Using shadow copies to restore files or folders in Vista

  
In our daily operations, we can often encounter situations like this: after modifying or deleting a file, we suddenly find that there is a problem with the operation, and some of the loss is lost. Important documents or important parts of the file, which is often the most painful, and the loss of such "misoperations" is often difficult to recover if there is no planned backup of the files. However, for users who use the Business version of Windows Vista and the Ultimate version, there is now a simple way to do this, which is through the shadow copy function.
The shadow copy function integrated in these versions of Windows Vista allows you to save a copy of the corresponding file through a restore point created automatically by Windows Vista without disabling the system protection. Allows users to restore original files from saved copies when accidentally modified, deleted, or damaged. In general, Windows System Restore automatically creates restore points once a day - of course, this is the main reason Windows Vista system restores take up a lot of hard disk space - to minimize data loss.
Recovering Files with Shadow Copies
So, what should I do when I find that I need to restore a file to its pre-modification state?
Click the right mouse button on the file and select "Properties";
In the Properties window, click on the "Previous Versions" tab - if this option does not exist, you need to check if system protection is disabled.
Windows Vista will display a shadow copy of the corresponding file, modify the date, select the desired version, and then click the "Restore" button;

This way, the file is restored to the modification State;

Recovering a directory (folder) using a shadow copy
So, if the file is deleted and the recycle bin is also empty, can't it be recovered from the recycle bin? You can also follow the steps similar to the above method, because Windows Vista will also create a shadow copy of the corresponding directory (folder), just restore the directory where the file is located to the original state, then you can find the deleted file. .
Click the right mouse button on the file directory to select "Properties";
In the Properties window, click the "Previous Versions" tab;
Windows Vista will display the volumes corresponding to the directory Shadow copies, sorted by modified date, select the desired version from it, and then click the "Restore" button;

This way, the directory is restored to the state before the modification;

However, you need to pay attention to Yes, for most users of Windows Vista Home, the shadow copy feature is not supported, which is a pity.

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