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File History
In Windows 8, Microsoft introduced a new method for capturing changes to files called File History. It replaced the Volume Shadow Copy (Previous Versions) feature in Windows 7.
File History backs up your personal files. It requires a connection to a dedicated external storage device or to a cloud service.
The following table compares the file protection features offered by File History, U-Recover, and a full computer backup.
File History compared with U-Recover
| Feature | File History | U-Recover | Full Backup |
| Protection type | File based | Volume based | Volume based |
| Protect files of current user | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Protect files of all users | No (Must opt-in) | Yes | Yes |
| Protect all files on the volume | No | Yes | Yes |
| Protect EFS encrypted files | No | Yes | Yes |
| Protect against OS failure or bad drivers | No | Yes | Yes |
| Protect against hardware failure or viruses | No | No | Yes |
| Time to create | Seconds to minutes | Seconds | Minutes to hours |
| Frequency | Per hour (Configurable) | Per snapshot (64-256 per volume) | Per backup |
| Browse files without restoring | File History Viewer only | Yes (Disk letter) | No |
| Browse files with any utility (grep, findstr, etc) | No | Yes (Disk letter) | No |
| Require external storage | Yes | No | No |
| Require UAC elevation | No | Yes | Yes |
You can use both File History and U-Recover together if you wish. For example, you can use File History to back up your personal files and use U-Recover to schedule weekly restore points for system protection.
