Troubleshooting Backup Issues

Should backups fail, and they do, there are several places to begin the troubleshooting:

• Check the device and the media physically.

• Check the device manager and driver.

• Check the event logs.

• Check the backup log.

• If using tape drives, check the media pools.

• Check the disk space available for storage both on the media and on the server.

• Check the Usenet archives on Google groups.

• Check the Microsoft Knowledge Base if using NTBackup or the vendor site if using third-party backup software.

• Don't forget simple issues like unformatted media, write locks on tapes, and so on.

• Check for conflicting running processes and open files.

• Do a manual backup and watch for error pop-ups.

This is not an exhaustive list but hopefully provides some ideas for where to start. Like all debugging, it is half experience, half luck, and half black art.