How to set up the backup procedure

Your computer is just a machine, even if it is still new. All machines can break or be struck by lightning or even get stolen! Thus, if disaster strikes and your data is lost or corrupted, you have to have a backup to rely on.

Remember: Otomys will not take any responsibility for lost or corrupted data, as we have no control over the use of your computer or your program.

Always buy good quality disks to make your backups on. Even backup disks can be faulty and may be worthless in a crisis. We strongly recommend that you use Dysan or Verbatim disks, as they have proved to be the best quality. (Although this does not mean they cannot break or get damaged.)

Always keep your backup disks in a safe, cool and dry place. Remember that the data on your disks can be corrupted if they come into close contact with any magnetic field, like magnets or a television set or any other electronic device (even the top of your computer's case).

You can backup to any medium e,g. stiffies, CD's or zip disks. This manual only describes backups made to stiffy disks. If you want to use a CD Writer or any other drive for your backups consult the manual that accompanied the drive.
Also see How to backup to other mediums than stiffy disks

When to make a backup

Daily backups
You must make a backup EVERY DAY. Keep a set of disks for each day of the week and label them accordingly. Every Monday you will use the Monday disk/disks, every Tuesday you will use the Tuesday disk/disks etc.

Month-end backups
Always make a backup before doing a month-end procedure. Like the daily backups, you have to have a set of disks for every month of the year and label them accordingly. Every January you will use the January disk(s) every February you will use the February disk(s) etc.

Backup before loading a Microvet update
BdS sends regular Microvet updates. Before loading these updates make a backup. This is a necessary precaution to take if something should go wrong while loading the update.

How to set up the backup procedure

Install the backup procedure only on the file server. This procedure can differ depending on the Windows operating system you are using, e.g. Windows 95/98//ME or XP Professional. Unfortunately Windows ME/XP(Home)/NT/2000 does not have a backup function.

Also see How to make your routinely backups with Windows ME/NT
Also see How to make your routinely backups with Windows XP Professional
Also see How to backup to other mediums than stiffy disks

1.  Create an icon to activate the batch file

Click on an open space on the Windows desktop with the right mouse button

Click on NEW
Click SHORTCUT
Type the following in the command line C:\MFW5\MFW5BACK.BAT
Click on NEXT
Enter a name for the shortcut: Microvet data compression
Click on FINISH
Double click on the MICROVET DATA COMPRESSION icon that you have created

This will activate PKZIP to deflate the data files and compress them into a ZIP file. (The zip file will be stored in your MFW5 directory on your hard drive).

When the process is completed, a message, “FINISHED” will be displayed on the task bar at the top of the screen.
Click on the X in the top right hand corner to exit

2.  How to detect if the Microsoft backup function has been installed on the computer

Click on START
Click on PROGRAMS
Click on ACCESSORIES
Click on SYSTEM TOOLS
The BACKUP program will be listed if it is installed on your system

3.  Install the Microsoft backup function if it is not on the system

Double click on MY COMPUTER
Double click on CONTROL PANEL
Double click on ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS
Click on WINDOWS SETUP
Double click on DISK TOOLS
Tick the box for BACKUP
Click on OK
Windows may ask you to insert your Windows 95 or 98 installation disks or CD-ROM

4.  Create an icon to activate the Microsoft backup

Click on an open space on the Windows desktop with the right mouse button
Click on NEW
Click on SHORTCUT
Click on BROWSE
Look in C:
Double click on PROGRAM FILES
Double click on ACCESSORIES
Double click on BACKUP.EXE
Click on NEXT
Type a name for the shortcut: Microvet backup step 2
Click on FINISH

Choose between STEP 5 and STEP 6 depending on the Windows operating system you are using. If you are using Window ME go directly to How to make routinely backups with
Windows ME.

5.  Create a backup setup file for WINDOWS 95 using stiffy disks

Double click on the MICROVET BACKUP STEP 2 icon
Click on BACKUP
Double click on the icon of the C: drive
Double click on the MFW5 yellow folder on your right hand side
Scroll down and find the MFW5BACK.ZIP file

 (TIP: If you click on the heading bar: TYPE, the files will be alphabetically listed according to type and the ZIP file will be the last file in the list.)

