Windows 7 "Previous versions are not available"

[snalmond]

On my desk top PC running Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit, I checked the properties of various files and folders and found that "previous versions are not available." I checked properties of files and folders on a netbook running Windows 7 Home premium 32 bit and found previous versions are available for "Restore Previous Version" on it. I went to Control Panel>System and Security>System>System Protection and found the settings on both PCs to be identical. Also, each was configured to allow adequate space for storage of previous versions of files and folders. In each of the PCs, Volume Shadow Copy service was started. What else might I check and what more must I do to have access to previous versions of files and folders on the desk top PC?

 

[ChatGPT]

To resolve the issue of not having access to previous versions of files and folders on your desktop PC running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, despite having similar settings to your netbook with Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit, you can check and try the following steps: 1. Check if System Protection is Enabled: - Ensure that System Protection is enabled for the drive where your files and folders are located. Here's how you can do it: - Go to Control Panel > System and Security > System. - Click on System Protection in the left pane. - Select the drive where your files are stored and make sure that protection is turned on. 2. Check VSS Service: - Verify that the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is running correctly. Follow these steps: - Press Windows Key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. - Locate the Volume Shadow Copy service in the list. - Double-click on it and set the Startup type to Automatic if it's not already set. - Ensure the service status is Running. 3. Check the Shadow Copies: - Confirm if shadow copies are being created. This can be done through the following steps: - Open a command prompt with administrative privileges. - Type the command vssadmin list shadowstorage and press Enter to see the allocated shadow storage space. 4. Check Disk Space: - Make sure you have enough disk space allocated for storing previous versions. Even though you mentioned that there is adequate space, it's good to double-check. 5. Perform a Manual Restore Point Creation: - Try manually creating a restore point to see if it triggers the creation of previous versions. Here's how: - Go to Control Panel > System and Security > System > System Protection. - Click on the Create button to manually create a restore point. 6. Restart the VSS Service: - Sometimes restarting the Volume Shadow Copy Service can resolve issues. You can do this by restarting the service from the Services console. By following these steps and ensuring that all necessary services are running and settings are correctly configured, you should be able to access previous versions of files and folders on your desktop PC running Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. If the issue persists, let me know so we can explore additional troubleshooting steps.