Using Shadow Copy

Certain network file shares (S: and U: drives, R:\Web) have a service to allow you to access prior versions of your network files. This service is based on a Microsoft Windows feature called Shadow Copy. It periodically creates copies of files as you work so you can retrieve versions of a document you may have accidentally deleted or overwritten. We schedule Shadow Copies to be created every three hours during the business day and once at night. That is five network file snapshots per day to better protect your important work! Shadow Copy history will be retained for up to two weeks.
 
Shadow Copy is accessed from a Windows XP or Vista computer by right-clicking a file or folder and selecting "Previous Versions." This example shows several previous versions of the file “Manuscript” that you may choose to restore to your network space.
 

Three options are available in the Previous Versions tab:

  • View
    This will open the selected version of the file in the associated application (MS Word in this case), or in Windows Explorer for a folder. After viewing the document, you can save it wherever you wish, or cut and paste from it. This is the recommended option as it lets you verify that you have the version of the file that you want.

  • Copy
    This will open a dialog box to allow you to save the selected version of the file or folder somewhere else. Be careful not to make unnecessary copies of files or folders as this can waste disk space.

  • Restore
    This will restore the selected version of the file or folder destroying the current file. This can be dangerous if you are not sure that you have selected the correct version to restore. This option is not recommended.