Velvet Star Monitor

Standout celebrity highlights with iconic style.

general

Cannot enable File History service: The parameter is incorrect

Writer Sophia Terry

I'm trying to enable File History on my desktop computer every time I try to turn it on, I get the following error:

Could not enable File History: The parameter is incorrect.

Parameter Incorrect error dialog

For the life of me, I cannot figure out what the problem is. I've looked at EventVwr and found zero logs under:

  • %SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Microsoft-Windows-FileHistory-Engine%4BackupLog.evtx
  • %SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Microsoft-Windows-FileHistory-Core%4WHC.evtx

I also looked under the following logs and nothing seemed related to the error, near as I could tell:

  • %SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Application.evtx
  • %SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\System.evtx

I've already ensured that both the File History Service and Windows Search services are both enabled.

What are my next steps to try to track this error down?

Update 1/22/2022

I used ProcessMonitor and ProcessExplorer to track down the process behind the dialog: explorer.exe. Using ProcessMonitor, I found a INVALID_PARAMTER error:

error event dialog

In addition, I tried doing a regular Backup and found errors that led me to believe that an old Windows Home Server might be causing issues. I removed the home server shares from my libraries (and other user accounts on the computer), but still File History won't enable.

9 Reset to default

Know someone who can answer? Share a link to this question via email, Twitter, or Facebook.

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Sign up using Google Sign up using Facebook Sign up using Email and Password

Post as a guest

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy