Intel SSD Toolbox and warning "The VVS (Volume Shadow Copy) service...

[NorseGuy]

Hi, I have installed Intel X25-M 160 GB SSD Gen 2 into my laptop (and it is only drive that is installed), I have the latest firmware for the SSD drive, and I downloaded the Intel Solid State Drive Toolbox.

I am running both Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit and XP pro 32bit on two different partitions (got the Intel sata ahchi drivers drivers included in the XP installation CD to get it working together with Windows 7). The AHCI is activated in bios and everything works perfectly... except for the Intel's Tool Box "Intel SSD Manage Tools" where I would like to use the Intel SSD Optimizer for trimming. But when attempting to do so, I get the warning: "

"The VSS (Volume Shadow Copy) service is either disabled or not functioning properly. If you run the Intel® SSD Optimizer with the VSS service disabled, previously-created restore points or other shadow copies created by the operating system or third-party applications may become corrupt. If you intentionally disabled the VSS service for performance or other reasons and wish to continue running the Intel SSD Optimizer, click Continue."

I have never before found an option for "Volume Shadow Copy" on XP nor Windows 7 on my disk manager.

Well, I wouldn't do anything wrong by running the trim without getting some opinions on it, so I decided to ask on a forum. (I have tried searching all over the internet for the specific warning, but I only get two pages up and they are a dead-end. I have been browsing through messages on this forum as well, but I gave up after fifteen minutes. (There are so many messages.)

It doesn't matter whether I am trying this toolbox function on XP or Windows 7. I receive the same warning.

I have read some places that the trim function works automatically when running Windows 7, so should I simply not use the Intel's Solid State Tool Box manually?

I tried turning off the system restore on Windows 7 and when it didn't work i turned it on again.

Thanks for your guidance and opinion.

Sincerely,

Alex

Screenshot:

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[evongugg]

Check how much space VSS is using:

The Case of the Mysterious Volume Shadow Copy Service

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/windows-vista-solutions,review-1179-2.html

 

[evongugg]

You don't need to manually TRIM the drive, unless you want to.
Windows 7 will TRIM it for you. Windows XP can't TRIM it.

 

[sminlal]

> You don't need to manually TRIM the drive, unless you want to. Windows 7 will TRIM it for you. Windows XP can't TRIM it.

If he's dual-booting both Windows 7 and XP then he'll need to use the toolbox utility to do manual trims. Windows 7 will TRIM any space it releases while it's the booted OS, but when XP is running it won't. The space freed under XP will never be marked as trimmed unless it's done with the Intel utility.

To the OP: have you checked to see if the VS is actually running?

Start -> Right-Click "Computer" -> Manage

Navigate to "Services and Applications -> Services" in the left pane

Scroll down to the "Volume Shadow Copy" service.


(Those are Windows 7 instructions). On my Win7 system, the service is not started and is set to "manual" startup. If your service's startup type is set to "disabled" for some reason that would certainly explain the message you're getting.

 

[NorseGuy]

evongugg and sminlal: Thank you so much keeping to the issue and solving my problem! Before posting here, I had tried searching for "volume shadow copy", but got some total other instruction as where to enter on the machine (as I believe the articles I came to were referring to another operative system).

On my XP it was put on "manual", so I have just changed it to "automatic".

So now I will just turn restart the machine and also see how much space VVS is using, and see if the trim function will start without a warning.

Considerate as sminlal was by pointing to the fact of my dual OS and that I would have to use the manual trim function when running XP, I was before posting here afraid that the dual OS somehow would render the trim function dysfunctional.

I will give you feedback on how it goes.

Again, thank you so much for your accurate help

Sincerely,

Alex

> You don't need to manually TRIM the drive, unless you want to. Windows 7 will TRIM it for you. Windows XP can't TRIM it.

If he's dual-booting both Windows 7 and XP then he'll need to use the toolbox utility to do manual trims. Windows 7 will TRIM any space it releases while it's the booted OS, but when XP is running it won't. The space freed under XP will never be marked as trimmed unless it's done with the Intel utility.

To the OP: have you checked to see if the VS is actually running?

Start -> Right-Click "Computer" -> Manage

Navigate to "Services and Applications -> Services" in the left pane

Scroll down to the "Volume Shadow Copy" service.

 

[NorseGuy]

Unfortunately I haven't got it to work yet. In "Services and Applications" I set the "Volume Shadow Copy" on automatic.

Then tried the Intel's tool again. The same warning as explained in my first post occured.

Must Volume Shadow Copy perhaps spend some time to create these shadow copies before they are shown as active perhaps?

I entered "Run" --> "cmd" as was shown in the article to see what was shown in dos. When i type "vssadmin /?" (or just 'vssadmin' or anything similar), the only thing I get up is.

(Translated from Norwegian)

"c:\Users\NorseGuy\vssadmin /?
vssadmin 1.0 - Volume Shapshot Service, administrative commandtools
<C> Copyright 2001 Microsoft Corporation

Use:

vssadmin list shadows [/set=set-GUID for shadow copy]
Lists up all shadow copies on the system, grouped from shadow copy set.

-ID

vssadmin list writers
Lists up all writers on the system

vssadmin lists providers
Lists up all installed shandow copy providers

c:\Users\NorseGuy"

It seems to me that either I have misunderstood how to write the command, or that there's no Volume Shadow Copy in my system.

I understand very little of this. I read the article evongugg provided me, but it doesn't explains my problems with this.

I tried deleting the 'normal system restore' and initialised it over again, entering a manual system restore point to be sure that it was running, in case that is related with the Volume Shadow Copy.

Again thank you for your efforts in helping me with this problem.

Sincerely,

Alex

 

[sminlal]

Are you using a non-English version of Windows? The thread below seems to suggest that can cause this problem (see post number 12):

http://communities.intel.com/message/79065

 

[NorseGuy]

You're so good at finding articles related to problems!

Yes, I am using the Norwegian edition of XP pro. However, the people in the article were all complaining that the Intel Solid State Box wouldn't work its trim function. I works on my XP, (I just tested it on the D disk since I have no programs on it) but as I started this post with, I receive this warning message going like (my own words) "volume shadow copy is either disabled/no volume shadow copy can be found which can cause files to vanish during a trim".

But the article problably explains why I couldn't find any trace of the Volume Shadow Copy when using vssadmin.

You're definitely a great detective. Thank you for your efforts.

(If you read my response to the article above, I installed XP first on the SSD drive prior to installing Windows 7, and since I was using XPs partitioning system I have too small partitions on the drive, so I wonder whether the only sane thing is reinstalling the whole thing. Anyway, I have been learning a lot from reading here (and 'there and everywhere') this evening, and I am grateful for your thorough and concrete help )

 

[sminlal]

You're so good at finding articles related to problems!

It really wasn't that hard. I Googled "intel toolbox volume" and the second search result was the one I linked to.