Tick the box in front of the MFW5BACK.ZIP file
(This is the only box that should be ticked)
Click on NEXT STEP
Click on 3 1/2 Floppy A: as the backup destination

Click on SETTINGS on the main menu
Click on OPTIONS

Click on BACKUP
Check only the following settings:

FULL BACKUP OF ALL SELECTED FILES
ALWAYS ERASE ON FLOPPY BACKUPS
(NB the box to compress the backup data should NOT be ticked)
Click on OK
Click on FILE
Click on SAVE AS
Type the name of the setup file as: MICROVET.SET
Click on OK

6.  Create a backup setup file for WINDOWS 98 using stiffy disks

Double click on the MICROVET BACKUP STEP 2 icon
Check the radio button CREATE A NEW BACKUP JOB
Click on OK
Check the radio button BACKUP SELECTED FILES, FOLDERS AND DRIVES
Click on NEXT
Double click on the C: drive icon
Double click on the MFW5 yellow folder on the right hand side
Scroll down and find MFW5BACK.ZIP file

(TIP: If you click on the heading bar, TYPE, the files will be listed alphabetically according to type and the ZIP file will be the last file in the list.)

Tick the box in front of the MFW5BACK.ZIP file
(This is the only box that should be ticked)
Click on NEXT
Check the radio button for ALL THE SELECTED FILES
Click on NEXT
Insert a stiffy disk
Type the backup destination   A:\MICRO.QIC
Click on NEXT

Tick the box COMPARE ORIGINAL AND BACKUP FILES

(NB the box to compress the backup data should NOT be ticked)

Name the backup job MICROVET
Click on START
When the backup has been completed

Click on OK
Click on OK
Click on the X at the top right hand corner of the window to close it

How to make routinely backups with WINDOWS 95

Exit from Microvet on all computers, including the server
The backup consists of two sections and both must be completed every time
Double click on the MICROVET DATA COMPRESSION icon
Wait for the process to finish
Click on the X at the top right hand corner of the window to close it
Insert your stiffy disk
Double click on the BACKUP STEP 2 icon
Click on FILE
Click on OPEN FILE SET
Double click on MICROVET
Click on NEXT STEP
Click on 3 1/2 floppy A:

Click on START
Give the backup a unique name e.g. MONDAY 05-05-2001 (do not use / or \ in the name)

How to make routinely backups with WINDOWS 98

Exit from Microvet on all computers, including the server
The backup consists of two sections and both must be completed every time
Double click on the icon MICROVET DATA COMPRESSION
Wait for the process to finish
Click on the X to close the data compression window
Double click on the BACKUP STEP 2 icon
Check the circle OPEN EXISTING BACKUP JOB
Click on OK
Select the backup file MICROVET
Click on OPEN
Click on START

How to make routinely backups with Windows ME/NT

Because Windows ME/NT does not have a backup function, you can zip your data directly to stiffy disks. It is important that you use empty disks for this procedure. Before you do this procedure you have to delete everything on the disks first.

Edit the batch file ONCE:

Click on START
Click on PROGRAMS
Click on MS-DOS PROMPT
Type the following and press enter after each line
CD\MFW5
EDIT  MFW5BACK.BAT
(Alter the line that starts with PK ZIP)
        PKZIP   -A   -&V   A:DATA   *.DB?
           Press ALT + F on your keyboard
             Enter on EXIT
             Enter on YES to save
EXIT

Complete the following steps for the routinely backups:

Exit from Microvet on all computers, including the server
Insert the first disk in A
Double click on the icon MICROVET DATA COMPRESSION
Wait until the process has been completed
Click on the X to close the data compression window

How to make routinely backups with Windows XP Professional

Routinely backups
Exit from Microvet on all computers, including the server
Double click on the icon MICROVET DATA COMPRESSION
Wait until the process has been completed
Click on the X to close the data compression window

Insert the first disk in 3 ½ Floppy A:
Double click on the BACKUP icon
Click on the BACKUP tab
Click on JOB on the top menu
Click on LOAD SELECTIONS
            Hi-Lite Microvet.bks
Click on OPEN
Click on START BACKUP

