Restore Previous File Versions

You're revising an important document and realize that the content you deleted an hour ago is information you still need. Are you out of luck? Do you have to recreate it? If you're running Windows Vista Ultimate or Business editions, you could be in luck. These editions of Windows Vista include a shadow copy feature that enables you to access or restore previously saved versions of a document.

To see if a shadow copy exists for your document, do the following in Windows Explorer:

1. Right-click the document and then click Properties. 

2. In the Properties dialog box, if the shadow copy feature is available in your edition of Windows Vista, you'll see a Previous Versions tab. When you click the Previous Versions tab, Windows Vista searches for available shadow or back-up copies of your file