Volume Shadow Copy Service operation to create a shadow copy of the volumes being backed up failed with following error code '2155348129'

This dreaded error that was definitely hard to track down, I have been fighting with this one on our Hyper-V servers using windows server backup, they always seem to fail with the same error

"The backup operation that started at '‎2012‎-‎03‎-‎06T02:00:15.924000000Z' has failed because the Volume Shadow Copy Service operation to create a shadow copy of the volumes being backed up failed with following error code '2155348129'. Please review the event details for a solution, and then rerun the backup operation once the issue is resolved."

Ran this command as an administrator: vssadmin list writers

Which will return all the the writers on your server and if there are any errors, well i kept getting the following error:

Writer name: 'Microsoft Hyper-V VSS Writer' Last error: Unexpected error

I finally tracked down this microsoft kb article on how to register the system writer again on the server.

I created a batch file with the following info from the article and ran it with elevated privileges:

rem FILENAME: FIXVSS08.BAT

rem

net stop "System Event Notification Service"

net stop "Background Intelligent Transfer Service"

net stop "COM+ Event System"

net stop "Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider"

net stop "Volume Shadow Copy"

cd /d %windir%\system32

net stop vss

net stop swprv

regsvr32 /s ATL.DLL

regsvr32 /s comsvcs.DLL

regsvr32 /s credui.DLL

regsvr32 /s CRYPTNET.DLL

regsvr32 /s CRYPTUI.DLL

regsvr32 /s dhcpqec.DLL

regsvr32 /s dssenh.DLL

regsvr32 /s eapqec.DLL

regsvr32 /s esscli.DLL

regsvr32 /s FastProx.DLL

regsvr32 /s FirewallAPI.DLL

regsvr32 /s kmsvc.DLL

regsvr32 /s lsmproxy.DLL

regsvr32 /s MSCTF.DLL

regsvr32 /s msi.DLL

regsvr32 /s msxml3.DLL

regsvr32 /s ncprov.DLL

regsvr32 /s ole32.DLL

regsvr32 /s OLEACC.DLL

regsvr32 /s OLEAUT32.DLL

regsvr32 /s PROPSYS.DLL

regsvr32 /s QAgent.DLL

regsvr32 /s qagentrt.DLL

regsvr32 /s QUtil.DLL

regsvr32 /s raschap.DLL

regsvr32 /s RASQEC.DLL

regsvr32 /s rastls.DLL

regsvr32 /s repdrvfs.DLL

regsvr32 /s RPCRT4.DLL

regsvr32 /s rsaenh.DLL

regsvr32 /s SHELL32.DLL

regsvr32 /s shsvcs.DLL

regsvr32 /s /i swprv.DLL

regsvr32 /s tschannel.DLL

regsvr32 /s USERENV.DLL

regsvr32 /s vss_ps.DLL

regsvr32 /s wbemcons.DLL

regsvr32 /s wbemcore.DLL

regsvr32 /s wbemess.DLL

regsvr32 /s wbemsvc.DLL

regsvr32 /s WINHTTP.DLL

regsvr32 /s WINTRUST.DLL

regsvr32 /s wmiprvsd.DLL

regsvr32 /s wmisvc.DLL

regsvr32 /s wmiutils.DLL

regsvr32 /s wuaueng.DLL

sfc /SCANFILE=%windir%\system32\catsrv.DLL

sfc /SCANFILE=%windir%\system32\catsrvut.DLL

sfc /SCANFILE=%windir%\system32\CLBCatQ.DLL

net start "COM+ Event System"

Takeown /f %windir%\winsxs\temp\PendingRenames /a
icacls %windir%\winsxs\temp\PendingRenames /grant "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:(RX)"
icacls %windir%\winsxs\temp\PendingRenames /grant "NT Service\trustedinstaller:(F)"
icacls %windir%\winsxs\temp\PendingRenames /grant BUILTIN\Users:(RX)
Takeown /f %windir%\winsxs\filemaps\* /a
icacls %windir%\winsxs\filemaps\*.* /grant "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:(RX)"
icacls %windir%\winsxs\filemaps\*.* /grant "NT Service\trustedinstaller:(F)"
icacls %windir%\winsxs\filemaps\*.* /grant BUILTIN\Users:(RX)

net stop cryptsvc
net start cryptsvc

Ran this command as an administrator again: vssadmin list writers

And voila! The system writer was registered, I ran a backup without error.

Hope this helps someone out there.