Microsoft Shadow Copy

Microsoft Shadow Copy is a program that allows users to restore previous versions of files that are stored on the University's network. Shadow Copy works by using restore points (or shadows) of folders and files that are periodically made by ITS. This allows the user to revert back to a previous stored point to undo any unwanted changes, recover a corrupted file, or restore a file that is accidentally deleted. Shadow Copy is available for Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003.

Please note: If you are a member of one of the following departments or colleges, their is a special procedure for accessing Shadow Copy. Please see your local IT support person for directions: Finance & Operations, College of Education, College of Pharmacy, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Information Technology Services

This document contains the following instructions:
Recover a Previous Version of a File or Folder
Recover a Lost or Deleted File

Recover a Previous Version of a File or Folder

You can recover a previous version of an individual file or folder. If you restore an entire folder, all of the contents of the folder will be restored to the previous version.

Navigate to the folder or file on the network that you wish to restore.
Right click on the folder or file and select Properties.
On the Properties window, click the Previous Versions tab.

Note: If there is no Previous Versions tab, the Shadow Copy client has most likely not been installed on the computer. Shadow Copy is available by default with Windows XP Service Pack 2.
Highlight the version date of the item that you want to recover.
You can View the previous version of the folder or file, Copy it to another location, or Restore the folder or file to the previous version. Click the appropriate button for the action you wish to take.
Note: If you restore an item it will replace the current file or folder on the network drive with the previous version you've selected. Any changes you've made to the file or folder since the time of the previous version will be lost.

Recover a Lost or Deleted File

You can recover a deleted file by restoring it from a previous version of the folder in which it was stored.

Navigate to the folder on the network where the deleted or missing file previously was stored.
Right click on the folder and select Properties.
On the Properties window, click the tab that says Previous Versions.

Note: If there is no Previous Versions tab the Shadow Copy client has most likely not been installed on the computer. Shadow Copy is available by default with Windows XP Service Pack 2.
Highlight a previous version of the folder in which the deleted or missing file was stored.
Click the View button. A Windows Explorer window will open with the contents of the previous version of the folder.
Highlight the file you wish to restore and choose Copy to Folder from the Edit menu.
In the Copy Items window, navigate to a folder where you want to store the file and click the Copy button. The file will be restored in the location you specified.

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Last Updated: 04/24/2008