Windows Small Business Server: External Backup Drives Compatibility List
Introduction
Which external drives have you had work when you've used them for backing up SBS 2003, SBS 2008, and SBS 2011, and which have failed you?
Applies to
Windows Small Business Server 2003, 2008, 2011
Guidelines
After responding to a thread in the Small Business Server Forum regarding failing USB backup drives, figured we would all benefit from this list. It appears only 512 byte per sector drives will work with SBS 2011 built-in backup. Some 2 TB have 512, others 4096. Even same brand/size may have updated to 4096.
More info about Advanced (HD) Format at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Format
To check the sector size for an attached drive before allocating it to backup in an elevated command prompt type:
fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo x:
where x: is your drive letter.
Please add your successes and failures using inbuilt SBS(NTBACKUP) / Windows Server Backup. Please remember to test Backup and Restore functionality and state part number and capacity of drive tested along with server USB interface level (2 or 3) tested.
Update
We have been looking into this issue and we believe the limitation comes from VHD (Windows Backup Creates a VHD as it's storage method) only support 512, not the drive it self. Microsoft Need to update Windows Backup/Windows 2008, Windows 2008 to support VHDX files then this issue would go away.
More info : http://www.backupassist.com/blog/support/4kb-sector-sized-disks-and-the-seagate-freeagent-goflex/
External Hard Drives Rating Table for SBS
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| Manufacturer | Model(s) | Part Number(s) | SBS2003 | SBS2008 | SBS2011 | WS2012 |
| acomdata | 750GB w/ production date of 11/2008 | PQHD750USE-72 | ? | OK | ? | |
| Buffalo | Drivestation 3Tb USB 2.0 | HD-LB3.OTU2-UK | ||||
| Buffalo | MiniStation 1TB | HD-PCT1TU3/BW-EU | ? | ? | OK (USB 2.0) | |
| Buffalo | MiniStation 1TB | HD-PCF1.0U3BB-EU | ? | OK | ? | OK |
| Dell | RD1000 (USB Model) | ? | OK | OK | ||
| Fantom Drives | GreenDrive 1TB | GD1000EU | ? | ? | ? | Failed |
| Freecom | Toughdrive Pro | ? | ? | OK | ||
| HP | SimpleSave 1, 1.5, 2TB | ? | OK | OK | ||
| Hitachi | Touro Desk Hard Drive (USB2.0), 2TB | 0S03292 | ? | OK | OK | |
| Hitachi | Touro Desk Hard Drive (USB3.0), 2TB | 0S03398 | ? | Failed | Failed | |
| Hitachi - HGST | Touro Desk DX3, USB 3.0, 4TB | HTOLDX3NB40001ABB | ? | ? | Failed | |
| Iomega | eGo Portable HardDrive 1TB USB 3.0 | 35245 | ? | ? | Failed (USB 2.0) ? (USB 3.0) | |
Iomega |
Ego drives |
? |
Failed |
Failed |
||
Iomega |
Portable Blackbelt drives |
? |
Failed |
Failed |
||
| Iomega | Prestige™ Desktop Hard Drive 1TB | 35180 | ? | ? | Failed (USB 2.0) | |
| Iomega
|
Prestige Portable Hard Drive - 1.5 TB | 35213 | ? | ? | Failed | |
| LaCie | P'9230 USB 2.0/3.0 Porsche Design - 2 TB | 302002EK | OK | Ok | OK (USB 3.0) after formatting drive as 512 bytes/sector | |
| Samsung | ? | ? | ? | |||
| Samsung | G3 Station 1.5TB | ? | Intermittent detection. Also, drive not very durable. USB port worn out and drive dead after 18 months. Not recommended. | ? | ||
| Seagate | Backup Plus 2TB | STCA2000100 | OK USB 3.0 | |||
| Seagate | Backup Plus 3TB | STCA3000101 | ? | Failed | Failed | |
