Recover your backups
Discover how to restore files and drive images to bring back data and get Windows working properly again.
HE UNTHINKABLE HAS happened. You’ve lost a file or – worse still – Windows won’t boot. This is the moment when all the hard work you’ve undertaken to protect your data comes riding to the rescue. In this portion of the feature we’ll reveal how to get things up and running again with a minimum of fuss.
RECOVER FROM FILE HISTORY
If you’re looking to restore a lost or accidentally deleted file – or undo recent changes to a file – your first port of call is your data backup. Start with File History – type file history into the Search box and click ‘Restore your files with File History’. A window will open showing all the folders currently in your backup, along with the date the backup was taken. If you’re simply looking to recover the latest version of a file, start your search here – you can browse the folders or use the search box if you know all or part of its name.
When you have found your file, doubleclick for a preview if supported (documents, text files, photos and so on) to verify it’s what you’re looking for. Use the navigation controls at the bottom to move between different versions if you’re looking to restore an earlier version of the file. When you’ve found the one you want to keep, click the green button at the bottom to restore it to its initial location. If you wanted to save a copy of the file rather than restore it, select the item before clicking the settings button in the top-right corner and choosing ‘Restore to’.
Recovering files from your cloud provider works in a similar way, except you’ll need to log on to it through your web browser. If you’re using OneDrive, head to onedrive.live. com and then either browse or perform a search using the tools provided. Earlier versions of files can be accessed by ticking the file and clicking the ‘Version history’ button at the top of the screen, for example.
RESTORE FROM PARAGON
The step-by-step guide on the page opposite reveals what to do if you want to recover individual files from your Paragon backup, whether it’s from a file-based backup or full drive image.
If you want to recover entire partitions or disks, you’ll need to boot from your Paragon Backup and Recovery boot flash drive. Restart your PC with the drive plugged in and look for an option to select the boot drive at startup. Press this key and then select the flash drive – if two options are provided, try the UEFI option first.
When the rescue environment appears, choose ‘Restore backup’, click Next and then use the options to navigate to where your backups are stored. After checking the backup isn’t corrupt, leave Disk/Partition selected and click all the available partitions to restore them to their original locations. Review your changes and then restore the backups, rebooting to bring your PC back to working order.
While your PC is working correctly, we recommend downloading the program’s help file, which provides more detailed guidance on restoring your PC, and offers various step-by-step guides to different disaster scenarios you may encounter. Click the Help button in the app followed by ‘View help’ to access it in PDF format through a web browser.