gHacks Technology News | Latest Tech News, Software And Tutorials » shadow copy http://www.ghacks.net A technology news blog covering software, mobile phones, gadgets, security, the Internet and other relevant areas. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:51:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 ShadowExplorer Updated, Restore Files In Windowshttp://www.ghacks.net/2011/01/04/shadowexplorer-updated-restore-files-in-windows/ http://www.ghacks.net/2011/01/04/shadowexplorer-updated-restore-files-in-windows/#comments Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:54:46 +0000 Martin Brinkmann http://www.ghacks.net/?p=38677 Windows Vista and Windows 7 create so called shadow copies automatically from time to time. A shadow copy of a file is basically a backup of that file. That’s helpful when a file needs to be restored to a previous version, for instance after a failed update or software installation. All Windows Vista and Windows 7 users can make use of the Shadow Copy feature natively with the exception of Windows Vista Home users.

Windows 7 users can for instance access the feature by right-clicking on a file in Windows Explorer and selecting the Restore Previous Versions context menu entry.

restore previous versions

The feature is turned on in all editions of Vista and Windows 7 by default.

Shadow Explorer is a third party tool that offers the following feature set:

  • Show available point-in-time copies
  • Browse through Shadow Copies
  • Retrieve versions of files and folders

shadow explorer

The hard drive partition, date and time are selectable at the top of the application. Shadow Explorer displays recoverable files grouped into their folders on the left side.

Both files and folders can be exported with a right-click and the selection of export from the menu.

The main advantage of Shadow Copy is the interface which is easier to navigate and use, especially if multiple files or folders need to be recovered on the system.

A lot has changed since our first review in 2008. Shadow Copy for instance does not need elevated privileges anymore to run. The latest version is now showing all modified, accessed and created timestamps as well which are preserved when files or folders are exported.

Shadow Explorer is available for download from the developer website. It is available for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7.

]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2011/01/04/shadowexplorer-updated-restore-files-in-windows/feed/ 3 Copy Locked And Open Files In Windowshttp://www.ghacks.net/2009/01/19/copy-locked-and-open-files-in-windows/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/01/19/copy-locked-and-open-files-in-windows/#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:56:21 +0000 Martin Brinkmann http://www.ghacks.net/?p=9989 Locked or open files are not only problematic when trying to delete them on the computer system. They can also be problematic when a user tries to move a folder with files or single files to a different location. One extreme example would be moving the Windows folder to another hard drive to replace the old one. Windows would not allow some files to be copied to the new destination.

Shadow Copy has to be installed on the computer system but can be run afterwards from the command prompt or by opening the graphical user interface. Running the tool from the command line will still open the interface after sending the command but it will require no user interaction unless errors occur.

Shadow Copy makes use of the Microsoft’s Volume Shadow service which means that this service has to be running to work with Shadow Copy. Microsoft renamed the feature in Windows Vista to Previous Versions. The service provides the means to copy any accessible file without having to worry about if the file is locked or open.

copy locked files

It is possible to copy the Windows folder to another location using the Shadow Copy software. Shadow Copy is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista. The software is portable as the installed files can be executed independently from the installation. (Tested after uninstalling the software)

]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/01/19/copy-locked-and-open-files-in-windows/feed/ 4