Recovering Files from Backup

Windows 7 allows you to recover individual files from backup locations using the Previous Versions features as discussed in the previous section. You also can recover files using Windows Backup. To recover files using Windows Backup, follow these steps:

1. In Control Panel, under the System and Security heading, click the "Back up your computer" link.
2. In Backup and Restore, click Restore My Files to restore your files or click Restore All Users' Files to restore the files of any user.
3. On the "Select the files and folders to restore", use the following techniques to select the files and folders to restore, and then click Next:
   • To restore individual files, click the "Browse for files" button. In the "Browse the backup for files" dialog box, you'll see a list of all the folders and files in the backup. Select files to restore and then click Add Files. Repeat this process to select other individual files to restore.
   • To restore folders and all their contents, click the "Browse for folders" button. In the "Browse the backup for folders" dialog box, you'll see a list of all the folders in the backup. Select a folder to restore and then click Add. Repeat this process to select other folders to restore.
   • To search for a particular file or folder, click the Search button. In the "Search for files to restore" dialog box, type all or part of the filename or folder to search for, and then click Search. In the Search results, select the files or folders to restore, and then click Add. Repeat this process to search for other files and folders to restore.

   If the items you want to restore are stored in the current backup location, you can use the options in the Restore Files window to select items to restore. To restore files from a different backup, click "Choose a different date." In the Restore Files dialog box, you'll see a list of all backups by backup period. Use the Show Backups From list to select how far back the backup you want to use was made. Click the backup you want to restore files from and then click OK to return to the "Browse or Search".

4. On the "Where do you want to save the restored files?", the "In the original location" option is selected by default. You use this option to restore files to their original location. To restore files and folders to an alternative location, select "In the following location," click Browse, select a restore location, and then click OK.
5. Click Restore to restore the selected files and folders. If there is already a file or folder with the same name in the location you've selected, you can:
   • Overwrite the current version with the restored version by clicking Copy and Replace.
   • Keep the current version and discard the restored version by clicking "Don't copy."
   • Keep both versions by clicking the "Copy, but keep" option. The new filename will be the same as the old filename, but with a numeric suffix, indicating the version increment.
     If you want to use the same response for all conflicts, select the "Do this for all conflicts" checkbox before you click an option.
6. Your files and folders are restored as appropriate. Click Finish.