Vista - backup to Maxtor problem

Hi,
This is a bit of a repost so I am sorry about that but no replies last time
and I am getting desperate.

I have Vista Home edition on a laptop with a Maxtor HD attached via the USB
2 port. I have tried using the backup program that comes with vista to back
up all my files but when I have the option to select the backup drive the
Maxtor doesn't appear. Only the C drive. If I look in My Computer the maxtor
is there and accessible.
Is this a common problems, fault? Is there anything I can do to backup to
the maxtor or do I need some other software?
Thanks
Lenny

On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 20:28:01 +0100, "Lenny" <lenny@thetakeout.com>
wrote:

>Hi,
>This is a bit of a repost so I am sorry about that but no replies last time
>and I am getting desperate.
>
>I have Vista Home edition on a laptop with a Maxtor HD attached via the USB
>2 port. I have tried using the backup program that comes with vista to back
>up all my files but when I have the option to select the backup drive the
>Maxtor doesn't appear. Only the C drive. If I look in My Computer the maxtor
>is there and accessible.
>Is this a common problems, fault? Is there anything I can do to backup to
>the maxtor or do I need some other software?
>Thanks
>Lenny
>

While I use something else to backup, I tired Vista's build-in method
to see if I can help you out.

Here's what I did:

Go to Control Center, double click on Backup and Restore. You should
see a new window pop up. At the top click on the back up files button.
If you have UAC turned on, you'll get a nag screen. Click to continue.

You should see another window asking where do you want to save your
backup. Be sure the 'on a hard disk, CD or DVD' option is selected.
Click on the little down arrow and select your Maxtor drive. External
drives MUST be mounted (turned on) before you do this step.

Is your Maxtor formatted and ready to use? If this is a new drive you
have to make it ready first. Check the instructions that came with the
drive. If you're not sure try manually copying a few files over using
Windows Explorer then check if they got copied.

Hi Adam,
Thanks for your time and effort. This is the weird thing. I can see the
drive in my computer and I can also add and remove files from it but it
doesn't show as one of the hard disks when I click on the little down arrow
to select.

What do you recommend for backing up? I think I will ask that in another
post.
Thanks
Lenny
"Adam Albright" <AA@ABC.net> wrote in message
news:jmtn83pnt1l7sfmh6i8m7aq8q2veed19fg@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 4 Jul 2007 20:28:01 +0100, "Lenny" <lenny@thetakeout.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>This is a bit of a repost so I am sorry about that but no replies last
>>time
>>and I am getting desperate.
>>
>>I have Vista Home edition on a laptop with a Maxtor HD attached via the
>>USB
>>2 port. I have tried using the backup program that comes with vista to
>>back
>>up all my files but when I have the option to select the backup drive the
>>Maxtor doesn't appear. Only the C drive. If I look in My Computer the
>>maxtor
>>is there and accessible.
>>Is this a common problems, fault? Is there anything I can do to backup to
>>the maxtor or do I need some other software?
>>Thanks
>>Lenny
>>
>
> While I use something else to backup, I tired Vista's build-in method
> to see if I can help you out.
>
> Here's what I did:
>
> Go to Control Center, double click on Backup and Restore. You should
> see a new window pop up. At the top click on the back up files button.
> If you have UAC turned on, you'll get a nag screen. Click to continue.
>
> You should see another window asking where do you want to save your
> backup. Be sure the 'on a hard disk, CD or DVD' option is selected.
> Click on the little down arrow and select your Maxtor drive. External
> drives MUST be mounted (turned on) before you do this step.
>
> Is your Maxtor formatted and ready to use? If this is a new drive you
> have to make it ready first. Check the instructions that came with the
> drive. If you're not sure try manually copying a few files over using
> Windows Explorer then check if they got copied.
>
>

"Lenny" <lenny@thetakeout.com> wrote in message
news:lY2dnagNn51UaRbbnZ2dnUVZ8tmhnZ2d@pipex.net...
> Hi,
> This is a bit of a repost so I am sorry about that but no replies last
> time and I am getting desperate.
>
> I have Vista Home edition on a laptop with a Maxtor HD attached via the
> USB 2 port. I have tried using the backup program that comes with vista to
> back up all my files but when I have the option to select the backup drive
> the Maxtor doesn't appear. Only the C drive. If I look in My Computer the
> maxtor is there and accessible.
> Is this a common problems, fault? Is there anything I can do to backup to
> the maxtor or do I need some other software?
> Thanks
> Lenny
>


Is the USB drive formatted NTFS, FAT, or UDF? Assume so, just asking...

Also... is everything USB 2.0? (Meaning, of course, is the port it's plugged
into USB 2.0? For sure?) Have you tried any other USB ports on your laptop?
The cable is "known good"? I know you said the drive's accessible from
within, hmm... My -Computer? You mean "Computer," right? "My Computer" makes
one think we might be talking about an XP seat... but, regardless... I don't
know for sure... this is just a SWAG... but sometimes different tools have
different requirements. Windows Explorer may access the drive fine but if
the path from the laptop to the drive is not "pure" USB 2.0, Vista backup
might flag that and not even offer the drive as an option. (Again... that's
just a SWAG... I have no data to back that up and could be flat out wrong,
but I do a lot of "on-the-fly" thinking when I don't know for sure what the
answer is... one hopes I'm not doing a disservice by providing such
thinking... [fingers crossed] .)

