File History and restore to another PC

Anonymous
2013-04-08T08:46:59+00:00

I would like to use the File History feature of Windows 8 and so far it has been working fine.  However, I have come across a scenario and need input on practicality for the following:

  1. File History working well and keeping 3 month of file versions on external USB drive

2.  System crashes and new HDD required

  1. New Windows 8 system loaded on to HDD and all is up and running

4.  Time to use File History for restore.... BUT

From what I understand you cannot "point" the new Windows 8 machine to use the external drive with previous File History.  You will need to do a manual copy and paste from the external USB (by selecting the appropriate file in the File History directory on the USB drive). 

The problem is, File History appends the date and time stamp, thus the file name changes.  For example, MYDOC.DOC become MYDOC.DOC ((2013_04_04 18_27_46 UTC).

How do you remove the parenthesis from the file name when copying the file back to its original location or is File History not a "system restore" type utility.  Whilst the parenthesis will not stop applications working (like WORD, OUTLOOK etc), it looks horrible and creates these long file names that is unwanted.

Thoughts/suggestions/comments?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Performance and system failures

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Anonymous
2013-08-27T05:44:44+00:00

I just had to try to do this, and I was able to (on a new Win8 machine) point at the previous backup by clicking Drives and then selecting my backup drive (a network share in my case). Then I was able to check "I want to use a previous backup on this File History drive" and it displayed my existing backups on that drive. Finally, I was able to do the regular (if not very intuitive) restore files by clicking the settings icon in the upper right of File History.

Hope that helps,

Glenn Gailey

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-08-12T02:30:06+00:00

    I just had to try to do this, and I was able to (on a new Win8 machine) point at the previous backup by clicking Drives and then selecting my backup drive (a network share in my case). Then I was able to check "I want to use a previous backup on this File History drive" and it displayed my existing backups on that drive. Finally, I was able to do the regular (if not very intuitive) restore files by clicking the settings icon in the upper right of File History.

    Hope that helps,

    Glenn Gailey

    Using Windows 10 I do not find an option called  "I want to use a previous backup on this File History drive." Would you mind carefully and specifically listing the exact step you took?  thanks.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-08-11T23:38:31+00:00

    Try the directions above - that is what I did when going from W8.1 to W10.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-08-11T19:56:52+00:00

    Any chance this got fixed in Windows 10?  After my laptop died I bought a new one, upgraded to Windows 10, tried to Restore files from USB (File History) I was using on my old laptop.  There does not seem to be a way to get files FROM usb drive TO new PC.  Certainly, my scenario is one of the obvious uses of File History, there must be a way to Restore and I just don't know what it is.  Someone please help.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-08-10T16:15:02+00:00

    I was able to complete this by modifying the config.xml files.  Here are the steps that I completed to go from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 as a clean install and recover files through file history when the computer did not recognize a previous history.

    Add external drive to computer and try attempts to have it recognize the previous backup.  If this fails, then try the steps below.

    1. Turn on file history to the same drive.  Let it backup up files, then stop it and turn it off.
    2. Browse the drive through windows explorer and you will find a path:
      1. ..\FileHistory{username}{ComputerName_Old}\
        1. Nested in that folder is a ‘Configuration’ folder  - copy and paste there to save a backup
      2. ..\FileHistory{username}{ComputerName_New}\
        1. Nested in that folder is a ‘Configuration’ folder  - copy and paste there to save a backup
    3. In these configuration folders there should be 2 xml files (maybe 1 or maybe more).
      1. Config1.xml
      2. Config2.xml
    4. Need to copy values from the configuration files in the Old to the New.  Make sure that you copy from old_1 to new_1 and old_2 to new_2.
      1. PCName
      2. UserID
      3. Change the PC Name in the Configuration path for
        1. TargetConfigPath1
        2. TargetConfigPath2
        3. TargetCatalogPath1
        4. TargetCatalogPath2

    After all of these steps have been completed, then when you go back to turn on file history, there will be a box to check to add a previous history.  This will then allow you to restore items from the file history.

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