From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Windows 11 i7 Ultra CPU, 16GB of ram. No hacks to the system

I have an external 1TB drive connected to the desktop. I set up File
History sharing to back up to this external drive.

However it is not backing up and the error code is that the drive is disconnected, yet I can access from the desktop that it is connected to.

How do I reconnect the external drive to File History?
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

knuttle wrote on 12/5/2025 8:59 AM:

Windows 11 i7 Ultra CPU, 16GB of ram.  No hacks to the system

I have an external 1TB drive connected to the desktop.  I set up File History sharing to back up to this external drive.

However it is not backing up and the error code is that the drive is disconnected, yet I can access from the desktop that it is connected to.

How do I reconnect the external drive to File History?

If File History(FH) is configured as desired(setting up File History, selecting the external drive as the source, etc.), external disk has sufficient free space, then:
- Try a different USB port
- Try initiating a manual FH backup
--
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Fri, 12/5/2025 10:59 AM, knuttle wrote:

Windows 11 i7 Ultra CPU, 16GB of ram.  No hacks to the system

I have an external 1TB drive connected to the desktop.  I set up
File History sharing to back up to this external drive.

However it is not backing up and the error code is that the drive
is disconnected, yet I can access from the desktop that it is connected to.

How do I reconnect the external drive to File History?

The drive identifier does not match what was connected at time of setup.

C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration
Config1.xml 3768 bytes

<Target>
<TargetName>BAKER</TargetName>
<TargetUrl>D:\</TargetUrl>
<TargetVolumePath>\\?\Volume{00117126-0000-0000-0000-100000000000}\</TargetVolumePath>
<TargetDriveType>FIXED</TargetDriveType>
<TargetConfigPath1>Paul\WALLACE\Configuration\Config1.xml</TargetConfigPath1>
<TargetConfigPath2>Paul\WALLACE\Configuration\Config2.xml</TargetConfigPath2>
<TargetCatalogPath1>Paul\WALLACE\Configuration\Catalog1.edb</TargetCatalogPath1>
<TargetCatalogPath2>Paul\WALLACE\Configuration\Catalog2.edb</TargetCatalogPath2>
<TargetBackupStorePath>Paul\WALLACE\Data</TargetBackupStorePath>
<TargetWarningThreshold>98</TargetWarningThreshold>
</Target>

In a terminal window, I can run "mountvol" and see what my
current identifiers are. A person using a USB stick might see
a similar "short" kind of identity.

\\?\Volume{00117126-0000-0000-0000-100000000000}\
D:\

And that allows me to compare to the setting, by using the mountvol.

You will notice my C: drive has a "richer" identifier of a GPT disk.
Disks partitioned as MSDOS, use the shorter legacy identifiers.

\\?\Volume{0bd6166a-0836-4041-891c-792df2c72abd}\
C:\

The disk drive itself, BAKER partition, has a FileHistory directory
and the Config1.xml should be a copy of this same configuration information.

On the drive that refuses to connect, open its Config1.xml and have a look. Since I just set this up, of course mine matches so this example does
not expose brokenness. On the drive you've connected (that refuses
to identify), this file will be a mis-match.

D:\FileHistory\Paul\WALLACE\Configuration
Config1.xml 3768 bytes

<Target>
<TargetName>BAKER</TargetName>
<TargetUrl>D:\</TargetUrl>
<TargetVolumePath>\\?\Volume{00117126-0000-0000-0000-100000000000}\</TargetVolumePath>
<TargetDriveType>FIXED</TargetDriveType>
<TargetConfigPath1>Paul\WALLACE\Configuration\Config1.xml</TargetConfigPath1>
<TargetConfigPath2>Paul\WALLACE\Configuration\Config2.xml</TargetConfigPath2>
<TargetCatalogPath1>Paul\WALLACE\Configuration\Catalog1.edb</TargetCatalogPath1>
<TargetCatalogPath2>Paul\WALLACE\Configuration\Catalog2.edb</TargetCatalogPath2>
<TargetBackupStorePath>Paul\WALLACE\Data</TargetBackupStorePath>
<TargetWarningThreshold>98</TargetWarningThreshold>
</Target>

You can use the settings of the File History control panel to "Add a drive"
or whatever.

