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Get the fix to "<strong>0x8078012D</strong>" error for<strong> Windows 7, 8, </strong>or<strong> 8.1</strong> operating systems.
<h2>About the "<strong>0x8078012D</strong>" error</h2>
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<h3>Description and Symptoms</h3>
The error messages, alerts, warnings, and symptoms below are tied to this error.
<h4>Symptom 1: 0x8078012D error screen</h4>
This error is mostly related to the Windows Backup utility and it usually appears after a Windows 7 or Windows 8 upgrade from a lower version.

The most common cause for 0x8078012D is a conflict with the security software on your computer. Other causes that can trigger this error can be any of the following:
<ul>
 	<li>The Windows Backup services are disabled</li>
 	<li>External drive hardware problem (if the backup is realized on an external drive)</li>
 	<li>Recent configuration changes</li>
 	<li>Bad sectors on your hard drive</li>
 	<li>A third party software intervened during a backup process</li>
 	<li>A corrupt older backup</li>
 	<li>Corrupted user profile</li>
</ul>
<h3>Causes of this Error</h3>
This error has been known to occur as a result of one or more of the following:
<h4>Cause 1: System files are corrupt</h4>
The most common cause of this error is a system file corruption. That may happen because of virus attacks or disk read/write errors.
<h4>Cause 1: Windows backup services are not enabled</h4>
Another possible cause for this error is a Windows Backup Service that is disabled.
<h2>Fixing "0x8078012D" in Windows 8</h2>
<h3>Fix #1: Enable Windows Backup Services</h3>
Check if the backup services specific to Windows are enabled by accessing the Services Window.

To do so, follow these steps:
<ol>
 	<li>Open the <strong>Charm Bar</strong> by pressing the [winkey] key and <kbd>C</kbd> (or swipe from the right of the screen)</li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Settings</strong></li>
 	<li>Choose <strong>Control Panel</strong></li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Administrative Tools</strong></li>
 	<li>Click Services</li>
 	<li>Search for <strong>Volume Shadow Copy</strong> and right-click on it</li>
 	<li>Choose <strong>Properties</strong></li>
 	<li>Change <strong>Startup Type</strong> to <strong>Manual</strong></li>
 	<li>Click OK</li>
 	<li>Search for Windows Backup service</li>
 	<li>Follow the same steps as with Volume Shadow Copy</li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_4567" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/Shadow-copy.png"><img class="wp-image-4567 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/Shadow-copy.png" alt="Windows 8 volume shadow copy service screen" width="800" height="600" /></a> Windows 8 volume shadow copy service screen[/caption]
<h3>Fix #2: Delete Previous Backup</h3>
The 0x8078012D error can be caused by a corrupt backup that Windows Backup is trying to overwrite.

You can fix this by:
<ol>
 	<li>Deleting a previous backup</li>
 	<li>Creating a new backup</li>
</ol>
<h3>Fix #3: Scan for Infected Files</h3>
If the error is caused by certain infected files, you can run Microsoft Safety Scanner:
<ol>
 	<li>Go to <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx">http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx</a></li>
 	<li>Click Download Now</li>
 	<li>Follow the installation instructions to install Safety Scanner</li>
 	<li>Launch Microsoft Safety Scanner</li>
 	<li>Click Scan Type</li>
 	<li>Click Full Scan</li>
 	<li>Click Next</li>
 	<li>If any malware is detected, the infected files will be deleted</li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_4564" align="alignnone" width="562"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/MSS.jpg"><img class="wp-image-4564 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/MSS.jpg" alt="Microsoft Security Scanner screen" width="562" height="514" /></a> Microsoft Security Scanner screen[/caption]

If you can't boot into Windows to run this software, you can also use Easy Recovery Essentials built-in antivirus scanner.

