Destination not connected, or not answering
What happens when the backup drive is unplugged or the NAS does not answer: before a run, when it is due, and in the middle of one.
On this page
The destination is the part of a backup you do not control at 02:00: a USB cable, a NAS that restarted, a Wi-Fi link. GBM AI waits where waiting helps, and says so. Your earlier sets are never touched by a run that could not reach its destination.
Before the run: the ten-minute warning#
For a removable drive, the job's Where step has Warn me if the drive isn't connected 10 minutes before a run (on by default). Ten minutes before a scheduled run, a notification says the destination is not ready, which gives you time to plug the drive in.
A scheduled backup waits for its drive#
When a scheduled backup is due and its drive is not plugged in, the backup does not start and fail. It waits:
- A notification says Documents & Desktop is waiting: the destination drive H: is not connected.
- The agent checks again every 30 seconds and starts the backup the moment the drive is back, under its own letter or another one.
- It keeps waiting as long as the job's catch-up window allows: 12 hours with Run a missed backup as soon as possible on, 10 minutes with it off. After that the run counts as missed and the job waits for its next scheduled time.
A backup you start yourself with the drive unplugged stops at once with The removable drive isn't connected. (E-DEST-004), since you are there to plug it in.
A network share at the start of a run#
A share gets about 20 seconds to answer when a run starts (six tries, 3 seconds apart). If it does not, the run fails with The destination didn't answer. Your previous backups are intact. (E-DEST-001). Check the NAS is on and the network is up, then run the job again.
When the destination goes away during a run#
A USB cable knocked out, a NAS restarting: the run does not fail straight away. Home shows Waiting for Backup (H:) to be plugged in or Waiting for \\nas\backups to answer, and the notification-area icon says the same. The run carries on by itself when the destination is back.
After 15 minutes without it, the run gives up with E-DEST-001, for a drive and a share alike. Nothing from that run is kept; the next run starts from the last complete backup.
The codes#
| Code | Message | What to do |
|---|---|---|
E-DEST-004 | The removable drive isn't connected. | Plug the drive in and click Retry on the report. |
E-DEST-001 | The destination didn't answer. Your previous backups are intact. | Check the drive or the NAS and the network. On the run's line in Activity, Test connection checks the destination and Update credentials opens the saved credential. Then Retry. |
E-DEST-003 | The destination is read-only or access was denied. | The share's permissions or password changed, or the drive is write-protected. Update the credential under Settings ▸ Network & credentials, or fix the permissions. |
The letter changed#
Windows can give the same USB drive E: today and F: tomorrow. GBM AI recognises the drive by its volume serial, so a new letter changes nothing: the run goes to the right drive. While the window is open, a notice says A backup drive came back under another letter. Find and Restore say last seen as E: for the same reason.
Plugging in does not start a backup#
Plugging a drive in never starts a backup by itself. Only a run that is already due, and waiting as above, starts when the drive appears. A restore set up with Restore when plugged in does start when its drive appears. See Plugging in a drive does not start a backup.
Home says Requires attention#
After a failed run Home says, for example, Photo library failed 3 days ago. until a run of that job completes. Plug the drive in, then click Retry now on Home.