Windows System State Backup error "Enumeration of the files failed"

5 Mar, 2025

Product Version

AhsayOBM: 7 and above

Operating System

Windows

Symptom

When performing a MS Windows System State backup, the following error message is displayed on the backup client interface, or in the backup log/report:


[System State Backup] "Enumeration of the files failed."
[System State Backup] "The parameter is incorrect."


[System State Backup] "Enumeration of the files failed."
[System State Backup] "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process."

[System State Backup] "Enumeration of the files failed."
[System State Backup] "The file name, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect."

Cause

The error message suggests that Windows fails to write a system state file to the temporary location of the system backup.

Several causes can be attributed to this error, usually these causes have a direct correlation to the ImagePath in the registry for services that are installed:

  • An invalid path.
  • Invalid characters in the path.
  • Syntax formatting of the path.
  • A valid path on SAN drives of a Failover Cluster.
This is an issue at the operating system level.

Resolution

To resolve the issue, refer to the steps provided in the following Microsoft KB article:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/askcore/reasons-why-the-error-enumeration-of-the-files-failed-may-occur-during-system-state-backup

If the issue persists after performing the steps suggested in the Microsoft KB article, further assistance should be pursued with Microsoft support.
AhsayOBM