bobc@killer.UUCP (Bob Calbridge) (07/16/88)
Got a question for the more knowledgable of you. My boss was attempting to move some budget files from one system to another using backup and restore. The files were orignally on an XT. They were being transferred to an AT. She repeatedly go an error message on the restore cycle stating that the "source does not contain backup files." Since the only files on the disk were "backup.001" and "control.001" this seems to be incorrect. Is there something inherently incompatible with the two systems? Could it be a difference between the two versions of BACKUP and RESTORE? We at first thought it might have been the high density A: drive but when we tried it from the normal density B: drive it still gave us the same message. Since this seems to have been done before it just defies all reason. Any help would be appreciated. Best, Bob
jcmorris@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Joseph C. Morris) (07/18/88)
In article <4808@killer.UUCP> bobc@killer.UUCP (Bob Calbridge) writes: > She repeatedly go an error message on the restore cycle stating >that the "source does not contain backup files." Since the only files on >the disk were "backup.001" and "control.001" this seems to be incorrect. >Is there something inherently incompatible with the two systems? Could it >be a difference between the two versions of BACKUP and RESTORE? Exactly. The DOS 3.3 BACKUP disk format changed; in previous versions one DOS file was written for each file being backed up; in the new format there is a data file (backup.nnn) and a control file. Since you apparently generated the backup using DOS 3.3 you'll have to use the same level to do the restore. I don't know if you can use a 3.3 RESTORE under an earlier version of DOS. The apparent reason for the change was the excessive amount of time the floppy drive spent sawing between the directory and the data files. This problem is very apparent when you are restoring a specific file, since a restore disk written in the old format required that the RESTORE program read the first record of every file on the disk just to discover that the disk doesn't contain the file you want. With the new format this can be discovered by reading the 'control.nnnn' file alone. Also...remember that the files are stored with not only the file name and extention, but also the path used to access them. RESTORE will restore the files only on the identical path. You cannot, for example, BACKUP a file 'c:\one\two\sample.dat' and RESTORE it to 'c:\three\sample.dat' since the paths aren't the same.
joeld@ecsvax.uncecs.edu (Joel Dunn) (07/19/88)
In article <36362@linus.UUCP>, jcmorris@mitre-bedford.ARPA (Joseph C. Morris) writes: > In article <4808@killer.UUCP> bobc@killer.UUCP (Bob Calbridge) writes: - > She repeatedly go an error message on the restore cycle stating - >that the "source does not contain backup files." Since the only files on - >the disk were "backup.001" and "control.001" this seems to be incorrect. - >Is there something inherently incompatible with the two systems? Could it - >be a difference between the two versions of BACKUP and RESTORE? - - Exactly. The DOS 3.3 BACKUP disk format changed; in previous versions one - DOS file was written for each file being backed up; in the new format there - is a data file (backup.nnn) and a control file. Since you apparently - generated the backup using DOS 3.3 you'll have to use the same level to - do the restore. I don't know if you can use a 3.3 RESTORE under an earlier - version of DOS. - - ... problems with old restore deleted ... - - Also...remember that the files are stored with not only the file name - and extention, but also the path used to access them. RESTORE will restore - the files only on the identical path. You cannot, for example, BACKUP a - file 'c:\one\two\sample.dat' and RESTORE it to 'c:\three\sample.dat' since - paths aren't the same. It is possible to use PCDOS 3.1 Backups with PCDOS 3.3 Restore. I did this myself just a couple of months ago. It is important, though, to make sure that the path agrees, as Mr. Morris suggests. If the path does not agree, you will receive a number of strange error messages. I thought at first I would not be able to use my backup, but I tried a few more times and finally realized that my problem was that since I was using a friend's machine, I was trying to put my data into directories that did not correspond with the original names. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Joel Dunn, UNC-CH ADP, 440 W. Franklin, Chapel Hill NC 27514 {backbone}!mcnc!ecsvax!joeld Bitnet: RJD@UNC -------------------------------------------------------------------