Fix NS_E_BACKUP_RESTORE_BAD_DATA (0XC00D2745) on Windows 10/11

1. Corrupted or Incomplete Backup Files

This is the cause nine times out of ten. I had a client last month whose entire print queue died because of this — they'd started a backup, canceled it halfway through, and the partial data was left in the C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Backup folder. When Windows tried to use that data for a restore, it hit the 0XC00D2745 error.

Here's the fix: delete the bad backup data manually.

1. Open File Explorer, go to C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Backup. You'll need to show hidden files and folders first — go to View > Show > Hidden items.
2. Look for any folders with timestamp names (like 2025-03-15 143022) or a file called BackupMetadata.xml. Delete them. All of them.
3. If you see a Catalog folder, delete that too. Windows will rebuild it on the next backup.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin just to be thorough.

Then restart the backup or restore. If you're using System Restore, try creating a new restore point first — that forces Windows to start fresh.

Still stuck? Try the next cause.

2. File System Corruption on the Backup Drive

Sometimes the backup itself is fine, but the drive it's stored on has bad sectors or file system errors. I saw this on a Dell Optiplex 3070 last year — the external USB drive had a dodgy cable that caused write errors. The backup seemed to complete, but the data was garbage.

Run a disk check on the drive where the backup is stored:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Right-click Start > Command Prompt (Admin) or Terminal (Admin).
2. Type chkdsk X: /f /r where X: is the drive letter of the backup drive. For example, if it's D:, type chkdsk D: /f /r.
3. Let it run. This can take 30 minutes to a couple hours on a large drive.
4. If it finds and fixes errors, restart and try the backup or restore again.

If chkdsk reports bad sectors, replace the drive. Seriously. Don't waste time trying to recover data from a dying drive — I've seen people lose years of backup data this way.

If chkdsk comes clean, move to the third cause.

3. System File Corruption

Rarer but happens. Windows itself might have corrupted system files that interfere with the backup/restore process. I had a Windows 10 Pro machine where the Backup and Restore service kept crashing because a .dll file was damaged.

Run the System File Checker and DISM:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. First, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. Wait for it to complete — it downloads fresh system files from Windows Update.
3. Then run sfc /scannow. Let it finish, even if it takes 20 minutes.
4. If SFC finds errors it can't fix, run DISM again. Sometimes you need two passes.
5. Restart the PC and try the backup or restore again.

This fixes the error only if it's caused by system files. If the error persists after that, you're likely looking at a hardware issue — check the backup drive's health with CrystalDiskInfo or similar.

Quick-Reference Summary

Try these in order. Most people fix it with step one. If none of these work, the backup itself is dead — you'll need to start fresh with a new backup set. And don't forget: always verify your backups. A backup you can't restore is just a waste of disk space.