Windows Back Up thinks drive is disconnected
Even though you don't want to change your backup destination, that's what Windows 7 wants you to do; but it's happy for you to change it to the same location.
From Control Panel\System and Security\Backup and Restore
select Schedule: Change settings
; this has nothing to do with scheduling despite the misleading name. A dialog box comes up which lists all the drives to which you can backup. Select the 'disconnected' drive, and you'll be presented with an option to backup to it now. Naturally, you'll want to do that now.
In the future, you'll be able to backup to this device, as the "Back up now" button will be enabled.
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Josh
Updated on September 18, 2022Comments
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Josh almost 2 years
My netbook runs Windows 7 Starter. I have successfully backed this up in the past. I may have upgraded the external drive I used for backups subsequent to this.
Now when I go to
Control Panel\System and Security\Backup and Restore
and see the "Back up or restore your files" screen and the "Back up now" button is disabled. The "Backup location" is "Expansion Drive (E:)", which although the Backup screen lists as disconnected, I'm able to browse right now with Explorer - it's definitely plugged in.Edit: the restore program can see and understand the existing backup on the drive, and it's willing to restore that backup.
How did I break this, and how do I fix it? Is there a way to backup to a network drive even if I'm using Windows 7 Starter?
Also: why does Windows call it both "Back up" and "Backup" on the same screen?
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Daniel R Hicks over 11 yearsTry disconnecting and reconnecting the drive. Windoze gets confused sometimes.
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Josh over 11 yearsNo effect, without or with restarting the backup app
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Moab over 11 yearsRestart the PC.
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Daniel R Hicks over 11 yearsYeah, my next try would be to reconfigure the backup app -- "reconfigure" to the same drive.