Enable ShadowCopy On Home Editions / XP
From time to time Vista creates ’snapshot’ copies of your files with a service called “Shadow Copy”. This allows you to retrieve older versions of files you accidentally delete or alter.
To go back to a prior version of your file/document, you simply right-click on the file and select “Restore previous versions”, which can get you out of some nasty jams. (For more on recovering deleted files, click here.)
Shadow Copy is enabled on all versions of Vista, but Microsoft grants user access to these copies only in the Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise editions. (Clearly as a method to try to sell more copies of the pricier Ultimate Edition.)
Tip of the day: Users of the “Home” editions of Vista can use Shadow Copy too.
The odds are pretty good that if you bought a new computer, and it came with Vista, it came with Vista Home Premium. I say that because if you walk into a store selling computers, I dare you to find the one that has Ultimate Edition on it. It seems to me that they all come with Home Premium!
Remember how I said Shadow Copy was “enabled” on all versions? Yes? Well, for owners of Vista Home Premium and Vista Home Basic, the service is running, but you need a way to “interface” with it (sometimes called a “front end”). To do that, download and install ShadowExplorer, and gain some of Ultimate Edition’s functionality. This cool piece of software is free, but donations are accepted.
Today’s free link: People who are using Windows 2000 or XP can get an almost identical file functionality with FileHamster from Mogware. This program is designed for people whose talents lie in the Creative Arts, so you don’t ave to be a geek to use it. There’s helpful user forums, too.
Please note: This ability is by no means a substitute for regular system backups. This is for small “oopsies”, not recovery/restoration.
Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved. post to jaanix
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• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
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TechPaul,
“ShadowExplorer” I can confirm, works very well in those “oopsy” type of situations… Often wonder what else in buried in our operating systems that we could tap into and don’t even know it? Thanks for the article!
Rick
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Thank you, Rick. Yes.. it is kind of like the “easter eggs” sometimes hidden in video games, and I love discovering and “unlocking” them. Shadow Copy is not something the average person will use everyday (and hopefully, never use hardly at all) but there’s nothing nicer to have on that rare occasion that you actually do need it.. kind of like an insurance policy.
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HAVE YOU LOOKED AT TIME TRAVELER BY BEARS ON THE LOOSE IN MONTREAL? I LIKE THE INTERFACE, IT’S INTEGRATED INTO EXPLORER …. AND GIVES YOU PRETTY GOOD CONTROL OF THE SHADOW COPY ENVIRONMENT.
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RICK,
No, I had not heard of it, so thanks for the tip. I will take a look.
It’s only fair that I give you a tip in return… All caps (on the Internet) is equated with SHOUTING, and is considered very bad form.
[update: Folks, I took a look at their website and it appears that Time Traveler is a $20 program (with a 30-day trial) for Vista/Win7. I believe it might be of interest to owners of “Home” Editions. I did not try it.]
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