Veeam bootable media cannot connect to backup server

UPDATE:

I just performed a fresh install of Windows 11 Enterprise LTSC 24H2 (non-IoT) and created a new Veeam recovery ISO. It worked!

So it seems that this issue only affects the IoT edition of Windows. Wouldn’t this be considered a bug?

Hi ​@jeffshead, although the IoT editions are supported they may lack components which are required for certain features/functions; especially custom builds by 3rd party vendors. The errors on your screenshots rather look OS specific so I would say the issue is there. What kind of source ISO did you use to setup those devices?

​@regnor - Thank you for contributing!

I used untouched Microsoft installation media. It gives the option to install IoT and non-IoT editions.

I’ve since done more testing.  I wiped some PC’s, installed IoT edition (Windows Update runs during installation), installed Veeam Agent for Microsoft and created new boot ISO’s. I have done this on three different PC’s. Two Dells and one HP. I get the same results on all. They all fail to connect to the B&R server but they can ping it.

Next, I wiped the PC’s again. This time I installed the non-IoT edition of Windows and performed the same steps. They all failed just as the IoT editions did.

Now, I’m thinking this issue may be caused by a Windows Update. In previous testing, the ISO that worked was created on a PC with a fresh Windows non-IoT install without any Windows updates. I haven't had time to test creating more boot ISO’s on machines with fresh Windows installs without any Windows updates. This will be my next step and I will post the results later this afternoon. Thanks again!

I've performed more testing and I can now say my original assessment was incorrect. I originally thought Veeam was not compatible with the IoT editions but that's not true. The issue occurs on UP-TO-DATE Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2 LTSC systems; both IoT and non-IoT editions. The issue does not occur on either edition until Windows is updated. The issue occurs if you create the Veeam boot ISO on systems that have the 3/2025 Windows update which brings the OS to Build 26100.3476. Maybe all 24H2 versions are affected but I only tested Enterprise LTSC.

How can we get this info to Veeam so that Support/Devs can investigate? I've opened 3-4 cases over the past 12-15 years but all were closed without any support because I have an NFR license.

Hey, just wondering if you've had a chance to try the following:

Since the issue happens with all Dell PCs, have you tried creating the bootable media on a different machine running Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2, like a non-Dell laptop or PC? This could help determine if it's a Dell-specific issue or something related to Windows 11 Enterprise 24H2.

Also, have you tried creating the bootable media on a different edition of Windows, such as Windows 10 or an earlier version of Windows 11? It could help figure out if the issue is specifically related to the 24H2 build of Windows 11.

​@matheusgiovanini - I tested on Dell and HP PC’s and laptops. I haven’t tested on 23H2 builds nor non-Enterprise. I know this issue does not happen on UP-TO-DATE Windows Server 2022 21H2 which is like Win 10. Also, older Veeam ISO’s that were made months ago, before the systems were upgraded from 23H2 to 24H2, all work. So do the ISO’s that were created on Windows 11 Enterprise 22H2.

Windows IoT LTSC editions are stripped down and might be missing dependencies needed for Veeam’s recovery process.

A fresh Windows installation might include the necessary components by default.

If the WinRE (Windows Recovery Environment) version of LTSC 24H2 differs, it could be causing issues. Veeam Recovery Media relies on WinRE to function properly.

To check if WinRE is enabled, run the following command in Command Prompt (Admin):

reagentc /info

If WinRE is disabled, enable it using the command:

reagentc /enable

Some IoT LTSC editions may remove critical components required by Veeam. To ensure the correct components are installed, follow these steps:

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run to check WinPE installation:

dism /online /get-features | findstr "WinPE"

If WinPE is missing, install it using the command:

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:WinPE-OC /all

Check for installed network components, run:

dism /online /get-features | findstr "Networking"

If missing, install network components using the following command:

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-NetFx3-OnDemand-Package /all

Ensure Network Drivers Are Included in the ISO

Since Veeam Recovery Media pulls drivers from the operating system, make sure the correct drivers are included. To verify this:

In Device Manager, go to Network Adapters and check if the correct drivers are installed.
If necessary, use the Tools → Load Driver option within the Veeam Recovery Media to manually add missing drivers.

