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POINT & SHOOT BACKUP/RESTORE 2.1 Copyright (C) 1987-90 All Rights Reserved Applied Micro Systems Technology Kurt H. Diesch Member, Association of Shareware Professionals Revised: January 28, 1991 Point & Shoot Backup/Restore is a hard disk backup and restoration program designed for IBM Personal Computers and 100% compatibles. Applied Micro Systems Technology reserves the COPYRIGHT to this program and all related materials. The user is granted a non-exclusive license to use the program and is encouraged to pay for the program if it is found to be useful. Payment of the $35 registration fee will entitle the user to full registration including printed documentation and user support. Government and business entities may not use the program without paying the full registration fee. Please register your program with the form included at the end of the documentation or by using the [Alt-P] command within the program to print a registration form. REMEMBER: Shareware is not free! Send payments to: Applied Micro Systems Technology P.O. Box 1596, Welch Ave. Ames, Iowa 50010 The user is also granted permission to make unlimited copies of the program and to distribute those copies as long as no fee is charged for the program. A duplication charge not to exceed $5 may be collected. Applied Micro Systems Technology specifically disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for any particular purpose. In no event shall Applied Micro Systems Technology be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages. MEMBER - ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS The author of this program is a member of ASP and has agreed to comply with its standards: Programming standards- - The program meets ASP's definition of Shareware. - The program has been thoroughly tested by the author and should not be harmful to other files or hardware if used properly (although ASP cannot warrant this; therefore, the user should take normal precautions in trying new software). Documentation standards- - Sufficient documentation is provided to allow the average user to try all major functions of the program. - The program author has explained the Shareware concept in a professional and positive manner. Support standards- - The program author will respond as described in the documentation to people who send registration payments. At a minimum, the author will send an acknowledgement of payment. - The author will respond to written bug reports from registered users when the user provides a self-addressed, stamped envelope (some authors will respond by phone, but this is not an ASP requirement). - Incompatibilities with other software or hardware, major or unusual program limitations, or known problems are noted in the documentation that comes with the shareware version of the program. General- - The author keeps his/her membership in ASP current. - The author recognizes that any user may appeal to ASP for any unresolved dispute that arises. If you feel that the author has not complied with these standards in some manner or if you register the program with the author and subsequently have any disputes with the author which cannot be resolved, please write the ASP at: Association of Shareware Professionals PO Box 5786 Bellevue, WA 98006 While ASP cannot warrant programs nor the actions of members, ASP will do what it can to assure that all authors who claim membership comply with ASP standards. These standards are the assurance of quality and support that you will get when you register Shareware produced by ASP members. SHAREWARE To promote better understanding of the shareware concept, ASP has developed the following definition of Shareware: Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. SO, Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- QUICK START GUIDE ............................... 1 INTRODUCTION .................................... 2 INSTALLATION .................................... 4 GENERAL OVERVIEW ................................ 5 MAIN MENU COMMANDS .............................. 7 Backup ....................................... 7 Compression .................................. 7 Restore ...................................... 7 Setup ........................................ 7 Validate ..................................... 7 Quit ......................................... 7 BACKUP COMMANDS ................................. 8 Backup ...................................... 8 Calculate .................................... 9 Delete ....................................... 10 Format ....................................... 10 Update ....................................... 11 COMPRESSION COMMANDS ............................ 13 RESTORE COMMANDS ................................ 14 Restore ...................................... 14 Update ....................................... 16 SETUP ........................................... 17 VALIDATE ........................................ 18 EXAMPLES & BACKUP STRATEGY ...................... 19 REGISTRATION FORM ............................... 