The data area passed to a system call is too small.

Question

The data area passed to a system call is too small.

Rich Scillia 0

The data area passed to a system call is too small.

Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-13T14:34:30.92+00:00

In what context do you get this error? Are you actually using System Center Service Manger? Just in case, you don't know: System Center is a suite of products from Microsoft for IT administrators, so if you are a consumer user, you have the wrong tag.

If people don't know where you get this error, there is little chance that you can get any useful help.
Rich Scillia 0 Reputation points

2026-09-13T20:46:47.7933333+00:00

Trying to restore backup files to a new laptop.
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-13T20:49:19.97+00:00

OK. I've changed the tag to one which is more appropriate.

3 answers

Your answer

Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-13T14:34:30.92+00:00

In what context do you get this error? Are you actually using System Center Service Manger? Just in case, you don't know: System Center is a suite of products from Microsoft for IT administrators, so if you are a consumer user, you have the wrong tag.

If people don't know where you get this error, there is little chance that you can get any useful help.
Rich Scillia 0 Reputation points

2026-09-13T20:46:47.7933333+00:00

Trying to restore backup files to a new laptop.
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-13T20:49:19.97+00:00

OK. I've changed the tag to one which is more appropriate.

Answer 1

Vikki-T 10,280 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Rich Scillia,

Thanks for clarifying. I understand how inconvenient this can be, especially when you’re setting up a new laptop and trying to restore your important files.

Could you let me know how the backup was created and which tool you’re using to restore it, such as Windows Backup, File History, OneDrive, or third-party backup software? Also, does the error occur with every file or only a specific folder or file type?

In the meantime, please try restarting the laptop, installing any pending updates under Settings > Windows Update, and then restoring a small group of files instead of the entire backup at once. Please also make sure the destination drive has enough free space and, if the backup is stored on an external drive, reconnect it or try a different USB port.

If the error continues, please share the backup method, the source and destination locations, and the exact step where the message appears. This will help narrow down whether the issue is related to the backup, the storage device, or the restore process. Thank you so much for your understanding.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Vikki-T 10,280 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-16T10:55:27.1766667+00:00

Hi Rich Scillia,

It has been a while and I am writing to see how things are going with this issue.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.
Rich Scillia 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T13:11:59.2+00:00

I used Backup and restore (windows 7). I tried just a smaller portion of the total backup.
Vikki-T 10,280 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-16T14:05:25.4+00:00

Hi Rich Scillia,

Thank you for confirming that you’re using Backup and Restore (Windows 7) and restoring from an external drive. “Backup and Restore (Windows 7)” is the name of the legacy backup tool that is still available in Windows 11, so it does not necessarily mean that the laptop is running Windows 7.

When you tried restoring a smaller portion of the backup, did it complete successfully, or did you receive the same “The data area passed to a system call is too small” error?

In the meantime, please check whether you can open the external drive in File Explorer and copy a regular file directly to the new laptop. You can also reconnect the drive directly to another USB port without using a hub or docking station, then try restoring one small folder to a new local folder.

Please let me know the result of the smaller restore and whether the files on the external drive are directly accessible.
Rich Scillia 0 Reputation points

2026-09-16T15:21:23.79+00:00

I can open files from the backup only after extracting them.I restored a single autocad file from the backup, also a single folder with 13 MB was restored.

I get that msg again if I try to restore the entire backup. It says it's 24 GB. I guess that's the problem? What's the largest chunk that can be restored at once?
Vikki-T 10,280 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-17T07:38:42.95+00:00

Hi Rich Scillia,

Thank you for testing that. The fact that you were able to restore both an individual AutoCAD file and a 13 MB folder is helpful, as it shows that the backup can still be accessed.

I could not find a Microsoft-documented maximum amount of data that can be restored in one operation using Backup and Restore (Windows 7), so I would not assume that 24 GB itself is the limit.

For now, I recommend restoring the data folder by folder rather than selecting the entire backup. You can start with the folders containing your most important files, then gradually increase the amount selected. Also, make sure the destination drive has comfortably more than 24 GB of free space.

If the error consistently appears when one particular folder is included, try restoring that folder in smaller sections. This may help identify whether a specific file or part of the backup is triggering the error.

Could you also confirm how much free space is available on the destination drive, and whether the error occurs immediately or only after some files have already been restored?
Rich Scillia 0 Reputation points

2026-09-17T14:18:23.7033333+00:00

I have 1.86 TB storage. The message comes up before any files are transferred.

I guess I should be using file history?

Answer 2

Rich Scillia 0

I used Backup and Restore (windows 7) and tried only smaller portion of the backup from an external drive

0 comments

Answer 3

Bulldog 4,640

It seems like you have copied a message you saw somewhere. Unfortunately, we weren't told where you saw the message, or what you were doing at the time, so it's not even possible to guess what you're trying to do. The message means that the API call didn't receive all the data it needs to perform its function.

Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-16T14:34:06.5566667+00:00

Bulldog, before you jump into a thread, please read all posts. Rich have given information in which tool he got the message. There are still questions outstanding, but things have improved from the original post.
Bulldog 4,640 Reputation points

2026-09-16T15:49:19.4333333+00:00

A community forum isn't a chat, so messages are not posted in the same order on everyone's screen.

I see that you used Backup and Restore (Windows 7) to make a backup. That was an unfortunate choice. Microsoft doesn't support that tool for making new backups. You won't find any page on Microsoft's website which recommends that utility for making backups. It remains in Windows so that people who used it to make backups in Windows 7 (and Windows 8, when it was still supported) can restore those backups in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Inasmuch as it's not supported, there are no official answers from Microsoft. But hopefully, someone in Microsoft Q&A has ideas that will help you.