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page 2
Table of Contents
Section Page
I. Introduction 3
II. System Requirements 3
III. Getting Started 3
IV. Word Verification Check 3
V. Main Window 4
VI. Backup 4
VII. Restore 9
IX. Installing 12
X. Error Reports 13
Appendix - Examples
--------------------------------------------------------
page 3
1 I. Introduction:
Starsoft Development Laboratories would like to thank you and
congratulate you for purchasing the finest hard drive backup
utility for the Amiga personal computer. Starsoft Hard
Drive Backup Utility (Hereafter referred to as SSBackup) was
designed to be the fastest, most powerful, and most reliable
utility for backing up your Amiga hard drive. You will find
that this is the easiest, most user friendly hard drive backup
utility on the market today.
II. System Requirements:
SSBackup requires an Amiga ( a500/a1000/a2000) with at
least 512k memory to operate. Additional expansion memory may
be required for systems with very large hard drives, systems with
over 40 meg. Even though the primary purpose of SSBackup is to
backup AmigaDos compatible hard drives it will work on other
storage devices, as long as they are AmigaDos compatible
(except DF0:). Kickstart 1.2 or greater is required.
III. Getting Started:
If you are unfamiliar with the following procedures, refer to your
20 Amiga Users manual for assistance.
PRIOR to using SSBackup MAKE A BACKUP COPY OF THE DISK!!!!!
Turn on your Amiga system and load Kickstart (if
necessary). If already running perform a reboot. When you
receive the load Workbench prompt, insert the Starsoft d
Drive Backup Utility disk.
Once the Workbench screen has appeared and you have received
the SSSBAckup disk icon, simply double-click the disk icon. A
window will appear with a SSBackup icon. Next double-click the
icon to start the program.
If you are in CLI then enter "run SSBackup" to start the program
(excluding the double quotes)
IV. Word Verification Check:
Once you have SSBackup running, a requester will be displayed
that will ask you to enter a word from this manual. Once the gadget is
activated look up the word and enter it EXACTLY as you view it in
the manual, the work entered is case-sensitive. You will be given
two chances to enter the correct word from the manual. If after
two times you do not enter the correct word, the program will stop
running and will exit. This utility does not lock your machine
40 up, or in any way inhibit the operation of other tasks.
----------------------------------------------------------
page 4
*************************
1 V. MAIN SELECTION WINDOW:
*************************
Once the correct Word verification is entered, the Main Utility
Selection Screen (MUSS) is displayed. This screen displays the
various options of this utility. Your options include:
BACKUP - the files to be saved.
RESTORE - the files the user needs.
MAINTENANCE - archival bit maintenance.
QUIT - ends the program.
The first three options are described in detail.
***********
VI. BACKUP:
***********
The user now sees several gadgets. These gadgets are
displaying the current parameters for this backup session. The
selected options are displayed in green, those not selected in
red. The following is a description of each of the gadget the screen:
Source:
This will be the source for the backup (Default DH0:). This
MUST be a legal AmigaDos Directory name. Do not enter a
filename or the device DF0:. The disk drive DF0: is used by
20 SSBackup and cannot be a source device.
Subdirectories:
Provides a choice to Include or Exclude the subdirectories
under your listed source. (INC = Include, EXC = Exclude).
Backup Type:
Complete (Default) backup will back up ALL directories/files
included in the source device.
Incremental backup will back up either: 1). files that do not
have the archive bit set (see archive bit set): or 2). files with
creation dates equal to or greater than the date entered. This
gadget is selected. See "Incremental Byk" for more information on
how to select incremental backup.
Selective backup will allow you to Include/Exclude by
directory name, file name, file creation date, or by archive bit.
Within the directory/file name, the use of wild cards is
for backup selection by directory name or file name. This is a
very powerful option and is one that will be used frequently. See
39 Selective Backup.
-------------------------------------------------------
page 5
1 Disk Format:
The AmigaDos Option allows data to be dumped from the hard
drive onto microfloppy disk(s), using the AmigaDos format.