20 QUICK START GUIDE ----------------- IF YOU ARE NOT AN EXPERIENCED USER, YOU WILL DO WELL TO SKIP THIS SECTION AND READ THE DOCUMENTATION BEFORE USING THE PROGRAM! If you are an experienced computer user, you may use this quick start guide to install and run the Point & Shoot Backup/Restore program. Most of the commands found in the program are self-explanatory, and you can refer to the documentation later when you have questions. To install Point & Shoot Backup/Restore, copy the PASBR.EXE file to a subdirectory of your choice on your hard disk. Modify the PATH command in your AUTOEXEC file appropriately. When you run the program for the first time, use the SETUP command to define your disk drives. The only tricky part of the program is found in the BACKUP section. When you modify the backup configurations, place the cursor on any one of the FILE SEARCH lines and use the [F7] key to select a subdirectory for backup. If you set the INCLUDE TRAILS option to "Y", all child directories following the BACKUP SOURCE PATH you selected will be included in the backup. All 10 lines of each backup configuration may define different directories, file specifications and drives, giving you a lot of flexibility in defining your backup. You may run backups directly from the command line by entering PASBR x where x is the backup configuration number you wish to execute. Please note that the fastest form of backup is on 1.2MB 5.25" disks or 1.44MB 3.5" disks, without formatting or compression. Speeds for these backups will approach 1 MB of data per minute. Other disk sizes backup approximately 1/2 MB per minute. Formatting is automatically performed if the disk used is not formatted, so you can potentially leave the FORCE DISK FORMAT option off. Compression adds significantly to the time required for a backup, but will compress files by approximately 50%. An index of all files backed up is kept on the last backup disk. If you elect to restore selected files, a file list and directory tree will allow you to quickly select the files you wish to restore. Files may be optionally restored to drives and/or directories other than where they originally existed. You can also manually create directories during the restoration process. The COMPRESSION command allows you to compress or decompress individual files. This is also aided by a file list and directory tree. The compressed files are a special AMST format which defaults to an ".APK" extension. Currently, a compressed file may only contain a single file. Future versions of the program will provide more options in this area, similar to other available compression programs. - 1 - INTRODUCTION ------------ Point & Shoot Backup/Restore is a companion program for the Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager but can also be used as a stand-alone product. Point & Shoot Backup/Restore is designed to provide fast, easy backup of your hard disk data to floppy disks. User involvement is minimized in the backup and/or restore process. If you own a hard disk, Point & Shoot Backup/Restore is a necessity. Point & Shoot Backup/Restore currently supports the following functions: o Up to 10 user-defined backup configurations, each of which may contain a list of up to 10 subdirectory backup sources. Each backup source directory may include trailing directories for complete flexibility in backup definitions. Backups may be run from the command line. o Each backup definition allows selection of matching file specs, modified files only, optional file compression, and optional disk formatting during the backup process. A graphic directory tree display assists in the selection of backup source directories. o Files remain intact (DOS readable) on backup disks (except when disk boundaries must be crossed or when the files are compressed). Required number of backup disks and estimated backup time are automatically calculated. o Restoration options include source drive, restoration to other than the original path, prompts for duplicate or modified files, and selective file restoration. Again, a graphic directory tree assists in selection of restoration paths and a combination file list/directory tree allow easy selection of specific files for restoration. o Self-contained compression/decompression utility uses a file list and directory tree to select files to compress and decompress. This feature will be expanded in the future to allow multi-file options and other features found in similar programs. NOTE: We are not attempting to provide yet another compression program to cloud the compression war issue. Rather, we are providing an option in this software to work with compressed files created during the backup process using the optional file compression. We fully support and encourage the use of industry standard compression programs. o Configuration options include colors, an hourly chime, and drive designations. o Supports 360K and 1.2M 5-1/4", 720K and 1.44M 3-1/2" floppy disks. - 2 - Point & Shoot Backup/Restore requires the following hardware and software to operate correctly: o IBM or 100% compatible computer with 320K minimum memory. o A hard disk and 1 floppy disk o MS-DOS version 2.0 or greater o Color/graphics, monochrome, EGA or VGA display adaptor I am more than willing to enhance the program to meet the needs of you, the user. As you are well aware, part of the reward for writing well-received software is monetary. If you would like to continue to use Point & Shoot Backup/Restore, a $35 payment will register your copy of the program. The registration fee entitles you to printed documentation and user support. Please use the registration form found in this documentation file to register your copy of the program. - 3 - INSTALLATION ------------ Following are installation instructions. If any problems are encountered, first check your computer. If you still have problems, enlist the aid of someone who is perhaps more knowledgeable with computers than yourself. A third alternative is to contact AMST. 1) Place the Point & Shoot Backup/Restore program disk in a floppy disk drive. 