How to get Windows 10 to do Win 7's Properties > Previous Versions

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I thought there would be some discussion here in “Questions: Win 10” Topics about how to get Windows 10 to do “Properties>Previous Versions” just like Windows 7 does/did. But, I can’t find anything. I don’t want to use Window’s File History, though, because I backup in another way. I’ve read that Windows 10 keeps track of previous versions in the background and that some external software has some way of getting at them. But, I don’t really want trust unfamiliar external software.

Is there some way to make Windows 10 work like Windows 7 with regard to Previous
Versions, i.e., right-click on a file, choose Properties, and when the Properties dialog box comes up, click on the tab for Previous Versions, and then you get a list of them. In Windows 7, I never did anything on my own in order for them to show up — they just did. It came in handy when I accidentally overwrote a file.

P.S. In the search box, I used the term previous versions, Previous Versions, “Previous Versions”, ‘Previous Versions’, “previous versions”, and ‘previous versions’, but using double quotes or single quotes doesn’t work and otherwise, the search brought up all instances of previous and all instances of version.

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Lars220

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Previous Versions no longer exists – long may it rest.
You either use Windows File History or your own backup.

cheers, Paul

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CONFIGURE SHADOW COPY FOR WINDOWS 10

http://itsimple.info/?p=258

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Lars220, Paul T

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Previous Versions work for me on Windows 10:

I’m not using File History at present, but I do use Restore Points.

The previous versions feature in Windows 10 allows you to restore a previous version of files, folders, and drives that were saved or backed up as part of a restore point, File History, and/or Windows Backup.
How to Restore Previous Versions of Files, Folders, and Drives in Windows 10

Windows 11 Pro version 22H2 build 22621.2361 + Microsoft 365 + Edge

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Lars220

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Previous Versions is still there, it’s just the hooks into the file system from the “Previous Versions” tab on the Properties sub-window in the folders aren’t connected. I have no idea why. They are still functional in Windows Server Essentials 2019, and probably other Server O/S versions (I’m guessing here).

If you need to see and access how ever many “Previous Versions” your system might have (they are wiped out during any major version upgrade of Windows 10, and perhaps with other updates), you can view them, and recover files from them using a NirSoft utility, called Shadow Copy View, which can be downloaded from the NirSoft site:

http://Nirsoft.net/utils/shadow_copy_view.html

The current version is V1.05.

If you run the Shadow Copy Viewer, and don’t find any Shadow Copies, then that feature might be turned off.

This only works IF…you have System Restore turned on in (Old) Control Panel, System, System Protection (using the “View by…Icons” option, upper right-hand corner of the default view of Control Panel). Then be sure that Protection is turned on for what ever drive you want to have Previous Versions active on, usually your C: drive (your system drive). You can set the space allocated to Previous Version copies by using the “Configure” button on that is on the System Protection window. Be sure the “Turn on system protection” option is “dotted”, then set the slider for some percentage of gigabytes you want to allocate to shadow copies.

You can then do the “Create…” process, and make a manual one, then re-run the Shadow Copy Viewer, and you should have at least one “Snapshot” (what the utility calls the shadow copies it finds.

I’ve used this to recover lost or deleted files for several clients with no backups, and had emptied the Recycle Bin. So, “Previous Versions” are alive, just not so well, unless you have the proper utility.

Update: I see that user “b” posted that Previous Versions are working on his Win10, but did not state if it is Pro or Home, or what the “version” is, 1809, 1903, 1909??

I’ll say that I have Win10 Pro, 1903, Build 18362.476, and it does not work, but the Shadow Copy View utility shows I have 3 Shadow Copies, so Windows is making them.

At various times in the past, the Previous Versions did show up and work in some older versions off and on, then would vanish. I never read or found an explanation of this.

So I’d have to say that it is not a consistent function that can be depended on, whereas Shadow Copy View seems to work all the time.

Directed at “b”: I’d like to know what version of Win10 you are running, and has Previous Versions worked on ALL of your “previous versions” of Windows 10, through how many “upgrades” you have done since you started using it? Has it ever quit, then later just magically re-appeared, or has it always worked? Are you doing something special to get this to work reliably?  If so, what?

Thanks

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Lars220

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SkipH wrote:

“b”: I’d like to know what version of Win10 you are running,

His signature states, “Win10 Pro 1909″, and he updates ‘ASAP”, so you can presume that will be Build 18363.592.

