Windows 7: Backup: System Image selected a drive I don't want imaged

I have been doing backups using Windows backup since I set up Windows 7 back in Oct 09. Until about 2 months ago, I was doing backups to an external USB drive. Back in November 10 I got a NAS box, and I have been sending my backups there. All has been well.

Last night, Windows decided upon it's own to do a system image of an old data drive that's inside my box for reasons only it knows.

I have three local hard drives, C:, D:, and F:.

D: is simply a data drive.
F: is a drive containing an old Windows 7RC copy. I left it there in case I needed to copy any data from it. I really don't even use it, and it's not used for anything.

My Windows backup "Let Me Choose" screen looks like the attachment shown below. As you can see, "Include a system image of drives" shows "(F:), (C:)"

Why has it decided on it's own to include F:? It never did before. My backups have only included a system image of C:. Clearly Windows "thinks" that F: is "required for Windows to run", and the question is WHY?



Can anyone help me out here? I don't want images of F:, and I'd rather not pull the drive. How can I make Windows Backup stop thinking F: is "required"?

Thanks in advance.

As you are finding out, Windows Backup is quirky at best. The interface and behavior are not ready for prime time. Some people do use it successfully. You may never be able to find out why it is doing this and I wouldn't spend a lot of time trying to understand its "thinking".

Do what you want, but I would do one of the following:

Ditch Windows Backup in favor of an alternative such as Macrium or Acronis.

Pull the cables off the F drive.

A reboot of the system, and it is no longer insisting to back up the F: drive. The only drive showing for imaging now is C.

I'll take this as a quirk and see how it goes.

I have searchd this forum for a solution to this.My simple solution is to simply eject the drives you don't want imaged from the task bar.That leaves only the c drive to be seen by system and you can image it only.