2) Log onto the floppy disk drive containing the backup program and type the following command: INSTALL source: target: where: source is the floppy drive letter you are installing from target is the hard drive letter you are installing to 3) The Point & Shoot Backup/Restore program may now be run from the Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager (if you own it) or directly from DOS. If you are NOT running the backup program from the Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager, you must add "\P&S" to the PATH command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If you don't have a PATH command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, then make the following the first line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: PATH \P&S 4) To run the program, change to the \P&S directory and type PASBR. To print the documentation, change to the \P&S directory and type the following command from the DOS prompt: COPY PASBRDOC.TXT PRN: Another option to print the documentation is to use the File Print command in the Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager file commands. Following is a complete list of the Point & Shoot Backup/Restore program and data files contained on the distribution disk. CHANGES.TXT Revisions of Point & Shoot Backup/Restore PASBR.EXE The Point & Shoot Backup/Restore program PASBRDOC.TXT Point & Shoot Backup/Restore documentation FILES.TXT Description of the files on the disk INSTALL.BAT Point & Shoot Backup/Restore installation file READ.ME Last minute changes to the program - 4 - GENERAL OVERVIEW ---------------- Point & Shoot Backup/Restore may be executed in three ways. If you own the Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager, Point & Shoot Backup/Restore may be executed with the BACKUP command from Point & Shoot's main menu (PASBR.EXE must reside in the P&S directory or a directory in the PATH command of your AUTOEXEC.BAT). You may also install the Backup/Restore program as a user-defined menu item in the Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager. The Point & Shoot Backup/Restore program may also be executed as a stand-alone program by entering PASBR from the DOS command line. To automatically run a backup configuration, enter the PASBR command followed by the desired backup configuration number: PASBR x (where x is the backup configuration number) If you do not provide the optional parameter, the program operates by user interaction. If the parameter is specified, the program will immediately go into backup mode and will terminate when the backup has finished. When Point & Shoot Backup/Restore is run, the main program screen will appear. The top line of the screen displays the name and version of the program, a copyright notice and the current date and time. The center portion of the screen displays a detailed copyright notice and registration information. The bottom section of the screen displays the program menus with an explanatory line on the bottom. If your copy of the program is unregistered, a flashing message will request that you register the program. Registered copies of the program do not have this message. Most of the program functions are executed through the list of commands shown in the bottom area of the screen. The [left-arrow], [right-arrow], [Space] or [BackSpace] keys may be used to highlight the desired command. The one line description of the command shown on the last line of the screen will change appropriately. To execute any of the functions, press the first letter of the command. The command corresponding to the selected letter will be immediately executed. Alternately, highlight the desired command and press the [Enter] key. Some commands will invoke another command list. The name of the current command list is always shown on the left side of the command list. You may move to a previous command list by pressing the [Esc] key. Each command list also has a QUIT command which will move to the previous command list. In general, the [Esc] key serves to abort any operation or selection. To quit the program and return to the operating system (or back to the Point & Shoot Hard Disk Manager), press [Esc] or select QUIT from the Main Menu command list. - 5 - At many points in the program, you will be entering or changing information on the screen. The procedure is generally the same and is outlined here. Differences that occur in this procedure are covered in the appropriate detail sections of this documentation. When entering or updating data screens a flashing "*" will appear on the data screen to indicate where your information is to be entered. A cursor will also show the current position within a data field. (Data fields are the hilighted areas of the screen). Some or all of the following commands will be available for data entry: [left/right arrow]: Moves the cursor within the current field. If the cursor is at the first position within a field, then the previous field will be selected. If the cursor is at the last position within a field, then the next field will be selected. [ctrl-left/right]: Moves the cursor to the first position or last character of the field. [up/down arrow]: Selects the previous or next data field for editing. [Enter/return]: Same as right or down arrow for next field. [F8]: Blanks the current data field. [Esc]: Aborts changes made to the data screen and completes enter/update action. [F10]: Accepts changes made to the data screen and completes enter/update action. - 6 - MAIN MENU COMMANDS ------------------ The