If you’re using Windows 10, you may be aware of file history. It is an automatic backup feature to backup files on an external hard drive or USB. Although it is a reliable backup application, you may encounter problems at times.
One of the common errors you may encounter is ‘Reconnect your drive. File History drive was disconnected for too long’. This article describes some solutions to help you resolve the error. But before you begin with other troubleshooting steps, try reconnecting the hard drive first.
Disconnect the hard drive and switch off your system. Then, turn on the system and connect your external hard drive. If the issue still persists, move on to the troubleshooting steps.
Solution 1: Enable file history and start the backup manually
As a first step, reconnect the external hard drive and enable file history. Here, you will have an option to backup manually. To do so,
- Click on the Start menu and select Settings
- Go to Update & Security > Backup
- Click on Add a drive in ‘Backup using File History section’ and select your external hard drive
- To manually backup, click on More Options and select Backup Now
If this doesn’t help solve your problem, try troubleshooting hardware as explained in the next step.
Solution 2: Troubleshoot hardware
- Click on Start and type Troubleshooting in the Search bar
- Click Troubleshooting > Hardware & Sound > Hardware & Devices
- Follow the instructions in the troubleshooting wizard to complete the process.
This should fix any hardware issues with your external hard drive and help you resolve the issue. If it doesn’t help, run CHKDSK to repair any possible corruption issues explained in the next step.
Solution 3: Run CHKDSK
CHKDSK is a wonderful tool to check file system integrity and resolve corruption issues if any. To run CHKDSK, follow the instructions below.
- Press Windows key + X and select Command Prompt (Admin)
- In the command prompt, type ‘CHKDSK <your drive>: /R’
This command will fix file system errors and also mark bad sectors on the drive. Please note that CHKDSK may take long to run depending on the size of the drive. If CHKDSK completes successfully, all your errors will be fixed and this should resolve the issue for you. Proceed to the next step if the issue persists.
Solution 4: Delete File History Configuration Files
This process may delete files on your hard drive, so be sure to backup before you proceed. To delete file history configuration files, follow the instructions.
- Press Windows + R to open Run
- Type ‘%LOCALAPPDATA%’ and hit Enter
- Go to Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration
Delete the contents of the Configuration folder and you should be able to use File History again.
Solution 5: Format external hard drive
If none of these methods work, you have no option but to format your hard drive and use File History. Please note that formatting erases all data on the drive, so be sure to back up the drive. Follow these steps to format your drive.
- Go to My PC and identify your external hard drive
- Right click on the drive and select Format
- Check the default options to format and click Start to begin formatting
Once the process is complete, try using File History again and you should be able to create a backup without any issues.
Conclusion: It’s great that you are exploring file history and backup options. You are one step ahead and be prepared for data loss situations. But what if you have lost/accidentally deleted data and you don’t have a backup in place. In these cases, use Hi5 Software to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10.
