Windows 2019 VM clone or snapshot fails with the error Failed to quiesce the virtual machine.

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

The system reports the following errors and behaviors during virtual machine management:

• Cloning or taking a quiesced snapshot of a Windows 2019 virtual machine fails in the vSphere Client.
  
  
• The vSphere Client displays the error: An error occurred while taking a snapshot: Failed to quiesce the virtual machine.


• The /vmfs/volumes/[Datastore]/[vm folder]/vmware.log file for the affected virtual machine contains the following entries:

The guest OS has reported an error during quiescing. The error code was: 3
The error message was: Quiesce operation was cancelled.

• Running vssadmin list writers within the guest OS command prompt shows one or more writers in a failed state:

C:\Windows\system32> vssadmin list writers
Writer name: 'System Writer'
Writer Id: {e8132975-6f93-4464-a53e-1050253ae220}
Writer Instance Id: {bb4b5914-87ff-408f-a1aa-679272407a0e}
State: [10] Failed
Last error: Timed out

Cause

This issue occurs because the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) writers within the Windows guest operating system enter a Timed out or Failed state. When VMware Tools triggers a file system freeze via the VMware Snapshot Provider, specific writers (such as the System, WMI, or IIS Configuration writers) fail to respond within the expected threshold. This delay causes the VSS framework to cancel the quiescing operation to prevent prolonged application downtime.

Resolution

Stabilize the VSS writers within the guest operating system.

1. Log in to the affected Windows virtual machine with Administrator privileges.
   
   
2. Restart the core VSS dependencies:
   • Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
   • Locate and restart the COM+ Event System service.
   • Locate and restart the Volume Shadow Copy service.
     
     
3. Verify the writer status:
   • Open a Command Prompt as an Administrator.
   • Execute the following command: vssadmin list writers
   • Confirm all writers report State: [1] Stable and Last error: No error.
     
     
4. If writers remain in a Timed out or Failed state, reboot the Guest OS to reset the VSS framework.
   
   
5. Retry the clone or snapshot operation.

Additional Information

If the issue recurs frequently, ensure that the latest version of VMware Tools is installed and that there are no third-party backup agents conflicting with the VMware VSS provider.