martijn@dnlunx.pttrnl.nl (Reinalda M.) (10/15/90)
In comp.sys.amiga I wrote : >What is the best : HD optimiser > HD repair util > HD backup util > HD formatter >for SCSI HD's ?????????????????? 'Cause I'm getting loads of E-mails from people who are also interrested in responses, I'll just post'em to the network so everybody can read them. Here are the responses so far : > HD repair util I personally love the program FixDisk. It is the very best that I have seen for the amiga. Including DiskX and Sectorama. No flames just my own opinion. > HD backup util I like MrBackup and a program called ABackup. But I have not had much experience with this area. > HD optimizer B.A.D., commercial, but I'm biased - the author is a friend of mine. Still, there's virtually no other choices - one other commercial program which has demonstrable bugs, and a PD one that the author admits is unsafe. For something with this much damage potential I prefer something I know is solid. The new version was 18 months in the making (and testing) even over the last version which itself was the culmination of quite a bit of work. > HD repair util Disksalv, PD, David Haynie. Available anywhere. Note that "repair" is not a precise term. There are "repair" utilities, and they seem to work, but if you get an error, even if AmigaDOS can still manage to keep things together long enough to let you read your data off the drive and back it up, the ONLY truly safe thing to do is to backup and reformat. Disksalv is good for those situations when you have lost data. > HD backup util I'm told Quarterback, commercial, though I prefer simply using an equally large (or larger) HD and "copy dh0: dh3: all"... or a tape drive. > HD formatter Generally the drive interface comes with it's own. The one with the A-590 or A-2091 is probably the best not counting the 3000's. Exceptionally flexible, it will do everything for you virtually automatically (it'll read the drive's size and such and let you partition by dragging a slider bar, then format), but also let you look in at the details if you want and modify or even just do everything yourself from the start. No mountlist to deal with either unless you want to. -------------------------------------- Any additions or comments are welcome. --------------------------------------
jma@beach.cis.ufl.edu (John 'Vlad' Adams) (10/16/90)
Actually, the new GVP SCSI software is excellent. I feel it's better than my 2091 software. It, like the 2091, has a GUI-based toolbox. The Kronos software, although CLI-based and a bit cryptic, is quite powerful and allows you to change just about every aspect of the HD performance. I've not had a chance to try the Supra software, nor the Hardframe 2000. Anyone with experience willing to share? -- John M. Adams --**-- Professional Student on the six-year plan! /// Internet: jma@beach.cis.ufl.edu -or- vladimir@maple.circa.ufl.edu /// "We'll always be together, together in electric dreams" Tangerine Dream \\V// Sysop of The Beachside. FIDOnet 1:3612/557. 904-492-2305 (Florida) \X/
martijn@dnlunx.pttrnl.nl (Reinalda M.) (10/17/90)
Here's some more responses :
Re: HD Backups
I've been using QuikBackup off of one of the fish disks (>200) for about a
year now. It's much faster than MRBackup. Has a very simple, straightforward
interface. While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles, it's speed
makes up for it.
The biggest drawback of it is that it writes disks using it's own format.
This isn't a problem for me, since I normally do full backups anyway. It's
error handling is very good, on both backups and restores.
Since I use PowerPacker to compress most of the executables on my harddrive,
I've found the compression that MRBackup offers doesn't buy me much.
>For your comments collection on HD backuppers --
MRBackup is a good backup program, but one feature makes it indispensible
for network users: It has the ability to uncompress Unix ".Z" files
from its Utilities menu. Now, you don't have to have all your files
take a side-trip to the Sun and back just to make it to the Amiga
right in front of you.
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Keep'em coming. informative stuff this is.
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