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Issue abstract: It appears that I can no longer back up my files to an external drive.
Detailed description: What happened to external drive backup?
Product & version number: v24
OS details: Windows 11
What is the error message you are seeing?
If you have any supporting screenshots, please add them:
Hello. There are several threads about the removal of local drive backups to external drives. There is no way for us to know if that ability will be added to the new version at some future point. Given what I am seeing that doesn’t seem to be the case. Purchasing more cloud storage seems to be the idea at hand, once your local cache begins being an issue.
SA
Hello @RichardC_Bernhardt
Thread update: As my local test. Backup WILL NOT detect any USB connected external backup device. I’m still moving some things around so I setup my FreeAgent USB backup and got these screenshots for everyone. What is being posted is, that backup will store backups to C;\ -D:\ drives once cloud storage is full. That is a correct statement. What the facts are is, we cannot create ANY backups to, nor view existing backups on USB external drives. Here are my findings below:
Drive E:\ is my FreeAgent drive already mapped to Windows. IMA it is USB connected directly to my PC and not network attached.
Multiple refreshes and system restarts present NO CHANGES.
Hope this clears things a bit for everyone. Norton needs to correct this issue ASAP!!
SA
Norton Chat support advised me Oct 17, 2024 that Norton v24.x will backup to local external drive…after the cloud backup is full.
Is your cloud backup storage full?
When my cloud backup storage is full.
I’ll try Reset to Default to see if I can create/point new backup set to external drive?
I just tried what your about to attempt and posted that in my last post lol. The issue here is. Support is NOT answering the “external” backup drive questions correctly. Plainly shown in my last post, external devices are not being detected. How, do I convey the difference between local hard drives that are internal and external drives without being argumentative? I’m not trying to be. But. That appears to continue.
No my cloud storage isn’t full. If it were I already have drive D: set as the drive for overflow cache backups to be stored. That isn’t the issue the OP is presenting. My screenshots clearly show cloud storage isn’t full, and, zero devices connected externally are being detected. That external device has a folder N360_BACKUP with ARestore.exe and ARestore.loc present. Norton should be seeing that drive, its not. So, we cannot use those devices, nor, view and recover backups on them. Customers are concerned with this issue.
SA
Okay…my query to support was how to back up to local external drive. Support response was…when cloud storage is full.
Note: my interpretation as per my support session may be 1000% wrong
~ my cloud storage is < 50% full.
=======================================
fwiw ~ I run Haselo Backup Suite Free
Is there anyway to add a dummy backup file big enough to fill it up? I’m not propping up a dud service that I won’t use just to use local backup. I do not trust any cloud admined by anyone but me. Too many prying eyes with access.
SoulAsylum,
Thanks for the info. Can you share what the “info” button beside “Sensitive Data” says? Does User have any control over Norton 360 doing an auto “Sensitive Data Scan” by simply not setting up Backup? Does it do scan on first use of new version?
TIA
“Sensitive Data Scan – part of Cloud Backup, it works in the background to identify sensitive data on your device that you might want to store in the cloud (Windows only).”
LINK: New Norton 360
I do not want to backup to anyone’s cloud. I have my own western digital networked local cloud devices (primary and backup) I prefer to store backups here but Norton doesn’t like this or allow for full backup of system and primary data cloud to backup cloud and I have to rely on western digital supplied 3rd party remote backup tool to do this. What is this strange belief that trusting data to an external 3rd party cloud provider (usually foreign owned) is the best security option ?
Norton allowed backup to personal auxiliary drives in the past but now seems to be forcing CLOUD backup. What about users who do not wish to back up to the cloud. Will Norton please put back the feature that existed in the past?
@4Help-2 The answer to your question is, we don’t know if Norton will add that ability back to the present release 24.xx or not. My wish and hope is that Norton does indeed do so. We deal with data breaches, one after another and generally don’t even know they took place until months, even years in some cases. After the fact. That in itself is unacceptable but has become “policy” within corporate America and other locations around the world. I want my data LOCAL, on my devices, where I, am the sole keeper and responsible entity for its safe keeping and most importantly. Its use. Just a dime from where I stand with backups.
On another front. I apologize for not being able to provide a better answer. Its simply because. Myself, and the other Guru’s aren’t Norton employees, but, we DO have contacts at Norton to escalate issues to. Norton is aware of this and other threads like it, as well as a myriad of other issues being presented. We don’t present issues to make light of anything, we do so to make the products better over all. Thanks for helping us all to that end.
SA
It doesn’t allow backup to network connected local NAS (local cloud) either
@Chris_E_Myers As posted earlier no, Norton doesn’t support backing up NAS on top of not supporting backup to any local external drives. I read in another post where there is work being done to correct these issues in the current version 24.xx format. When that will happen is never announced before it just happens.
SA
That is just paln stupid having % on Cloud and % on external hard drive.
It should not have been changed at all.
We all need the section so we can safe to the external hard drive.
Not everyone likes the Cloud and I am one of them as I have an IT professor who should me how to attack the Cloud.
The Cloud is not safe proof
I totally agree. Paying customers should ALWAYS have the option of doing backups exclusively to an external storage device under your personal control. Cloud storage can be hacked. I think the external storage backup option should be restored immediately! (Maybe they thought they were being cute?)
I agree as well. I don’t want anything in the cloud… especially %s of things on different drives. I’m a photographer… and a music nut. Almost 2 TB of my own Photos… 1 TB of Music… I want back ups of each file type on separate external drives… On My Own System/Network… nobody else’s. Without that I might as find a different 3rd party back-up option other than Norton… At that point I wouldn’t need the rest of Norton 360 AV then either. Viable alternatives to that out there as well.
The new backup is horrible.
I’ve never relied on “the cloud” backup.
I have two external drives that I used to be able to use for backups via Norton.
(If one failed I still had the other and could replace the failed external drive.)
I’ve been a loyal Norton user for a few decades and recommended it to many. I won’t be recommending it anymore for this Backup "F"up alone.
I totally agree. They need to listen to the customer.
I was just able today to log in as a new member after trying daily since Nov 11th. I would like to share my Chat with a Norton rep Nov 11th because like everyone else here I was extremely dissatisfied with version 24 after backing up to a network drive for years.
Chat…
11:30 am
Norton rep - Thank you so much for waiting and I really apologize, the feature to do the backup to local external drive can be availed when the Norton Cloud Backup storage will be fully utilised with the latest release of the new Norton application interface. However, as per many customers request, the software developer team working to bring the External Drive backup option in Norton application in next release which may take 2-3 months.
11:32 am
me - will it include network drives also just like the older version
So for now I wait without a backup option to my network drive please
11:35 am
Norton rep - Yes, You can easliy back up to the external derive after 13 December with the latest update.
11:35 am
Me - Is there a way back to the older version
11:36 am
Norton rep - Sir , I do really apologies as Norton has been updated globally for more security of our customer and If you do install the old version in your device it will going to update automatically if you run Live update and Scans.
I sincerely do apologies for the hassle cuased to you and I would like to request you to please wait for some time and you can easily back up under your external device and For the same time you can back up under Norton and than change it.
11:38 am
Me - So wait and hopefully no more surprises
December 13th my life will be back to normal
11:40 am
Norton rep - I do really apologies but Norton always think about our customer security and Have launched this New update for the better security. Please do wait till 13 December and you can easily check the updates after that.
Thank you for all your time and patience and I do apologize for the time taken. Apart from that Is there anything I can assist you with?
11:41 am
Me - no, thanks a bunch for the help
end Chat…
So is there hope coming on December 13th I’m hopeful.
