I can't select my external drive for copies in File history

Bree · 08 Sep 2019

File History should be able to find the second internal drive and the external drive as available to use. One possible reason for the drives not being available is that the drive, or a folder on the drive, is included in the folders being backed up. Check that the list of folder to back up does not include a folder from one of the drives you want to use.

If you still can't find a drive to use, try this workaround. File History can also use a network drive. That network drive doesn't have to be on another machine, it can be a drive being shared by the same PC. You could create a folder on your second internal disk, the G: drive then share it. In Control Panel > File History click 'Select drive' (selecctionar unidad). Then on the select drive screen click 'Add network location' then browse and find the share on your PC.

dalchina · 08 Sep 2019

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...cbf7290?page=1

Old post, but another solution if someone comes across this looking for a fix. Go to folder properties, and enable "view hidden files". Delete any hidden files you have left on the root of the drive. As soon as I did that on my external drive, the drive became available in File History. I think it may have been because the drive was previously used for backup under Win 7 Backup & Restore

(although in another thread, even formatting the drive didn't help)

Also says this - which surprises me but helped 101 people:

Might make a folder on that external drive named FileHistory

Right click it and select properties, turn on sharing - might need to give Everyone full permission.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...5-052ec3ffecec

Windows would not "find" the drive for file history using the Windows 10 Settings interface. However, I stumbled upon the legacy interface in the Control Panel: Backup and Restore (Windows 7) while preparing a system repair disk. I clicked on file history and Windows found my internal backup drive.

Now file history is running.

Trying to use the Backup feature but "No usable drives found"
post #8

i had the same problem, but in my case it was that i have used the drive for my music files and have entered the location in windows
media player, as soon i removed that, then it see the drive.
you have to be sure you have not entered the drive in some kind of libary.

Pilovar · 08 Sep 2019

Bree said:

File History should be able to find the second internal drive and the external drive as available to use. One possible reason for the drives not being available is that the drive, or a folder on the drive, is included in the folders being backed up. Check that the list of folder to back up does not include a folder from one of the drives you want to use.

Thanks!. This is the solution. A folder in G: was included as windows library and my default downloads folder, was located in F: . Moving that to E:, now I can select F: and/or G: for File History.

Thanks every body!!

Bree · 08 Sep 2019

Pilovar said:

Thanks!. This is the solution. A folder in G: was included as windows library and my default downloads folder, was located in F: . Moving that to E:, now I can select F: and/or G: for File History.
Thanks every body!!