SEP and Safeguard Easy - Windows Delayed Write Failed

[Migration User]

We've been using Safeguard Easy on our laptops for a number of years.  It's lived alongside Symantec Antivirus Corporate without an issue.  Now that we've started rolling out Symantec Endpoint 11 MR4, we get tonnes of "Windows Delayed Write Failed" errors as soon as the encryption begins.  I disable SEP during the install of Safeguard Easy, as recommended by Sophos support, but right after the reboot, when the encryption begins, the errors start filtering in.

We've updated and checked our mass storage drivers and chipset drivers from intel.  We've tried the newest from intel, and the newest from Lenovo. Our laptop fleet is made of Lenovo T60, T61, T400s, and X300's.  All have this issue since SEP is installed on them instead of Symantec AV Corporate.

Anyone else experience issues with this combination of Safeguard (Easy, or Enterprise), with SEP 11?

P.S.

I've defragged, installed windows fresh, installed Lenovo's base image, CHKDSK, etc. already...

[Rafeeq]

Can you follow this discussion

For me the problem was that it was missing a file in the C:\Program Files\SAV\SmcLU.  I created a new SmcLU, and the events disappeared.  I checked the permissions, an they match another domains settings.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/sep-cause-newly-delayed-write-failed-errors

[Migration User]

What do you mean by "created a new SmcLU"?

Can you give some details on any steps?

Thanks much,

[Migration User]

We are experiencing the same issue with Delayed Write Errors after installing SafeGuard Enterprise on some of our clients - it begins once the full-disk encryption starts and seems to be sporadic thereafter.

For SEP, I believe the location of the folder you mentioned is %PROGRAMFILES%\Symantec\Symantec EndPoint Protection\SmcLU, but none of our clients (working or not) have a file in that folder which leads me to believe that creating some mystery file there will not resolve the issue.

If anyone has a resolution to this issue, I'd be grateful to hear it!  We've tried everything that Microsoft KB330174 to no avail.  Also, when approached, Sophos came back to us saying that it was a Windows issue and had nothing to do with their product, but I'm not sure that I completely believe that.

[Migration User]

Safeguard 5.50 was just released at the end of april, and it resolves our delayed write failed errors by allowing an alternate mode of creating the kernel.  See below - copied from the release notes...

Delay Write Errors during Initial Encryption
During the installation of SafeGuard Enterprise Base Encryption, delayed write failures may be reported by the operating system. This happens right after installing the kernel onto the file system.  This may be forced by executing many parallel file I/O operations during the next boot right after manipulating the file system.

Solution:
An alternate way to install the SafeGuard Enterprise Base Encryption Kernel can be forced by adding the registry value:
In such a case it might help to increase the timeout value using the following registry setting:

            Hive:    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
            Key:     System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager
 Value Name:    AllocMode (DWORD)
            Value:   1

This registry value should be added before executing the SafeGuard Enterprise Base
Encryption setup