Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!mcsun!ukc!stl!ndh
From: ndh@stl.stc.co.uk (Neale D Hind )
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.apps
Subject: Summary: PC Tools v6.0 - Problems with PCBACKUP
Message-ID: <4034@stl.stc.co.uk>
Date: 14 Feb 91 13:15:28 GMT
Sender: news@stl.stc.co.uk
Reply-To: "Neale D Hind " <ndh@stl.stc.co.uk>
Organization: STC Technology Limited, London Road, Harlow, Essex, UK
Lines: 33

Thanks to those who posted a reply or emailed me about problems with
PCBACKUP.  This is a summary of my findings.

1.   Make sure you have an up to date version.

     The latest version should be dated 1-Nov-90 time 6.05 (I assume
     the version number).  My troublesome copy was 2-May-90 6.03.
     The new version (provided promptly and free by Central Point) comes
     with CPBACKUP which is the version also sold separately.

2.   The earlier version of PCBACKUP was not, on my system, writing
     the directory information properly.  CPBACKUP has fixed this.

3.   Although the documentation talks about the ability to write to
     standard DOS disks, experimentation with Norton has convinced me
     that CPBACKUP addresses sectors directly when in this mode. 

     The appearance of a filename on the disk is a sham - it is an
     entry in the root directory covering all valid sectors, but is NOT 
     used by CPBACKUP itself.  You can change or delete the filename
     without affecting CPBACKUP's ability to restore from the disk.

4.   CPBACKUP can still (like PCBACKUP) fail to create the artificial
     file and volume name on the final disk but can restore from that
     disk.

     If you are worried about another user looking at the disk and
     thinking it totally empty (as both DIR and CHKDSK suggest) use
     label to put an appropriate volume name on the disk and Norton
     (or similar) to create an artificial filename.

----
Neale D. Hind - (N.D.Hind@stl.stc.co.uk)