Tim's Tech Tips

(This question was originally posed to a co-worker who asked me to write the script for it. I am posting it here so others can find the solution as well.)
Question:

My backup software is not showing my hard drive as a valid source or destination for backups. I can see them in "My Computer" but my doesn't see them. What gives? 

Answer: 

Hey there, Anon.
It sounds like your LDM (Logical Disk Manager) is not reporting to your backup software. You may need to reinstall Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI). This process is not as simple as it may seem, however, so we've provided a modified batch script which you can run, in order to perform the re-installation for you.
(See below)

Click "show" to view the script, or scroll down to download it:

To save and run this file:
Open NOTEPAD (start->programs->accessories)
Copy the ENTIRE script into Notepad, starting with "@echo off" and ending with "pause".
Go to "File->Save As..."
Save the file to your desktop. Name it "wmiscript.cmd", and in the drop-down below the name, select "All files".
Close the Notepad window and all other programs, and double-click on the .CMD file.
(If a notepad window opens up when you double-click it, make sure the extension is ".cmd", NOT ".txt".)

Follow the instructions on your screen, and accept any prompts or requests it throws at you. Once it's finished, it will warn you about an impending restart, and have you press any key to continue. Once you do so, it will wait ten seconds, and then restart the system. When it boots back up, your problem should hopefully be solved!

If not, a temporary work-around would be to create a directory in the drive you want to back up to, then share that drive over your local network with the permissions restricted so that only you have access. Once you've set that up, just open "my computer" (or "computer") and go to Tools-> Map network drive. Then, select your workgroup, and computer name (both of which you can find by right-clicking 'my computer' and clicking on properties, then going to the computer name tab) - then select the folder you shared out. That should bypass the logical disk management service entirely.

EDIT: If you're using Vista, or 7; make sure you run the file as Administrator. 

Update on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 12:29PM by Tim

Due to the number of times I've seen this issue, I have created a tool to address this and other issues relating to WMI. You can find this, and other tools on the Downloads page (link in the side-bar), or you can download the file directly from this link. Please make sure you right-click the link, and choose to save the file. If you're in Windows Vista, or 7, make sure that you run it as Administrator when you run it. 

As with all tools on Tim's Tech Tips, you use this at your own risk. It has been tested on Windows XP, Vista, and 7.