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From: jpd@usl.UUCP (James P. Dugal)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: DOS 3.1 backup/restore:  a dodge
Message-ID: <699@usl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Mar-86 16:37:50 EST
Article-I.D.: usl.699
Posted: Mon Mar 10 16:37:50 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Mar-86 06:53:38 EST
References: <518@imsvax.UUCP> <323@hsi.UUCP>
Reply-To: jpd@usl.UUCP (James P. Dugal)
Organization: USL, Lafayette, LA
Lines: 27
Keywords: Is it REALLY a dodge?
Summary: 

In article <323@hsi.UUCP> tankus@hsi.UUCP writes:
>I, too, have used FASTBACK(tm). It costs approx. $175 (copy protected) or
>approx $200 (unprotected). It is *NOT*(!) DOS compatible.
>
>I backed up a file system and subdirectories using FASTBACK and using DOS 3.1.
>FASTBACK took about 23 minutes to format and backup 26 360K diskettes. This
>time is elapsed and includes about my time to insert each disk. DOS 3.1 took
>18 minutes to backup the same file system and subdirectories. This, of course,
>does not include formatting.

FASTBACK only formats diskettes if it doesn't find its special formatting.
The special formatting permits greater data capacity, about 405KB instead of
DOS's 360KB.  Also, FASTBACK writes error correcting info to help overcome
read errors.  I use a backup set of diskettes, so that the formatting is
needed only once.  Further, only the BACKUP program is copy-protected.
The RESTORE is unprotected.  BAcking up 10MB in 8 mins beats 18 mins for
DOS backup in my opinion.  

I've written a .BAT file which eases using FASTBACK for several disks by
keeping the on-line catalog appropriately named.  I'll post it here if
there is sufficient interest.
-- 
--
James Dugal
Assoc. Dir., USL Computing Center
USENET: {akgua, ut-sally}!usl!jpd
CSNet: DugalJP%usl.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa