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File history in windows 8.1. Windows backup - file history. Advanced File History settings

We continue to talk about new interesting functions and capabilities of Windows 8. Today we will take a closer look at the function File History in Windows 8. As you probably already guessed by the name File History is a system for backing up and restoring user data in Windows 8, which allows you to quite simply and quickly restore accidentally deleted or modified files/directories. However, in essence, this is not exactly a solution that allows you to organize a classic backup, but rather a function of maintaining, as the name of the service suggests, the user’s file history (those users who need to save a full system image can still use Windows Backup). When developing File History technology, Microsoft developers wanted to simplify and automate the process of creating backup copies and restoring user data as much as possible. Ideally, the user should simply press the “magic” button and his data will automatically begin to be backed up without his participation.

A new system service is responsible for the operation of File History. File History Service. Note that the overall performance of the File History service is quite high, because the service, instead of completely scanning all directories and files for changes (as is done in most backup products), simply accesses NTFS changelog(NTFS change journal), and compiles a list of changed files that will need to be copied.

In this article, we will figure out how to enable and configure the File History feature in Windows 8, as well as how to restore files from a backup.

What directories are included in File History

File History automatically copies the following directories:

  • All libraries
  • Desktop
  • Contacts
  • All bookmarks (Favorites)
  • Microsoft SkyDrive content (if configured)

Unneeded libraries or folders (for example, with movies) can be excluded from the file history to save space on backup storage.

A natural question arises: is it possible to add your own directory to the list of reserved ones? The answer, oddly enough, is no. So you will have to organize your data into libraries (create new ones or add directories to existing libraries), or store everything in a profile.

Then, according to a given schedule, in the background, the File History service begins to backup selected elements, check files for changes, and if any are found, add them to the backup copy on external media. Those. Only changed data and directories go into the archive, and are not copied entirely each time (this is simply impractical).

Where can you store file history in Windows 8

In Windows 8, backup copies of files can be stored on the following types of storage:

  • internal hard drive– it is possible to store it on another partition of the same disk on which the system is installed, or on any partition of another internal hard drive (this is preferable from the point of view of data safety in case of failure of the main hard drive)
  • external hard drive
  • USB flash drive/disk
  • Network folder– for example, a directory on a server or home NAS

How to enable File History in Windows 8

Function File History is disabled by default in Windows 8, so to begin the process of backing up your data, the File History service must be enabled. Naturally, we need a device where the backup will be carried out (the options are discussed above). Connect the selected device to your Windows 8 computer.

  1. Go to the File History section in the control panel.
  2. Click the button Turn on

If you have a dedicated NAS or just a network folder on the server, it can also be used to store backups. To do this, select the item in the left panel Select Drive and click the button in the window that appears Add Network Location, where specify the UNC path to the network folder in which the backup will be stored.

Immediately after activating the feature, user data will be backed up (every hour by default).

Advanced File History settings

You can fine-tune backup settings in the advanced File History settings, accessible by clicking the button Advanced Settings in the left panel.

Here you can set:

  • How often are backups performed? Savecopiesoffiles
  • offline cache size – Sizeofofflinecache– the default value is 5%, this means that if external storage is unavailable, the user profile is used as an intermediate storage for “File History”, and for these purposes no more than 5% of the system volume can be occupied (minimum -2%, maximum - 20%).
  • how long to keep old versions of files – Keepsavedversions

Recovering files in Windows 8 using File History

Once the File History feature is activated, personal data will be backed up automatically in the background according to a set schedule. And if you accidentally delete the file you need or want to return to the old version, you can very easily restore it. Using Windows Explorer, go to the directory in which the file you want to restore was located and click on the button in the top panel of the ribbon interface History(the same can be done by going to the control panel -> File History and clicking the button in the right panel Restore Personal Files).

The window that opens will display all the files (directories) from the last available backup, and using the navigation arrows you can go to the specific date/time the backup was created.

Select the file or folder you want to restore. Then click the big green button at the bottom or right-click on the file and select the item from the context menu Restore(Restore). As a result, the file will be restored to the original directory, and if a file with the same name already exists in the directory, you will be prompted to overwrite it. If you need to restore data to another directory, select the item in the context menu Restore To.

Another convenient feature of File History in Windows 8 is the ability to preview the document being restored directly in the recovery window.

When storing backup copies of data on an external storage device, file compression is not used: this allows for faster navigation and viewing of items, however, if you have a large number of frequently changed files, the requirements for device capacity to store file history are quite high.

So, today we got acquainted with another feature of Windows 8 called File History, which makes it very easy to backup and restore the user’s personal data.

There's a File History feature that caches, or backs up, different versions of documents and other data files, allowing you to go back in time and restore previous or deleted versions of those files.

This great feature is based on technology that's been in Windows since 2003—long before Apple copied it with Time Machine. “File History” does its job perfectly, but unfortunately, it is disabled by default in Windows 8. So first you need to turn it on.

