After updating a computer running Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 a red cross is displayed in the Action Center icon on the taskbar an notifies you to 'Check your backup (important)'. However, clicking on the icon does not provide any further information. Clicking the Open action center link instead also does not provide the ability to dismiss the message or provide further information.

Cause:

The Windows event logs contained notifications of Windows Backup event failure that were present on the computer when it was updated and these event logs are causing the alerts.

Resolution/Work Around/Recommendation

In Windows 8.1 the File Backup and Restore feature has been removed and has been replaced by the File History feature.

To disable the messages from action center, go to the Action Center (by clicking Control Panel | System and Security | Action Center) and select to change Action Center Settings and uncheck Windows Backup.

Windows Backup will not be providing any new event messages for Windows 8.1 log files so suppressing these notification will not cause you to miss any important information. You can also delete the messages in the event log before updating your computer to prevent the notification from occurring.