I did not particularly see a Registry dependency here. It seems
to be using the file systems for this activity, as near as I can tell.

Since there are also .edb JetBlue databases in each of these directories
that hold configuration data, there could be repeats of what is in the XML, inslde the .edb . A naive edit of the .xml file may not be sufficient
to "force the identifiers to match".

But anyway, you can now at least check and see what the name of the
partition is, where the File History was supposed to go. It is going to
use the Target info in this file, to sniff for the drive.

C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration
Config1.xml 3768 bytes

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

knuttle wrote:

Windows 11 i7 Ultra CPU, 16GB of ram.  No hacks to the system

I have an external 1TB drive connected to the desktop.  I set up
File History sharing to back up to this external drive.

However it is not backing up and the error code is that the drive
is disconnected, yet I can access from the desktop that it is connected to. >>
How do I reconnect the external drive to File History?

The drive identifier does not match what was connected at time of setup.

Tis a problem with USB-attached drives: the drive letter they were
assigned in the past may not be the driver letter they are assigned now.

https://www.uwe-sieber.de/english.html

That guy came up with some useful USB tools, one of which is his USBDLM
(USB Drive Letter Manager). It's not designed for use by boobs, but
doesn't require much expertise to configure. It tries to reserve drive
letters to USB drives, and overcome stepping atop drive letters when an
old drive letter is currently unused, and a new USB drive attached.

In a really old batch script where I had to ensure which USB drive I was accessing was the one I intended to access, I remember creating a
special file that had a unique filename on the target USB drive. I
walked through the drive letter assignments (probably using a for-loop)
looking for the specially named file, and, when found, returned the
drive letter for that USB drive. That was for a program where I could
input the drive letter, or alter its config file before loading the
program.

For many programs, they're just dumb by reusing whatever drive letter
was specified on their prior use, or in their configuration. They won't
find the target USB drive by its content, and just go by a drive letter,
but drive letter assignments are not guaranteed for USB drive. Even
Sieber's tool could probably fail.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In article <10guvi0$1hbpo$1@dont-email.me>, keith_nuttle@yahoo.com
says...

I have an external 1TB drive connected to the desktop. I set up File >History sharing to back up to this external drive.

However it is not backing up and the error code is that the drive is >disconnected, yet I can access from the desktop that it is connected to.

How do I reconnect the external drive to File History?

I tried asking Gemini (AI) this question. It came up with these
interesting suggestions:

1. Verify and Re-select the Drive in File History Settings
The most straightforward fix is often to clear the current configuration
and set the drive as the target again.
Open Settings in Windows (press the Windows key + I).
Go to Update & Security > Backup (or on Windows 11, System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Backup options).
Under the "Back up using File History" section, click More options.
Scroll to the bottom and click Stop using drive (or Stop backup). This
clears the previous, broken configuration.
Go back to the main Backup screen.
Click Add a drive and select your 1TB external drive from the list.
Once selected, click Back up now to initiate a manual backup and test
the connection.
2. Ensure the Drive Letter is Consistent
If you plug other USB devices in and out, Windows might assign a
different drive letter to your 1TB drive, which breaks File History's configuration. You need to assign it a static letter.
Right-click the Start button and select Disk Management.
Find your 1TB external drive in the list.
Right-click the volume (e.g., the D: or E: drive) and select Change
Drive Letter and Path...
Click Change...
Select a letter that is high up in the alphabet (like X: or Z:) which is
less likely to be used by other devices.
Click OK and accept any prompts.
Go back to File History settings (Step 1) and re-select the drive using
its new, stable letter.
3. Check and Restart the File History Service
The service responsible for running backups might be stuck or not
running correctly in the background.
Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
Type services.msc and press Enter.
In the Services window, find File History Service in the list.
Check the "Status" column. If it's not "Running", right-click it and
select Start.
If it is already running, right-click it and select Restart.
4. Reformat the Drive (Last Resort)
If the above steps fail, the configuration files on the external drive
itself might be corrupted. Formatting the drive will erase everything on
it, so ensure you don't have other valuable data stored there first.
Open File Explorer and go to This PC.
Right-click on your 1TB external drive.
Select Format...
Ensure the File system is set to NTFS.
Uncheck "Quick Format" if you want a thorough check (takes longer),
otherwise leave it checked.
Click Start.
After formatting is complete, return to File History settings (Step 1)
and set it up as a new drive.
--
--
Phil, London
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Sat, 12/6/2025 8:35 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote:

