File History: Element Not Found Error on Windows 10 May 2004

Anonymous

Using Windows 10 May 2004 edition with a brand new install of File History on two different machines now, I have managed to run into the following issue.

Selecting Clean up versions, then "Clean up":

I get the following dialog:

Again, this is on two different machines, with a clean install.

Note that I am using a simple folder with a 4KB file within it, although I first saw this on a fully-configured install with about 1.5TB worth of data within it. This led me to diagnosing the issue and ultimately trying it on these two separate machines with a clean install.

Is this a known issue for 2004?

Thank you for any assistance/context/insight you can provide!

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Virginia M 42,075 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2020-08-28T18:36:47+00:00

I would report it to Microsoft via the Feedback app - Windows key + F key.
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Virginia M 42,075 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2020-06-25T16:37:26+00:00
I was finally able to fix that machine using another possible solution:

Stop using drive (this deletes/clears out the AppData/FileHistory folder)

Repair

Configure a clean File History instance. Meaning point it to the drive/location and clear out any default folders that were set. You should have an empty list and can perform "Clean up" with the expected dialogs and not the "Element Not Found" exceptions.

Revert the Repair install into your previous install.

Doing the above I was able to get my machine to a working state where I could boot and File History was working again.
Great news. :-)
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Anonymous

2020-06-25T15:52:27+00:00
I was finally able to fix that machine using another possible solution:
1. Stop using drive (this deletes/clears out the AppData/FileHistory folder)
2. Repair
3. Configure a clean File History instance. Meaning point it to the drive/location and clear out any default folders that were set. You should have an empty list and can perform "Clean up" with the expected dialogs and not the "Element Not Found" exceptions.
4. Revert the Repair install into your previous install.
Doing the above I was able to get my machine to a working state where I could boot and File History was working again.
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Virginia M 42,075 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2020-06-24T13:44:59+00:00

I’ve just thought of something - did you have any of those drives connected When upgrading to 2004?

This may be the problem if so.

You may have to disconnect all USB drives & devices before running the in-place repair.
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Anonymous

2020-06-24T12:41:30+00:00
I was not familiar with that page, thank you for providing it. I did take a look into the .bat file and it seems to delete the AppData../FileHistory directory. If I understand correctly, this doesn't attend to the matter of FileHistory insisting on backing up a dozen predetermined directories upon its first run. For reference, these are the required exclusions that are ultimately needed to have a "clean" File History installation:
```
&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\Saved Games&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\Links&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\Downloads&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\Desktop&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\Favorites&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\Contacts&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\3D Objects&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\Searches&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\OneDrive&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\Documents&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\Videos&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;

&lt;FolderExclude Hidden="true"&gt;C:\Users\user\Music&lt;/FolderExclude&gt;
```
In order to get to this state, however, one is required to start and then immediately stop File History, which makes me suspect there is something there in 2004 that gets cranky when doing so.

As for your questions, I can confirm that using the "Clean up" feature prior to 2004 worked like a charm. I have used it at least 3 times in the past year with what must be versions 1903 and 1909. So, it was a surprise to see this "Element not found" error upon trying it for the first time in 2004. It was an even further surprise to see it persist upon clearing and retrying from a clean copy/version of FileHistory, which led me to my posts out on the interwebs.

As a final thought here, upon re-reading your provided link, it's interesting to note that File History makes use of a NTFS feature called change journal. You have to wonder (and hope) if this might be related to the Storage Spaces bug found in 2004 which also deals with the file system. Hopefully fixing that will address this, too. But, who knows. 🤷‍♂️
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