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With all that backed-up data on your machine, you might think that restoring a backed-up file would prove daunting at best. Not so. The File and Folder Restore Wizard makes it surprisingly easy.
To retrieve an older file, follow these steps:
1. If you've hopelessly screwed up a file, don't save or close it.
Along the same lines, if you delete a file accidentally, don't restore it with the File and Folder Restore Wizard. Go to your desktop, double-click the Recycle Bin, and restore it from there.
2. If you can't fix things the easy way, choose Start --> Control Panel.
Vista shows you the Control Panel.
3. Click the System and Maintenance option. In the Backup and Restore Center, choose Restore Files from Backup and then click the Restore Files button.
Vista shows you the Backup - Restore Wizard.
4. Unless you have an overwhelming need to go fishing for older versions of a particular file, select the Files from the Latest Backup option and click the Next button.
Vista asks which files and folders you want to restore.
5. Click the Add Files button.
You see the Add Files to Restore dialog box, which looks remarkably similar to a plain, old-fashioned Windows Explorer window. There's one big difference: All the files and folders you see, and all that you can get to from the Favorite Links bar on the left or the File Name search box at the bottom, are backups.
6. Choose the file(s) or folder(s) that you want to restore and click the Add button.
The Backup and Restore Wizard returns to asking you which files and folders you want to restore. If you want to restore more files or folders, click the appropriate Browse button or use Search.
7. When you're done gathering all the file(s)/folder(s) you need, click the Next button.
The Backup and Restore Wizard asks where you want to save the recovered files.
8. Click the In the Following Location option, click the Browse button, and navigate to a neutral place — say, your desktop. Then click the Start Restore button.
 | By restoring the file to a location other than its original location, you eliminate the possibility (indeed, the likelihood) of shooting yourself in the foot by confusing the restored file(s) with any original files. |
9. When the wizard presents you with a final dialog box, click the Finish button.
10. Immediately open the restored file and make sure that you got what you thought you were going to get.
If you got the right file, you can feel comfortable about moving it to its original location, possibly zapping out a screwed-up version.
11. If you have the wrong file, go back to Step 1 and, in Step 3, select the Files from an Older Backup option.
 | Going back more than one generation is a tricky job, fraught with potential errors. Work slowly, and don't overwrite anything until you're sure you have the correct file. |
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