Windows 7 has a feature called volume shadow copy. If you change a good copy of a file with a newer copy, Windows 7 silently saves the older copy before replacing it with the newer copy – using the volume shadow copy feature. If later you want to revert back to older version of the file, then you can check that file’s properties for Previous Versions. But you may want to turn off this feature, as it can soon fill up your hard disk. Even if you delete a document, its older versions are saved in the backup by volume shadow copy. Here is how you can turn it off :
- Press the key combination Windows logo key + R to open the Run dialog.
- Type SystemPropertiesProtection.exe in the Run dialog and press Enter.
This would open the System Properties window, with the System Protection tab pre-selected.
- Select your system drive from the list (if you have more than one drives). The system drive has a windows icon on it and you would see (System) written next to it. My Windows 7 system drive is D:. For most of the users, it would be C:. Click on the Configure button.
- In the window that pops up, select Turn off system protection and click OK button as shown
- You will see a confirmation dialog box. Click Yes to turn off the System Restore and Volume Shadow Copy.
