Recover SharePoint Data

  • Article

Updated: August 21, 2008

Applies To: Windows SBS 2008

When you configure a server backup, by default, Windows SBS 2008 uses Windows Server Backup to back up your internal Web site (SharePoint) application and related data files. If you lose files due to accidental deletion, file corruption, or some other disaster, you can recover the data by:

  • Searching for files on your internal Web site

  • Restoring the SharePoint application and data files

Search for lost or misplaced documents on your internal Web site

It can be time consuming and inconvenient to fully restore your internal Web site, so before you decide to use the Recovery Wizard to restore the application, consider first searching the site for the lost files. It is possible that files are mislocated or that they are duplicated in a different document library or subsite.

To search for text or files on your internal Web site

  1. Open your Internet browser, and navigate to the internal Web site page, list, or library that you want to search.

  2. In the Search box, type the word or phrase that you want to look for, and then click the Search button.

Note

If you cannot find the files in a document library, look for a local copy of the file on the hard disk drive of a client computer from which it was last uploaded.

Recover the full SharePoint application from a backup

If you are not successful when you search the application for the lost files, you may be able to recover the information by running the Recovery Wizard.

To recover the full SharePoint application from a backup

  1. From the Start menu, click Administrative Tools, and then click Windows Server Backup.

  2. In the Actions pane of the snap-in default page, under Windows Server Backup, click Recover. This opens the Recovery Wizard.

  3. On the Getting started page, select This server, and then click Next.

Note

This procedure assumes that the backup drive is connected directly to the computer that is running the Windows SBS 2008 server software.

  1. On the Select backup date page, select a date from the calendar and a time from the list for the backup that you want to restore, and then click Next.

  2. On the Select recovery type page, click Applications, and then click Next.

  3. On the Select application page, under Applications, click Windows Sharepoint Services, and then click Next.

  4. On the Specify recovery options page, under Recovery destination, do one of the following, and then click Next:

    • Click Recover to original location.

    • Click Recover to another location. Then, type the path to the location, or click Browse to select it.

Important

You can copy an application to a different location, but you cannot recover an application to a different location or to a computer with a different name.

  1. On the Confirmation page, review the details, and then click Recover to restore the listed items.

  2. On the Recovery progress page, you can view the status of the recovery operation and whether it was successfully completed.