This article details how to troubleshoot problems with CrashPlan. The majority of our users are able to use CrashPlan without reporting any issues. However, when issues arise, we're here to help. This article describes the most-frequently reported issues and provides solutions and next steps for each.
There have been some instances where Crashplan no longer offers support for "older" operating systems.
Please ensure that you are updating your operating systems to remain on supported versions.
There are no new operating system versions CrashPlan is tracking for support during the next quarter.
These operating systems are approaching end of support on endpoint devices running the CrashPlan agent:
These operating systems are no longer supported on endpoint devices running the CrashPlan agent:
By default, Windows does not assign a static drive letter to external drives. For instance, if a drive named D:\ is ejected from the device and then reconnected, it may be assigned a different drive letter. If the drive letter changes, the Code42 app won't recognize the drive because it's still looking for the old drive letter.
To determine if the drive letter changed:
If the letters are different, assign the drive a static drive letter using the original drive letter to correct the issue.
If an external drive stops backing up on a Mac, it is likely because the drive didn't unmount cleanly (for example, after a power outage, or disconnection without ejection). When this happens, the drive can leave behind a "ghost" folder in /Volumes, even though the drive is no longer mounted. When the external drive re-mounts to your device, the "ghost" folder name is already taken, so your device adds a “1” to the external drive's name. However, the Code42 app looks for a folder with the original name, and that folder belongs to a drive that appears to be no longer connected. Use our troubleshooting guide to diagnose and correct this issue.
The "Backup Scheduled - Backup scheduled to begin at X" message displays when the Code42 app is set to run between certain hours and it is outside that time period. To adjust the times that the Code42 app is able to run:
If you see the message, "Routine maintenance - Backup will resume automatically when maintenance completes", the destination is currently performing archive maintenance. Archive maintenance is a normal part of the Code42 app's operation. Backup will resume and the message will disappear once the maintenance process completes.
The "Not recognized - The destination does not recognize this device" message appears when a destination cannot successfully communicate with the Code42 app.
To reauthorize with your destination:
deauthorize
Contact your administrator if you are still unable to back up to the destination after reauthorizing.
If the solutions described above do not resolve the issue, complete the steps below to remove and re-attach your local destination without deleting the archive.
When the Code42 app is unable to back up a file, the History window displays the message "unable to back up n files." This most commonly occurs when the Code42 app is trying to back up a file that is open, encrypted, or lacking proper permissions. This article addresses how to identify which files are not backing up and how to resolve the issue.
The Code42 app on Windows
When the Code42 app is unable to back up a file, the History window displays the message "Unable to backup n files" (where n is the number of files the Code42 app is unable to back up).
Follow these steps to identify the specific files that are not backing up:
W 01/06/13 12:00PM 42 - C:\Users\John\Blackberry\Backup\BlackBerry Tour 9630-1.ipd
I 01/06/13 12:00PM 42 50cd0afdb853e65f1f47c31407ce9a4a 0 C:\Users\Jill\Documents\Outlook Files\outlook.pst (200483653) [1,0,200483653,0,0,0,0]
Once you've identified the problem files, review the information below to determine if the files fit into one of these categories. Additional troubleshooting information is provided for each category.
The Code42 app is designed to back up user files (documents, photos, etc.). It is not designed to back up your operating system or applications. For additional information, see our guide about choosing what to back up.
By default, the Code42 app backs up your user folder, which contains the AppData folder for your computer. Certain files inside AppData can fail to back up with the Code42 app because they:
If the files that are failing to back up are located in the AppData folder, review our guidelines for backing up the AppData folder.
While the Code42 app backs up open files by default, it does not have application-specific "hooks" to back up files that are always being written to (SQL databases, virtual machines, Act! databases, Outlook PST files, Exchange databases). To back up these files:
In the default Windows installation (installing the Code42 app for everyone on the device), the Code42 app relies on the system user's read/write permissions to access your files. However, there are some files or folders the system user may not have permission to access. If you need to back up these files or folders, follow our tutorial to add the system user to the permissions list.
You can tell whether or not a file is encrypted with EFS by the green label in a file browser.
In order to back up files encrypted with EFS, you must install the Code42 app per user. Alternatively, you can remove file encryption using the steps below:
In Windows 8.1, Microsoft introduced smart files to conserve local hard drive space. If you include your OneDrive folder in your backup selection, you may need to make your files available offline before they can be backed up.
When the Code42 app tries to access open files, the Windows Volume Shadow Service (VSS) pauses the application writing to the file and creates a snapshot of it. Sometimes these snapshots don’t get deleted after use. Since VSS limits the permissions on those snapshots, the Code42 app can't back them up. See Understand and troubleshoot backing up open files with Windows VSS for additional details.
Here is an example VSS snapshot:
"\GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy12"
To clear VSS snapshots out of your system, do the following:
vssadmin delete shadows /all
Never reaching 100% backed up is a key indicator that the Code42 app cannot back up one or more files. This troubleshooting article describes how to identify files included in your file selection that cannot be backed up on a Mac.
This article focuses on problems with individual system files not backing up. If your personal files are not backing up, it may be due to Apple privacy restrictions introduced in macOS Catalina 10.15 and macOS Mojave 10.14. See macOS not backing up files with personal data for more details.
Code42 app running on a Mac
Typically, when files fail to back up on a Mac, it's due to the type of files selected for back up. Many of the files that cannot back up are located in the following folders:
Files located in these folders contain system files that your device needs to operate. The Code42 app is designed to back up and restore personal files, not system and application files. If your backup file selection includes these locations, it could interfere with the priority your crucial files are backed up.
For example, files found in your Library folder are mostly temporary or cache files. The Code42 app prioritizes the most recently changed files first. This causes the Code42 app to spend too much time trying to keep up with constantly changing cache files (like your web browser cache). This can hinder the progress of more important files you truly want backed up.
You can use either of the methods below to identify which files are failing to back up.
This document lists every file that the Code42 app has backed up. However, any log lines beginning with a "W" signify a file the Code42 app wasn't able to back up at that time.
grep "^W" /Library/Logs/CrashPlan/backup_files.log.0 | less
grep "^W" ~/Library/Logs/CrashPlan/backup_files.log.0 | less
For Code42 app version 7.0, use backup_files.log for the file name.
backup_files.log
Modify the file selection to include only personal files.
The vast majority of authentication issues are solved by ensuring you're logging on with the correct username (NetID@uic.edu) and/or performing a complete uninstall/re-install of the application.
Please see the following Link for instructions on completely uninstalling and re-installing the application.