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How to Set Up NAS or Network Drive Backups

Having trouble adding your NAS or network drive as a backup location? This guide will help you fix the most common setup issues.

 

Quick Fix (Try This First!)

If you're getting "Invalid credentials" or "Network error" when trying to add your NAS:

  1. Close all Windows Explorer windows that are browsing to your NAS
  2. Disconnect any mapped network drives to your NAS temporarily
  3. Try adding the backup device again
  4. Reconnect your mapped drives after setup is complete

Still having trouble? Follow the detailed steps below.

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Step 1: Check for Existing Connections

Before setting up your NAS backup, we need to temporarily disconnect any existing connections to avoid conflicts.

Check for mapped drives:

  1. Open File Explorer
  2. Look in the left sidebar under "Network locations"
  3. Note any drive letters connected to your NAS (like Z: drive)

Check for hidden connections:

  1. Press Windows key + R
  2. Type cmd and press Enter
  3. Type net use and press Enter
  4. Look for your NAS IP address or name in the list

Step 2: Temporarily Disconnect

If you found mapped drives:

  1. Right-click on the mapped drive in File Explorer
  2. Select "Disconnect"
  3. Or use Command Prompt: net use Z: /delete (replace Z: with your drive letter)

Close all NAS browser windows:

  1. Close any Windows Explorer windows showing your NAS contents
  2. This is important even if you don't have mapped drives!

Step 3: Add Your NAS as a Backup Device

  1. Open NovaBACKUP
  2. Go to the Device tab
  3. Click Add Device
  4. Choose Local Backup

Fill in the details:

  • Device Name: Something simple like "My NAS" or "Buffalo NAS"
  • Folder Path: Use format \\192.168.1.100\backup or \\MyNAS\backup
    • ⚠️ Important: Don't add a backslash \ at the end
    • ✅ Good: \\192.168.1.100\share
    • ❌ Bad: \\192.168.1.100\share\

Network Credentials tab:

  • Username: Your NAS username
  • Password: Your NAS password
  • Domain: Leave blank unless your NAS is on a Windows domain

Step 4: Test and Save

  1. Click OK to add the device
  2. NovaBACKUP will test the connection
  3. If successful, your NAS is now ready for backups!

Step 5: Reconnect Your Mapped Drives

After your NAS backup device is added successfully, you can reconnect any mapped network drives you disconnected in Step 2.

Common Problems & Solutions

"Invalid credentials!" Error

What it means: NovaBACKUP can't connect with your username/password, often because there's already an open connection using different credentials.

Try this:

  1. Make sure you've disconnected ALL existing connections (Step 2)
  2. Double-check your username and password
  3. Try using the NAS IP address instead of its name
  4. Restart your computer and try again

"Network error! Unable to access this network share"

What it means: Your computer can't reach the NAS or there are permission issues.

Try this:

  1. Make sure your NAS is powered on and connected
  2. Try browsing to the NAS in Windows Explorer first
  3. Check that your user account has admin rights on the NAS
  4. Try the IP address instead of the NAS name

"You can't access this shared folder because your computer is configured to require SMB signing"

What it means: Windows 11 security settings are blocking the connection.

Try this:

  1. This is a Windows 11 24H2 issue - see our Windows 11 SMB Fix Guide for the solution
  2. Or contact support for assistance with the registry fix

Tips for Success

✅ Best Practices

  • Use the NAS IP address (like \\192.168.1.100\backup) instead of the name for more reliable connections
  • Keep the device name simple - avoid special characters like : or \
  • Make sure your NAS user account has full admin rights to the backup folder
  • Don't put a trailing backslash at the end of the folder path

⚠️ Important Notes

  • This setup only affects ADDING the device - once it's added, your regular mapped drives won't interfere with backups
  • You only need to disconnect connections temporarily during setup
  • If you're on a Windows domain, you may need domain credentials

Still Need Help?

Before Contacting Support

  1. Try restarting your computer and following these steps again
  2. Make sure you can browse to your NAS in Windows Explorer
  3. Verify your NAS username/password by logging into the NAS web interface

When Contacting Support

Please have ready:

  • Your NAS brand and model (Buffalo, Synology, etc.)
  • Windows version (Windows 10/11)
  • The exact error message you're seeing
  • Whether you can access the NAS through Windows Explorer

This guide covers the most common NAS setup scenarios. For advanced troubleshooting or enterprise configurations, see our Advanced NAS Troubleshooting Guide.