Main Menu is the center of Point & Shoot Backup/Restore activity. Some of the Main Menu commands move to another command list, while others will immediately execute a command. Following is a description of the Main Menu commands. BACKUP Moves to the BACKUP menu from which you may perform a backup of hard disk data to floppy disks. COMPRESSION Moves to the COMPRESSION screen from which you may compress or decompress files. RESTORE Moves to the RESTORE menu from which you may perform a restoration of previous backup disks to your hard disk. SETUP Moves to the program setup data screen described later. VALIDATE Reads a set of backup disks and validates their integrity. QUIT Returns to DOS. - 7 - BACKUP COMMANDS --------------- The Backup Menu consists of a set of commands that perform the following functions: o Backup your hard disk using up to 10 different user-defined backup configurations o Calculate the number of disks required for a selected backup configuration o Format floppy disks to be used for backup Point & Shoot Backup/Restore performs backups on a file by file basis with some files crossing disk boundaries. Extensive error checking is included to provide a high level of backup integrity. Subdirectories may be selectively backed up and previous backups may be optionally restored to different subdirectories. For your protection, Point & Shoot Backup/Restore will not back up the hidden system files found in the root directory of your hard disk. BACKUP The BACKUP command starts the backup process according to the displayed current backup configuration. See the UPDATE command for details concerning changes to the backup configuration. When the BACKUP command begins, a backup status screen will appear to show the progress of the backup including the following: Disk: Current disk number Track: Current track being written to Side: Current side being written to File Name: Path and name of the current backup file Comp Size: Compressed size of file (in bytes) File Size: Size of the current backup file (in bytes) # Copied: Number of bytes of the current file that has been copied Comp Total: Total number of compressed bytes backed up Curr Total: Total number of bytes that have been backed up Total Bytes: Total bytes of files defined for backup Bad Sec: Total bad sectors encountered during backup - 8 - # Files: Total number of files that have been backup up Total: Total number of files defined for backup Comp Ratio: Average compression ratio Perc Done: Percent of backup that has been completed Disk Space: Remaining space on current backup target disk The program will next instruct you to insert a disk in the drive indicated by the backup configuration. Insert a disk and press [Enter] to proceed with the backup. The backup process may be aborted at this point by pressing [Esc]. Once the backup process begins, it may only be stopped when the prompt for the next backup disk appears. If the FORCE DISK FORMAT option is selected, each new backup disk will be formatted before files are transferred. See the FORMAT command for details regarding the built-in format program. With or without the format option, Point & Shoot Backup/Restore will delete all files from the target disk before transferring files. The transfer of files to the backup disk will then begin. If a file is to large to fit on a single disk, Point & Shoot Backup/Restore will split the file between two or more disks and mark it as a split file for restoration purposes. A situation may occur where the target backup disk contains a duplicate filename (when two or more hard disk subdirectories are placed on the same backup disk). In this case, Point & Shoot Backup/Restore will automatically rename the file. The original name is also stored so that the correct file name will be maintained during the restoration process. When the backup process is complete, a message will appear to indicate completion. Make sure that all backup disks are correctly numbered as the restoration process will require that the disks are restored in sequential order. CALCULATE CALCULATE calculates the number of disks required for the current backup configuration. The total number of files, along with the total number of bytes contained in those files, will be displayed. Note that the correct disk type must be selected prior to using the CALCULATE command. - 9 - Several factors are considered when calculating the number of disks required for a backup. Point & Shoot Backup/Restore stores one special file called PASBRID.DAT on each backup disk, leaving a total possible of 111 files for 360K and 720K disks, and 223 files for 1.2M and 1.4M disks (a DOS limit). In addition, the special file will reduce the available space (in bytes) of each backup disk to the following: 360K 342,016 bytes available 1.2M 1,193,472 bytes available 720K 709,632 bytes available 1.4M 1,437,184 bytes available It should be noted that every file copied to a backup disk requires a minimum of 1024 bytes for 360K and 720K disks and 512 bytes for 1.2MB and 1.44MB disks (this is a DOS requirement). The result is that more bytes must be available on a backup disk than the total of the individual file sizes. CALCULATE takes this into account when determining the required number of backup disks. It is a good idea to have several extra disks available for the backup session in case a bad disk is encountered. CALCULATE also assumes an average of 50% compression of files if the compression option is selected in the backup configuration. Compression ratios may vary substantially, depending on the type of file compressed. EXE