360 V3 can not see backup set on external USB drive

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

I have external USB drive (1TB) have have backed up two systems on my home network - both running 360 and using schedual backup to the USB drive.

One system has failed and I have moved the USB drive with Backup to the 2nd system. I can no longer see my back up sets in 360 Restore section but in explorer I can see the directories and encrypted files.

Used Portable Restore Utility and it sees my backup name as "unknown" - as soon as I select that I get "Norton 360 portable restore utility has encountered a problem and needs to close." I have no way to access these files.

How do I access my back up files if Norton 360 backup/restore can't see and Utility  gives me "Windows returned error code = -805306334".

Even if I user explore and expore Norton Backup drive I see no backups in the external drive.

Help because so far Norton support has not provided a solution and its been a month with no answers from Norton team by phone.

 

2

It sounds like you are moving backup across machines and I dont think this is possible. Maybe someone else can throw further light

 

3

I see from the forum that this is a problem shared with others. Yet Symantec is not able to clearly answer it in all cases.

 

From others in the forum - the best work around is to copy backup directories to the C drive and run restore from there - thats from a Symantec employee.

 

I've trided that and realised that I have to keep the back up directory small because it crashes each time I run it - at this moment it works for me if its 200MB... I have to work up because anything around 1GB fails. But is going to take me forever as I have 500GB backed up that I need restored now. I just wish I researched "Norton Back up" more as clearly Norton's back up has failed me. I am a fool for reading the marketing blurb that that Norton 360 is a complete solution...

 

Further more I get "Windows - No Disk" error each time I select a file in Restore - I can cancel and then it restore files.

 

How bad is that eh! An no one at Symantec can help. Yet they are happy to refund the money with no questions asked.

 

Also I may be a bit stupid here but Symatex states that my Norton 360 will no longer work after refund....

 

"As the Norton 360 program is been already refunded the Norton 360 program will not function."

 

 

Is this true? Or bad ENGRISH? It looks like it still works... What does "will not function" refer too? Maybe just the version updates? Seems like a scare tactic to me....  I'm using Microsoft Security Essentials now as its free....  But did not mind Norton until now. So now I am looking for a decent software pack to replace Nortos 360 and I will research it more closely because I have technically lost years of personal photos, music, videos and of course emails and personal account details because No-Workin 360 has failed me as a complete system.

 

Yes - I am bitter... so much time waisted on this.

4

Difficult to answer. After the refund it means they can cancel the license and in that event the product should not be continued to be used. Yes the English is not great.

 

I am sure someone else can assist you. Sorry  I cant.

 

 

5

Hi nickfish,

 

Welcome to the forums, I'm sorry you've been having so much trouble with this issue. I am going to do my best to help you to get these backups restored. While it is true that Norton 360 will cease to function without a valid license or with an expired license, this does not apply to the Restore functionality of the product. The Restore functionality is designed to function with or without a valid license.

 

It sounds like you're using ARestore.exe to restore these files, and that is the proper way to do it when moving files from one system to another. I'm particularly curious that you have a small backup set that will restore properly and a larger backup set that won't restore. Unless you are having some sort of drive space issue, or the drive is not formatted using NTFS, I wouldn't expect the size of a backup set to have much impact on your ability to restore it.

 

What sorts of files are in the two different backup sets, the one you are able to restore and the one you are not able to restore? We have been tracking a problem in which backup sets the contain program files are not able to be restored using the ARestore.exe from Norton 360 v3. In these cases we have been able to successfully restore the backup sets using Norton 360 v4.

 

Now, I know you said you got a refund, but because the Restore function is designed to work with or without a valid license, I'd like you to install the trial of Norton 360 v4 and try using the ARestore.exe and ARestore.loc files from that version of Norton 360 to see if that resolves the problem you are having. Here is a link to download the standard edition of Norton 360 v4, installing without an activation key will make it default to trial mode.

 

http://www.norton.com/n360s_4

 

Please let me know if this helps.

 

Best regards,

Robb Norton

6

Ok Robb, did what you said - installed V4 (nice ;>).

