This machine has been doing this for over a month and I can't solve the problem. When I attempt to back-up disk onto external drive I get the meesage that back-up is not complete because Vista has timed-out.

What program are you using to backup?

Has it ever worked before?

Any changes that either happened or that you perhaps made to your computer around the time that the problem started; particularly any software or hardware that you installed or setup.


Do you have programs that are scheduled to run, such as an antivirus to update or other programs that auto check for updates?

-disable antivirus as it constantly runs when PC is running
-Check your task scheduler and disable them while try to backup
Start, programs, accessories, system tools, task scheduler

-disable your screensaver while trying to backup

See if any of these things help

Sounds like there is a problem witrh communicating to the external drive.