How to fix System Restore error 0x80042306 in Windows

Error code 0x80042306 occurs when trying to create a restore point in Windows. It prevents the creation of new restore points in the system and usually occurs when the system does not have enough free space, there is a problem with the Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) service, or a background process conflicts with the recovery utility.

The following article will cover different troubleshooting methods that you can try to fix system recovery error 0x80042306 in Windows.

Note : You should boot into the admin account before continuing.

1. Make sure you have enough space

Restore points require free space on the drive on which they are stored. The amount of space this restore point requires usually depends on the size and complexity of the system configuration.

If you don't have enough space on the drive, the recovery utility may return error 0x80042306. This is why you should start by making sure that there is enough free space for System Restore to work properly. You can delete unnecessary items to increase space manually or use the Disk Cleanup utility provided by Microsoft by default.

Alternatively, you can also increase the disk space allocated to System Restore in the System Protection settings. Here's how you can do it:

1. Type "Create a restore point" in the Windows search utility and click Open.

2. In the following dialog, go to the System Protection tab .

3. Click the Configure button and use the Max usage slider to adjust the drive percentage to your preference.

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4. Click Apply > OK to save the changes.

Once the changes are made, check if you can now create a restore point without any problems.

2. Restart the Volume Shadow Copy service

You may also experience problems if the Volume Shadow Copy service is disabled or simply not working properly.

This service allows to create backups of files and volumes in Windows. It is used by the restore utility to take snapshots of the items being backed up, and if it doesn't work for any reason, you may have problems.

To make sure this service works properly, you can restart the service using the Services utility. Follow the steps below to continue:

1. Press the Win + R key combination to open Run.

2. Type "services.msc" in Run and press Enter.

3. In the Services window , scroll down to find the Volume Shadow Copy service and right click on it.

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4. Select Properties from the context menu.

5. Now click the Stop button , wait a few seconds and press Start .

6. Make sure the Startup type is set to Automatic .

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7. Finally, click Apply > OK to save the changes.

Do the same with the Windows Backup service and check if the problem is resolved.

3. Re-register VSS . components

If restarting the Volume Shadow Copy service doesn't work, you can also try re-registering VSS components through the Command Prompt.

Here's how to proceed:

1. Press the Win + R key combination to open Run.
2. Type "cmd" in Run and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open CMD with admin rights.
3. Click Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
4. Now, execute the following commands one by one:
   

   cd /d %windir%system32net stop vssnet stop swprvregsvr32 /s ole32.dllregsvr32 /s oleaut32.dllregsvr32 /s vss_ps.dllvssvc /registerregsvr32 /s /i   swprv.dllregsvr32 /s /i eventcls.dllregsvr32 /s es.dllregsvr32 /s stdprov.dllregsvr32 /s vssui.dllregsvr32 /s msxml.dllregsvr32 /s msxml3.dllregsvr32 /s msxml4.dllvssvc /registernet start swprvnet start vss

5. Once you have re-registered the VSS components, close CMD and try to create the restore point again.

If a problem in VSS components is causing the problem, restarting the components will fix the problem.

4. Create a restore point in Safe Mode

In some cases, conflicting background processes can also prevent the System Restore utility from creating a successful restore point. The best way to make sure there are no apps or programs running in the background interrupting System Restore's functionality is to try creating a restore point in Safe Mode.

This mode launches Windows with a minimal set of drivers and services, which can help isolate problems and prevent any possible conflicts in normal mode. Here's how you can boot into Safe Mode:

After entering Safe Mode, try creating a restore point again and check if the problem is resolved.

5. Scan your system for corruption

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The System Restore utility itself may be experiencing corruption errors that prevent it from working properly. To repair any corrupted system files, you should use the System File Checker (SFC) and Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tools. SFC works by scanning protected system files for potential problems. If an issue is detected, it will replace the corrupted file with the error-free cached version.

DISM, on the other hand, works by repairing corrupted system images. TipsMake has a guide on how to use SFC and DISM in Windows that you can refer to for the right steps.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 01 June 2023