Data Backup Digest

File History is a tool that comes with Windows RT to help create backups of your files and folders automatically. It backs up things like your libraries, contacts and favourites so that if the original versions are lost or corrupted them you will be able to restore them all with ease. A great feature of File History is that it lets you restore your files from any moment in time, not just the most recent.

Occasionally, File History can encounter errors which will stop it from functioning correctly. Luckily, a lot of the time it is easy to resolve any issues. This guide will talk through some of the most common problems and how to fix them.

If File History does run into trouble then you will see a notification appear to the right of the taskbar. Click it and you will go to the Action Center where you can try and fix it. If the notification no longer appears, you can still access the Action Center at any time through the Control Panel.

One common problem is that your File History drive is running low on space (or is it out of it completely). You will need to attach a new drive that has adequate storage space. You can transfer your old files over to it or start over afresh. To select a different drive, load up File History and then select ‘Change drive’. You will then be taken to a ‘Change your File History drive page’. If you want to use a new external drive then connect it to your computer and refresh the page for it to appear. To use a network location, select ‘Add network location’, enter the location and then ‘OK’. At this point you will be asked whether you want to copy your old file versions over to the new drive.

If you don’t want to buy a new drive then you could change how long File History keeps a record of your files for. Choosing a shorter duration will mean that some of the space will be freed up. To change this, load up File History and then select ‘Advanced settings’. From here, you can change the time interval on ‘Save copies of files’ and ‘Keep saved versions’. Once satisfied, select ‘Save changes’.

Other issues could be unrelated to storage space. You could receive an error message that tells you to reconnect your drive. This is a simple procedure that is solved by loading up File History and then selecting ‘Reconnect drive’.

Another problem could be that your File History drive has errors that can be resolved by reselecting the drive. To do this, load up File History and then ‘Select drive’. You will be taken to a new page on which you should select your current drive or network location and then select ‘OK’.

Some errors may be less obvious to fix. If you receive a message that you need to check your File History drive for errors then this could be fixed by going to the Action Center (load it up from the Control Panel or do a search for it) and then selecting ‘Repair’.

Hopefully this guide has been helpful in resolving any issues you might have with File History in Windows RT.