filesystem state. The ASR writer found that the partition marked active is hidden or contains a filesystem it cannot recognize. AllStat states that backup does not support this configuration.
AllStat records the official condition as: “System partition (partition marked "active") is hidden or contains an unrecognized file system. Backup does not support this configuration.” This wording should be interpreted at the VSS/ASR stage described below, not as a generic disk or COM failure.
Where VSS_E_ASRERROR_SYSTEM_PARTITION_HIDDEN appears
This is a backup-side system-partition validation. ASR must understand and include the boot-critical partition before it can produce usable bare-metal recovery metadata.
Likely causes
- The active MBR partition carries a hidden attribute or hidden partition type.
- The partition uses a filesystem not recognized by the running Windows version or recovery stack.
- Third-party boot, encryption or OEM tooling changed the system-partition type.
- An obsolete active flag points to a data or utility partition rather than the real boot partition.
Evidence to capture before changing storage
- Identify firmware mode and whether the disk uses MBR or GPT.
- Capture the active partition, partition type, attributes, filesystem and volume identity.
- Save the ASR writer Application event that names the unsupported system partition.
- Record boot configuration and any third-party disk, encryption or recovery software that manages the partition.
Diagnostic sequence
- Verify that the active flag points to the intended boot partition; DiskPart does not validate partition contents when setting it.
- Determine whether “hidden” is intentional for an OEM or security design before changing attributes.
- Check filesystem recognition without formatting or repairing the partition blindly.
- Validate that changing the partition will not make the installed system unbootable.
Recovery and retry
Move to a supported boot layout or correct an accidental active/hidden state using a tested recovery plan. Then create a new ASR backup. Do not simply unhide or format the partition on a production system without verified boot media and a rollback path.
What this HRESULT does not prove
The HRESULT does not necessarily mean the filesystem is corrupt. A valid third-party or intentionally hidden partition can still be unsupported by ASR.
Difference from nearby VSS results
VSS_E_CRITICAL_VOLUME_ON_INVALID_DISK rejects the hosting disk. This code identifies the active system partition’s visibility or filesystem as the unsupported property.
Practical example
An imaging utility leaves a hidden utility partition marked active while Windows boots through a different arrangement. ASR examines the active partition, cannot recognize it as a supported system partition, and refuses the backup.
Guidance for backup software and telemetry
Preflight checks should report partition number, type and filesystem before backup begins. Generic “VSS failed” reporting can leave an unsupported boot layout undiscovered until disaster recovery is needed.
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: DiskPart active command
- Microsoft: DiskPart command interpreter
- Microsoft: Windows Recovery Environment
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