ERROR - The location for backup is a critical volume.\The backup storage location is invalid. - Safe Backup Plus

ERROR - The location for backup is a critical volume.\The backup storage location is invalid. - Safe Backup Plus

Symptoms

When you try to do a system state backup to a volume on which the system state file stays, you receive an error, as mentioned below:
In Windows Server 2008, you receive the following error:
ERROR - The location for backup is a critical volume.
In Windows Server 2008 R2, you receive the following error:
ERROR - The backup storage location is invalid. You cannot use a volume that is included in the backup as a storage location.
Important
This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs.

Cause

This behavior occurs because system state backups to critical volumes are blocked in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Resolution

You can change the default behavior of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 by adding a registry entry. You must also verify that the following prerequisites are met before you do a system state backup to a critical volume.

Prerequisites to do system state backups to critical volumes

  1. Make sure that the target volume has no shadow copy before the backup starts.
  2. If a system state backup is stored on a source volume, backup settings should be configured for full backups. By default, settings are configured for full backups.
  3. Periodically check that no other user or program maintains a shadow copy on the target volume.
  4. Don't keep volume level backups and system state backups in the same location.
  5. The volume used to store the system state backup needs twice the amount of free space as the size of the system state backup until the backup completes.
Any writes on target volume with shadow copies will increase the diff area size. If the diff area is bounded, it may cause deletion of shadow copies.

Registry entry to enable system state backups to critical volumes

Warning
Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft can't guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
To enable the system state backup files to be targeted to critical volumes, you must set the value of the AllowSSBToAnyVolume registry entry under the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wbengine\SystemStateBackup\
Set the value of this entry as follows:
Name:AllowSSBToAnyVolume
Data type:DWORD
Value data:1
Note: When this value is set to 1, system state backups to any volume are enabled. To revert to the default behavior, set the value to 0.
This guide was taken from Microsoft:

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