File History vs System Image: Restoring One Corrupted Document on Windows 8

Scenario

A single document in the Documents library has become corrupted on a Windows 8 machine. Installed applications, recent Windows updates, and user settings must remain unchanged. Two built-in recovery paths exist: File History file-level restore and Windows 7 Backup system-image recovery.

Constraint

The restore must not roll back applications, updates, or files created after the backup point. File History targets libraries, Desktop, Contacts, and Favorites by default; other folders are included only when added to a library. A system image captures the entire OS volume, programs, settings, and data, and its recovery typically replaces the current system state.

Uncertainty

File History restoration does not require a reboot and is designed to preserve the current system state. However, the exact preservation of NTFS permissions, ownership, alternate data streams, and timestamps when restoring to a different drive or after an OS reinstall is not clearly guaranteed and behaves differently between Windows 8 and 8.1. No built-in checksum or integrity report exists for either method; verification is manual.

Which approach better satisfies the constraint of restoring only the corrupted document while leaving apps and settings untouched? Does File History reliably restore the original file metadata on NTFS in Windows 8.1? What manual verification steps are necessary to confirm the restored document matches the pre-corruption version?