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<h3>Fix #4: Run sfc</h3>
The sfc utility can also check the integrity of the hard disk files and report any issues with your files:
<ol>
 	<li>Open the <strong>Charm Bar</strong></li>
 	<li>Type <code>cmd</code> in the Search box</li>
 	<li>Right-click on <strong>Command Prompt</strong></li>
 	<li>Select <strong>Run as Administrator</strong></li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>sfc /scannow</pre>
</li>
 	<li>Hit <kbd>Enter</kbd></li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_4566" align="alignnone" width="800"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/sfc_W8.png"><img class="wp-image-4566 size-full" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/sfc_W8.png" alt="sfc utility results screen" width="800" height="600" /></a> sfc utility results screen[/caption]
<h2>Fixing "0x8078012D" in Windows 7</h2>
<h3>Fix #1: Enable Windows Backup Services</h3>
These steps to fix the 0x8078012D on Windows 7 systems are similar to those of Windows 8 explained above.
<ol>
 	<li>Click Start</li>
 	<li>Click Control Panel</li>
 	<li>Click System and Security</li>
 	<li>Click Administrative Tools</li>
 	<li>Select Services</li>
 	<li>Search for Volume Shadow Copy</li>
 	<li>Right-click on Volume Shadow Copy</li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Properties</strong></li>
 	<li>Change <strong>Startup Type</strong> to <strong>Manual</strong></li>
 	<li>Click OK</li>
 	<li>Search for Windows Backup service</li>
 	<li>Right-click on Windows Backup service</li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Properties</strong></li>
 	<li>Change <strong>Startup Type</strong> to <strong>Manual</strong></li>
 	<li>Click OK</li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_4568" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/Shadow-copy-W7.png"><img class="wp-image-4568 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/Shadow-copy-W7-1024x720.png" alt="Windows 7 volume shadow copy service screen" width="980" height="689" /></a> Windows 7 volume shadow copy service screen[/caption]
<h3>Fix #2: Check User Profile</h3>
If you're unable to save a newly created backup - even after deleting the previous backup - try to create a new account and perform the Backup process again:
<ol>
 	<li>Click Start</li>
 	<li>Click Control Panel</li>
 	<li>Click User Accounts and Family Safety</li>
 	<li>Click User Accounts</li>
 	<li>Click Manage Another Account</li>
 	<li>Click Create a New Account to create a new account</li>
 	<li>Restart your computer</li>
</ol>
After this new account is created, you need to log off from the current account and log in with the new created account. Run Windows Backup again and see if the 0x8078012D error persists.

[caption id="attachment_4569" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/Create-new-user.png"><img class="wp-image-4569 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/Create-new-user-1024x720.png" alt="Create new user screen" width="980" height="689" /></a> Create new user screen[/caption]
<h3>Fix #3: Run chkdsk</h3>
Using the chkdsk utility (available from Command Prompt), you can check if any bad sectors exists on your hard drive.

To do so, follow these steps:
<ol>
 	<li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li>
 	<li>Type <code>cmd</code> at the search box</li>
 	<li>Open Command Prompt</li>
 	<li>Type:
<pre>chkdsk /f C:</pre>
</li>
 	<li>If you want to change the drive, replace the <code>C:</code> with your drive's letter.</li>
 	<li>After the chkdsk process is complete, restart your Windows 7 and perform the backup again</li>
</ol>
<h3>Fix #4: Clean Boot</h3>
If the 0x8078012D error isn't caused by a corrupt backup file of Windows Backup, a specific sofware application may trigger this error.

To debug this, boot your computer in a clean boot and then determine if a specific application is causing this error to appear:
<ol>
<ol>
 	<li>Boot your computer and log on as Administrator</li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Start</strong></li>
 	<li>Search for:</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<pre>msconfig.exe</pre>
<ol>
 	<li>At the <strong>System Configuration</strong> utilit, select the General tab</li>
 	<li>Check the <strong>Selective Startup</strong> option</li>
 	<li>Uncheck the <strong>Load startup items</strong> check box</li>
 	<li>Go to the <strong>Services</strong> tab</li>
 	<li>Check the <strong>Hide all Microsoft services</strong> checkbox from the bottom left corner of the window</li>
 	<li>Click <strong>Disable all button</strong></li>
 	<li>Click <strong>OK</strong></li>
 	<li>Restart your system</li>
</ol>
[caption id="attachment_4570" align="alignnone" width="980"]<a href="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/Msconfig-utility-screen.png"><img class="wp-image-4570 size-large" src="https://neosmart.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2015/05/Msconfig-utility-screen-1024x592.png" alt="Msconfig utility screen" width="980" height="567" /></a> Msconfig utility screen[/caption]
<h2>More Information</h2>
<h3>Linked Entries</h3>
<ul>
 	<li><a href="https://neosmart.net/wiki/sfc/">sfc</a></li>
</ul>
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