windows 7 Backup and System Image say they're working but aren't

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Running Win 7 HP 64-bit on desktop. 

 

Quick history: Recently my motherboard died. I'd been using Windows automatic backup and system image backups, saved to an external hard drive. While the computer was in the shop, I tried to restore some files from the backup but the majority of my folders

just weren't there.  I figured I'd done something wrong or maybe all the drama with the multiple crashes and my attempts to fix (before I realized it was the motherboard) had somehow messed it up.

 

Current: New motherboard, got a new hard drive while I was at it, reinstalled the same Win 7 HP and all other programs.  Erased everything off the external hard drive and ran Windows file backup again.  It gave me no errors.  Then I ran system image backup. 

It also gave me no errors, but I noticed that the amount of free space on my external hard drive hadn't changed.  Folder properties shows the folder WindowsImageBackup = 0 bytes. 

 

 

I tried to restore the backed up files to be sure it had worked this time, but found the same problem as before.  When I browse for folders (or for files), it shows C: drive, and then only one folder (Users) shows up.  (Last time I think I had two other

folders.)  Within Users, I have some subfolders but not others.  Even for the subfolders that do show up, they are missing subfolders and/or files.  I can't see any specific pattern to what's saved and what's not, but I'm missing maybe 80-90% of my data.

 

To be clear, the backup process was totally standard -- nothing customized, no multiple partitions, nothing fancy -- and I received no errors.  Windows Backup and Restore thinks all is well.  And yet I don't actually have a complete file backup or apparently

any system image. 

 

Any ideas on what's wrong?  Thanks!!

 

 

 

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