 

Still not working for me  - ARestore sees my recent backup online and the "select files to Restore" works. But as soon as I click on the the backup named "Unknown" which I assume is my external drive, I get 2 things happening.... the "select files to restore" just shows the hour glass and "Windows - No Disk.  Exception Processing Message c000000013 Parameters...." Cancel, Try Again, Continue - but it just remains on top of all my windows and will not go away unting I kill ARestore with Alt Ctrl Del - End program... On swicthing back in name part of backup to the more recent backup that works, the ARestore program crashes with "(Not Responding)" message - then I get End program message on trying to close.

 

The external drive is Western Digital and had pre-installed with its own backup application which I didn't install or use. At last check I had 4.6GB free on 1 TB drive until I selected manual backup to external drive and it took all that up and now is 0 free space - 1st directory backup is 554GB & 2nd directory backup is 372GB but can't tell which is which.

 

Both directories have all my files which includes from each computer Videos, photo, music and of course data files like excel, MYOB, Adobe psd/idd/html & outlook. I can't see these directories at all in Back up sets through N360. In fact  in Manage Back up sets, I can not see "unknown" backup on external drive - hence can not delete backup sets on external drive to make room through N360.

 

With the newer version of ARestore, copied directly to my C drive and having a small 200MB part of the back up directory (that worked with the last Arestore) I get "Windows - No Disk" and it freezes.

 

Any other ideas?

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

 

Well - no help so far...

 

I managed to copy  a directory from my USB external drive straight onto my C drive.. Run the portable restore - got the No Disk error message.... clicked on Continue about 200 times and presto - I can see part of my back up..

 

Come on guys at Symantec - this can't be the solution! You guys know whats going on and not letting out that your Backup is buggy as hell!

 

Why can't you give decent service and hold your customers hand from start to end. Can't beleive I have to spend so much time trying to recover my backup and I had to figure it out.

 

Shame on you Norton 360 support.  If only I could get some on senior to re-assure me that my problem is being looked after. I suppose one day I'll get that elusive phone call.

 

NOT Happy boys!

8

Here is my fix to the backup - Note how I got to this (let me set up why my solution is BS)....

 

1- Norton Backup to external 1TB USB Harddrive (drive purchased a year ago). Everything was backed up until my PC died. Then tried to use Restore and Portable Restore Utility on a second system using 360 V3.

2- Backup restore kept crashing and contacted Norton support who did remote checking of my system and escalated to next level support - twice! 2nd time they did screen dumps as said a higher level needs to look at it.

3- On 3rd attempt to find out the status and why I didn't get a call back when I was promised, was put on hold for 90 mins with no one checking and asking if I want to be still on hold... Then hung up.

4- email their refunds contact and asked "how" do I get a refund because I was frustrated. Straight away told I got a refund.

5- I contacted support to say hey I still want to recover my back up and they refused because I wasn't a customer anymore.

6- then I explored this forum and saw a few others had the same or similar. After a number of posts, finally got someone recommending V4 which I installed the trial version.

 

THE FIX.....

 

Bought a WD My Book Essential External USB 2.0 Hard Drive 1 TB. Its cheap now!

 

It has its own  Visual Backup - SO SO much better than Norton 360 Backup which failed on me massively.

 

 

Step 1.

Copy the entire backup directory and its files from original USB 1TB drive into the new Hard drive. Backup should be in the root directory as per normal.

 

Step 2.

Copy the portable backup utility into the root directory (as per what Norton recommends)

NOTE - use V4 as V3 is buggy.

 

Step 3.

Run portable backup and it will restore back with no problems. Miracle!

 

 

I do not know why my original 1TB USB backup which is a WD drive also does not come up in Norton Backup.

Nor why the portable back up crashes each time on it but I can copy the files and directory  using explorer onto the new drive 1TB drive from it with no issue so I can't understand it - nor will any of us will unless Symantec pays me...

 

Admittedly this is a BS solution but what choice did I have!

 

You can safely say I no longer trust Norton or Symantec because to their lack of honesty with their customers... From what I read this is fairly common so why put customers through the hoops to get satisfaction on the product! 

 

Should be the other way around - Norton/Symantec should be out there showing that they are providing solutions, upgrading those and cross promoting other products to customers - not this BS I got  - Can not believe they said sorry but you are no longer a customer so we can't help. Talk about them treating me like I'm a dumb customer - and " why are you on the forums complaining if you go your money back!"   Seriously guys - that's an insult to tell a customer that.

 

@LifeFAIL Symantec & Norton!!!

 

I say to you - forever goodbye!