Article ID: 952272 - Last Review: January 29, 2009 - Revision: 2.1

Error message when you try to perform a full backup on a Windows Vista-based computer: "The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error"

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SYMPTOMS

When you try to perform a full backup on a Windows Vista-based computer, you may receive one of the following error messages before the backup of the first drive is complete:

The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error (0x8007045D)
Please rerun backup once issue is resolved.

The request could not be performed because of an I/O device error (2147943517)
Please rerun backup once issue is resolved.

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Note

Error codes 2147943517 and 0x8007045D both represent the same "ERROR_IO_DEVICE" error.

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RESOLUTION

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Notes

To check for disk errors, run the Checkdsk.exe tool on the drives that have to be backed up and on the backup location.
You do not have to run checkdsk on the backup media if you are backing up to media such as a CD or DVD.

To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

Click Start
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, type cmd in the Start Search box, right-click cmd.exe in the Programs list, and then click Run as administrator.

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If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.
At a command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
Chkdsk /R X:
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Note In this command, X: is a placeholder that represents the drive letter of the volume that you want to check.
Press Y when you are prompted to check the disk the next time that the system restarts.
Close all applications, and then restart the computer.
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Note During the restart process, Windows checks the disk for errors, and then Windows starts.
After the computer restarts, repeat steps 1 through 4 for the other volume, and then rerun the backup operation.

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Advanced Troubleshooting

This section includes an advanced troubleshooting method to try if the steps in the "Resolution” section do not work. This method is intended for advanced users only.

The backup may still fail, and you may receive the following error code:

0x8007045D

These conditions may occur after you run chkdsk on the backup source and on the destination locations. In this case, you may be experiencing a rare issue where backup fails, and you receive the 0x8007045D error, at the very end of the backup process when it is around 99% complete. This rare issue can occur when the backup fails because the last cluster on the volume has gone bad. You should be aware that chkdsk.exe does not handle this situation.

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WORKAROUND

To work around this issue in which the last cluster has gone bad, you can shrink or extend the volume by several megabytes to move the last cluster of the volume to a different area. Then, you can run chkdsk again.

For more information about how to expand or extend the volume by several megabytes, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731894.aspx (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731894.aspx)

After the chkdsk process is complete, perform the backup operation again.

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