If you’re getting the ‘VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout’ error, it’s usually because your computer has been idle for too long. To fix this, you can either increase the idle timeout or disable the VSS service.

If you receive the error message ‘VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout’, it means that the Volume Shadow Copy service on your computer is being automatically shut down because it has been idle for too long. This can be caused by several factors, including a lack of available storage space, an over-abundance of unnecessary shadow copies, or a problem with the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service itself.

There are a few simple steps you can take to fix this problem and get the Volume Shadow Copy service up and running again. First, check to make sure that there is enough free space on your hard drive. The Volume Shadow Copy service requires a minimum of 300MB of free space to function properly. If you don’t have enough free space, try deleting some unnecessary files or programs to free up some space.

Next, take a look at the number of shadow copies that are on your system. If there are too many, it can cause the Volume Shadow Copy service to shut down. To view the shadow copies, open the Command Prompt and type ‘vssadmin list shadows’. To delete a shadow copy, type ‘vssadmin delete shadows /shadow:’ followed by the name of the shadow copy you want to delete.

If you’ve checked for free space and reduced the number of shadow copies on your system and you’re still receiving the ‘VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout’ error, there may be a problem with the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service itself. To fix this, you can try restarting the service. To do this, open the Services window (press the Windows key + R, type ‘services.msc’ and press Enter) and find the Volume Shadow Copy service. Right-click on it and select ‘Restart’ from the menu.

If you’re still having trouble, you can try resetting the Volume Shadow Copy service to its default settings. To do this, open the Registry Editor (press the Windows key + R, type ‘regedit’ and press Enter) and navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VSS

Right-click on the ‘VSS’ key and select ‘Export’ from the menu. Save the file somewhere safe in case you need to revert the changes. Then, delete the ‘VSS’ key and restart your computer. The Volume Shadow Copy service will be reset to its default settings and should start working again.

What is the ‘VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout’ Error?

The ‘VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout’ error is a relatively common error that can occur when using the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).

The VSS service is responsible for taking snapshots of files and folders on a computer, which can be used for backup and restoration purposes. When the VSS service is shut down due to an idle timeout, it means that the service has not been used for a period of time and the system has automatically shut it down to conserve resources.

In most cases, this error is not harmful and can be safely ignored. However, if you are regularly getting this error, it may be an indication that the VSS service is not properly configured on your system.

There are a few different ways to fix the ‘VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout’ error.

The first thing you can try is to increase the ‘Idle Time-out’ setting for the VSS service. This can be done by opening the ‘Services’ snap-in (press the ‘Windows + R’ keys and type ‘services.msc’ into the ‘Run’ dialog box, then press ‘Enter’), finding the ‘Volume Shadow Copy’ service, right-clicking on it and selecting ‘Properties’.

In the ‘Properties’ dialog box, change the ‘Startup type’ to ‘Automatic’ and click on the ‘Recovery’ tab. In the ‘First failure’ and ‘Second failure’ drop-down boxes, select ‘Restart the Service’. Finally, click on the ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’ buttons to save the changes.

If increasing the ‘Idle Time-out’ setting does not fix the problem, you can try disabling the VSS service altogether. This can be done by opening the ‘Services’ snap-in and finding the ‘Volume Shadow Copy’ service. Right-click on the service and select ‘Properties’.

In the ‘Properties’ dialog box, change the ‘Startup type’ to ‘Disabled’ and click on the ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’ buttons to save the changes.

If you are still getting the ‘VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout’ error, it is likely that there is a problem with the VSS service on your system. In this case, the best course of action is to contact Microsoft support for further assistance.

How to Fix the ‘VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout’ Error?

The ‘VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout’ error is a common error that can occur when using the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). This error can be caused by a number of factors, but is most commonly caused by an issue with the VSS service itself.

There are a few different ways to fix this error, depending on the cause. The most common cause of this error is an issue with the VSS service itself. To fix this, you can try restarting the VSS service. To do this, open the Services Manager ( services.msc ) and locate the Volume Shadow Copy service. Right-click on the service and select Restart.

If the issue is still not resolved, you can try deleting the VSS service and recreating it. To do this, open the Registry Editor ( regedit.exe ) and navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VSS

Delete the VSS key and restart the computer. VSS will be automatically recreated when the computer is restarted.

If you are still having issues, it is likely that there is a problem with the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service itself. In this case, the best course of action is to contact Microsoft support for further assistance.

Conclusion

If you’re getting the ‘VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout’ error, it’s likely because the Volume Shadow Copy service is configured to automatically shut down when it’s not in use. To fix this, you’ll need to change the service’s startup type to ‘Automatic (Delayed Start)’.

Once you’ve done that, restart your computer and the error should be gone.

Additional Resources

The “VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout” error is a common error that can occur when using the Volume Shadow Copy service in Windows. This error can be caused by a variety of factors, but is typically due to the VSS service not being able to communicate with the Windows Shadow Copy service.

There are a few things that you can do to fix this error:

First, make sure that the Volume Shadow Copy service is running. You can do this by going to Start > Administrative Tools > Services and looking for the “Volume Shadow Copy” service. If it is not running, start it.

Next, check the event logs for any errors that may be related to the VSS service. You can do this by going to Start > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer. Look for any errors that have the source “VSS” or “ShadowCopy”.

Finally, you can try restarting the VSS service. To do this, go to Start > Administrative Tools > Services and find the “Volume Shadow Copy” service. Right-click on it and select “Restart”.

If you are still seeing the “VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout” error, there may be a more serious problem with the Volume Shadow Copy service. In this case, you may need to contact Microsoft support for assistance.

FAQs

When you see the error message “VSS Service is Shutting Down Due to Idle Timeout”, it means that the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is having trouble communicating with your computer. This can be caused by a number of different factors, but the most common is that the VSS service is not running.

If you are seeing this error message, there are a few things you can do to fix it:

1. Check that the VSS service is running

The first thing to do is to check that the VSS service is running. To do this, open the Services window (press the Windows key + R, type services.msc and press Enter) and look for the service named “Volume Shadow Copy”. If the service is not running, right-click on it and click Start.

2. Check the Event Viewer

If the VSS service is running but you are still seeing the error message, the next step is to check the Event Viewer. This can give you more information about what is causing the problem.

To open the Event Viewer, press the Windows key + R, type eventvwr.msc and press Enter. In the Event Viewer window, expand the Windows Logs node and click on Application. Look for any errors that have the source “VSS”. If you find any, double-click on them and copy the text to a text file so you can research the error further.

3. Check for updates

If you are still seeing the error after checking the Event Viewer, the next step is to check for updates. It’s possible that there is a problem with the VSS service that has been fixed in a recent update.

To check for updates, open the Settings app (press the Windows key + I) and go to Updates & Security. Click Check for Updates and install any updates that are found.

4. Restart the computer

If you have tried all of the above and you are still seeing the error, the next step is to restart the computer. This will give the VSS service a chance to start fresh and hopefully fix the problem.

5. Contact support

If you have tried all of the above and you are still seeing the error, the next step is to contact support. They will be able to help you further troubleshoot the problem.