| Seagate | FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-Portable 1.5TB | STAA1500100 | ? | Failed | ? | |
| Seagate | FreeAgent GoFlex Pro 750GB | 9ZR8A2-500 | ? | ? | OK USB 2.0 | |
| Seagate | FreeAgent GoFlex Pro Ultra-Portable | ? | ? | ? | ||
Seagate |
FreeAgent GoFlex Desk 2TB |
9ZQAN1-570 |
? |
? USB 2.0 OK USB 3.0 |
OK USB 2.0 OK USB 3.0 |
|
| Seagate | FreeAgent GoFlex Desk 3TB | ? | Failed | Failed | ||
Seagate |
Freeagent Go |
OK |
OK |
|||
Seagate |
Freeagent Desk |
OK |
OK |
OK |
||
| Seagate | Freeagent Pro | OK | ||||
| Seagate | FreeAgent XTreme 1.5TB | ST315005FPD2E3-RK | ? | ? | OK (USB 2.0) | |
| Seagate | Expansion External 2TB | ? | ? | OK USB 2.0 OK USB 3.0 | ||
Seagate |
Expansion Desktop 2TB USB 3.0 |
STBV2000100 and |
? | 4096, fails 2008 | 4096 sectors - fails |
|
| Seagate | Expansion External 2TB USB3 later ver | STBV2000300 RegModel SRD00F2 |
? | 4096 sector, fails, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 | 4096 sectors - fails | |
Seagate |
Expansion External 3TB | STAY3000102 | ? | Fail | Fail USB 2.0 Fail USB 3.0 | |
| Seagate | Expansion External 4TB | STBV4000100 | ? | Fail | ? | ? |
| Seagate | Expansion Portable | ? | ? | ? | ||
Thermaltake |
BlacX Drive Caddy (USB Connection Only)
|
? |
OK |
OK |
||
Thermaltake |
BlacX Drive Caddy (USB/eSata Connections)
|
? |
intermittant connection with eSata |
OK (USB 2.0) |
||
Thermaltake |
BlacX SG Drive Caddy (USB 2.0 and 3.0) |
OK (USB 2.0) |
? |
OK USB 2.0 OK USB 3.0 |
||
| Toshiba | Canvio Basics 1.5TB (2.5") | HDTB115XK3BA | ? | ? | ? | Failed |
Toshiba |
StorE Alu2 USB2.0 |
PX1710E-1HJ0 |
? |
OK |
OK |
|
| Toshiba | StorE Alu2S | |||||
| Toshiba | StorE BASICS | |||||
| Toshiba | StorE Canvio | |||||
| Toshiba | StorE PARTNER | |||||
| Toshiba | StorE PLUS | |||||
| Toshiba | StorE Slim | HDTD210EK3EA (1TB) | OK USB 2.0 ? USB 3.0 | |||
| Transcend | StoreJet 500GB mobile (2.5") | ? | OK USB 2.0 OK USB 3.0 | OK USB 3.0 | ||
| Verbatim | Store N Go | OK | OK | OK USB 2.0 OK USB 3.0 | ||
| NESN Drives | ? | Failed | Failed | |||
| Western Digital | Passport (non-NESN) ? | ? | ? | OK | OK | |
| Western Digital | Passport 1TB | WDBACX0010BRD | Failed | |||
| Western Digital | Elements Desktop 2TB External Black USB 2.0 | WDBAAU0020HBK | ? | OK | OK | |
| Western Digital | Elements Desktop 2.5TB Ext black and Elements 3.0TB ext black | WDBAAU0030HBK WDBAAU0025HBK | ? | Backup OK Restore FAILED | Backup OK Restore Fails | |
| Western Digital | My Book Essential 2TB | WDBACW0020HBK-NESN | ? | ? | ? | |
| Western Digital | My Book 1140 (USB 3) | WDBACW0030HBK-NESN | ? | ? | Failed. Also not compatible with Hyper-V | |
| Western Digital |
WD Elements 3TB (USB 3) Reformatted with WD Quick Formatter Tool to Compatibility Mode. |
WDBWLG0030HBK-AESN (Jan 2016) |
? |
? |
Backup OK Restore OK |
|
| Western Digital | WD Elements 2TB Portable (USB3.0) | WDBU6Y0020BBK-0A (July 2016) |
? | ? | Backup OK Restore OK (only files and folders checked for restore, have not checked system state) |
? |
| Western Digital | WD My Passport Ultra 2TB (USB3.0) | WDBBKD0020BBK-0A (July 2016) |
? | ? | Backup OK Restore OK (only files and folders checked for restore, have not checked system state) |
? |
To return to the SBS backup information, click here.