SSBackup will do everything except Restore your hard drive with
these disks. SSbackup will not back up any file that is greater than 880,000 bytes when using the AmigaDos option. If this
condition exists, an error message will be generated, and the file
will be ignored. We strongly recommend that users do not use this
option, but we have included it for data transfer between systems.
Custom Option (default) is the format used by SSBackup. This format allows for much faster copy times and increase data storage
on your microfloppy disks. SSBackup will only restore disk(s)
that use the SSBackup custom format.
Verify Mode:
Verify mode (default = NO). With the verify mode, your data
is verified as correct during backup. If an error is found in the
data, an error message is generated giving the option to "back
track" to correct the problem. More information on the "back
track" option can be found in the Errors section. All microfloppy
20 systems are prone to data failures, so the authors highly
recommend this option be used. It is highly recommended that you
turn this option on when backing up your hard drive. The only
disadvantage of this option is an increase in backup time of up to
60% depending on system configuration.
Archive Bit Set:
In each file header, AmigaDos contains a set of flags that
determine if the file can be deleted, read, executed, or written
to. Within the file header there is also an "archive" flag which
determines if the file has been backed up. With this option set
(default = YES) during SSBackup, the archive bit on the file is
set. If after the backup this file is modified AmigaDos will
clear this bit. This allows incremental backup based on archive
bit (backup all files with the archive bit cleared). You can
modify the archive bit yourself by using the maintenance section
of SSBackup. See Maintenance Section.
File Compression:
With this option (default = NO). the method used by SSBackup.
user may compress selected backup files. LZM type compression,
yields approximately 10-50% compression on files. Like most
40 compression schemes, it works best on text files or data files.
This option cannot be selected when storing the backup files in
the AmigaDos format. The user will be reverted to Custom
storage format when using file compression. This option
increases the backup time accordingly (approximately 10-20%).
Auto Format:
With this option (default = YES). it is unnecessary to
pre-format disks prior to backup. This option works on either
AmigaDos of Custom jdisk format. The custom format will work
on AmigaDos formatted disks, but leaving the auto format
option on (in custom format mode) will drastically reduce backup
times.
----------------------------------------------------------
page 6
1 Trns File:
This option (default = NO), creates a transaction file of the
backup to "ram:back.trn". It will be an ASCII file that lists ALL
of the directories/files that were backed up. Included is the
disk number the file was stored on. The only disadvantage of this
option is it takes up valuable memory. This is a possible a
problem for machines with a large number of files and no external
memory.
OK:
This gadget commences the backup with the values and format
selected by the user. If the Selective Backup gadget is
activated, the first window of the Selective backup appears. If
the Complete or Incremental backup gadgets are selected, the
source device will be analyzed, this information will be shown and
the backup can begin. See Commence Backup.
CANCEL:
Returns the user th the MUSS screen.
Incremental Backup By:
Archival Bit - (Default) This gadget selects those files whose
archival bit is cleared for backup.
By Date - The user is required to enter the desired date
(default system date) to search the source disk for files with a
creation date equal to or greater than the selected date.
*****************
Selective Backup:
*****************
When the user selects the Selective Backup gadget and then
activates the "OK" the Selective Backup parameter window
appears. The various gadgets describe the file selection the user
desires. These gadgets are described below. The selected options
are displayed in green, and those not selected are displayed in
red.
Build:
Once the user has selected the desired parameters and
activated this gadget, the source drive is analyzed, and a file
selection window appears. See File Selection.
Source:
This will be the source for the backup (Default DH0:). This
MUST be a legal AmigaDos directory name. Do not enter a
filename or the device DF0:. The disk drive DF0: is used by
SSBackup and cannot be a source device.
40 Subdirectories:
Provides a choice to Include or Exclude the subdirectories
under your listed source. (INC = Include, EXC = Exclude).
-------------------------------------------------------------
page 7
1 The following criteria apply to the three parameters described
below:
1. The Include (INC and Exclude (EXC) gadgets are absolute,
meaning that if this gadget is active, only those files specified
will be selected.
2. The input name is case-sensitive, so BACKUP is not the same
as Backup, or backup.
