The backup task fails with the "0x8004231f" error, and it shows the "Exit -311" error

Summary

Exit -311 and VSS error (0x8004231f) may occur.

03/30/2021 06:04:44.861 com exception caught(0x8004231f) in VssStart
     ：
03/30/2021 06:04:44.953 {IDS_STRING3018}Exit Code: -311

Causes

The error "VSS_E_INSUFFICIENT_STORAGE" is due to insufficient space in the ShadowStorage. Check if the destination drive has more than 10% free space. If there's enough space and the issue persists, it may be related to recovery partitions.

1)  To calculate the needed space in the recovery partition, use the "diskpart" command to inspect the recovery partition.

DISKPART> list partition
Partition ### Type               Size    Offset
------------- ------------------ ------- -------
Partition 1   Recovery            499 MB  1024 KB
Partition 2   System               99 MB   500 MB
Partition 3   Reserved             16 MB   599 MB
Partition 4   Primary              98 GB   615 MB

2)  Use the "diskinfo" command to find available space. Run the command to show detailed disk information, and review details related to the specified partition number.

C:Program Files (x86)ActiphyActiveImage Protectoraipcontrol diskinfo    
        Partition Number: 1
        Drive Letter:     <None
        Partition Type:   DE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC
        FSType:           Unknown(0)
        Boot:             0
        System:           0
        CSV:              0
        Extended:         0
        Sector Size:      512
        Cluster Size:     4096
        StartOffset:      2048
        Total Clusters:   127743
        Free Clusters:    6781
        Total Sectors:    1021952 (0.49 GB)
        Serial Number:    B4CEB079
        Unique ID:        \?Volume{6111596d-3375-48ec-bbda-b36dbfd5d28e}
        Volume Label:     Recovery

3)  Calculate available space using "Free Clusters" and "Cluster Size." In this example, (6781 * 4096)/1024/1024 equals 26MB. The recovery partition, with about 499MB, has only 26MB available, which is insufficient.

As per Microsoft, for a partition of 500MB or larger, there must be 320MB of available space. For a partition of 500MB or less, 32MB of available space is required. 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-essentials-sbs/ff402401(v=ws.11)?redirectedfrom=MSDN
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Ensure ample free space on each volume for the backup to run. For non-system reserved volumes, keep at least 10% of disk space free. On system reserved volumes, if size is under 500MB, maintain 32MB free for VSS snapshot; if 500MB or more, ensure 320MB free. If space is insufficient, consider extending the volume, except for the system reserved volume.
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Workaround

Choose a volume to set up backup task settings. If the problem is due to the recovery partition, consider deleting it. If you have a PC from a manufacturer, the recovery partition may contain vital data for recovery options. Before deleting it, contact the PC maker to ensure it won't cause any issues.

Target Product

- ActiveImage Protector 2018

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