Note that Microsoft recommend drives are reformatted as NTFS before being used with Windows Server Backup (WSB). Large drives (eg 3TB+) should be reformatted with 512 bytes per cluster as large drives tend to be factory formatted with 4096 bytes per cluster which can cause problems with WSB.
Thank you to Merv Porter, SBS-MVP, for writing up the following workaround for USB backup drives that fail to wake from sleep! - Steve
Workaround for External USB Backup Drive not waking from sleep
SBS 2008 administrators may notice that certain makes/models of external USB drives may go to sleep during periods of inactivity resulting in failed backups. One workaround for this utilizes Microsoft’s Devcon utility with scheduled tasks to first remove the USB device and then to rescan the USB bus. Unfortunately, the original 32-bit version of Devcon does not function properly on a Windows 2008 system. However, the Windows Driver Kit (Version 7.1.0) contains a Windows 2008 compatible version.
On a workstation…
Download Windows Driver Kit (Version 7.1.0) iso to a folder on the hard drive
Download Universal Extractor
http://legroom.net/software/uniextract
- Install Universal Extractor (which will create an entry in the Windows Explorer Context Menu)
- Navigate to the WDK iso
- Right click on the iso and select “UniExtract to Subdir” (this will create a subfolder called ‘GRMWDK_EN_7600_1’)
- Now navigate to the \GRMWDK_EN_7600_1\WDK folder
- Scroll down and right. click on ‘setuptools_x64fre.msi’ (the extension may be hidden)
- Select “UniExtract to Subdir”and click OK on the MSI Installer Extraction warning to select the MSI Administrative Installer method. (this will create a subfolder called ‘setuptools_x64fre’)
- Open the ‘setuptools_x64fre’ subfolder and navigate to:
\WinDDK\7600.16385.win7_wdk.100208-1538\tools\devcon\amd64
- Copy the Devcon.exe utility to a flash drive
Back at the SBS 2008 server
log on as a domain administrator and copy the Devcon utility to a convenient place (like the root of the C: drive) and then create two Scheduled Basic Tasks…
Name: Devcon Remove USB before backup
Program: devcon.exe
Schedule: (10 minutes before backup)
Arguments: remove usbstor*
Start in: c:\
Name: Devcon Rescan USB Bus before backup
Program: devcon.exe
Schedule: (5 minutes before backup)
Arguments: rescan
Start in: c:\
Other parameters to include in each scheduled task…
Run with highest privileges
Wake computer if necessary (Note: not sure if this one is actually necessary)
Run even if user is not logged on
Note
You may see the following critical errors in the event log after implementing the Devcon tasks. (It is believed that these can be ignored):
Event ID 16: The shadow copies of volume \?...340-11df-a3e5-001b217ab973} were aborted because volume \?...340-11df-a3e5-001b217ab973}, which contains shadow copy storage for this shadow copy, was force dismounted.
Event ID 137: The default transaction resource manager on volume \?\Volume{921672f3-f340-11df-a3e5-001b217ab973} encountered a non-retryable error and could not start. The data contains the error code.
You may also see Event ID 51 and Event ID 57 warnings.