[comp.sys.ibm.pc] DOS RESTORE command

jnj@mibte.UUCP (Jim Jackson) (09/15/87)

	I am trying to restore files on my IBM/AT that were extracted from
an IBM/XT using the BACKUP command.  The files were all residing in a
directory called /merge.  There are 16 disks in all.
	All goes well with disks 1 through 9.  When I insert 10, I get the
following message:

Warning!  Diskette is out of sequence
Replace diskette or continue if okay
Strike any key when ready

	When I first tried this, I didn't know the disks HAD to be in the
same directory as when the BACKUP command was run.  Then, it didn't restore
anything, but the disks (10-16) were numbered 0: 0; 0< 0= 0> 0? 00.  This
explains the 'out of sequence' message, but I still need to get around this.
When I hit any key to continue (without replacing the diskette), I get the
same message again and again.

	I tried starting the RESTORE command with disk 10.  This worked
(sort of).  Each disk gave me the above 'out of sequence' message but it
allowed me to RESTORE each disk.  I just didn't RESTORE the one file that
overlapped each diskette i.e. I'm still missing 6 files.

	Am I doing something wrong.  Is the BACKUP/RESTORE procedure limited
to 9 diskettes?  Is there any workaround, or do I need to have them backup'd
from two directories (splitting them to less then ten diskettes each)?  Any
help would be appreciated.  Thanks.

					Jim Jackson
					mibte!jnj

jons@islenet.UUCP (Jonathan Spangler) (09/20/87)

In article <2306@mibte.UUCP> jnj@mibte.UUCP (Jim Jackson) writes:
>
>	I am trying to restore files on my IBM/AT that were extracted from
>an IBM/XT using the BACKUP command.  The files were all residing in a
>directory called /merge.  There are 16 disks in all.
>					mibte!jnj

Couple questions: are you using the same version of DOS?
                  can you do the backup again from the XT?

Suggestions: Do yourself a favor and get Fastback..                 
             Among other things, it's not DOS-specific, it's
             MUCH faster than DOS, and a super all-around program.

NOTE: Not related in any way to Fifth Generation Systems, Inc. Just
      an admirer of good software.

Aloha,

-- 
Jonathan Spangler
UUCP:         {ihnp4,vortex,dual}!islenet!jons
OPUS/FIDONET: Sysop@(12/6) HTCS BBS (808)531-2659, 24 hrs., Honolulu

acm@bu-cs.BU.EDU (ACM) (09/22/87)

In article <3523@islenet.UUCP> jons@islenet.UUCP (Jonathan Spangler) writes:
>In article <2306@mibte.UUCP> jnj@mibte.UUCP (Jim Jackson) writes:
>>
>>	I am trying to restore files on my IBM/AT that were extracted from
>>an IBM/XT using the BACKUP command.  The files were all residing in a
>>directory called /merge.  There are 16 disks in all.
>>					mibte!jnj
>
>Couple questions: are you using the same version of DOS?
>                  can you do the backup again from the XT?

These are good questions.  For some reason that I really don't
understand, different versions of MS-DOS refuse to admit that a backup
disk is really a backup disk.  For instance, I once tried to move a
backup disk from PC-DOS 2.11 to an AT using PC-DOS 3.10.  The result:
BACKUP steadfastly refused to admit there was anything on the backup
disk at all.  No error message indicating wrong version of DOS, just
one saying "this is not a backup disk" or something like that.

>Suggestions: Do yourself a favor and get Fastback..                 
>             Among other things, it's not DOS-specific, it's
>             MUCH faster than DOS, and a super all-around program.

This is a good suggestion:  I too like Fastback.  However, it will do
you little good in restoring what you have.  What I did was rewrite
RESTORE.  BACKUP prepends a 128 byte record to files that it writes
out (I really can't remember the exact method it uses for multiple
files but for only one file it does this).  You can restore a BACKUP
file by stripping that off for each disk in the series.  You'll have
to do more research than this if you want to create a utility, though.
When I had to do it, I was only trying to restore single files
that were backed up.  They spanned multiple disks.  Just writing a
fast program to strip off the header on each disk and concatenate the
files worked for me; somehow I doubt it's so simple if you have
multiple files.

Anyone else out there have a better way?  Besides walking in the doors
of Microsoft and trying to shoot the person who wrote the %^# utility
in the first place, that is.

>NOTE: Not related in any way to Fifth Generation Systems, Inc. Just
>      an admirer of good software.

Ditto.  Especially since they deprotected Fastback!

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