Fix STATUS_LOG_ARCHIVE_NOT_IN_PROGRESS 0XC01A0020

What Triggers This Error

You'll see 0XC01A0020 - STATUS_LOG_ARCHIVE_NOT_IN_PROGRESS when Windows Backup, System Restore, or any tool using Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) tries to start an archive but can't. This usually means a previous backup or snapshot session didn't clean up. Common triggers: a failed backup job on Windows Server 2008R2 through 2019, a disk cleanup that got interrupted, or a third-party backup app (like Acronis or Veeam) that crashed mid-operation.

Fix #1: The 30-Second Reboot

Don't roll your eyes. This works more often than you'd think. A restart clears orphaned VSS snapshot contexts. Do this first:

1. Close all backup apps.
2. Open cmd as admin, type: shutdown /r /t 0
3. After reboot, try your backup or restore again.

If that fixed it, you're done. If not, move on.

Fix #2: Reset VSS State (5 Minutes)

The culprit here is almost always a hung VSS writer or a snapshot that didn't finish. Windows doesn't clean these up well on its own. Here's the manual sweep:

1. Open an elevated Command Prompt (right-click Run as admin).
2. Run these commands one at a time:

net stop vss
net stop swprv
vssadmin delete shadows /all /quiet
net start vss
net start swprv

This stops VSS and the Volume Shadow Copy service, deletes every snapshot, then restarts them. Yes, you'll lose any existing restore points. That's fine — they were probably corrupted anyway if you're hitting this error.

After that, check if any VSS writers are still broken:

vssadmin list writers

Look for any writer with a state other than "Stable" or an error code. If you see one with [1] Failed or [5] Waiting for completion, note its name and ID. Then restart the associated service. Common offenders:

• System Writer: net stop cryptsvc && net start cryptsvc
• SQL Server Writer: Restart SQL Server or its VSS writer service.
• Exchange Writer: Restart the Exchange Information Store service.

Wait 30 seconds, run vssadmin list writers again. All should be stable. Then try your backup.

Fix #3: Registry Tweak (15+ Minutes, Advanced)

If the error still shows up, there's a log-filled partition or a corrupt VSS context in the registry. I've seen this on heavily patched Windows Server 2016 boxes. Proceed carefully — this can hose your system if you're not precise.

Step A: Check Disk Space

VSS needs free space on the system drive and on any volume being backed up. Run:

fsutil volume diskfree C:

If free space is under 10%, clear out temp files with cleanmgr /sageset:1 && cleanmgr /sagerun:1. Also check the shadow copy storage area:

vssadmin list shadowstorage

If it's maxed out, resize it:

vssadmin resize shadowstorage /for=C: /on=C: /maxsize=5GB

Step B: Clear Corrupt Registry Keys

This one's a last resort. Open regedit, go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VSS\Diag

Look for any keys under PendingSnapshots or VolSnap that reference the error code 0XC01A0020. Right-click and delete them. Back up the key first — right-click, Export. I've seen this hang the system if you delete the wrong thing.

Also check:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VSS\Settings

Add a DWORD called MaxShadowCopies and set it to 64 (decimal). Default is 512, but lower values prevent the system from trying to create too many snapshots at once, which triggers this error when the log buffer gets overwhelmed.

Step C: Reboot and Test

After the registry changes, reboot again. Then run your backup. If it still fails, you're looking at a deeper corruption — run sfc /scannow and dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth from an admin prompt. Takes 30 minutes, but it's the nuclear option.

When to Give Up and Use a Different Tool

If none of that works, don't beat your head against the wall. Switch to a backup tool that doesn't rely on VSS. For file-level backups, Robocopy works fine. For system images, use a third-party tool like Macrium Reflect or Clonezilla. The error is hardware-agnostic — I've seen it on Dell PowerEdges and HP ProLiants equally. It's a Windows bug, not your gear.

Pro tip: If this happens repeatedly, you've probably got a service that's leaking VSS contexts. Check Event Viewer under Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > VolumeShadowCopy. Look for event ID 8220. That tells you exactly which writer is failing. Fix that writer, and the error won't come back.