Changes

Once shadow copy has been configured for volumes on the server, the next step is to learn have how to access the previous version of files from client systems. This is achieved using a feature of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista called ''Previous Versions''.

To access pervious previous versions of a file on a client, navigate to the shared folder (or subfolder of a shared folder) or network drive using ''Start -> Network''. Once the desired network drive or shared folder is visible, right click on it and select ''Restore Previous Versions'' (or just ''Previous Versions'' on Windows Vista). Once selected, the Properties dialog box will appear with the ''Previous Versions'' tab pre-selected as illustrated in the following figure:

As shown the the previous figure, the Previous Versions property page lists the previous versions of the shared folder that are available for restoration. A number of options are available for each shadow copy snapshot listed in the properties dialog. ''Open'' will open the folder in Windows Explorer so that individual file files and sub-folders can be viewed and copied. The ''Copy...'' button allows the snapshot of the folder and its contents to be copied to a different location. Finally, ''Restore...'' restores the folder and files to its state at the time of the currently selected shadow copy snapshot. As outlined in the warning dialog, this action cannot be undone one performed.