Windows Backup failing with error code 0x81000039… here’s a solution

My Windows Backup has been failing to complete for a while, after churning away for ages. I use it to backup a data drive and make a system image onto a NAS (a 1GB RAID5 Netgear ReadyNAS Duo, which is Linux based). I wasn’t that fussed for a while as I have other backups that are working, but finally this morning I chased the beggar down.

It was failing with error code 0x81000039. Some searching led me up a few garden paths, and then to this post:  http://www.wincert.net/tips/microsoft-windows/2072-windows-backup-fails-with-error-code-0x81000039.html

I tried it without much hope, because the post suggested this was to do with accessing a drive on a Windows XP machine…

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Then I restarted my backup job… it worked!  I don’t think I’d come across Wincert before, but they seem to know what they are talking about, and there are some good tech posts on their blog.