0

I've read conflicting information on this, so wanted to clarify the situation.

With Windows Vista/7, several third-party tools exist that can mount the contents of a Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) snapshot and allow a user to browse/copy the content; whilst this isn't a method for backups (these snapshots are stored on the same disk as the operating system), they are useful for recovering changed files if necessary. By default, Windows generates VSS snapshots automatically as part of the System Protection component; as long as System Restore is enabled, so-called "restore points" are created every several days, or when software/a Windows Update is either installed or removed.

As of Windows 8, however, my understanding is that this has now changed. Rather than the previous Windows Vista/7 behaviour of allowing users to browse Previous Versions of files/folders (which used VSS in the background), this has now been replaced by something called File History which can only be enabled if a second drive is connected to the system that the OS is running on. So, my question:

Does Windows 8/10 still create VSS snapshots in the background - and if so, what triggers the creation of them? Are the rules similar to that of Windows Vista/7 whereby snapshots will be created upon the installation/removal of software, or every couple of days? Is it possible for a user to manually create a snapshot via the Windows GUI?

user965995
  • 1,325
  • 3
  • 13
  • 24
  • VSS and file backup are 2 different things in Windows, VSS can be used to make a full backup and many third party backup software's leverage VSS, but windows restore only makes a VSS backup of system state, this does not include personal files and folders. – Moab Oct 30 '19 at 13:11
  • VSS snapshots are saved within <drive>:\System Volume Information, regardless of Windows version & are not accessible to users. File History allows the user to configure specific directories and/or files to keep backups of, which are then able to be seen/restored from via [File] Properties > Previous Versions. The single best system backup solution for Windows has always been, and continues to be, the native method Windows has always supported, WIM or ESD imaging via ImageX in Win <=7 or DISM in Win >=8 (see the Imaging section in this answer) – JW0914 Oct 30 '19 at 14:28
  • I'll create a more detailed answer addressing all your questions when I have time tomorrow and will delete this comment after I've done so. – JW0914 Oct 30 '19 at 14:35
  • Just to clarify; I'm completely aware that VSS isn't intended to be used as a backup method, but am simply wondering whether like Windows Vista/7, snapshots are periodically and automatically taken of the OS disk; in Vista/7, these could then be mounted if required. – user965995 Oct 30 '19 at 19:58

0 Answers0