Windows 10: File history keeps corrupting the configuration path by adding a nonexistant folder \Config...

Per the subject. Error logs suggest that this comes from the 'file history engine' or -core", in the xml view. How can this be corrected?

:)

 

Win10: How to reset file history (while keeping configuration)

This is what I ended up doing

1. Make a copy of your current configuration on C:\Users\Me\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration\Config1.xml (config1.xml and config2.xml are identical)
   
2. Go to Settings -> Update & Security -> Backup, click on Turn off
   
3. Click on More options, click on Stop using this drive
   
4. Go to your FileHistory folder and delete all the content.
   
5. Right-click on your FileHistory folder and select properties,
   sharing tab and copy the path under Network Path
   
6. Go to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\File History (or run
   Filehistory)
   
7. Click on select drive, add drive and paste the path and click ok
   twice
   
8. Then click on turn on. As soon as you see “File history is saving
   copies…” (just below the picture of the drive) click on stop. (it
   could take a few seconds or as long as 1 or 2 minutes).
   
9. Open the 2 .xml in
   C:\Users\Me\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration
   and the 2.xml in your FileHisory folder under
   \USER\COMPUTER\Configuration.
   
10. For each of the 4 .xml, delete verything below the userID
    
11. Open your backup config in step 1 and copy everything below the
    userID and copy it in the 4 .xml mentionned abovee
    
12. Go to Settings -> Update & Security -> Backup and click on more
    option. You should see your config there. If yes, click on Backup
    now
    

 

Windows 11 File History Config?.xml files - I need expert advice How to include Program Files (x86) folder

Hello! My name is Mostafa, and I’m an independent advisor and a long-time Microsoft user.

I’m sorry that you are experiencing this issue, and I will try my best to assist you with this so that you find a satisfactory solution.

I must warn you that modifying system files can be risky and may cause unintended consequences. I do not recommend it.

If you still want to include the Program Files (x86) folder in your File History backups, you can try the following steps:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder where the File History configuration files are stored. The default location is "C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration".

2. Locate the "Config.xml" file and make a backup copy of it before making any changes.

3. Open the "Config.xml" file using a text editor such as Notepad.

4. Scroll down to the section that contains the list of folders to be included in the backup. This section will look similar to the following:

<SearchableContentPaths>

<Path>C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents</Path>

<Path>C:\Users\USERNAME\Pictures</Path>

<Path>C:\Users\USERNAME\Music</Path>

<Path>C:\Users\USERNAME\Videos</Path>

</SearchableContentPaths>

5. Add the path to the Program Files (x86) folder by adding a new line to the list, like this:

<Path>C:\Program Files (x86)</Path>

6. Save the changes to the "Config.xml" file.

7. Restart the File History service by typing "services.msc" in the Start menu search box, and then finding and restarting the "File History Service" from the list of services.

https://www.makeuseof.com/windows-11-file-histo...

Disclaimer - This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before downloading and installing it.

I hope the above steps helped you. In case of additional questions, reach out back to me, and I will be happy to help and try my best to resolve your issue. Thank you.

Best,

Mostafa

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please note: This is a user-to-user community forum. We are users just like you who help others. We are not employees of Microsoft.

 

File History won't exclude folders

I think what happens is that there is some issue or circumstance that causes File History to ignore the backup and exclusion lists altogether. What the circumstances are I don't know but I think its fair to say they are pretty wide. If you look in the folders
where your file history back-ups are stored there are some configuration files, (Sorry I am not using File History right now because of the myriad of problems with it, and don't remember the name or extension), anyways if you open them up in Notepad you can
see what has and hasn't been added to the backup and exclusion lists. The syntax is pretty strange but you will recognize the folders and paths of the stuff your trying to exclude. When I was trying to get this to work I found that generally whatever I added
to the exclusion list would be listed there in the configuration file even after it showed to be reset back to default in either Settings or Control Panel. However File History wouldn't exclude those files even though they were listed. I think File History
basically just ignores the configuration file created by Control Panel and Settings and instead uses a default configuration file stored elsewhere.

My guess is that if you can find and edit that default file directly you will see your changes take effect. It could just operate off of registry settings though, but it may be worth a try.

If you are ever lucky enough to get File History working you will probably be in for another rude realization, when you see that unchanged files are backed up each time File History creates a new version. So say you set your File History setting to every
10 minutes, and you are backing up your Pictures folder either because you want to or because you are unable not to. Well at the end of the day you will have 144 identical copies or version of each picture in that folder because for some reason File History
does not know how to determine which files it has already backed up before.

I hate for people to keep spinning their wheels on what I believe is a fruitless endeavor but I hope people don't just give up either, which will cause Microsoft to walk away from the problem they never stepped up to fix.