Recover a file that was accidentally deleted

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To recover a file that was accidentally deleted

Locate the folder where the deleted file was stored (on the network), right-click the folder, and click Properties. The Properties dialog box will appear.
On the Previous Versions tab, double-click the most recent version of the folder that contains the file that you want to recover. A list of files that are stored in that previous version will appear.
Right-click the file that was accidentally deleted and click Copy.
Right-click the location where you want to place the file and click Paste.

Notes

If the Previous Versions tab does not appear in the Properties dialog box, Shadow Copies of Shared Folders might not be enabled on the shared resource. Shadow copies are copies of files that are located on the file server and appear as previous versions. Please contact your administrator for more information.
When you copy a file, file permissions will be set to the default permissions for the directory where the copy of the file is placed.
When you recover a file that was accidentally deleted, you are copying a previous version. You will lose any changes made to the file after the last previous version was created.
To recover a deleted folder, go to a previous version of the parent folder to view and select the folder to copy.

Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.