I have already talked about this function in the article “”, so read the details there. But in short, File History automatically backs up files from the Desktop and libraries, copies contacts, favorites in IE and files from . If a file stored in one of these locations is deleted, damaged, or modified, you can use File History to restore any saved copy. In this sense, it really helps to keep track of the "history" of the most important files.

The easiest way to find File History settings is by searching on the Start screen. They are designed like a classic control panel, so you should search with the “Settings” filter.

Besides the fact that File History is disabled by default, it has another annoying requirement: storing backups requires an external drive (portable hard drive or USB flash drive) or network storage - for example, another computer on the home network or Windows Home Server . You can also use a second hard drive on your local computer, if you have one, but in this case there should not be any libraries on it.

To set up File History, connect an external drive to your computer. The settings panel will look like this:

Or use the Use network location link and click Add network location to select the appropriate storage location on your home network. (I'm using Windows Home Server, so I'll use this example to explain.)

Once you have configured the location, click the “Turn on” button and the system will begin backing up your files. You will also be asked to recommend the selected storage to other computers in your homegroup, if you have one. This way, when you set up File History on other computers at home, you can select the same location and use it as a central location for file backups.

By setting up “File History”, you can forget about it – the system will work on its own, without requiring user intervention. Of course, when using an external drive to store backups, you should make sure that it is always connected to your computer if possible.

How to use “File History” is described in detail in the article “”, There is, of course, a description of the most important thing: the file recovery procedure, which takes place in a nice new interface, somewhat similar to Windows Media Player.

One last note: File History also has an offline cache on the C: drive, which stores some backup copies of files in case you are disconnected from your home network or external drive. This is especially convenient for laptop computers, since File History remains accessible even when you're away from home. By default, the cache uses 5% of disk space, but this can be changed, along with some other settings, in the Advanced Settings section of the File History control panel.

In Windows 8, an analogue of the Time Machine from Mac OS X appeared - the File History function (formerly History Vault). Windows 7 already had a file shadow copy function, which allows you to restore the contents of a file, say, as of yesterday or the day before, which is very convenient, because erroneously deleting a file is quite rare, but making incorrect changes to a file is much more common.

This feature has been improved in Windows 8. Now you can choose from which directories you do not want to back up files, where you should store backups (it is assumed that they should be stored on an external hard drive or at least on a separate partition or network drive), and how often you should make backups.

Before setting up File History, connect an external hard drive. Then open Control Panel from your desktop or Metro panel. Go to the File History section - this is the File History function.

By default, File History is disabled.

To enable it, click the Enable button.

When you enable File History, you will be asked if you want to recommend this hard drive for backup to other members of your HomeGroup. This is very useful when there is only one external hard drive, but there are several computers at home. It is clear that all other computers must be running Windows 8.

Now you should configure the File History feature to work according to your preferences. Select the Advanced parameters command in the left zone of the function window; the window for its advanced settings will open.

Here you can specify how long to keep saved backups (Keep Saved Versions), how often you should make backups (Keep copies of files), the size of the disk cache (Offline Cache Size), and whether to recommend this external drive to other members of your homegroup or join her.

By default, saved backups are stored for life (Always) - until the external hard drive fails or it runs out of free space. In this case (if backups are so important to you), you will be forced to either format the full media or buy a new one to replace the damaged one.

By default, backups are created every hour (Every hour). It is recommended not to change this value. If you are concerned about space on your external drive, you should either reduce the storage period for copies (set, for example, a storage period of one month), or exclude some folders from backup. To do this, in the left zone of the function window, select the Exclude folders command and in the window that opens, click the Add button to select and add a folder to the “black list”.

Note
Which folders should I exclude? It’s clear: video (Video library) and music (Music library). Videos and music take up too much disk space, and in case of failure, you can always download both video and music again from the Internet. If it's expensive, back it up to DVD and put it in a safe somewhere, but don't clutter up your backup drive. It is worth copying music and videos to an external drive only in one case - if you are their author, and these files can be modified from time to time.

It remains to consider one option of the File History function - Change disk. With it, you can change the disk used for backup. By clicking the Add network location button, you can add a network drive.

A little trick
It was said a little earlier that you can store backups on a separate hard drive partition, but the system only allows you to select either a removable or network drive. What's wrong? That's right, File History does not allow you to select a local drive to store copies of files. But you can deceive her. Let's say you have two partitions: C: and D:, and you want to use the second partition (D:) as a backup drive. Provide shared network access to it, and in the File History settings, specify it as a network drive. File History will "think" it is storing data over the network, but in fact it will be physically stored on a nearby partition of your hard drive.

Now about the most important thing - restoring data from a backup. It’s not enough to create it, you need to know how to recover files. To do this, open the Control Panel and in the File History section, find the Recover personal files command.

Next, select the backup date (I have two, so I don’t have much to choose from) and the directories to restore (I only selected the desktop directory). All that remains is to click the Restore button - the large green button in the center of the window under the folder and library selection area.

Sometimes you need to restore the previous contents of a folder, not to the original location, but to a different directory in order to compare two versions of files: the current and the previous one. To do this, click the gear icon (in the upper right corner of the window), select the Restore to menu command and specify the folder to which you want to restore the backup.