Visual Studio Tip: Get Back Previous Versions
You've just deleted an item in Solution Explorer and realized that you still needed it. Or, after mucking with some code for several days, you've realized that the original version was the right answer. If you've got source control in place, you can use it to get out of the hole you've dug yourself into. Or, you can just get the file back with Visual Studio, if you're running on Windows Vista or Windows 7.
This is actually a Windows Vista/Windows 7 feature (in everything higher than the Home version). but Visual Studio takes advantage of it. If you pick Open Project, for instance, the Open button in the resulting dialog will have a down arrow beside. Clicking that arrow offers a new choice: Show Previous Versions. Selecting that choice changes the file list displayed in the dialog to show the previous versions of the files in the folder, organized by date. You can then grab the previous version of your project and get your file.
Posted by Peter Vogel on 01/29/2013