Windows 10: Previous versions not working

Both “Volume Shadow Copy” and “Windows Software Shadow Copy” are running on my Windows 10, but when I try to restore files using Restore Previous Versions, it shows: “There are no previous version available”. How do I fix it?

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Bob Lin

Bob Lin, Chicagotech-MVP, MCSE & CNE Data recovery, Windows OS Recovery, Networking, and Computer Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net How to Install and Configure Windows, VMware, Virtualization and Cisco on http://www.HowToNetworking.com

3 thoughts on “Windows 10: Previous versions not working”

  1. Here is a solution if you have space on your computer. Create a new volume on your local computer, allow sharing on it, then point to it when it using the UNC “\\computer-name\share-name” as a network location. Or use USB drive.

  2. The Volume Shadow Copy service and the System Restore snapshots feature are alive and well in Windows 10. The part that’s missing is the GUI that allows you to selectively do a restore on an individual file/folder.

    You can create a previous versions snapshot by doing the following:

    – Start the command line utility as an administrator

    – Run command

    wmic shadowcopy call create Volume=’C:\’

    – This will create a recovery point for your files (not your OS) which will show up in your ‘restore previous versions’ list.

    – If you use task scheduler to run this at startup, your PC will create a previous version everytime your PC starts.

    Be aware that this is NOT a solution to use as a backup, but only to get back accidentally removed files. If your harddisk fails, all data is gone including your previous versions. For backup, always use an external device, such as a NAS, Onedrive, Azure or USB drive.

    This is the result:
    Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.17134.165]
    (c) 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

    C:\WINDOWS\system32>wmic shadowcopy call create Volume=’C:\’
    Executing (Win32_ShadowCopy)->create()
    Method execution successful.
    Out Parameters:
    instance of __PARAMETERS
    {
    ReturnValue = 0;
    ShadowID = “{0B3E13F8-6C52-4D69-A648-AB2AFE80492F}”;
    };

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