and COM files may only be compressed by 20% to 30%, while text files, word processing files, and database files may be compressed by 80% or more. Just remember that the CALCULATE results may not be accurate if compression is used. The Point & Shoot Backup program also stores an index of all files backed up on the last backup disk. This file will be included in the disk space and file count of the CALCULATE results. DELETE DELETE clears the current backup configuration to default entries. FORMAT The FORMAT command is used like the DOS FORMAT command to format diskettes. For your protection, the FORMAT command will only operate on floppy disk drives. When you select the FORMAT command, the program will automatically initiate the format process based on the current backup configuration drive and disk type. If you have floppy disk drives with letters other than A or B, see the SETUP command for instructions on using these drives. - 10 - All disks formatted with the FORMAT command will be checked for bad sectors. Progress of the format operation will be shown on the screen. When the format operation is complete, the total and available bytes on the formatted disk will be shown. If any bad sectors are found during the format operation, they will be marked bad and excluded from further use. UPDATE Update modifies the settings for the backup configurations. Data entry is accomplished according to the commands described in the GENERAL OVERVIEW section of this documentation. In addition to the standard editing commands, the [F7] function key is used to select backup source paths. When the cursor is on any one of the FILE SEARCH or INCLUDE TRAILS lines, the [F7] key invokes the graphic directory tree display from which a path may be selected with the [up/down arrow], [PgUp], [PgDn], [Home], [End], and [Enter] keys. The [Esc] key will abort from the path selection process without selecting a path. Note that the cursor will not go to the BACKUP SOURCE PATHS fields. All path selection is done with the [F7] key. If the directory tree does not show all of your hard disk drives, see the SETUP command to define your drives. A different backup configuration may be selected with the [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys. The [F10] key saves all the backup configurations, and [Esc] will cancel changes made. Following is a description of the data fields found on the backup configuration screen: BACKUP CONFIGURATION DESCRIPTION: A short description of the backup configuration DESTINATION DRIVE: The floppy disk drive to be used for the backup BACKUP DRIVE TYPE: The type of the destination drive FORCE DISK FORMAT: Option to format backup disks during the backup process. If this option is set to "Y", all disks will be formatted. If this option is set to "N", the program will detect and format unformatted disks. MODIFIED FILES ONLY: Option to include only files modified since the last backup USE FILE COMPRESSION: Option to compress disk files during the backup process. This option significantly slows the backup but will use fewer disks. - 11 - Ten backup source paths are available for each backup configuration. Each path line allows for entry of the following data: BACKUP SOURCE PATHS: The directory from which files will be backed up. The cursor will not stop in this field, but the [F7] key is used when the cursor is in the FILE SEARCH or INCLUDE TRAILS fields to invoke a directory tree for path selection. FILE SEARCH: The filename search string to match. Any string of characters may be entered including ? and *. Only those files matching the FILE SEARCH will be selected for backup. Refer to your DOS manual for a discussion of file search strings. INCLUDE TRAILS: Option to include the child subdirectories following the BACKUP SOURCE PATH. If enabled here and a subdirectory is duplicated in another specification line, the duplicated subdirectory will be backed up twice. - 12 - COMPRESSION COMMANDS -------------------- The COMPRESSION command is used to compress or decompress single files using the same file format as the compression in BACKUP and the decompression in RESTORE. When you select the COMPRESS command, a file list and directory tree will appear on the screen. If the directory tree does not show all of your hard disks, then refer to the SETUP command to define your drives. The [left arrow] and [right arrow] move between the file list and the directory tree. A "*" will mark the current directory. The file list will show the files in the current directory sorted by name. Use the [up arrow], [down arrow], [Home] and [End] keys to move around the file list and directory tree. The [Enter] key selects the hilighted directory as the current directory. To compress a file, hilight the desired file and press "C" for compress. A prompt will appear asking for the name to use for the compressed file. The default file name for compression is the same as the original file except the extension is changed to ".APK". You may edit the target file name at this point. If the target file already exists, you will be asked if it is okay to replace. After the file is compressed, it will be shown on the file list. The original file is left intact. To decompress a file, hilight the desired file and press "D" for decompress. Only files that have been compressed with the Point & Shoot Backup/Restore program may be decompressed in this fashion. A prompt will appear asking for the name to use for the decompressed file. You may enter any valid DOS filename at this point. If the target file already exists, you will be asked if