When attempting to back up my files, (2 different programs) the backups won’t complete. I get the error message “Shadow file cannot be created”.
What the heck to I do now? I need to backup my files!
Thanks, Jake
Not sure this is your problem but some backup routines can’t copy files that are in use by another program including system files being used by the operating system.
If you can identify the individual files that are fialing you might be able to see if they are in use.
Just a guess - I’ve used backup programs that reported the files they couldn’t backup and then they completed whatever they could.
You may need to start the “Volume Shadow Service” (Control Panel - Administrative Tools -Services)
then your disk can create shadow copies. (Also “previous versions” in WIndows 7.)
Try your backup again.
md, I just tried that with the same message. “Can’t create a shadow copy”.
Is there something I can download, like a backup program? (Free)
I’ve used Crap Cleaner to clean the registry, but this has been happening for a while before that.
What are the two backup programs you’ve tried so far?
Have you tried the built-in Windows Backup?
Edit: I did some Googling, and apparently some imaged Windows computers have a 100 MB “system partition” that stores backup-related data, and which can fill up. Take a look through this thread and see if any of those cases apply to you.
For what it’s worth, my computer (which I installed Windows 7 on myself) does not have a “system partition”. It looks like some OEMs install Windows that way, probably so that they can support their repair partition.
Windows backup is usually all you need. One thing to check: are both the source and target (if local) volumes formatted as NTFS? You need to use NTFS to get file sizes over 4 GB.
(Yes, I know there’s FAT64…)
Thanks, all. I’ve tried several different things but to no avail yet. I’ll keep trying, of course… 
Don’t know if this is the cause of your problem but: This error can happen because of having too many Windows language packs installed on your computer.
My backup solution is rsync, an open-source program that’s been around for more than a decade. I don’t bother backing up system files. I only backup my data files because those are the only files that can’t be replaced. The system can simply be reinstalled. If I cared about uptime, then I would probably look at implementing a RAID configuration or some other kind of mirroring system.
Besides that service, you might also want to check the “Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider” service.