In article <10guvi0$1hbpo$1@dont-email.me>, keith_nuttle@yahoo.com
says...

I have an external 1TB drive connected to the desktop. I set up File
History sharing to back up to this external drive.

However it is not backing up and the error code is that the drive is
disconnected, yet I can access from the desktop that it is connected to.

How do I reconnect the external drive to File History?

I tried asking Gemini (AI) this question. It came up with these
interesting suggestions:

1. Verify and Re-select the Drive in File History Settings
The most straightforward fix is often to clear the current configuration
and set the drive as the target again.
Open Settings in Windows (press the Windows key + I).
Go to Update & Security > Backup (or on Windows 11, System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Backup options).
Under the "Back up using File History" section, click More options.
Scroll to the bottom and click Stop using drive (or Stop backup). This clears the previous, broken configuration.
Go back to the main Backup screen.
Click Add a drive and select your 1TB external drive from the list.
Once selected, click Back up now to initiate a manual backup and test
the connection.
2. Ensure the Drive Letter is Consistent
If you plug other USB devices in and out, Windows might assign a
different drive letter to your 1TB drive, which breaks File History's configuration. You need to assign it a static letter.
Right-click the Start button and select Disk Management.
Find your 1TB external drive in the list.
Right-click the volume (e.g., the D: or E: drive) and select Change
Drive Letter and Path...
Click Change...
Select a letter that is high up in the alphabet (like X: or Z:) which is less likely to be used by other devices.
Click OK and accept any prompts.
Go back to File History settings (Step 1) and re-select the drive using
its new, stable letter.
3. Check and Restart the File History Service
The service responsible for running backups might be stuck or not
running correctly in the background.
Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
Type services.msc and press Enter.
In the Services window, find File History Service in the list.
Check the "Status" column. If it's not "Running", right-click it and
select Start.
If it is already running, right-click it and select Restart.
4. Reformat the Drive (Last Resort)
If the above steps fail, the configuration files on the external drive itself might be corrupted. Formatting the drive will erase everything on
it, so ensure you don't have other valuable data stored there first.
Open File Explorer and go to This PC.
Right-click on your 1TB external drive.
Select Format...
Ensure the File system is set to NTFS.
Uncheck "Quick Format" if you want a thorough check (takes longer), otherwise leave it checked.
Click Start.
After formatting is complete, return to File History settings (Step 1)
and set it up as a new drive.

But we were hoping the AI understood the inner workings of the thing a bit better.

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

knuttle <keith_nuttle@yahoo.com> wrote:

Windows 11 i7 Ultra CPU, 16GB of ram. No hacks to the system

I have an external 1TB drive connected to the desktop. I set up File History sharing to back up to this external drive.

However it is not backing up and the error code is that the drive is disconnected, yet I can access from the desktop that it is connected to.

How do I reconnect the external drive to File History?

File History can not backup directly to a drive which is connected to
another system. It can backup to a *local* drive or a network location,
where a network location is a Network Share or a *Network* Drive. Which
of the latter two do you use?

Also please post the *exact* error message(s) you get.

If it is "Reconnect Your File History Drive in Windows", then the 'Reconnecting your File History drive now' link in Settings -> Accounts

Windows backup give a Copilot Search results which points to this

page:

'Reconnect Your File History Drive in Windows' <https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/reconnect-your-file-history-drive-in-windows-4eecf398-5c15-bbe7-13b2-9ed4b3db8bb7>

which tells you your File History drive has been disconnected for too
long and how to fix that.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On 12/08/2025 10:22 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:

knuttle <keith_nuttle@yahoo.com> wrote:

Windows 11 i7 Ultra CPU, 16GB of ram. No hacks to the system

I have an external 1TB drive connected to the desktop. I set up File
History sharing to back up to this external drive.