it is okay to replace. More options will be added to the COMPRESSION command in future versions of the program. - 13 - RESTORE COMMANDS ---------------- The Restore Menu consists of commands used to restore files to a hard disk from backups made with the Point & Shoot Backup/Restore BACKUP command. RESTORE The RESTORE command starts the restore process according to the Point & Shoot Restoration Options. Some of the files on a backup disk could be copied to a hard disk with a standard copy command, but files that cross disk boundaries, files that have been renamed during the backup process, and files that have been compressed require the use of Point & Shoot Backup/Restore for proper restoration. In general, it is best to use Point & Shoot Backup/Restore for all restoration activity. The Restoration Options should be checked for accuracy before starting the restoration (see UPDATE). The restore process begins by prompting for the first backup disk. Disks must be restored in the same order that they were backed up. If an error occurs during the restoration process, the program will attempt to recover from the error and continue with restoration. Restoration may be cancelled when a prompt appears for the next disk by pressing [Esc], but this action may result in partial files restored to the hard disk if a file crosses a disk boundary. If restoring to a new subdirectory (see UPDATE), a graphic directory tree will appear for path selection each time the original path changes on the backup disks. The commands used to select a new path are the same as with the BACKUP command. Target subdirectories may be created during the restoration process when the directory tree appears. To create a new directory, hilight the directory which will be the parent of the new directory, then press "M" for make. A prompt will ask for the new directory name. Any valid DOS filename may be used for a subdirectory. After you enter the new directory name, the new directory will appear on the tree. If the restoration requires more than one disk, the program will prompt for additional disks. During the restoration process, the status is displayed at the bottom of the screen. The status display includes the following information: Current Disk: The current disk being restored File Name: The original path and file currently in restoration Copy To: The path and file to restore to - 14 - File Size: The size (in bytes) of the file being restored Total Bytes: Total number of bytes restored from all disks Files: Total number of files restored from all disks Disk Space: Number of bytes left on the target disk Point & Shoot Backup/Restore maintains a record of how many disks were used for the backup and will automatically stop after the last disk has been restored. Point & Shoot Backup/Restore also tracks of the appropriate disk number during restoration and will issue an error message if an incorrect disk is inserted. If the RESTORE SELECTIVELY option is enabled (see UPDATE), you will be prompted to insert the LAST backup disk in the floppy drive. The program uses this disk to maintain an index of all files backed up. After the program reads the index file, a file list and directory tree will appear on the screen to allow you to select specific files for restoration. The [left arrow] and [right arrow] move between the file list and the directory tree. A "*" will appear next to any files selected for restoration and also next to any directories that contain at least one file marked for restoration. All the files backed up will appear in the file list, sorted by name within each subdirectory group. Use the [up arrow], [down arrow], [Home] and [End] keys to move around the file list and directory tree. As you move through the file list, the subdirectory that contains the currently hilighted file will be hilighted. When you are in the file list, the [Enter] key selects or deselects the currently hilighted file for restoration. The [+] and [-] keys select and deselect all files. The [Ctrl-PgDn] key selects the current file and moves the cursor to the next file. When you are in the directory tree, the [Enter] key selects or deselects all files in the current directory for restoration. The file list will scroll to show files in the selected directory when [Enter] is used. The [+] and [-] keys select or deselect all files for restoration. After you have selected the files you wish to restore, the [F10] key will continue with the restoration process. You will be prompted for the appropriate disks to insert as the restoration proceeds. - 15 - UPDATE Update modifies the data fields in the Restoration Options screen. Data entry is accomplished according to the commands described in the GENERAL OVERVIEW section of this documentation. The [F10] key saves all the Restoration Options, and [Esc] will cancel changes made. Following is a description of the data fields found on the restoration options screen: RESTORE SOURCE DRIVE: The floppy disk drive to be used for the restoration. RESTORE TO ORIG. PATH?: Option to restore backup files to the directory from which they came, otherwise the program will prompt for a target directory with a graphic directory tree. PROMPT ON DUPLICATES?: Option to force prompting if the restoration encounters a duplicate file name PROMPT ON MOD FILES: Option to force prompting if the restoration encounters a file that has been modified since the last backup RESTORE SELECTIVELY?: Option to bring a file list and directory tree to the screen to allow selection of specific files for restoration. - 16 - SETUP ----- The SETUP command is