System Restore Point Creation Failed on Windows 10/11

When this error shows up

You click Create in System Protection tab (right-click This PC > Properties > System Protection). The progress bar gets to about 20% then stops. After a minute you get "The restore point could not be created. An unspecified error occurred" with code 0x80042308. This is common after a Windows Update (like KB5023706 on Windows 11 22H2) or after you install third-party backup software (Macrium Reflect, Acronis True Image).

What's actually happening here

The error code 0x80042308 means the Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) service started a snapshot but couldn't flush the writes. VSS needs free space on the drive — at least 300 MB, but realistically 1 GB for a restore point. It also needs the VSS writers (like System Writer, Registry Writer) to be in a stable state. If one writer is hung or corrupted, the whole snapshot fails. The reason is almost always: low disk space or a stuck VSS writer from a recent software install.

Quick check before the fix

Open File Explorer, right-click your system drive (usually C:), and check free space. If you have less than 5% free (under 10 GB on a 256 GB SSD), that's likely your problem. Go to Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) and delete temp files, Windows Update cache, and Recycle Bin. Then try again. If that fixes it, stop here. If not, move to the steps below.

The fix: reset VSS and check writers

These steps restart VSS, clear bad writers, then recreate the restore point. Run them in order.

1. Open Command Prompt as Admin
   Press Win + X, choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). Confirm UAC prompt.
2. Stop and restart VSS services
   Run these one by one:

   net stop vss
   net stop swprv
   net start vss
   net start swprv

   The swprv service is the Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider. If it won't start, check the Event Viewer under System for VSS errors.
3. Check VSS writers
   Run:

   vssadmin list writers

   You'll see a list like "Writer Name: 'System Writer' State: [1] Stable" — that's normal. If any writer shows Failed or Retryable error, note the writer name. This is rare but happens after a bad driver or Windows Update.
4. If a writer is failed, fix it
   Let's say System Writer is failed. Run this:

   reg delete "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VSS\Diag" /v SystemWriter /f

   Then restart the VSS services from step 2 again. Then verify with vssadmin list writers — it should show Stable now.
5. Run SFC and DISM
   System file corruption can break VSS. Run:

   sfc /scannow
   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

   SFC scans system files and replaces bad ones. DISM fixes the component store that SFC uses. Do both even if SFC says "no integrity violations" — DISM sometimes finds issues SFC misses. Wait for DISM to finish, it can take 10 minutes.
6. Create the restore point again
   Go to System Protection tab, click Create, give it a name like "Before driver update". If it succeeds, you're done.

If it still fails

Two things to check:

• Third-party backup software — Macrium Reflect, Acronis, or even some antivirus tools (like McAfee) install their own VSS filters. They can block Windows from creating its own restore points. Disable or uninstall the backup tool, reboot, try again. If it works, that software is the problem — you can keep it but you'll need to use their own restore point system.
• Check the Event Viewer logs — Open Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc), go to Windows Logs > System, filter by source "VSS". Look for event IDs 13, 14, or 12290. They will mention the specific VSS writer or volume that failed. For example, event 12290 with "Non-retryable error" means the disk has bad sectors — run chkdsk C: /f and reboot to fix.

That's it. The restore point feature on Windows 10/11 is fragile — it's not designed for daily use. If you need real backups, use something like Macrium Reflect or Veeam Agent. But for quick system protection before risky changes, this fix gets it working.