Cannot find external hard drive - ensure it is connected

Error code

Product

Applies to

BA235

BackupAssist

BackupAssist V4 and later

Description

This error occurs when BackupAssist cannot find an external hard drive during a destination check.

Resolution

There are five possible resolutions for this problem and each is shown below.

Resolution 1: Make sure your external hard drive is connected

Try these verification steps

  • If the hard drive is connected, disconnect and reconnect it.
  • Make sure the drive is connected to the correct USB port.
  • If the hard drive is connected, run a test backup with a small amount of data.

Resolution 2: Try to access the drive through Windows

Attempting to access the external hard drive through Windows Explorer will prove that it can be seen within Windows.

  • If you are unable to see the drive through Windows, there may be a hardware problem with the hard drive.
  • If you can see the drive in Windows, try to create and delete files on the external drive using Windows Explorer.

Resolution 3: Try a different external hard drive

Trying another drive will help determine if the issue is a hardware prolem with the external hard drive that produced the error.

Resolution 4: Set BackupAssist to ignore the drive letter

For versions of BackupAssist after v8.3.0 - Edit the backup job's destination screen as follows:

  1. Open BackupAssist.
  2. Select Manage Backup Jobs.
  3. Select the backup job.
  4. Select Edit from the top menu.
  5. Select Destination from the options on the left.
  6. Expand the Hard drive pool options.
  7. Tick Back up to my prepared media, even if it is at the wrong drive letter.

This will make the job back up to any attached drive that is prepared, even if it is not prepared for that day.

For versions of BackupAssist before v8.3.0. Select the option to Automatically reassign drive letter if incorrectly assigned. This option can be found in the destination section of your job under Hard drive pool options.

Destination : Drive pool & backup pool

Resolution 5: Run a backup through Windows natively

Running a backup through Windows Backup will help determine if the issue is with Windows or BackupAssist.
Open Windows Backup by clicking the Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Backup and Restore.
Configure a backup to run to the drive and see if it is able to complete successfully.

Last updated

Created

Further assistance

27th Jul 2015

16th Mar 2007

BackupAssist Support page