3. The input name may contain wildcard specifiers, but these
specifiers are not standard AmigaDos wildcard specifiers. To
specify a file pattern use an "*", and for a specific character,
use "?". For example "*.info" will select all files that end in
".info". If you use the Include specifier, those and only those
files are selected, but if you use the Exclude specifier, than all
files but those ending in ".info" are selected.
4. If N/A is active this option is ignored.
5. The N/A is the default option.
6. Only one specification is allowed. The user may not select
multiple names to be processed.
Directory:
20 Specify a directory name to be processed.
File Name:
Specify a file name to be processed.
File Date:
The user is required to enter the desired date (default system
date) to search the source disk for files with a creation date
equal to or greater than the selected date.
Archive Bit:
Include (INC) files whose archive bit is set, or Exclude (EXC)
files whose archive bit is set. N/A is the default.
OK:
This gadget commences the backup with the values and format
selected by the user. The source device will be analyzed, this
information will be shown and the backup can begin. See Commence
Backup.
CANCEL:
36 Returns the user to the MUSS screen.
-------------------------------------------------------------
page 8
***************
1 File Selection:
***************
Once the user has selected the BUILD gadget in the Selective
backup window, the source device will be analyzed, and a window
containing a live directory of the source device will be
displayed. The user can now select the files desired by clicking
on the desired file name(s) with the left mouse button. The file
names are highlighted when selected. To unselect the file, just
click again using the left button, on the desired file name.
Subdirectory names are displayed in red, while regular files are
displayed in white. To view subdirectory files click on the
desired subdirectory name with the right mouse button. If a
subdirectory is selected than all files below the subdirectory are
also selected. Remember this directory listing has been filtered
by the parameters detailed in the Selective Backup parameter
window.
MRK INC: (Default)
Mark to include the desired files to be backed up.
MRK EXC:
Mark to exclude the desired files from the backup.
20 MRK ALL:
Mark all files displayed in the directory window.
CLR ALL:
Clear all marked files in the directory window.
PARENT:
Clicking this gadget will return to the parent subdirectory.
OK:
This gadget commences the backup with the values and format
selected by the user. The analyzed source device data
information is shown and the backup can begin. See Commence
Backup.
CANCEL:
Returns the user to the MUSS screen.
****************
Commence Backup:
****************
This is the final window of the backup option. This window will
display the various parameters previously defined by the user when
the main Backup window was displayed. The window contains the
analyzed totals of the number of files, the number of bytes to be
backed up, and the number of disks required to back up the
selected files. This window contains two gadgets:
40 COMMENCE BACKUP:
This begins the backup session. The user will be directed to
input the sequence of the desired disk(s), and will be informed of
the current status of the backup.
------------------------------------------------------------
page 9
1 CANCEL BACKUP:
Returns the user to the MUSS screen.
During the backup the following is updated and displayed:
1. Current file being backed up.
2. Number of files backed up.
3. Current Disk in use.
4. Percentage of total backup complete.
5. Number of blocks left on current backup disk.
*************
VII. RESTORE:
*************
This section of the utility is perhaps the most important, since
it contains the most flexible file selection options available.
After the user clicks on the RESTORE option in the MUSS, several
gadgets are displayed for the user to select, they include:
Destination:
This will be the destination of the Restore (Default DH0:).
This MUST be a legal AmigaDos directory name. Do not enter a
filename or the device DF0:. The disk drive DF0: is used by
SSBackup and cannot be a destination device.
Type of Restore
20 Complete: (Default)
Completely restores SLL directories/files backed up.
By Date:
Restore those files on or after the user input date.
Selective:
Allows the user to Restore by wild cards, file names, types,
etc.
The user will be prompted to enter the last disk of the
backup session, and the File Selection window will appear (See
File Selection described in backup section). The user may select
the files desired to restore and commence restoring the data.
OK:
This begins the Restore session. The user will be directed to
input the desired disk(s), and will be informed of the current
status of the backup.
CANCEL:
Returns the user to the MUSS screen.
*****************
Commence Restore:
*****************
This is the final window of the Restore option. The destination
device is displayed, as is the type of Restore being done. This
40 window contains two gadgets:
COMMENCE RESTORE:
This begins the Restore session. The user will be directed to
input the desired disk(s), and will be informed of the current
status of the Restore.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Page 10
1 CANCEL RESTORE:
Returns the user to the MUSS screen.
