Windows 8 backup error code 0x81000033

Hi Conrad,

Welcome to Microsoft Community and thank you for giving us an opportunity to assist you with this issue.

It looks that, you are getting error 0x81000033 when you are trying to create a system image from Windows 8 on an external USB drive.

Let me ask you few question:

1. What is the complete error message?
2. When do you exactly get this error message?
3. Have you installed any third party Antivirus or security software?

Please follow the steps given in the methods given here.

 

Method 1: Check for Volume shadow copy service and Windows backup service.

I would suggest you to check if the Volume shadow copy service and Windows backup services are running on you r computer.

Follow these steps:

a) Press Windows key +R Key and type "services.**msc"**without quotes.

b) Search for the Volume shadow copy service and Windows back up serviceand check their status.

c) If they are not automatic, then right click on them and select start.

Please move to the next method if you still face the issue.

Method 2: Run check disk

 

I would suggest you to go through the section ‘Repair a drive’ of the article to perform check disk. Here is the link for your reference.

 

One of the best ways you can improve your PC's performance is by optimizing the hard drive. Windows includes features to help optimize the different types of drives that PCs use today. No matter which type of drive your PC uses, Windows automatically chooses the optimization that's right for your drive.

Please refer to the section "To repair a drive to perform check disk".

 

Improve performance by optimizing your hard drive

 

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/improve-performance-optimizing-hard-drive

 

Important Note: While performing chkdsk on the hard drive if any bad sectors are found on the hard drive when chkdsk tries to repair that sector if any data available on that might be lost.

Now try to create system image.

 

Please move to the next method if you still face the issue.

Method 3: Temporarily disable Security Software

I would suggest you to disable the security software temporarily and then try to create a system image.

 

Note: Antivirus software can help protect your computer against viruses and other security threats. In most cases, you shouldn't disable your antivirus software. If you have to temporarily disable it to install other software, you should re-enable it as soon as you're done. If you're connected to the Internet or a network while your antivirus software is disabled, your computer is vulnerable to attacks.

I hope your issue gets resolved by now. Please write to us if you have any Windows related issue.

 

Finally it worked!!!

For three days I have been trying to do this on a new ASUS Q400A laptop, reading blog and tech article after blog and tech article.  Everyone's method failed until I did this one (or two) simple things as instructed above.  The very first thing you should do is remove any and all third party anti-virus software (you don't need it anyway), mine was McAfee, a virus in it's self!  If you have McAfee make sure you run the McAfee removal tool after you have un-installed McAfee (this small program can be downloaded from their website (http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS101331).  Next do what he said above:

a) Press Windowskey +RKey and type "services.**msc"**without quotes.

b) Search for the Volume shadow copy serviceand Windows back up serviceand check their status.

c) If they are not automatic, then right click on them and select start.

Now you should be hot to trot.  I was able to burn to DVD's!  One more thing, if you have trouble with the first DVD, format it first using the default settings, it's a Win 7 hangover thing.

Good Luck we're all counting on you.

I have done 1 system restore using an Acronis image - it worked like a charm, system came up just like it was before, no issues since then. I think your worries are overblown. As it stands today, I'd be more worried about a Windows backup image restoring correctly than I would about a third party solution working - especially since the Acronis software will actually preform a system backup while Windows backup services won't even give you a meaningful error message and the tech support from Windows is lame at best.

Until someone can get Microsoft to at least acknowledge this issue (Hello, Microsoft, anyone listening? Hello... Hello...) we're stuck with third party solutions - unless you want to go in and re-partition drives.

As I have noted numerous times in this thread THIS SHOULD NOT BE NECESSAIRY! (Hello Microsoft?)

A system that's shipped from a major vendor (Dell) with Windows 8 pre-installed should have all the functionality working correctly WITHOUT RE-PARTITIONING (Hello Dell? Hello Microsoft?) Including (or should I say especially) Windows Backup.

Can we please get someone from Microsoft to at least address this Issue? (And please read ALL this thread before suggesting the numerous non-helpful ways to start services, etc. - as you have already done in this thread twice!)

Until we can get a REAL answer from Microsoft, we're on our own - which probably means that a third party solution is your best (only?) bet.

Maybe Windows 8.1 will fix this? Maybe? We can remain hopeful - or just keep on using something that really works (for the actual user) (Hello Microsoft?)

I agree with prior messages on this topic (Windows 8 backup error code 0x81000033 ), including Conrad and apa117. LucilleMattairISME might be interested in some of the below as well.

I am unable to create a system image (and need to create system images regularly for business reasons). 

Windows 8 Disk Management  will not allow me to repartition (shrink volume) the 300MB EFI System Partition.

I have not repartitioned a disk drive before, and am very hesitant to do so; I have a relatively new Asus with custom software; the computer is used for business and any problems with custom software related to repartitioning would be costly, as would downtime to bring the computer into an IT professional for repartitioning.  

As a result I will continue using Acronis to make images. I have done so for years, but am uncomfortable doing so (see below), and wish that Microsoft would acknowledge the Windows 8 backup/imaging problem and fix it.

The reason that I am uncomfortable using Acronis is:

(a) I verified on one occasion that the Acronis cloning procedure works (like a charm; procedure written correctly, laptop came up and ran perfectly with the cloned drive); but the cloning procedure requires swapping the laptop hard drive before each clone update (destination drive needs to be in the host PC for reliable cloning, according to Acronis; that means the old hard drive needs to be removed from the laptop before cloning). I cannot swap my laptop hard drive every week; the risk of connector or ESD issues is unsupportable for my particular business application (downtime would be costly)

(b) I have not verified that the Acronis imaging and image-restore procedure works perfectly: I have made images (easy and problem-free, thanks Acronis) but I have never risked wiping the HDD and rewriting with the image (i.e. restoring with the image) to see if everything works perfectly. I have no reason to believe that the Acronis imaging and image-restore procedure is imperfect, but I have been worrying for years that it might not be, and cannot justify the risk of wiping the HDD on this business laptop to verify that the Acronis imaging and image-restore procedure works perfectly (if any problems appeared after attempting to restore from the image, the downtime could be very expensive).

I would feel much more comfortable with an imaging utility that was part of the native OS (Windows 8 in this case). Does anyone think that my intuition is wrong in this regard? Is it more reasonable to guess that a laptop restored with an Acronis image would be as likely to run perfectly as a laptop restored with an image created by its own Windows 8 OS?

It may be a moot point today, because I am uncomfortable with repartitioning this particular laptop, and Windows 8 imaging doesn't work with the factory partitions. But I would appreciate feedback, it will help me to decide whether to pursue a working Windows imaging solution, or to pursue verification that restoration of laptops with Acronis images is very reliable (again, no reason to believe that it's not, other than the fact that Acronis once advised me that cloning, which requires HDD swapping in a laptop, is more reliable than imaging and restoring from the image. Perhaps I am reading too much into what that customer support representative said; he was not emphatic, but he did recommend cloning over imaging and restoring from the image). 

For the time being, I'll use Acronis,   Acronis cloning worked perfectly for me, Acronis imaging works perfectly for me, and I'll trust (and try to verify... any comments on the following will be appreciated) that restoration from Acronis images is reliable.

I totally agree Conrad - hopefully Windows 8.1 will fix this issue. Microsoft should have a Backup program that works. I was also forced to buy & install Acronis Backup on my brand new ASUS Notebook earlier this year because of the failure of the Win Backup. If your HDD ever fails, especially once out of warranty, you are going to need an Image or Clone since no-one ships with installation disks/CDs/DVDs any more.