used to establish the configuration for Point & Shoot Backup/Restore. In SETUP, you can select program colors and other defaults. Available fields for SETUP include: COLORS: If your computer has a color monitor, you will be allowed to edit the program colors. Only some of the colors can be set including the background, low text, normal text, headline, and help line. A sample screen is shown to assist in color selection. Use the up and down arrow keys to select a color to modify, then use the left and right arrow keys to choose a color. The new colors will take affect when you quit SETUP. BEEPER ON?: If "Y", the computer's beeper will sound on errors and other places within the program. Set this to "N" if the beep is not desired. HOURLY CHIME?: If "Y", the computer's beeper will sound when the time reaches the hour mark. DISK DRIVE USAGE: Determines the disk drives used on your system for directory tree scanning. Set each drive letter that your computer supports to "Y". If you do not set the correct drive letters, the directory tree used in many places in the program will not show all of your disk drives. FLOPPY DISK #: Floppy disk drives on MS-DOS computers have a number from 0 to 3 associated with them. Standard numbering is 0=A and 1=B. This is the default for the program. Some systems have additional floppy disk drives that may have other letters such as F or G. If your system has a non-standard configuration of floppy disks, you may have to designate the correct floppy disk number for your drives by entering the appropriate drive letter next to the number for your drive. These fields must be correctly set for the built-in format feature to operate correctly. - 17 - VALIDATE -------- The VALIDATE command is used to check the integrity of a set of backup disks and make repairs if necessary. When you select VALIDATE, a prompt will ask for the drive letter you wish to validate. After selecting the drive, the program will prompt for backup disks in order. VALIDATE performs two functions. First, each sector on the backup disk is checked for readability. If bad sectors are found, they are marked unusable. The second step refreshes the directory entries on the backup disk based on information recorded on the disk during the backup process. This last procedure fixes some problems that may have occurred with backup sets made under version 2.0 of the backup program. As each disk is validated, the results are shown on the screen. If the final backup disk only contains the backup index file (used for selective restoration), that disk will not be validated. - 18 - EXAMPLES & BACKUP STRATEGY -------------------------- Proper backups of your valuable hard disk data are extremely important. Hard disks seem to fail at the worst possible time. Reconstruction of data is often difficult and expensive, and is sometimes impossible. The Point & Shoot Backup/Restore program will provide safety for your data, but only if you perform backups on a regular basis. Different users will choose different backup strategies. Following are some suggestions to use when formulating your backup strategy. Always use a rotating set of backup disks. Alternate the set for each backup. If anything happens to one set, you will always have another (albeit slightly older) set of backup disks. A common scheme is to mark one set for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and the other set for Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Occasionally (perhaps weekly or monthly) perform a complete hard disk backup using another set of disks and store them in a safe place (your bank or a fireproof safe). Always use high quality diskettes when performing a backup. Your data is worth the higher price of a few disks. Example 1: Backup of entire hard disk. MODIFIED FILES ONLY: N BACKUP SOURCE PATH: C:\ FILE SEARCH: *.* INCLUDE TRAILS: Y Example 2: Full backup followed by incremental backups. Use example #1 for first backup. After that set the MODIFIED FILES ONLY option to "Y" and perform your backups. ALWAYS USE NEW DISKS when MODIFIED FILES ONLY is set to "Y" because some of your files will only be backed up on prior backup disks. If you must restore your disks, start at the very first disk and restore them in order. Newer files will eventually replace older ones. If the number of backup disks gets too large, start over with a complete backup as shown in Example #1. Example 3: Selected file backup. Set the BACKUP SOURCE PATH and FILE SEARCH fields to restrict the backup to files you wish to back up. - 19 - REGISTRATION FORM ----------------- PROGRAM: Point & Shoot Backup/Restore VERSION: 2.1 SERIAL #: ___________________________ (see program main screen) Applied Micro Systems Tech. Australia: MANACCOM PTY LTD. P.O. Box 1596, Welch Ave. P.O. Box 1297 Ames, Iowa 50010 MILTON, Qld. 4064 (07) 368-2366 Name __________________________________________________ Company __________________________________________________ Address __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Phone ( ) _______________________ Write for information on volume discounts and site licenses. Payment $_______ $35 (U.S.) for full registration, printed documentation and user support. (no cash please). Overseas add $5. Payment Method: ____Check ____VISA ____MC Credit Card #: _________________________ Exp. Date _______ Name on Card: ____________________________________________ Auth Signature: ____________________________________________ Where did you hear about this program? ____________________ Comments __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ - 20 -