We have already talked, in another article, how to solve Windows problems by making the system configuration restore, an automatic function that, if enabled, allows you to bring the PC back to working order. This Windows utility has been significantly improved in Windows 7 because, not only can you restore your computer to how it was a few days before, but you can also recover previous versions of individual files that have been modified or deleted.
If therefore, by mistake or by distraction, changes have been made in a document or any file and this has already been saved, it is possible to go back to the previous version and to restore it.
READ FIRST: Time Machine on Windows to restore files and settings
As we know, Windows creates restore points automatically, every time you install a new program, if you remove software, if there has been an update from Windows Update or, sometimes, when you turn off your computer.
By default, however, a new restore point is created every day.
It is a kind of backup copy or shadow copy that stores the state of the pc at a given time to be used for emergencies, if the pc stopped working properly overnight.
Individual files are then recovered from the recovery points.
This feature is also present in Windows Vista, not in the Home version.
On Windows 7, however, the restoration of old versions of the files can be done on all versions, including the Home and the small Netbook Starter.
To access previous versions of a file or folder just open the normal resource explorer, right click on the file and choose, from the context menu, " Restore previous versions ".
The file can only be recovered if it has been modified before a general recovery point was created.
So if you edit a file now and want to recover it, you won't be able to find any previous version.
In addition, this function is only active for real folders, not collections or favorites.
The very interesting thing is that, by pressing the right button on the disk C: from My Computer, you can see the previous versions of all the files modified and saved in a previous restore point.
For a folder, it is also possible to restore all the files it contained at any given time.
To retrieve previous versions, you have to copy them by dragging them to a new location, for example a new folder or the desktop.
The files that are found can also be opened and used normally.
To manage all previous versions of the files you can use a program to facilitate the operation.
- Shadow Explorer for Windows 7 and Vista allows you to easily restore files as they were before the change and if they had been deleted.
Shadow Explorer is a resource explorer of files saved by the system in a backup copy for recovery.
- A similar and easy to use program is System Restore Explorer, a tool to mount the recovery points created by Windows 7 and to browse the files inside them, recovering any deleted or modified files.
- Third useful tool for Windows is Z-VSScopy that allows you to explore the shadow copy containing the files saved by the recovery points and, therefore, select and recover them.
Recovery, as mentioned, only works if enabled .
By default, it is active for disk C where Windows is installed, but not for any other, if any, hard disks.
To activate and configure the restore points you need to access the advanced system properties (right click on computer resources -> Properties -> Advanced properties) and go to the System protection tab.
From here you can choose how much space to allow for recovery points, you can create one at the moment and you can choose to bring the computer back to an earlier date.
Here you can activate or deactivate the function, restore the system with a restore point, create a new restore point, or configure the settings. Click Configure to manage Shadow Copy .
You can choose to save both system settings and previous versions of files or only previous versions of files.
In severe cases, you can recover a file deleted or deleted from your computer with some specialized programs, always free.
READ ALSO: Recover previous versions of files in Windows 10