I don't have a Maxtor USB drive... I've got Seagate's and WD's... on a seat
with the Seagate hanging off of it, the Seagate is the default drive shown
for backup. (The PC's a laptop with one physical/logical hd. Can't back up
to the same hd.)

Lang

Thanks Lang.
"Lang Murphy" <lang_murphy@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:317CB319-0F75-4B1A-88E5-EBDABE32051F@microsoft.com...
> "Lenny" <lenny@thetakeout.com> wrote in message
> news:lY2dnagNn51UaRbbnZ2dnUVZ8tmhnZ2d@pipex.net...
>> Hi,
>> This is a bit of a repost so I am sorry about that but no replies last
>> time and I am getting desperate.
>>
>> I have Vista Home edition on a laptop with a Maxtor HD attached via the
>> USB 2 port. I have tried using the backup program that comes with vista
>> to back up all my files but when I have the option to select the backup
>> drive the Maxtor doesn't appear. Only the C drive. If I look in My
>> Computer the maxtor is there and accessible.
>> Is this a common problems, fault? Is there anything I can do to backup to
>> the maxtor or do I need some other software?
>> Thanks
>> Lenny
>>
>
>
> Is the USB drive formatted NTFS, FAT, or UDF? Assume so, just asking...
>
> Also... is everything USB 2.0? (Meaning, of course, is the port it's
> plugged into USB 2.0? For sure?) Have you tried any other USB ports on
> your laptop? The cable is "known good"? I know you said the drive's
> accessible from within, hmm... My -Computer? You mean "Computer," right?
> "My Computer" makes one think we might be talking about an XP seat... but,
> regardless... I don't know for sure... this is just a SWAG... but
> sometimes different tools have different requirements. Windows Explorer
> may access the drive fine but if the path from the laptop to the drive is
> not "pure" USB 2.0, Vista backup might flag that and not even offer the
> drive as an option. (Again... that's just a SWAG... I have no data to back
> that up and could be flat out wrong, but I do a lot of "on-the-fly"
> thinking when I don't know for sure what the answer is... one hopes I'm
> not doing a disservice by providing such thinking... [fingers crossed] .)
>
> I don't have a Maxtor USB drive... I've got Seagate's and WD's... on a
> seat with the Seagate hanging off of it, the Seagate is the default drive
> shown for backup. (The PC's a laptop with one physical/logical hd. Can't
> back up to the same hd.)
>
> Lang
>
>

thanks for the replies. The USB cable worked fine for the last 6 months but
I have changed it now and the Maxtor is now working fine.

"Lang Murphy" <lang_murphy@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:317CB319-0F75-4B1A-88E5-EBDABE32051F@microsoft.com...
> "Lenny" <lenny@thetakeout.com> wrote in message
> news:lY2dnagNn51UaRbbnZ2dnUVZ8tmhnZ2d@pipex.net...
>> Hi,
>> This is a bit of a repost so I am sorry about that but no replies last
>> time and I am getting desperate.
>>
>> I have Vista Home edition on a laptop with a Maxtor HD attached via the
>> USB 2 port. I have tried using the backup program that comes with vista
>> to back up all my files but when I have the option to select the backup
>> drive the Maxtor doesn't appear. Only the C drive. If I look in My
>> Computer the maxtor is there and accessible.
>> Is this a common problems, fault? Is there anything I can do to backup to
>> the maxtor or do I need some other software?
>> Thanks
>> Lenny
>>
>
>
> Is the USB drive formatted NTFS, FAT, or UDF? Assume so, just asking...
>
> Also... is everything USB 2.0? (Meaning, of course, is the port it's
> plugged into USB 2.0? For sure?) Have you tried any other USB ports on
> your laptop? The cable is "known good"? I know you said the drive's
> accessible from within, hmm... My -Computer? You mean "Computer," right?
> "My Computer" makes one think we might be talking about an XP seat... but,
> regardless... I don't know for sure... this is just a SWAG... but
> sometimes different tools have different requirements. Windows Explorer
> may access the drive fine but if the path from the laptop to the drive is
> not "pure" USB 2.0, Vista backup might flag that and not even offer the
> drive as an option. (Again... that's just a SWAG... I have no data to back
> that up and could be flat out wrong, but I do a lot of "on-the-fly"
> thinking when I don't know for sure what the answer is... one hopes I'm
> not doing a disservice by providing such thinking... [fingers crossed] .)
>
> I don't have a Maxtor USB drive... I've got Seagate's and WD's... on a
> seat with the Seagate hanging off of it, the Seagate is the default drive
> shown for backup. (The PC's a laptop with one physical/logical hd. Can't
> back up to the same hd.)
>
> Lang
>
>