Volume Shadow Copy

The Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) service manages and implements volume shadow copies and it manages the volume snapshots. If the service is stopped, shadow copies will be unavailable for backup and the backup process may not succeed. The features and applications of the Windows operating system that use VSS include the following:

  • Windows Server Backup
  • Shadow Copies of Shared Folders
  • System Center Data Protection Manager
  • System Restore

This service is installed by default in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, and its startup type is Manual.

When the Volume Shadow Copy service is started in its default configuration, the service logs on by using the Local System account.

The Volume Shadow Copy service is dependent upon the following system components:

  • Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
  • DCOM Server Process Launcher
  • RPC Endpoint Mapper

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