FileHistory - unable to scan user libraries for changes and perform backup of modified files for configuration \AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration\Config

Anonymous

Hi,

Windows 8 x64 Pro in dual boot with Win 7 on a SSD.

Partitions layout:

1 - WIN 8 - ntfs - C: - 70 GB

2 - WIN 7 - ntfs - F: - 140 GB

3 - System Reserved - ntfs - none - 200MB (active)

4 - 28,30 GB unallocated for over provisioning

[Short explanation on why this is the layout]

I had to use this because my BIOS couldn't even POST in AHCI mode due to the problem described here http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itproinstall/thread/0185fced-0564-412f-8e10-bec37d020c81 (= first partition can't be littler than some gbs), so I moved System Reserved partition to the end of the drive, done the needed repair here and there and since then all worked fine and good.

[/end :) ]

Now, File History on Win8 is absolutely needed for me so I bought a brand new 2TB drive, ntfs formatted, for the purpose.

Problem is it always starts and stops immediately this way:

Nome registro: Microsoft-Windows-FileHistory-Engine/BackupLog

Origine: Microsoft-Windows-FileHistory-Core

Data: 28/10/2012 00.33.07

ID evento: 201

Categoria attività:Nessuna

Livello: Errore

Parole chiave:

Utente: SYSTEM

Computer: Home-PC

Descrizione:

Impossibile cercare le modifiche nelle librerie dell'utente ed eseguire il backup dei file modificati per la configurazione C:\Users\Matteo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration\Config

XML evento:

<System>

<Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-FileHistory-Core" Guid="{B447B4DB-7780-11E0-ADA3-18A90531A85A}" />

<EventID>201</EventID>

<Version>0</Version>

<Level>2</Level>

<Task>0</Task>

<Opcode>0</Opcode>

<Keywords>0x1000000000000000</Keywords>

<TimeCreated SystemTime="2012-10-27T21:52:13.448724900Z" />

<EventRecordID>221</EventRecordID>

<Correlation ActivityID="{8A01709B-B48A-0002-8399-018A8AB4CD01}" />

<Execution ProcessID="392" ThreadID="1528" />

<Channel>Microsoft-Windows-FileHistory-Engine/BackupLog</Channel>

<Computer>Home-PC</Computer>

<Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />

</System>

- <EventData>

<Data Name="Hr">2147747327</Data>

<Data Name="ConfigFilePath">C:\Users\Matteo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration\Config</Data>

</EventData>

xml:

Error is described (translated as found in other threads) as:

Unable to scan user libraries for changes and perform backup of modified files for configuration C:\Users[Username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration\Config

It does create four files in C:\Users\Matteo\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration :

Catalog1.edb 19.464 KB

Catalog2.edb 1.032 KB

Config1.xml 4 KB

Config2.xml 4 KB

and just these in the target D:\FileHistory\Matteo\HOME-PC\Configuration :

Catalog1.edb 1.032 KB

Config1.xml 4 KB

Config2.xml 4 KB

The window of file history acts as if everything went OK but stops.

Found old threads about Win8 preview version but they was not useful.

Thanks.

Regards,

Matteo.

---edit---

Tried the Windows Backup, the one as it was on Win7. Now here on Win8 it works. Well, this is just to confirm that partitions layout seems ok, otherwise it would not have worked. I still need FileHistory to start succesfully...

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Same error here. No backups for the past month without notification. I was really annoyed.

I tried to remove my libraries, restarted, no solution.

In the end I did this and FileHistory started working again:

Turn it off in the File History control panel
Close the control panel
Go to your filehistory directory C:\Users[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory and set aside the Data and Configuration directories (Check the event for the exact directory location)
Open File History control panel
Reselect the backup disk
I think it was switched on automatically, otherwise do that

The Configuration and Data directories were remade and everything runs OK (for the moment).

File History is buggy and could use a better set of error messages.

John

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Hello,

I have resolved the problem!!!

Unplug your external hard drive then in the file history select another drive ex.: a partition on your internal hard drive.

Start File History to save copies from your file then stop it.

Go to your partition look for folder File History and copy the folder with all of its content to your external hard drive. It will copy the Config1.Xml, Config2.Xml, Catalog1.ebd , Catalog2.ebd what's in your Configuration folder what I think is synchronizing with C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration ->folder there is to a Config1.Xml, Config2.Xml, Catalog1.ebd , Catalog2.ebd.

Now if you finished copying go back to ControlPanel\FileHistory settings ->Select you external harddrive and start File History to copy your files.

I hope it will help.

Please excuse me for my poor English.

Have a nice day.

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45 additional answers

Anonymous

2013-08-22T20:55:00+00:00

Sadly, I gave up. After getting it sorted out i got some other issue that stopped backups (wondows related, similar to the above). Now I just use SyncToy and backup manually. Safer....more reliable but unfortunately its a manual task.

Yeah mate, I wouldn't morally reccomend Microsoft FileHistory to ANYONE ever.
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Anonymous

2013-08-22T22:23:08+00:00

Sadly, I gave up. After getting it sorted out i got some other issue that stopped backups (wondows related, similar to the above). Now I just use SyncToy and backup manually. Safer....more reliable but unfortunately its a manual task.

Try disabling pictures on FileHistory, It worked for me!
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Anonymous

2013-10-23T21:46:12+00:00

I've been having this same issue. File History never copies anything into the Data folder. Opening the event log under Advanced shows the same Event ID 201 error. Most frustratingly, File History never tells you it's having this problem. It just keeps trying without alerting in any noticeable way. If I hadn't happened to notice the drive my files were supposedly being backed up to had a lot more free space than it should have I never would have been able to fix this. A silent failure is an unacceptable state for a backup application to be in.

Anyways, based on some of the responses here, I re-enabled file history with all my libraries excluded. One by one I re-added them until I discovered which one was causing issues. Like a few others here, it turned out to be the Music library.

I then moved all my files out of the Music folders and into a folder at the root of C:. Note that you can't move the files to your desktop or any other standard user folder because that folder is also backed up by File History and you'll have the same problem. With the files moved, I added the Music library back to File History and ran another backup. It worked. So, then I began the extremely tedious process of moving small groups of folders back to the Music library, re-running File History, and noting whether it worked or not. Eventually I was able to narrow the problem down to a single folder. The folder contained some Japanese pop music my wife enjoys. There were a few files that had the same names, but in different character sets. Once I cleared out these duplicates, I was able to move all the other files back into the Music library and File History is working again.

Again, the most critical issue here, to me, is the fact that File History makes no alert to the fact that it's failing. If I hadn't noticed the issue on my own I could have been without a backup when I needed one.
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