TOS has a few shortcomings that can cause problems using The Vault.
- Although the underbar character is legal in file names, its use
in file selector boxes and certain other dialog boxes can cause GEM to
hang. When this happens, rebooting the machine is your only recourse.
(This bug was fixed in the summer 1987 version and later, including the
``Rainbow'' version, of TOS ROM's.)
- Incremental backups compare the file date and time maintained by
GEMDOS with the current date and time when deciding whether to back up
the file or not. Of course, this means that you must always set the
clock whenever you reboot the machine so that these times are always
correct. Unfortunately, GEMDOS only sets the file date and time when
the file is first created, not when it is modified. Most programs
such as wordprocessors actually create a new file and rename or delete
the old one when the user updates it. In such cases the file
date/time do accurately reflect the most recent modification and there
is no problem. However, certain programs such as some database
managers actually modify the old file rather than creating a new one,
so the date/time of those files continues to reflect the time of
original creation, not the time of last modification. Such files will
not be backed up on the incremental backup, unless you have TOS
1.4 ROMs and use the `Use Archive Bit' option. The solution to this
problem is to run the program TOUCH.TTP, furnished on the
distribution disk, every time any such file has been modified or at
least before each incremental backup. This program sets the date/time
of the named file to the current date/time. To use, click on
TOUCH.TTP and type the name of the file to touch in the parameter box
that will appear.
- The Vault formats only regular nine or ten sector floppy disks.
It can read and write any disk format that TOS will read, such
as Twister. If you want to use Twisted disks, format them
before using The Vault.