Windows backup across network?

I'm trying to run the Windows backup utility from my Vista Home Premium laptop to network hard drive (external) attached to my desktop which is running Vista Ultimate. These are just my home machines so i don't use a password on my user accounts on either location. I have password protected file sharing turned off on both machines as well. i am set as administrator on both machines. The issue is that the Windows back up feature won't allow me to connect from the laptop unless both user accounts have a password! i can access the network drive every other way and read/write to it all day long, just not through the backup feature. Its annoying because i don't like having passwords on my user accounts at home.

Can anyone think of a solution to this?

Murphy

Murphy,

Welcome to the forums!

Microsoft has a software product that does many things, advanced firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware, maintenance and network backup. On my network I have a "hub" pc with an external USB drive attached. Windows Live OneCare allows me to use this shared USB drive for backups on PC's on my network. The software license allows for 3 PC's and I feel is a good product for the price.
You can download an evaluation version here to see if it works for you: Windows Live OneCare - Home

Thanks Joe, i've been curious about OneCare...i might try the 90 day trial... But have you tried to do the back up on user accounts with no passwords? Since you use this for backups, can you tell me if you're prompted for user names and passwords when you set it up??

The backup feature has to be setup on each PC. You have to be logged in to configure the backup. Once configured they run on the schedule you set, no further input of username or password needed.

Alright so with out OneCare, surely i can set up an automatic Windows back up to a network drive without having a password set.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Brink, do you have any experience with this? Do i really have to have a password on both machines to use Windows Backup across the network?

I don't think that Windows backup is reliable. I recommend spending a few dollars on something that will work reliably--e.g., Acronis True Image for full system backups and Goodsync for file backups. Neither will require passwords. However, doing a full system backup across a network, unless a fast network, might get a tad time comsuming.

Znod, just curious, why is Windows backup not reliable in your opinion? Have you personally had a bad experience with it? I have a FreeAgent Pro drive that came with its own software including real-time backups when files change or are added to the system, just mostly curious about Windows backup. I found out through MS customer service that i have to have a password on at least one user account on the desktop that houses the external backup in order to back up over the network from the laptop. They said this was by design.

Dustin has the same exact problem as me. Is anyone else as frustrated with the lack of clear, on-point responses as he (obviouisly) and I are? Did I just join this forum to point out the obvious?

Hi Nate,

I was frustrated with the backup program but MS did explain that it is by design that at least one user account on the destination PC have a password on it. I just set up a dummy user account with a password and set up the laptop to login the backup program using those credentials. you don't have to log-in to the dummy account or ever even use it..and it does work. i didn't like the fact that i had to do this at all, but i do understand the reasoning, in a hyper-paranoid MS sort of way. Anyway, it works. I'm ok with it....