Errors when backing up to External USB Drive

[DoubleOnad]

First of all, I am using ATI Home v10 on Windows XP.

I am able to back up my data to the local drive (C:) flawlessly, but when I try to run the same backup job with an external USB hard drive as the destination, I receive semaphore timeout and delayed write errors.

I know that sometimes issues arise when transferring particularly large files across USB, but this backup is relatively small (a few hundred MB at most), so I don't believe that is the problem.

I have contacted Acronis support via e-mail, and they asked me to make sure that my software is updated to the lastest version - it is - and download the SnapAPI package and install it - I did - but neither made a difference.

What else can I try?

[MudCrab]

Is the USB drive connected directly to the computer or through a hub?

If it's connected directly to the computer, is it a back port or a front port?

Some people have reported problems with USB drives connected to either the front ports or to a hub.

[DoubleOnad]

Directly connected to the back.

[LenC]

Do you have another USB ext HD (prefereably from a different maker) that you could try? Be interesting to see if the problem persists with different drive.

What is the make of the current drive? I'd search for articles threads about it - maybe others have had a similar problem

[DoubleOnad]

I will be testing with another drive this evening. I'm not sure of the make/model of the current drive at the moment, as I am not at home. The drive works fine, to the best of my knowledge, but it is always possible that it could be incompatible.

I've looked around quite a bit but have not found anyone with the same problem yet. I will continue the search as I try other possible solutions.

[jmk94903]

-{ Quote: "I will be testing with another drive this evening. I'm not sure of the make/model of the current drive at the moment, as I am not at home. The drive works fine, to the best of my knowledge, but it is always possible that it could be incompatible.

I've looked around quite a bit but have not found anyone with the same problem yet. I will continue the search as I try other possible solutions." }-What is the brand and model of your computer? The USB chipset on the motherboard may be the most important factor.

In Device Manager, how is the USB port described?

Installing a PC or PCI card with USB ports is an alternative. Try to find a card with the NEC chipset. Adaptec cards use NEC chipsets in my experience.