During the Restore the following is updated and displayed:
1. Current file being restored.
2. Number of files restored.
3. Current Disk in use.
******************
VIII. MAINTENANCE:
******************
Each AmigaDos file header contains a flags that determine if
the file has been backed up (archive bit). This option is
provided so the user may selectively modify the archival bit of
the files on the source device.
When the user clicks the Maintenance gadget of the MUSS he sees
several gadgets which display the current parameters for this
maintenance session. The selected options are displayed in green,
and those not selected are displayed in red. The following is a
description of each of these gadgets:
Source:
This will be the source for Maintenance (Default DH0:). This
MUST be a legal AmigaDos directory name. Do not enter a
20 filename or the device DF0:. The disk drive DF0: is used by
SSBackup and cannot be a source device.
Subdirectories:
Provides a choice to Include or Exclude the subdirectories
under your listed source. (INC = Include, EXC = Exclude).
Archive Bit Status:
Set (Default) or Clear the current status of the archive bit
for each file selected. See definition of archive bit in Backup
section.
Control Mode:
Complete (default) will modify ALL directories/files included
in the source.
Incremental will modify all directories/files whose creation
dates is equal to or greater than the date you enter.
Selective will modify those directories/files you wish to
modify, and will allow you to Include/Exclude by directory name or
file name. Within the directory/file name the use of wild cards
is permitted. Building a directory tree of your source device
allows selection by directory or a file name. This is a very
powerful option and is one that will be used frequently. See
Maintenance Selective Mode.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 11
1 OK:
This gadget commences the Maintenance with the values and
format selected by the user. If the Selective backup gadget is
activated, the first window of the Selective Maintenance appears.
If the Complete or Incremental mode gadgets are selected, the
source device will be analyzed, this information will be shown,
and file modifications can begin. See Commence Maintenance.
CANCEL:
Returns the user to the MUSS screen.
***************************
Maintenance Selective Mode:
***************************
When the user selects the Selective Mode gadget, and then
activates the "OK" gadget, the Selective Mode parameter window
appears. The various gadgets describe the file selection the user
desires. These gadgets are described below. The selected options
are displayed in green, and those not selected are displayed in
red.
Build:
Once the user has selected the desired parameters and
activated this gadget, the source drive is analyzed, and a file
20 selection appears (see File Selection in Backup section).
Source:
This will be the source for the Maintenance mode (Default
Dh0:). This MUST be a legal AmigaDos directory name. Do not
enter a filename or the device DF0:. The disk drive df0: is used
by SSBackup and cannot be a source device.
Subdirectories:
Provides a choice to Include or Exclude the subdirectories
under your listed source. (INC = Include, EXC = Exclude).
The following criteria apply to the two parameters described
below:
1. The Include (INC) and Exclude(EXC) gadgets are absolute,
meaning if this gadget is active, only those files specified will
be selected.
2. The input name is case-sensitive, so BACKUP is not the same
as Backup, or backup.
3. The input name may contain wildcard specifiers, but these
specifiers are not standard AmigaDos wildcard specifiers. To
specify a file pattern use an "*", and for a specific character
use "?". For example "*.info" will select all files that end in
40 ".info". If you use the Include specifier, those and only those
files are selected, but if you use the Exclude specifier, then all
files but those ending in ".info" are selected.
4. If N/A is active this option is ignored.
------------------------------------------------------------------
page 12
1 5. The N/A is the default option.
6. Only one specification is allowed. The user may not select
multiple names to be processed.
Directory:
Specify a directory name to be processed.
File Name:
Specify a file name to be processed.
OK:
This gadget commences the Maintenance with the values and
format selected by the user. The source device will be analyzed,
this information will be shown, and the Maintenance can begin.
See Commence Maintenance.
CANCEL:
Returns the user to the MUSS screen.
*********************
Commence Maintenance:
*********************
This is the final window of the Maintenance option. The
destination device, the type of Maintenance being done, and the
archive bit status are displayed for the user. When this window
appears, the Maintenance operation immediately begins.
