Can't find the Backup I want to restore

Portable Drives My Passport
1

I use an HP laptop (windows 10) which was recently repaired following a problem with the battery not recharging. I backed up all files with a new WD My Passport 2T hard drive using the WD Backup software. On getting the computer back, I attempted to restore the files from the backup. I had to reinstall the WD software onto the laptop. It initially wanted me to schedule a backup, which I did, but the original back up wasn’t listed. Looking at My Files, My Passport, I can see the backed up files on the external hard drive, but they’re not in a format that I can copy/paste back to the laptop hard drive.

The laptop had a ‘System reconfiguration/Operating System reload’ which I am guessing has changed how the external hard drive recognises the computer. I didn’t set up any password protection with the back up.

Will I ever get by files back?
I have also sent a couple emails to WD. Do they ever respond or help with their own product?

2

I assume you used WD Backup. Were there any folders/files under "Select Files to restore… "? It can take a long time to show the Folder structure.

Finding files directly on the Passport is real tricky. Be careful. Something like this:

In Windows Explorer
Open the My Passport drive
Select ‘WD Backup.swstor’ Should get folder with the name of your PC.
Open it
Get long generated name. Open that
Get a list of folders. One will have ‘Volume(long name)’.
Open that Not History!!
Get list of backed up folders Select one.
Open file that you can read, say a.pdf. Should be ok.

Cliff

3

@Clifford_Cleary, thanks but I reinstalled the drivers from the website, not the drive. The original back up was then visible, it assumed I had backed up from 2 different laptop - having had it repaired, it was recognised as a different laptop. I have started the reload of the back up at 11am this morning and it had done 49% at 5.30pm when I left for work. WD help desk offered some advise about which drive to put the back up on. So I have fingers crossed it will work.
Thanks for responding btw

4

The restore of my backup is still in progress. I started it about 11am yesterday and it is slowing right down to a rate of 1 file per 5 seconds. It was 80% complete at 6am this morning and it’s now 81% at nearly 8am.
Is this normal?
Anything possible to speed it up a bit?