From: nospam@needed.invalid   
      
   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   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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