How to fix Error 371 on Windows 11

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Windows 11 Troubleshooting Guide: Error 371 – File System Virtualization Provider Busy

Why This Error Happens

Error 371 occurs when the Windows Projected File System (ProjFS) driver, which manages virtualized file operations for services like OneDrive, Git Virtual File System (GVFS), or WSL, becomes overloaded or unresponsive. This typically happens due to excessive concurrent I/O requests, a stuck background sync process, or corruption in the ProjFS filter driver stack. In some cases, third-party antivirus software intercepting file system calls can also cause the virtualization provider to time out.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

  1. Restart the Projected File System Service and related processes:
  • Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
  • Locate any services related to your virtualization client (e.g., OneDrive, Git Credential Manager), right-click, and select Restart.
  • Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and end any hung processes like OneDrive.exe or git.exe before relaunching them.
  1. Verify ProjFS is properly enabled:
  • Open Settings > Apps > Optional Features > More Windows Features (or run optionalfeatures.exe).
  • Ensure Windows Projected File System is checked. If it was already enabled, uncheck it, restart your PC, then re-enable it and restart again to reset the driver.
  1. Check for driver conflicts via Command Prompt (Admin):
  • Run fsutil devdrv query to inspect virtualization-related drivers.
  • Run sfc /scannow followed by DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to repair corrupted system files that may be interfering with the ProjFS filter.
  1. Temporarily disable third-party antivirus/EDR software:
  • Some security tools hook into the file system filter stack and cause contention. Disable real-time protection temporarily to see if the error persists.
  1. Update or reinstall the client application:
  • If the error is tied to a specific app (e.g., Git for Windows, OneDrive), update to the latest version, as vendors frequently patch ProjFS-related race conditions.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • Verify the fix: Reproduce the original action (e.g., syncing files, cloning a repo) and confirm Error 371 no longer appears in Event Viewer under Windows Logs > Application.
  • Alternative fix: If the issue persists, perform a clean boot (msconfig > Selective Startup, disable all non-Microsoft services) to isolate whether a background application is monopolizing the ProjFS driver.