However it is not backing up and the error code is that the drive is
disconnected, yet I can access from the desktop that it is connected to.

How do I reconnect the external drive to File History?

File History can not backup directly to a drive which is connected to another system. It can backup to a *local* drive or a network location,
where a network location is a Network Share or a *Network* Drive. Which
of the latter two do you use?

Also please post the *exact* error message(s) you get.

If it is "Reconnect Your File History Drive in Windows", then the 'Reconnecting your File History drive now' link in Settings -> Accounts

Windows backup give a Copilot Search results which points to this

page:

'Reconnect Your File History Drive in Windows' <https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/reconnect-your-file-history-drive-in-windows-4eecf398-5c15-bbe7-13b2-9ed4b3db8bb7>

which tells you your File History drive has been disconnected for too
long and how to fix that.

The external drive that I use to back up the computer is connected to
the computer through the USB port. It has worked in the past.
Recently File History decided the drive was disconnected. However I can
still access the drive through the File Manager and sync the drive using Syncback.

I can not get File Histor to reconnect to the drive
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

knuttle <keith_nuttle@yahoo.com> wrote:
[...]

The external drive that I use to back up the computer is connected to
the computer through the USB port. It has worked in the past.
Recently File History decided the drive was disconnected. However I can still access the drive through the File Manager and sync the drive using Syncback.

I can not get File Histor to reconnect to the drive

Ah, I thought that two systems were involved.

So what happens if you just do a 'Select drive' again? Is the drive
listed? If so, select it again (and click OK). If not, go back to the
main 'File History' page, do a 'Turn off' and start over again.

N.B. All the above is in the Control Panel, not in Settings.
(Someone's AI stuff implied that some File History settings are in
Settings, but I can't find any.)

BTW, the Microsoft support page I referenced earlier, implies that a
'Run now' (blue text on the main File History page) might be the only
thing you need. Have you tried that?
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On 12/08/2025 2:19 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:

knuttle <keith_nuttle@yahoo.com> wrote:
[...]

The external drive that I use to back up the computer is connected to
the computer through the USB port. It has worked in the past.
Recently File History decided the drive was disconnected. However I can
still access the drive through the File Manager and sync the drive using
Syncback.

I can not get File Histor to reconnect to the drive

Ah, I thought that two systems were involved.

So what happens if you just do a 'Select drive' again? Is the drive listed? If so, select it again (and click OK). If not, go back to the
main 'File History' page, do a 'Turn off' and start over again.

It appears to select the drive, but still does not change anything

N.B. All the above is in the Control Panel, not in Settings.
(Someone's AI stuff implied that some File History settings are in
Settings, but I can't find any.)

BTW, the Microsoft support page I referenced earlier, implies that a
'Run now' (blue text on the main File History page) might be the only
thing you need. Have you tried that?

Run now Fails, with drive not connected.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

VanguardLH:

Tis a problem with USB-attached drives: the drive letter they
were assigned in the past may not be the driver letter they
are assigned now.

Windows' native diskpart.exe can be used to assign persistent
drive letters to USB drives.
--
() ascii ribbon campaign -- against html e-mail
/\ www.asciiribbon.org -- against proprietary attachments
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Mon, 12/8/2025 4:29 PM, Anton Shepelev wrote:

VanguardLH:

Tis a problem with USB-attached drives: the drive letter they
were assigned in the past may not be the driver letter they
are assigned now.

Windows' native diskpart.exe can be used to assign persistent
drive letters to USB drives.

https://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbdlm_e.html

"If there is a network share on this letter, Windows XP will
use it anyway for the new USB drive because since XP network shares
are specific to the current user and not visible in the "System"
context where the letter is assigned. The USB drive then
appears to be invisible."

