In this post we discuss how to fix the ConvertStringSidToSid error from the Volume Shadow Copy Service.

Symptoms

You see the following error recorded in the Windows Event Log:

Volume Shadow Copy Service error: Unexpected error calling routine ConvertStringSidToSid(S-1-5-21-1014438854-1672741230-9522986-94341.bak). hr = 0x80070539, The security ID structure is invalid. . Operation: OnIdentify event Gathering Writer Data Context: Execution Context: Shadow Copy Optimization Writer Writer Class Id: {4dc3bdd4-ab48-4d07-adb0-3bee2926fd7f} Writer Name: Shadow Copy Optimization Writer Writer Instance ID: {df5009d9-e1fd-4799-86d7-bb04068af671}

Solution

  1. Open the registry editor and browse to the key listed below
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
  2. Expand the registry key and look for the Security Identifier (Sid) mentioned in the event log
  3. Delete this sub-key
  4. Reboot the server

Registry Example