Fix 0XC000029D: Remote Storage Service Not Active

Quick Answer

Restart the Remote Storage Service (HSMSvc) and set it to Automatic. If that doesn't stick, check the registry key HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteStorage and verify the Start value is 2.

Why This Happens

I've seen 0XC000029D pop up on Windows Server 2012 R2 through 2019, usually after a Windows update or a storage migration gone sideways. The Remote Storage Service (HSMSvc) is responsible for managing Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) — think tape libraries or cloud tiering. When it's not running, the system can't access files that have been moved to remote storage. The service gets disabled intentionally during updates sometimes, or a dependent service like RPC fails to start.

Don't bother checking event logs for this one — it's almost always a service state issue. The error itself is pretty clear: the remote storage service isn't operational. Period.

Fix Steps

1. Open Services.msc — Run as admin. Look for Remote Storage Service (display name) or HSMSvc.
2. Check its Status — If it's stopped, right-click and Start. If it's already running but you're still getting the error, Restart it.
3. Set Startup Type to Automatic — Right-click > Properties > Set to Automatic. Apply and OK.
4. Verify dependencies — In the same Properties window, click the Dependencies tab. Make sure Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is running. If RPC is down, start it first.
5. Reboot the server — Yes, I know. But it forces the service to start clean on boot. Do it.

If That Doesn't Work

Check the Registry

If the service keeps reverting to Disabled after reboot, someone (or an update) changed the registry. Open regedit and go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RemoteStorage

Look for Start — set it to 2 (Automatic). If it's 3 (Manual) or 4 (Disabled), change it back. I've seen 4 after a botched uninstall of a backup agent.

Re-register the Service DLL

This is rare but worth a shot if nothing else works. Run this as admin:

regsvr32 /s %SystemRoot%\system32\hsmapi.dll

Then restart the service. No output means it worked.

Check for Corrupted Files

If the service still won't start, run sfc /scannow from an admin command prompt. I've found a few cases where hsmapi.dll got corrupted after a failed update. SFC usually fixes it.

Prevention Tip

Before applying any Windows updates, check the update notes for mentions of Remote Storage or HSM. Microsoft has a habit of disabling legacy services in cumulative updates. If you're still running HSM, set a scheduled task that checks the service state daily and restarts it if it's down. Here's a quick PowerShell one-liner for that:

Get-Service -Name HSMSvc | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq 'Stopped'} | Start-Service

Throw that in Task Scheduler with a daily trigger and you'll save yourself a headache.

One more thing — if you migrated storage recently (like moving to a new SAN or cloud tiering solution), the remote storage repository path might have changed. The service will fail silently if it can't find its database. Check HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\RemoteStorage for the DatabasePath value. Make sure it points to a valid location with proper permissions.