Can't backup to external USB hard drive

[StarFlare]

My HPE -310T running windows 7 is not able to boost up. After powering up, it takes me to back and restore menu.  From there I tried system restore but that didn't work.  So next I tried backing up my hard drive.  After the backup utility does the initial scan, it tells me that I don't have enough space in my PC hard drive (it says I need 500GB).  So I want to use my 1TB external USB drive but it won't let me use it.  The usb drive is shown on the screen so I can select is as a target, but the "Next" button on the bottom is not highlighted so I can't proceed with the procedure. 

Is there something I'm missing or doing wrong?

Thanks.

[TheOldMan]

It would seem to me that a different backup software would be the next step. Here is a list of software: http://data-backup-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

One could also drop and drag the files that are needed to the external, and not rely on software. (of course, the PC as to be functional for that)  If that is the case, get a Linus Live CD, such as Ubuntu, boot to the CD and move the files to the exteranl.  Then use the Recovery DVD set or the Recovery partition to reinstall the OS.

[Gator6x4]

You are aware that the back-up you want to create will contain the same fault and problem you are now experiencing. The time to do a back-up is before you have a problem. You then use the back-up to restore your system to the state it was before the problem occurred. If the system will not boot now, a backup of the hard drive would give the same results if installed on a new hard drive.

[StarFlare]

Thanks. I will give Live CD a try.

[StarFlare]

Hi Gator,

Thanks for your feedback.  I'm only trying to back up user files like vidoes and pics.

[StarFlare]

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TheOldMan wrote:

It would seem to me that a different backup software would be the next step. Here is a list of software: http://data-backup-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

One could also drop and drag the files that are needed to the external, and not rely on software. (of course, the PC as to be functional for that)  If that is the case, get a Linus Live CD, such as Ubuntu, boot to the CD and move the files to the exteranl.  Then use the Recovery DVD set or the Recovery partition to reinstall the OS.

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Ubuntu did the job to recover all my personal files.  Thanks for your help.

[Poweraid_1]

Is your 1TB hard drive partitioned and formatted? Goto the start menu, right-click on Computer, and click on Manage. Then click on Disk Management and it should show up in the list. If it says "unallocated space" or "inactive", right-click on the drive and follow the prompts to make it useable

On a side note, I recently took the advice from a backup guide and went with an online data backup solution. There's tons out there like Carbonite, MyPCBackup, Dropbox (kinda), etc. Finally decided on MyPCBackup from the reviews I've read around the web

http://www.tweak-windows7.com/software/best-data-backup-software-for-windows7/ went over some of the pros and cons of online backup versus external storage. Might want to take a look!

- cheers