How to back up files to shared folders on a NAS using Windows Server Backup
Several users have reported problems when using Windows Server Backup to back up files to shared folders on their NAS. This tutorial provides three solutions.
Solution 1: Enable full guest access in QTS.
Important:
When guest access is enabled for a shared folder, anyone logged in to a guest account can access it. Enabling guest access could compromise the security of your shared folders.
- Go to Control Panel > Privilege > Shared Folders.
- Identify the folder you want to edit.
- Under Action, click
.
- Under Guest Access Right, select Full access.
- Click Apply.
- In Windows Server Backup, run a backup job.
The last backup should be successful.
Solution 2: In Windows, create a virtual hard disk (VHD) and attach it to a NAS shared folder. Then use Windows Server Backup to back up your files to the VHD by using it as a backup destination.
- Open Computer Management in Windows.
For Windows Server 2016:- Open Server Manager.
- Click Tools > Computer Management.
For Windows 10:
- Right-click
.
The context menu appears. - Select Computer Management.
The Computer Management window appears.
- On the console tree, select Disk Management.
- On the Actions pane, click More Actions > Create VHD.
The Create and Attach Virtual Hard Disk window appears. - Click Browse.
The Browse Virtual Disk files window appears. - Select the target shared folder on the NAS.
- Specify a file name, and then click Save.
The Browse Virtual Disk files window closes. - Specify the size of the VHD, and then click OK.
- Right-click the VHD, and then select Initialize Disk.
The Initialize Disk window appears. - Select the partition style, and then click OK.
Windows initiates the VHD. - Right-click the unallocated disk space, and then select New Simple Volume.
The New Simple Volume Wizard appears. - Follow the steps to configure the new volume, and then click Finish.
The wizard closes.
Windows creates a new volume.
- Open Windows Server Backup.
- On the console tree, click Local Backup.
- On the Actions pane, click Backup Once.
The Backup Once Wizard appears. - Click Select Backup Destination.
- Select the new volume as the backup destination.
- Click Next.
A dialog box appears. Windows Server Backup asks if you want to exclude the new volume. - Click OK.
- Click OK for the remaining dialog boxes.
- Click Backup.
The Backup Once Wizard closes.
Solution 3: For Windows Server 2012 R2, Microsoft recommends the following hotfix:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3114133/windows-server-backup-fails-when-you-back-up-multiple-volumes-in-windo
This hotfix also applies to Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter, Standard, Essentials, and Foundation, and Windows 8.1 Enterprise, Pro, and Standard.
