ted@imsvax.UUCP (Ted Holden) (03/04/86)
From what I read on the net, I must not be the only one who has experienced ridiculous problems with 3.1 backup & restore. My suggestion: for backing up whole disks the "Fastback" program beats anything else going; it actually uses the multi-channel DMA the PC has always been capable of i.e. reads from the hard disk and writes to the floppy at the same time. For normal uses such as backing up one directory, the ordinary DOS "copy" is better EXCEPT when one needs to backup a file larger than 360K, typically a database file. I have been using two brutish and simple-minded but effective little routines I call "cut" and "join" to break such large files into 350K pieces, copy the pieces onto floppies, and rejoin them elsewhere. I've posted listings for these on net.sources.
tankus@hsi.UUCP (Ed Tankus) (03/07/86)
> > > From what I read on the net, I must not be the only one who has experienced > ridiculous problems with 3.1 backup & restore. My suggestion: for backing > up whole disks the "Fastback" program beats anything else going; it actually > uses the multi-channel DMA the PC has always been capable of i.e. reads from > the hard disk and writes to the floppy at the same time. For normal uses > such as backing up one directory, the ordinary DOS "copy" is better EXCEPT > when one needs to backup a file larger than 360K, typically a database file. > I have been using two brutish and simple-minded but effective little routines > I call "cut" and "join" to break such large files into 350K pieces, copy the > pieces onto floppies, and rejoin them elsewhere. I've posted listings for > these on net.sources. I, too, have used FASTBACK(tm). It costs approx. $175 (copy protected) or approx $200 (unprotected). It is *NOT*(!) DOS compatible. I backed up a file system and subdirectories using FASTBACK and using DOS 3.1. FASTBACK took about 23 minutes to format and backup 26 360K diskettes. This time is elapsed and includes about my time to insert each disk. DOS 3.1 took 18 minutes to backup the same file system and subdirectories. This, of course, does not include formatting. Design Software also makes a backup package that costs about $70 (unprotected) that THEY claim is faster than FASTBACK. However, I think both points are moot. What do you do with all your un-compatible backups if the vendors files are removed, destroyed, etc. on your hard disk or if your backup copies have been blown? I feel the risk is to great. I would rather spend the time formatting the diskettes and using DOS backup than using another product that yields un-compatible backups. I think the risk is just not worth it. You, however, may feel differently. -- " For every word there is a song upon which inspiration lies ..." Ed Tankus Net : {noao!ihnp4!yale!}!hsi!tankus Snail: Health Systems Int'l, 100 Broadway, New Haven, CT 06511
lance@ubvax.UUCP (Lance Keigwin) (03/10/86)
In article <323@hsi.UUCP> tankus@hsi.UUCP (Ed Tankus) writes: >> >> From what I read on the net, I must not be the only one who has experienced >> ridiculous problems with 3.1 backup & restore. My suggestion: for backing >> up whole disks the "Fastback" program beats anything else going... > >I, too, have used FASTBACK(tm). It costs approx. $175 (copy protected) or >approx $200 (unprotected). It is *NOT*(!) DOS compatible. I too share the enthusiasm for FASTBACK (although the the follow-up writer does not). It *is* fast, but ease of restoration and the catalog it keeps are the features that sold me. One thing does bother me: when I ordered this product I was told I could send in $25 for an unprotected version. It seems Fifth Generation Systems has had a change of heart and will *NOT* sell anything but the protected one. The clerk(?) I spoke with claimed that there were "technical obstacles" they could not overcome and that I would receive a written letter of explanation. Haven't received that letter. Anyone have any dope on this? In spite of my enthusiasm for FASTBACK, I do not recommend it given that you must rely on the floppy for the backups.
jpd@usl.UUCP (James P. Dugal) (03/11/86)
In article <323@hsi.UUCP> tankus@hsi.UUCP writes: >I, too, have used FASTBACK(tm). It costs approx. $175 (copy protected) or >approx $200 (unprotected). It is *NOT*(!) DOS compatible. > >I backed up a file system and subdirectories using FASTBACK and using DOS 3.1. >FASTBACK took about 23 minutes to format and backup 26 360K diskettes. This >time is elapsed and includes about my time to insert each disk. DOS 3.1 took >18 minutes to backup the same file system and subdirectories. This, of course, >does not include formatting. FASTBACK only formats diskettes if it doesn't find its special formatting. The special formatting permits greater data capacity, about 405KB instead of DOS's 360KB. Also, FASTBACK writes error correcting info to help overcome read errors. I use a backup set of diskettes, so that the formatting is needed only once. Further, only the BACKUP program is copy-protected. The RESTORE is unprotected. BAcking up 10MB in 8 mins beats 18 mins for DOS backup in my opinion. I've written a .BAT file which eases using FASTBACK for several disks by keeping the on-line catalog appropriately named. I'll post it here if there is sufficient interest. -- -- James Dugal Assoc. Dir., USL Computing Center USENET: {akgua, ut-sally}!usl!jpd CSNet: DugalJP%usl.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
langet@ecn-pc.UUCP (Timothy Lange) (03/12/86)
I too have been using FastBack, my cost was $139 direct from the source.
I have found out though it is selling for $95 from PC Connections. It
is true that the disk format is not DOS, but it does allow for error
correction and more storage space on the floppy. If you get the copy
protected version, it is the backup portion that is protected, you must
insert the master disk when starting the backup. For restores, there is
no copy protection. I have three machines currently in my office to
backup, after doing a full and a partial backup on each machine, I
figure it has already paid for itself in my time savings. Since I have
three machines, I am not worried about losing the restore program, and I
could always copy that to another floppy. For actual backup times, it
took me 15 minutes to format floppies and backup 9.5 Mbytes. The next
time I did a full backup the floppies are already formatted, so the
backup was even quicker, 9.5 minutes.
--
Tim Lange Engineering Business Offices
317-494-5338 Rm 120 Engineering Administration Bldg.
Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907
{decvax|harpo|ihnp4|inuxc|seismo|ucbvax}!pur-ee!langetgjs@faust.UUCP (03/17/86)
After waiting a month for my unprotected version of FASTBACK, I called
them up. They say that I will get my $25 back and a hard disk
installable version in 30 to 60 days.
A technical rep said that they changed their scheme because they were
unable to get the equipment to personalize each unprotected copy with
name and address working properly. The installable version will have
two installs. If you lose both, you can get more (they didn't specify
free or otherwise), and meanwhile run FASTBACK from the key disk.
FRESTORE is not copy protected even on the original disk.
FASTBACK maintains a catalog on the hard disk, which can be used to
browse, verify, and restore files on the floppy backup set. My major
gripe with FASTBACK is that it deletes the catalog if you abort the
program, and there is no way to reconstruct one. FRESTORE will work
without the catalog, by reading the list of files on each backup
floppy. This is fine for full disk recovery, but to restore a
particular file you must insert each floppy until it is found.
-- George Snyder -- Intermetrics, Inc. -- inmet!gjs --