Hello, I’m Virginia, I have 20 years of expertise in fixing my own & friends’ PC problems.
Sorry to hear you’re experiencing problems.
Ensure the drive is formatted to ExFAT or NTFS this is to ensure large files can be stored on the external drive.
Right click on the drive under Computer & choose format (ensure there’s no files currently on the drive as this will delete them) choose ExFAT or NTFS & then format.
As for the image Windows backup & maybe in the future file history are being deprecated & will eventually be removed.
https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/desktop/w8co...
Microsoft recommend using third party software:
“System Image Backup (SIB) Solution
We recommend that users use full-disk backup solutions from other vendors.”
https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/deployment/p...
I recommend moving to third party imaging software now before it is removed permanently if you prefer backing up your PC rather than using File history.
Many users recommend Macrium Reflect free:
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
Macrium is a set & forget backup system, Once the image is created it will run on the set schedule.
A user can also browse the image in order to recover a file which you may have deleted or has become corrupt on the PC.
Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.