File system restoration is made more flexible through the use of indicators of individual file restoration status throughout the restoration process. Such indicators are particularly useful in the restoration of large file systems where, for example, the number of files may range upwards of several hundred million. Since file system restoration for large systems takes such a relatively long time, the present invention provides various degrees of individual file access even as the restoration process is being carried out. During file system restoration times, file access may be full or limited to a file's attributes. Most advantageously, the present invention is capable of providing full, dynamically driven (on-demand) file access even during file system restoration operations.