ShadowCopyView

If you are creating simple file backups in Windows regularly, then there is a chance that you came across issues due to locked files. Regardless of whether they are locked by the operating system or are currently opened by the user, you cannot create a backup unless the file is completely unused.

ShadowCopyView is a lightweight piece of software that enables you to browse through the automatic backup snapshots created by Windows for files and volumes.

After a quick and uneventful setup, you are welcomed by a streamlined interface that is comprised of two main panels. While the upper pane displays a list of the backup snapshots taken by the Windows utility, you can preview the files and folders included in it in the lower panel.

You should know that you can navigate through the directories and access them to view the contents by hitting the Enter key. If you want to return to the previous folder, then you can do so by the standard Alt and Up Arrow key combination. In case you want to navigate to a specific folder directly, then you can type the path in the dedicated text box located between the two panels.

It is worth mentioning that the utility allows you to view all sort of information you might want to know in order to quickly identify the snapshot that you should use for system restore. You can make things simpler by selecting the columns to be displayed along with the snapshots, namely creation time, attributes, volume path, snapshot ID, provider ID, originating machine or exposed path, just to name a few.

The idea behind the program is to provide you with an easy method of accessing files and folders when you want to perform a system restore. Consequentially, you can specify the desired location and copy them using the F8 key. As a side note, the app does not overwrite files that already exist in the directory, but rather copies them using another name.

In the eventuality that you installed a buggy driver or application update that messed up the functionality of your operating system and you do not have any rollback possibility, then perhaps ShadowCopyView could lend you a hand.