File History - inability to recognise network drive

Rob Brown - Microsoft MVP <- profile - Windows Expert - Consumer : Bicycle - Mark Twain said it right.

Hi Rob

Thanks for your swift reply.

My File Explorer window looks like this:

The trouble is that when I right click on READYSHARE I do not get a Properties option - all I get is:

- Expand

- Norton Internet Security

- Connect with Remote Desktop Connection

- Pin to Start

- Open in new window

So I don't know where to go from here - any ideas?

Maybe something here though also ask Support and their forums.

Netgear - ReadyShare.
http://www.netgear.com/landing/en-us/readyshare.aspx

Rob - SpiritX

Hi Rob

I think I have found the answer - no help from Netgear though!!

Your advice about Sharing options sounded good, the trouble as you know is that I couldn't get at it by right clicking on READYSHARE. So I unplugged the drive from the Netgear and plugged it in as a 'local' USB drive, then right clicked and did exactly as you suggested.

I| then plugged it back into the Netgear router and tried again. Unfortunately, exactly the same results up to this point:

I chose \\READYSHARE\USB_Storage, click OK and got the same problem.

So it looked as if the Sharing changes had not worked, but then I had a brainwave.

I went back to Select Drive in File History, then selected \\READYSHARE\USB_Storage\FileHistory (note the addition of FileHistory) and it now works perfectly well.

The thing that confused me earlier was Microsoft's message:

If this message had said something like "There is no folder FileHistory at this location" it would have been more obvious.

Anyway thanks very much for your help . Just for a laugh I will show you the transcript of my live chat with Netgear support - it makes sorry reading:

Hi, my name is Janice Mae. How may I help you?
michael stone: Hi Janice Mae
michael stone: I have a Netgear N300 router, which has a USB port included, into which I have plugged a Verbatim external drive. I want to use this external drive as my backup drive for the File History function in Windows 8.1
The drive shows up in File Explorer under Network as READYSHARE and I can read it, write to it, copy files to it, all absolutely normal.
The problem is that File History will not recognize the drive. I have asked questions on the Microsoft Windows 8.1 forum and it has been suggested that I right click the drive in File Explorer, choose Properties and change the Sharing permissions. But when I right click on READYSHARE in Network I only get the following:
- Expand
- Norton Internet Security
- Connect with Remote Desktop Connection
- Pin to Start
- Open in new window

How do I get to the Properties of READYSHARE?
Janice Mae: Are you trying to backup the USB Drive for the  Windows 8.1 computer?
michael stone: No I am trying to use File History to back up my laptop files onto the Verbatim drive plugged into the USB port of the N300 router
Janice Mae: Mr. Stone, in case this session gets disconnected; please log back in and look for me so we can continue from where we left off. Let me provide you your Customer ID: 13402144.
Janice Mae: Your router has 90 days of Support Warranty and 2 years of Hardware Warranty from the date of purchase which was on December 30, 2013.
Janice Mae: Give me two to three minutes to check my resources here.
michael stone: OK
Janice Mae: Thank you for staying on the line, Mr. Stone.
michael stone: No problem
Janice Mae: I would advise you to contact your computer manufacturer to assist you to back up the computer files since that is beyond the scope of my support.
michael stone: But what I am asking you is how to get at the Properties of READYSHARE - that is surely a Netgear issue and nothing to do with my computer manufacturer!!
Janice Mae: The only way to backup the the computer files using the ReadyShare is to set up the REadyShare Vault. However, your router does not support that features.
Janice Mae: Check the link below for more information about NETGEAR ReadyShare: http://netgear.com/landing/en-us/readyshare.aspx
michael stone: Sorry Janice Mae, but you are not answering my question. I have a Verbatim disk drive plugged into my N300.In File Explorer I can see the disk as READYSHARE but when I right click on it I cannot access Properties, which would be normal in Windows. So, how do I get at Properties for READYSHARE disk drive?? Seems a simple question to me and nothing to do with file backup
Janice Mae: Can you try to connect the Verbatim disk drive directly to the computer and check if you can open the Properties.
michael stone: Yes I can do that no problem - it is when it is plugged into the router that I cannot - and the Properties when it is plugged to the router are different to when it is a 'local' disk and those are the ones I want to change and cannot get at.
Janice Mae: You should be able to open the
Janice Mae: I mean, you should be able to open the Properties as long as you have the correct settings on the router. Can you try different computer?
michael stone: I know I should be able to open Properties - can you tell me how to please?
Janice Mae: On your computer, you should be able to do that when you right click on ReadyShare file. If you cannot do that, the best isolation is to try different computer.
michael stone: That's really no help at all but thank you for trying - goodbye
'michael stone' disconnected ('Concluded by End-user').