There is still room for a Drive Letter Manager. It depends on
whether you have mapped network shares or not.

Network shares can be adhoc (set up on demand) or
they can be mapped and connected at startup. And
apparently that can cause a conflict with the
drive letter assigned to the USB stick otherwise.

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Mon, 12/8/2025 3:23 PM, knuttle wrote:

On 12/08/2025 2:19 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:

knuttle <keith_nuttle@yahoo.com> wrote:
[...]

The external drive that I use to back up the computer is connected to
the computer through the USB port.  It has worked in the past.
Recently File History decided the drive was disconnected.  However I can >>> still access the drive through the File Manager and sync the drive using >>> Syncback.

I can not get File Histor to reconnect to the drive

   Ah, I thought that two systems were involved.

   So what happens if you just do a 'Select drive' again? Is the drive
listed? If so, select it again (and click OK). If not, go back to the
main 'File History' page, do a 'Turn off' and start over again.

It appears to select the drive, but still does not change anything

   N.B. All the above is in the Control Panel, not in Settings.
(Someone's AI stuff implied that some File History settings are in
Settings, but I can't find any.)

   BTW, the Microsoft support page I referenced earlier, implies that a
'Run now' (blue text on the main File History page) might be the only
thing you need. Have you tried that?

Run now Fails, with drive not connected.

Because the internal staging area is full.

Do these two files have the same disk drive information ?
The C: reference is to my profile and the AppData in it.

C:\Users\Paul\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration
Config1.xml 3768 bytes

D:\FileHistory\Paul\WALLACE\Configuration
Config1.xml 3768 bytes

My File History is set up for partition "BAKER" D: on an external drive.
My backup drive is MSDOS partitioned and less than 2.2TB in size.
The computer being backed up is WALLACE.

<Target>
<TargetName>BAKER</TargetName>
<TargetUrl>D:\</TargetUrl>
<TargetVolumePath>\\?\Volume{00117126-0000-0000-0000-100000000000}\</TargetVolumePath>
<TargetDriveType>FIXED</TargetDriveType>

Both of my Config1 files have the same information.

My purpose in making you look at those, is to jog your
memory regarding the history of external drive usage.
For example, formatting D: would kind of spoil things.

if the issue was something related to shadow copies,
I don't think that would affect the identification
of the drive D: as it is the destination of the
output files and no shadow is required on D: to make
the transfer work.

The problem is easily resolved using the GUI of
the File History control panel, that's not a problem.
But we would like to be able to do this *without losing
any history files*.

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

knuttle <keith_nuttle@yahoo.com> wrote:

On 12/08/2025 2:19 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:

knuttle <keith_nuttle@yahoo.com> wrote:
[...]

The external drive that I use to back up the computer is connected to
the computer through the USB port. It has worked in the past.
Recently File History decided the drive was disconnected. However I can >> still access the drive through the File Manager and sync the drive using >> Syncback.

I can not get File Histor to reconnect to the drive

Ah, I thought that two systems were involved.

So what happens if you just do a 'Select drive' again? Is the drive listed? If so, select it again (and click OK). If not, go back to the
main 'File History' page, do a 'Turn off' and start over again.

It appears to select the drive, but still does not change anything

N.B. All the above is in the Control Panel, not in Settings.
(Someone's AI stuff implied that some File History settings are in Settings, but I can't find any.)

BTW, the Microsoft support page I referenced earlier, implies that a 'Run now' (blue text on the main File History page) might be the only
thing you need. Have you tried that?

Run now Fails, with drive not connected.

As others have indicated, did the drive letter of the drive perhaps
change over time?

You say you can access the drive with File Explorer. Which drive
letter does it have in File Explorer?

Now look at the list given when you do a 'Select drive' on the main
File History page. Is the *selected* drive letter the same as the one in
File Explorer? If not, that's your problem and you'll need to change the
drive letter of the external drive. You can do that from the 'Storage'
part of 'Computer Management' (%windir%\system32\compmgmt.msc /s).

And, as mentioned before, you should be able to start over by doing a
'Turn off' on the main File History page.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2