Microsoft - Programming - PowerShell - Shadow Copy - Enable Shadow Copies

// Tested on Windows Server 2022. //

The below PowerShell code will enable Shadow Copies on the specified drive letter just like it would be enabled if you used VSSUIRUN.exe to enable it.

With one difference: The scheduled task that runs 06:00 and 12:00 now runs every day instead of only monday through friday.

The scheduled task is also created in a way (V1 = legacy job type) that VSSUIRUN.exe can see the job and show that a scheduled shadow copy job is enabled.

# The drive letter to enable Shadow Copies on.
$strDriveLetter = "F"
 
# Delete existing Shadow Storage on the drive.
& "$env:SYSTEMROOT\system32\vssadmin.exe" Delete ShadowStorage /For=$strDriveLetter`: /On=$strDriveLetter`:
 
# Create Shadow Storage on the drive.
& "$env:SYSTEMROOT\system32\vssadmin.exe" Add ShadowStorage /For=$strDriveLetter`: /On=$strDriveLetter`: /MaxSize=10%
 
# Create first Shadow Copy on the drive.
& "$env:SYSTEMROOT\system32\vssadmin.exe" Create Shadow /For=$strDriveLetter`:
 
# Get and store the Volume Path of the driveletter.
$strVolumePath = (Get-Volume -DriveLetter $strDriveLetter).Path
 
# Extract the GUID from the Volume Path of the driveletter.
# By first splitting on "{", and grabbing the second part, then
# splitting the second part on "}", and grabbing the first part.
$strVolumeGUID = $strVolumePath.Split("{")[1].Split("}")[0]
 
# Create 2 daily triggers.                                                                                              
$objTrigger1 = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 06:00
$objTrigger2 = New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Daily -At 12:00
 
# Create the action to create a shadow copy.
$objAction = New-ScheduledTaskAction `
               -Execute "$env:SYSTEMROOT\system32\vssadmin.exe" `
               -Argument "Create Shadow /AutoRetry=15 /For=$strVolumePath" 
 
# Create a V1 job and disable default conditions.
# For VSSUIRUN.exe to see the job it needs to be a V1 job (so
# that a .job file is available under %SystemRoot%\Tasks).
$objSettingsSet = New-ScheduledTaskSettingsSet `
  -Compatibility V1 `
  -AllowStartIfOnBatteries:$true `
  -DontStopIfGoingOnBatteries:$true `
  -DontStopOnIdleEnd:$true
 
# Create the scheduled task.
Register-ScheduledTask `
  -TaskName "ShadowCopyVolume{$strVolumeGUID}" `
  -Action $objAction `
  -Trigger $objTrigger1,$objTrigger2 `
  -Settings $objSettingsSet `
  -User "SYSTEM" `
  -Runlevel Highest `
  -Force