20 During the Maintenance operation, the number of files modified
is updated and displayed.
IX. INSTALLING SSBACKUP UTILITY ONTO OTHER DEVICES
The SSBackup utility may be copied freely to other devices
(e.g., DH0:), but the user will have to copy the "back.par" file
found in the "S" directory of the original SSBackup diskette.
This file must be copied to the desired devices "S" directory
(e.g., DH0:S). If this file is not present, the backup utility
will not function.
X. ERROR MESSAGES
1. Memory or Open Device Failures
This error is caused by the user's system lack of CHIP
memory. Clicking the CONTINUE gadget will abort the current
operation and return the user to the MUSS.
2. File Open, Read, or Write Failure; Directory Creation
Error; or Trackdisk Read Error.
Probable reasons for these errors:
A. The utility was unable to access a file for the
specified backup;
B. The utility was unable to create the specified
directory on the destination device.
If the user believes the error has been corrected, or
there is no apparent reason for this condition, click the RETRY
------------------------------------------------------------------
page 13
1 gadget. If this does not correct the problem, select either ABORT
or IGNORE. IGNORE is only recommended if the operation is
something you can not ABORT. ABORT returns the user to the MUSS
3. Disk Write or Verify Errors
While backing up the source device, an error may be
encountered on the diskette within DF0:, this diskette may be
damaged.
If the user believes the error is invalid, click the
RETRY gadget, if the error persists, select either the BACKTRACK
or ABORT gadgets. BACKTRACK will restart the current disk, thus
allowing you to insert a new disk to replace a bad one. ABORT
returns the user to the MUSS
APPENDIX
Helpful hints, suggestions, and answers to often asked
questions:
SSBackup was designed to aid the user in the correct storage
and archival of files. SSBackup is user-friendly, and, since it
uses Intuition, its functions are easily mastered.
How should someone back up his storage device (i.e. Hard
20 Drive)? When the user first runs SSBackup, a complete backup of
all files should be done. On subsequent backups, use the
Incremental Mode by Date or by Archive bit.
How often should one do a complete backup? This depends on
the use of the various files residing on the source device. If
the user generates files infrequently, selective backups by date
or archive bit should suffice. Otherwise, complete backups are
recommended.
These suggestions are from the author. The user should
experiment with the various features of the backup utility and
determine the best selection of archival desired for his own use.
Examples
Complete Backup:
A complete backup of the user's files is described as
follows:
1. At the MUSS screen select the BACKUP gadget.
2. Select desired device (i.e. DH0:)
3. Turn on Verify option. (YES is green)
4. Click OK gadget.
5. At Commence Backup window, click OK gadget, and commence
40 backup.
Incremental by Archival Bit
A selective backup of the user's files is accomplished as
follows:
1. At the MUSS screen, select the BACKUP gadget.
2. Select desired device (i.e. DH0:)
3. Turn on Verify option. (YES is green)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Page 14
1 4. Click Incremental backup type.
5. Click OK gadget.
6. At Commence Backup window, click OK gadget, and commence
backup.
Complete Restore
A complete restore of the user's files is accomplished as
follows:
1. At the MUSS screen, select the RESTORE gadget.
2. Select desired device (i.e. DH0:)
3. Click OK gadget.
4. The Commence Restore window will appear, and the utility
will ask the user to input the first disk of a previous
backup.
If the user has done subsequent backups, for example, by
archival bit, the user must follow the complete backup
procedure.
To completely understand the various functions of this utility,
we can only recommend the user experiment, modify the backup
configurations, backup a small set of files, then Restore them.
20 If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please
contact the authors at:
STARSOFT HARD DRIVE BACKUP UTILITY
Starsoft Development Laboratories
C/O Gary Holland or Michael Mounier
3331 Bartlett Blvd
Orlando, Florida 32811
Amiga, AmigaDos, Intuition, KickStart and WorkBench are
registered trademarks of Commodore-Amiga Inc.
=========================================================================
StarSoft Hard Drive Backup Utility docs brought to you by Alister Crowley
for the Southern Star and M.A.A.D.