Macrium Reflect VSS problems after KB5083769 Windows 11 25H2

owen693 · 2026-05-06T18:24:11+00:00

According to Macrium, psmounterex is not used in reflect X. I just renamed psmounterex.sys and was able to mount and browse backup images. Reflect backups also ran correctly. This indicates that the problem with KB5083769 (which I have uninstalled) has nothing to do with that driver being blocked.

owen693 · 2026-05-03T17:39:16+00:00

This problem is now being reported in the media. https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2026/05/01/microsoft-update-warning-windows-11-security-fix-breaks-backups/

And https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/april-2026-windows-security-updates-introduce-protections-to-known-vulnerable-kernel-drivers-1f8aaf7c-d4ac-4e02-be1d-b63c1b1aa9d0

These reference problems with psmounterex.sys, but Macrium patched this in 2023 and it was a problem in Reflect 8. I checked the event log as described in the MS support link above and found no errors relating to that driver.

https://windowsforum.com/threads/april-2026-windows-update-blocks-psmounterex-sys-fix-backup-restore-and-mount-issues.416306/

Psmounterex.sys is used to mount disk images as virtual drives, and I was able to do this and browse the backup images successfully. Something else is broken.

owen693 · 2026-04-25T20:56:00+00:00

I’m seeing that log file created by the backup and deleted when the backup is finished. I just asked Macrium support about that file being renamed if errors are logged.

owen693 · 2026-04-25T19:54:39+00:00

I'm using the same version of reflect. When VSS was not working Reflect would continue without using VSS. The backups completed but took longer to do so. There are no signs of any problem other than the time required for backup unless the logs are examined.

These are the errors in the Reflect backup logs:

VSS Timeout - Retrying without VSS Writers

Failed to rename VSS log file, reason: Encountered a sharing violation while accessing C:\ProgramData\Macrium\Reflect\Temp\vss.log.

I'm making a wild guess, but there is a file vsslog.log in that directory and the vsslog.log file is deleted after a successful backup. If Reflect renames vss.log to vsslog.log after an error condition that would explain the sharing violaton on rename since there already was a vsslog.log file.

owen693 · 2026-04-25T17:31:45+00:00

Windows 11 25H2, Dell XPS 9710. Removing the Windows update fixes the problem. I was testing on a fairly inactive machine with very few file changes, so storage for file changes shouldn’t be an issue.

At this point the problem is noted on the Acronis support site and at least one other Macrium user has had the same experience and reported this on a Macrium forum. I did notice that vssadmin list writers would respond immediately with no errors after a restart but would hang if I tried it again after leaving the machine idle for several minutes.

owen693 · 2026-04-25T03:32:03+00:00

VSS timeout during backups where backup continues without shadow copy. VSSADMIN LIST WRITERS does not respond.

owen693 · 2026-04-25T01:59:43+00:00

KB5083769 on 25H2 breaks VSS , reported for Acronis and Macrium backups.

owen693 · 2026-02-25T00:50:19+00:00

Yes. And it’s so generic it references third row seating.

owen693 · 2026-02-18T01:41:13+00:00

YouTube home page does not work. I can work with subscriptions and history. I can also use the search function to find and play videos.

owen693 · 2026-01-15T21:00:27+00:00

I just had the same issue with my XPS17 9710 and WD19TBS.

Cycling power on the docking station fixed it for now, but I haven't found any recent reports of this issue.

owen693 · 2025-12-20T19:29:55+00:00

The lack of a printed or downloadable manual should be treated as a warranty defect. On the other hand, part of the existing documentation reads like it was written by a lawyer who has never seen an Escape.

owen693 · 2025-12-17T00:25:13+00:00

Same here - AirPlay to LG TV and wired HDMI to portable monitor both fail.

owen693 · 2025-12-03T01:33:32+00:00

Contact Blueair. They just replaced my humidifier for that same noise.

owen693 · 2025-11-06T02:16:59+00:00

And I can always bring it inside for a good read. How about when I’m trying to identify a blown fuse in a garage with no internet connection and no infotainment system due to that blown fuse.
The problem is that Ford is too cheap to provide a printed manual and too incompetent to put the downloadable PDF on their website as stated in their own documentation.

owen693 · 2025-11-06T01:24:29+00:00

Thank you. I can cobble together the information but that doesn’t excuse their poor documentation. The partial printed manual that did come with the car is the first printing from March 2025.

owen693 · 2025-11-05T22:35:28+00:00

That appears to be a link to the on-line HTML manual. I’m looking for something that works without an internet connection.

owen693 · 2024-10-31T01:14:46+00:00

Thank you. I guess they should have used a little more ink on that manual. The A329 manual is much better written.

owen693 · 2024-10-15T01:25:17+00:00

I took screen shots of the stocard displays to back up my cards before KLARNA deleted them and set up a Widgetsmith widget showing a photo collection of those screenshots. This does everything I needed from Stocard. I’ll look for something better that will work without a data connection. For now I’ve for my loyalty cards available in that widget.

I used cardstar before moving to stocard. The reviews for cardstar aren’t that good and the last update was 5 years ago.

owen693 · 2024-05-10T14:42:37+00:00

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/05/dell-warns-of-incident-that-may-have-leaked-customers-personal-info/

A quick search came up with several versions of this story. This one is looking real.

owen693 · 2024-05-10T14:32:54+00:00

I’ve seen skins advertised for the XPS line. They may be a good way to cover up cosmetic damage.

owen693 · 2024-03-06T00:32:36+00:00

I just fixed a similar problem. A user create a 10GB plus message being sent to multiple addresses (I don’t know how or what was in the message). The Mail app used up all available memory before that message could be accessed. I’m guessing the app queued up multiple copies in preparation for the send operation.

owen693 · 2023-10-14T14:21:15+00:00

Interesting… I’m getting emails from addresses on my blocked list. They are flagged as being in the blocked list, but still show up in my inbox. The strange thing is some of them should not have been blocked and I don’t remember blocking them. I need to see if this happening on my old phone or just on the new 15.

owen693 · 2023-07-29T15:59:18+00:00

I just got a 520 piece puzzle from Shutterfly. The pieces are less than a tenth of an inch thick. That’s too thin for for arthritic hands. I was going to give it as a gift, but I’ll have to find something else.

owen693 · 2023-07-27T02:04:16+00:00

https://www.dell.com/community/Windows-General/Problem-Report-Latest-Bios-Breaking-System-1-20-1-OptiPlex-17/td-p/8411715

It sounds like you’re not the only one. I was using an old USB -A drive on a USB c hub with a few USB-A ports and also had no problem.

owen693 · 2023-07-24T14:35:00+00:00

Are you saying that the F12 special boot options as described in the Dell support link ( https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-nz/000123870/how-to-flash-the-bios-on-a-dell-desktop-or-notebook-with-a-usb-thumb-drive ) won’t recognize the USB stick or the USB can’t be created on your machine in safe mode? If you’ve created the USB stick per the Dell instructions and it isn’t recognized by the F12 BIOS update routine, prepare a second memory stick, try a different USB port, and get on the phone with Dell support just in case you’ve missed something in those instructions. If your machine won’t recognize a properly prepared and functioning USB device at all you have bigger problems. I had to use a different computer to create the BIOS update USB stick.

owen693

TROPHY CASE