Question : Help with strange backup problem?

Systems:
Server01 (Intel box): SBS2003 Server running up to date backup exec 11d
Server02 HP (Proliant DL320 1U): W2k3 SP2 Standard server running up to date remote agent.
server02 is fully updated via automatic updates

Problems:
Encounter multiple errors on backup of server02;
1 cannot access writer meta data when backing up system state.
2 when backing up a share or plain folder backup job reports successful but no data is actually backed up.  About 4000bytes to be exact

Troubleshooting:
Media server reports remote agent running on server02
Remote agent is publishing to server01
Checked vss by running vssadmin list writers: all stable, no error
Re-registered all dll files for vss on server02: stable no errors
Ran Microsoft backup on server02 to a shared folder on server01: success
Visited numerous tech pages on symantec site regarding issue: no luck
Installed remote agent on a W2k and XP machine and tried backups: Success
Manually removed and installed remote agent on Server02: same problems exist
Checked Microsoft: only one patch for vss that has to be applied for but symptoms do not match
Noticed on other sites that the same issue that I have, others also have on HP servers
Uninstalled all proprietary HP software.
All firewalls are off
Uninstalled Trend on server02: no luck
Backup exec logs show network control connection and network data connection established
After starting a backup job on server01 I quickly rdp into server02 to watch the remote agent: flashes green for a very fast moment (creating shadow copy) and then goes idle again.

Possible parallel issue:
Trend SMB can be push installed to Server02 from Server01 but then cannot update from Server01, nor does server02 show in the dashboard.
Trend works fine everywhere else on the network

Any known communication problems with HP servers?
Server02 is a freshly installed server.  Went online less than a week ago and acts as a web server.

Sites visited (heavily revised)
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/258982.htm : installing remote agent manually (done, still doesn't work)
http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/240971.htm  : possible corrupted remote agent (not in this case)
https://forums.symantec.com/syment/board/message?board.id=115&message.id=14540  : After BE upgrade reg fix (uninstalled BE and reinstalled from scratch)
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/264350.htmb : making sure VSS is set to manual  (It is)
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/261993.htm  : checking for vss writer errors  ( all writers are stable and report last errror as none.  I even re-registered all dll files linked with vss writers just in case)

Microsoft
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891957 : downloaded but already installed in SP2

Answer : Help with strange backup problem?

In my case the answer was different and hard to spot.  It turned out to not be a licensing issue at all.  We use a slipstreamed disk that our clients purchase VLK keys.  Turns out that I needed to reinstall Service Pack 2 because something in the slipstream process does not work correctly with backup exec.