Image backup: Backing up System Reserved (SYSVOL) partition failed

Image backup is failing on one of my Windows 11 clients with the log message:

Starting unscheduled full image backup of volume “C:”…
Backing up System Reserved (SYSVOL) partition failed. Image backup failed

I’ve run (as admin) sysvol_test.exe and it gives:

C:\Program Files\UrBackup>sysvol_test.exe
Filesystem. Vol=“\?\Volume{77176374-0000-0000-0000-100000000000}" Name=“ssd_1tb” Type=“ntfs” VPaths=1 Size=960196071424
Bootable flag not set for volume
Filesystem. Vol=”\?\Volume{704eb420-01a3-466b-b22b-142d987f1def}" Name=“ssd_2tb” Type=“ntfs” VPaths=1 Size=2000264617984
GPT formated hard disk encountered. No bootable flag. Attributes = 0
Bootable flag not set for volume
Filesystem. Vol=“\?\Volume{b9b03c14-2d8c-4f24-88aa-b3098ecb2115}" Name=“ssd_2tb_2” Type=“ntfs” VPaths=1 Size=2048390066176
GPT formated hard disk encountered. No bootable flag. Attributes = 0
Bootable flag not set for volume
Filesystem. Vol=”\?\Volume{0dc541df-e3a5-4a6c-b3c6-8bcf317302f6}" Name=“” Type=“” VPaths=0 Size=-1
GetVolumeInformation failed with error code 21. Skipping…
Filesystem. Vol=“\?\Volume{d212f0f1-2710-0000-bb59-806e6f6e6963}" Name=“nvme_1” Type=“ntfs” VPaths=1 Size=1236408463360
Filesystem is System partition. Skipping…
Filesystem. Vol=”\?\Volume{08fc996a-65ae-494b-87de-f3c3cd58827a}" Name=“nvme_1_2” Type=“ntfs” VPaths=1 Size=810408734720
GPT formated hard disk encountered. No bootable flag. Attributes = 0
Bootable flag not set for volume
Filesystem. Vol=“\?\Volume{9cbb21bf-2de7-4b63-9376-467c0ba974ae}" Name=”" Type=“” VPaths=0 Size=-1
GetVolumeInformation failed with error code 21. Skipping…
Filesystem. Vol=“\?\Volume{dd4aacb6-e56e-428f-988d-79d6b94820f6}" Name=“nvme_3” Type=“ntfs” VPaths=1 Size=2048390066176
GPT formated hard disk encountered. No bootable flag. Attributes = 0
Bootable flag not set for volume
Filesystem. Vol=”\?\Volume{f0c26848-fe65-af77-d3f3-1b7897850517}" Name=“nvme_2” Type=“ntfs” VPaths=1 Size=2000397791232
GPT formated hard disk encountered. No bootable flag. Attributes = 0
Bootable flag not set for volume
Filesystem. Vol=“\?\Volume{97e4c2ed-d8b7-427d-832a-7f7b789f17d6}" Name=”" Type=“fat32” VPaths=1 Size=100663296
GPT formated hard disk encountered. No bootable flag. Attributes = -9223372036854775808
Do not automount is set
Bootable flag not set for volume
Found potential candidate: \?\Volume{97e4c2ed-d8b7-427d-832a-7f7b789f17d6}\ Score: 2
Filesystem. Vol=“\?\Volume{281fa19c-9cd4-11ee-9a92-806e6f6e6963}" Name=”" Type=“” VPaths=0 Size=-1
GetVolumeInformation failed with error code 21. Skipping…
Filesystem. Vol=“\?\Volume{882aeb0e-5989-11f0-9b2d-001a7dda7113}" Name=“google drive” Type=“fat32” VPaths=1 Size=1236408463360
Bootable flag not set for volume
Filesystem. Vol=”\?\Volume{85d188fc-0290-11ec-99f6-806e6f6e6963}" Name=“” Type=“” VPaths=1 Size=-1
GetVolumeInformation failed with error code 21. Skipping…
Selected volume \?\Volume{97e4c2ed-d8b7-427d-832a-7f7b789f17d6} (Z:)
Found sysvol “\?\Volume{97e4c2ed-d8b7-427d-832a-7f7b789f17d6}” Path: "Z:"
Trying to open SYSVOL(\?\Volume{97e4c2ed-d8b7-427d-832a-7f7b789f17d6})…
Successfully opened SYSVOL.
System dir: C:\WINDOWS
Volpath: \.\C:
EFI partition with type UUID {DE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC}
EFI partition with type UUID {C12A7328-F81F-11D2-BA4B-00A0C93EC93B}
EFI System Partition is at \?\GLOBALROOT\Device\Harddisk3\Partition2
Found EFI System Partition “\?\GLOBALROOT\Device\Harddisk3\Partition2” Path: "Z:"
Trying to open EFI System Partition(\?\GLOBALROOT\Device\Harddisk3\Partition2)…
Successfully opened EFI System Partition.

Disk Management shows the following for my disks, note that Disk 3 contains the main Windows C partition and also the 100MB EFI system partition and also two (for some reason) Recovery partitions - the 100MB EFI is the “SYSVOL” that it’s failing to backup, correct?

This USED to work on this machine; I believe the issue may have started when I installed Fedora Linux onto a separate NVME drive (completely separate from the main Windows drive). I’ve since removed that Fedora install and reformatted that NVME drive and boot straight to Windows once more (not via the Grub booter that Fedora had created). In my BIOS it’s booting with UEFI / “Other OS” (not Secure Boot) using the “Windows” loader in the boot priority list.

In Windows, I can see the Z: drive letter has been assigned to the 100MB System partition, is this expected? That letter assignment isn’t visible in Disk Management but I can see it in diskpart. I tried removing the Z: assignment but it made no difference and it came back after reboot.

Any ideas what I can try to fix image installs?

I have had problems backing up such small partitions (100mb) that Microsoft creates for EFI/MBR partitions. And in the future, many times windows won’t upgrade to a new version with such small boot partitions. Both with urbackup and Windows server backup. The partition is so small that there is no temporary space on it while backing up. Also newer versions of operating systems need a larger EFI partitions. So this probably needs to be fixed although I don’t think it is the root of the problem you are having. Make sure you have a full backup, using the bootable version of macrium reflect or some other software. Then use a tool such a mini partition wizard free, etc to increase the size of the 100mb partition to at least 500mb. The two recovery partitions are most likely from an original OEM recovery partition and one or more windows upgrades (from 7 to 10 to 11, etc). Windows creates new recovery partitions and doesn’t overwrite an old recovery partition. If you always have a bootable Windows recovery usb stick that boots, then you can delete the recovery partitions. Again, make sure you have a full disk image using another tool before attempting to resize your partitions as it can make the machine unbootable.

Using a disk partitioning tool, you could combine the 100Mb EFI with the 499Mb recovery partition. Then use commands such as shown here How to Restore Deleted EFI System Partition in Windows | Windows OS Hub to restore the appropriate files to EFI partition so the computer boots.

Also, if you recently upgraded the version of URBackup you are using, I encountered this on a dual-boot computer. This hasn’t been fixed in urbackup and thus, I have switched to other imaging tools that work for EFI. Dual boot system has "Backing up EFI System Partition failed. Image backup failed" after client update