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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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Try disconnecting and reconnecting the drive. Windoze gets confused sometimes. –  Daniel R Hicks Nov 6 '12 at 12:06
No effect, without or with restarting the backup app –  Josh Nov 6 '12 at 12:50
Restart the PC. –  Moab Nov 6 '12 at 14:44
Restarting the PC had no effect; all as before –  Josh Nov 6 '12 at 16:27
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1 Answer

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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Yeah, my next try would be to reconfigure the backup app -- "reconfigure" to the same drive. –  Daniel R Hicks Nov 14 '12 at 1:31
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