Error. Writer is in faulty state

    • Summary:Steps to resolve the issue when Online Backup and Recovery Manager fails to back up a Microsoft Exchange Server database with error 'Writer is in faulty state'.
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    Error message

    Writer is in faulty state. Please restart Microsoft Exchange Writer service or reboot the computer.

    Steps to resolve

    To check the issue:

    1. Open Command Prompt as administrator, and then enter VSSadmin list writers.

      Check if the output includes the record regarding the Exchange writer, that is Microsoft Exchange Writer.

      • If the writer does not exist, check Services (services.msc) if the service “Microsoft Exchange Information Store” is running.

      • If the writer exists, check its state. If it is State: [9] Failed, schedule restarting of the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service.

        It may take time depending on the performance of the server and its load. It is actually the main Exchange service and it affects the emails: users are disconnected until service starts back.

    2. Check the state of the writer by VSSadmin list writers.

    3. If the service restart did not help, reboot the server.