Recovering deleted files in Windows Vista with ShadowExplorer

Have you ever wanted to recover deleted files, only to discover you don't have a backup ?

With Windows Vista, you don't have to worry :)

All of the Vista version support an automatic backup mechanism named VSS (Volume Shadow copy Service).

The VSS creates an automatic backup of files and folders within the OS volume (default setting in Vista), but you can define the VSS to protect any volume.

Windows Vista Business / Ultimate offer a simply GUI based process which enables users to retrieve a backup version of a file/folder by selecting the relevant file/folder's  "properties" and select the "Previous Versions" tab. You can select to open, copy to restore the file/folder.

The "Previous Versions" tab is unavailable in Windows Vista Home Basic / Premium, however there is a free utility named "ShadowExplorer" which enables users to access the VSS backup versions of the files.

The ShadowExplorer software is available for download from the following URL - http://www.shadowexplorer.com/

There are 2 easy ways to control the VSS setting:

1. Enable / Disable VSS protection per volume through "My computer" -> "properties" -> "System Protection"

2. View & configure advanced VSS settings using the "vssadmin" at the command line prompt.