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[WCHS]

Alex5723 wrote:

CONFIGURE SHADOW COPY FOR WINDOWS 10

Are you the Alex that made a comment on May 7, 2017 at the site?  Do you use it?  Does it work reliably for you?  What do you see when you click on the Open button?

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by WCHS. Reason: another Q

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b wrote:

I’m not using File History at present, but I do use Restore Points.

Do you manually create your Restore points?  Or do you schedule them?  Or does the system automatically schedule them?

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Lars220

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[WCHS]

WCHS wrote:

Alex5723 wrote:

CONFIGURE SHADOW COPY FOR WINDOWS 10

Are you the Alex that made a comment on May 7, 2017 at the site?  Do you use it?  Does it work reliably for you?  What do you see when you click on the Open button?

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by WCHS. Reason: another Q

I am not that Alex.
I create a daily Shadow copy (scheduled) , used it once to restore a file.
When you click open you get a list of /folders/files…

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Good questions KYKaren,  thanks for asking,  I am / was  wondering also, good topic.  I have Windows 10 version 1903 . 592  Pro edition,  so I can use  Group Policy,  the following  itprotoday  website has information on using Group Policy to set up automatic restore points, I am going to include two links, the  Windows Central  link explains how to restore a restore point with some good instructions.

https://www.itprotoday.com/windows-10/how-set-automatic-restore-points-windows-10

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-use-system-restore-windows-10

Computers become slow when they sense that their servants are in a hurry.

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Alex5723 wrote:

I create a daily Shadow copy (scheduled) , used it once to restore a file.

Could I ask:  how do you create a daily scheduled Shadow copy?  I’m new at Windows 10, just recently convinced to move over to it fully committed (rather than apply for a Win 7 ESU). After all those years on Windows 7 and all those years of Vista before that, I am not a raw novice, but I do need some hand-holding until I get better at finding my own way around.

Others, too, reading this, would appreciate the information, maybe.

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You already read the instructions, and mentioned a comment from the bottom of the page, at the link in the third post of this thread.

Windows 11 Pro version 22H2 build 22621.2361 + Microsoft 365 + Edge

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geekdom

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[WCHS]

b wrote:

You already read the instructions,

Yes, but the screens are somewhat different from what I see in Windows 10, and I am still not sure about some of the instructions mean, for example:

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I think it is saying at the cmd prompt, type in run wmic shadowcopy call create Volume=c:  , but I could be wrong about that.

I cannot parse the sentence below which says “to test this run on command prompt as administrator and check for creation of shadow copy”   What is it saying??

The directions says that under the Action tab, the action is “Start a program” and the program is “wmic” with the arguments “shadowcopy call create Volume=c:”   That part I understand, but this seems to me that it is doing the same thing as what one types as arguments of the run command at the command prompt   So, does this syntax wmic shadowcopy call create Volume=c: get entered in two places a) at the command prompt run …  b) at the Action tab of the Task Scheduler?

I looked at the General tab of the Task Schedule and it seems that the “configure” field at the bottom of the dialog box needs to be changed.  It says “Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008” now.

I am an administrator.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by WCHS.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by WCHS. Reason: clarity
• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by WCHS. Reason: error in formatting
• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by WCHS. Reason: additonal info

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WCHS wrote:

Could I ask:  how do you create a daily scheduled Shadow copy?

It is quit easy. Instructions in the link posted by me in #2111038

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[WCHS]

Alex5723 wrote:

Instructions in the link posted by me in #2111038

I’ve read the instructions but I do not understand

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What is it saying here??

• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by WCHS.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by WCHS.

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I gather you are struggling to open a Command Prompt as Administrator in Windows 10?

If so, HowToGeek has this with the help you might be seeking:
10 Ways to Open the Command Prompt in Windows 10

The link that @Alex5723 provided above shows how to apply that command in a Task, to schedule a regular action.

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WCHS wrote:

I think it is saying at the cmd prompt, type in run wmic shadowcopy call create Volume=c:  , but I could be wrong about that.

You are correct.

That command is the one that creates the shadow copies and you run it once manually to check that it works, then you set it up as a scheduled task that runs twice a day.

The thing to remember is the schedule won’t work if your machine is not running at the scheduled time, i.e. this practise is best for machines on all day where you change files often. An alternative is a regular backup to external disk.

cheers, Paul

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