Hyper-V snapshot location and deletion

[sudhakarkumar]

Hi all,

how we can identify and Hyper-v sanpshot created in server how we can delte those snapshot images.

[Marianne]

Google found this:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd560637(v=ws.10).aspx

and

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/virtual_pc_guy/2009/04/13/where-are-my-snapshot-files-hyper-v/

Plus some others... 

[Marianne]

Maybe best if you tell us about your environment, e.g. NBU version, Hyper-V version, reason for your query, issues you are experiencing, etc.. etc... etc...

[sudhakarkumar]

HI marianne,

Our NBU version:7.7.1,

Hyper-V version:windows 2012 R2.

Recently our Hyper-V backup is getting failed. AS I CHECK ON hYPER-v NODE THROUGH 

vssadmin list shadows i found few.

later i tried to dlete thos shadows with the command vssadmin delete shadows /for=c: /all

but i am receiving some error saying:  Snapshots were found, but they were outside of your allowed context.  Try removing them with the  backup application which created them.

how we can resolve this.

[manatee]

whenever you get errors from vss, the first order of the day is to reboot the server. have you done that?

[sudhakarkumar]

Reboot has been done still we have a problem

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

Can we start at the beginning?

You say:

Recently our Hyper-V backup is getting failed.

With what error? 
Have you tried to troubleshoot the failure?

Are the orphaned snapshots caused by the backup failures or the other way round - 
are the backup failures causing orphaned snapshots?

I found a couple of sites that says 'diskshadow' should be used to cleanup backup snapshots, e.g.
http://mike-graham.co.uk/blog/2013/09/26/how-to-remove-a-corrupt-snapshot-in-windows-2008-onwards/
http://danblee.com/diskshadow-vssadmins-best-friend/

Best to troubleshoot and fix the backup failures...