I'm using BE 12 SP2 on media server running exchange agent, and remote agent on exchange 2003 doing b2d to nas. I'm having trouble getting successful backups on a server i just inherited. All my full backups report back that they failed using brick-level backups because of access denied errors, however each differential backup succeeds 100% afterwards. Keeping this in mind, I tried switching to a full GRT backup to get away from brick level.

I've gone through the documentation found here starting with page 1190:
ftp://exftpp.symantec.com/pub/support/products/Backup_Exec_for_WindowsNT/297830.pdf

I've tried 2 scenario's, one backup with grt and aofo and another with straight grt.

Scenario 1 give me this error:
V-79-57344-34110 - A)F): Initialization failure on: \\Server\Microsoft Information Store\First Storage Group. Advanced Open File Option Used: Microsoft Shadow Copy Service (VSS).

Snapshot provider Error (0xE000FED1): A failure occured querying the writer status.

Check windows event viewer for details.

Writer Name: Exchange Server, Writer ID: {76feblah-blah-blah-blah-blah2fb7}, Last error: The VSS Writer Failed the operation can be retired (0x800423f3), State: Failed during prepare backup operation (7).

Event Viewer Shows:

Backup Exec Alert: Job Failed

(Server: "Server") (Job: "Server - Full")

Server - Full -- The job failed with the following error: A failure occurred querying the writer status.

This is the scenario i would like to make work, but since that didn't work I tried leaving off AOFO with the snapshot provider options.

In Scenario 2 The backup takes a long time in queue just to eventually fail with these errors:

Backup - \\Server\Microsoft Exchange Public Folders Insufficient memory available.

V-79-57344-33858 - A memory allocation request failed. The computer may be running low on virtual memory.

An unknown error occurred on device "Server - full". V79-57344034030 - an invalid command was sent to the storage device.

The media server has been rebooted several times to ensure the latest updates and patches have been installed (BE SP2, hotfix 309178 and 311546). Exchange cannot be rebooted unless absolutly necessary (must be a guaranteed fix).