Widows WinRE DOC

Windows WinPE DOC

Veeam System requirements

Hope this helps.

​@matheusgiovanini - Thanks for all of the very useful info. I will run some tests and report back. You didn’t mention the 3/2025 Windows update in your reply so I don’t know if you saw the post where I stated:

The issue occurs if you create the Veeam boot ISO on systems that have the 3/2025 Windows update which brings the OS to Build 26100.3476.

I do NOT encounter the issue on systems that don’t have the 3/2025 Windows update. This holds true for both IoT and non-IoT editions. So it seems the Windows update modifies the OS in someway that’s causing issues for the Veeam ISO creation. I ran several tests with PC’s that had fresh OS installs and several tests with PC’s that had fresh OS installs that also had the 3/2025 Windows update. My results were conclusive. ISO’s created on PC’s without the 3/2025 update work just fine. ISO’s created on the PC’s which have the 3/2025 Windows update fail to connect to the B&R server. I’ll post the pics, here, that I linked to in my OP. Keep in mind that I can ping the B&R server from the Veeam ISO booted PC the whole time that I’m experiencing this issue. Notice the one pic that depicts a RPC error:

It doesn't matter if I use the IP address or the backup server's name. I get this same error, regardless.

This error is thrown if you try to edit any settings and try to connect, a second time. The only way to avoid this error is to hard reset the PC. Just exiting to main menu and re-entering the Bare Metal Restore option does not get rid of this error.

If you select Restart or Shutdown, you will get the error message depicted in the image below…

The only way to shutdown the PC is a hard reset.

Again, these issues only occur when using Veeam ISO’s created on PC’s that have the 3/2025 Windows update. The ISO’s created on PC’s without any Windows updates work just fine. Since Windows updates are cumulative, I don’t know if this issue started happening with the 3/2025 update or with previous updates. I only know the issue does not occur with ISO’s created on PC’s with fresh OS installs, that do not have any Windows updates.

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run to check WinPE installation:

dism /online /get-features | findstr "WinPE"

If WinPE is missing, install it using the command:

dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:WinPE-OC /all

Check for installed network components, run:

dism /online /get-features | findstr "Networking"

I ran the commands on a PC which has the 3/2025 Windows update. Below are the results:

Windows PowerShell
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Install the latest PowerShell for new features and improvements! https://aka.ms/PSWindows

PS C:\Users\Jeff\Desktop> dism /online /get-features | findstr "WinPE"
PS C:\Users\Jeff\Desktop> dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:WinPE-OC /all

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.26100.1150

Image Version: 10.0.26100.3476


Error: 0x800f080c

Feature name WinPE-OC is unknown.
A Windows feature name was not recognized.
Use the /Get-Features option to find the name of the feature in the image and try the command again.

The DISM log file can be found at C:\WINDOWS\Logs\DISM\dism.log
PS C:\Users\Jeff\Desktop> dism /online /get-features | findstr "Networking"
PS C:\Users\Jeff\Desktop>

Have you tried to input the server credentials by using HOSTNAME\USERNAME or .\USERNAME format of the Veeam server? 

Yes. It makes no difference. When booting from an ISO that was made on a Windows system that does not have the March 2025 update, logins are successful with and without including the domain name with the username when logging in.

When booting from an ISO that was created on a Windows system with the March 2025 update, the login fails when you add the domain and without adding the domain to the username.

I just performed the same tests with Windows 11 24H2 Pro. I get the same exact results so either an earlier Windows update or the March 2025 update is the culprit.

So anyone from Veeam or anyone on here with a Veeam license that has support, please feel free to test yourself and report the bug to Veeam Support so we can get a fix :-)

Thanks again to everyone who contributed.

Maybe you can retry this after the next round of updates in April. With a quick search for the latest Microsoft updates I’ve found multiple issues (non-Veeam related) so perhaps this will be solved with the next patches.

Just updated to the newly released B&R 12.3.1.1139 and Agent for MS 6.3.1.1074. Issue still occurs.

Good to know! Thanks for sharing!