Forum Discussion
How to restore an entire drive with file history
My computer is running on Windows 11, with file history backing up to an external SSD drive. I had a problem with the computer not booting up. Took it to a shop and they said windows needed to be reinstalled. They made a copy of all data on C drive, where Windows is located. They were told to not touch D drive as it contained thousands of pictures.
Apparently they reinstalled Windows on the C drive and reinstalled the data. However they completely wiped the D drive!
Computer is running good and all data is present on C drive. I attempted to restore D drive from the external drive using file history. I could not get it to restore the drive. The note “There isn’t any history of your files, folders, or libraries.” comes up.
If I open the D drive, I can find all the pictures along with several copies.
How can I get file history to work?
I can copy and paste them but that is a lot of work, considering multiple copies in different places.
2 Replies
Open Settings > Update & Security > Backup.
Click More options under Back up using File History.
Ensure that your external SSD is listed as the backup destination.
Under Back up these folders, verify that your D drive (or specific folders with pictures) are included.
Use the Restore personal files feature within the File History interface, and select the option in the bottom-left corner to restore to the original location.