How to backup to other backup mediums than stiffy disks

(Windows XP/2000 does not have a backup function. It is suggested that you make  backups with a CD-writer on CD-ROM).When you backup to any other medium than stiffy disks do the following:

Complete step 1 of How to create your backup procedure
This step compresses your Microvet data and stores the zip file in your MFW5 directory as MFW5BACK.ZIP
When you make your daily backups:
Exit from Microvet on all computers, including the server
The backup consists of two sections and both must be completed every time

Double click on the MICROVET DATA COMPRESSION icon
Wait until the process has been completed
Click on the X at the top right hand corner of the window to close it

Now you can copy this file to your backup medium

How to test the Microsoft Windows backup

The importance of a daily backup cannot be overemphasized. When you make a backup of your data, you cannot be 100% sure that you can rely on this backup, unless you test it. This is a practical guide on how to test your backup. There are different ways to backup data.

This manual will only deal with the Microsoft backup function of Windows 95. (Windows 98 has minor modifications.)

 Create a new folder BEFORE you start to test the restore operation of the backup. Restore the backup to this new folder. This will prevent that active data is overwritten with the data of the backup.

Use Windows Explorer to create this new folder as follows:
Click on START
Click on PROGRAMS
Click on WINDOWS EXPLORER
Click on C: to hi-lite the drive
Click on FILE
Click on NEW
Click on FOLDER
Give the new folder a name e.g. TEST
Click on FILE
Click on CLOSE

Click on START
Click on PROGRAMS
Click on ACCESSORIES
Click on  SYSTEM TOOLS
Click on BACKUP
Click on RESTORE
Click on SETTINGS
Click on OPTIONS
Click on RESTORE
Tick the following boxes and radio buttons:
     QUIT BACKUP AFTER OPERATION IS FINISHED
     ALTERNATE LOCATION
         (This is the most important selection to make. When you select this option, you will be
          prompted during the restore process to select a destination to which the backup should
          be restored. In this case select the C:\TEST folder as the restore destination.)
    VERIFY RESTORED DATA BY AUTOMATICALLY COMPARING FILES AFTER THE
     RESTORE HAS FINISHED
        (This selection is optional but advisable. This will read back the restored files and
         compare them with the files on the disk.)
     NEVER OVERWRITE FILES
        (This is a safety mechanism. In this test restore operation, you do not want to accidentally
         overwrite the active data with the data on the backup. This will prevent that from
         happening.)
         Remember that if you want to restore the information to the active directory and overwrite
         your data, then you have to set this option to overwrite files.
Click on OK

Select the files that have to be restored. Insert the last disk of the backup set in drive A:
Double click on 3 1/2 Floppy (A:)
(This will display the name of the backup e.g. Friday.SET)
Double click on the name of the backup
(This will display the original drive location of the backup e.g. C:)
Double click on this drive
(This will display the name of the original folder that hosted the data eg MFW5)
Double click on this folder
(This will display the name or names of the files in the backup e.g. MFW5BACK.ZIP)
Tick the box to select the files that have to be restored.
(The comment line at the bottom should give the number of selected files. If it is 0, you must still select the files.)

Click on START RESTORE
(You will be requested to select the destination to which the files should be restored.)
Click on the drive where you want the data to be restored e.g. C:
Click on the folder where you want the data to be restored e.g. TEST
Click on OK

You will be prompted to insert the first disk of the backup set.
The system will request you to insert the backup disks one by one. When all the disks have been restored, you will be requested to insert the first disk again to compare the files. If any errors occurred during this process, you will be notified of this. Use the Windows Explorer and look at the contents of your TEST folder. Inspect the dates and sizes of the files to see if the correct files were restored. When you are satisfied that the test restore has been successful, you can delete the TEST folder with all its contents.

How to restore a backup from the hard drive in WINDOWS 95

DO NOT RESTORE A BACKUP UNLESS IT IS THE LAST POSSIBLE SOLUTION. If you restore a backup, it will delete all the existing data and replace it with the data from the backup. If the backup is unreliable, you will end up without any data at all! It is advisable to contact BdS before restoring a backup.

1.  Make an extra copy of the data as a safety measure

EXIT FROM MICROVET ON ALL COMPUTERS
DO THIS OPERATION ON THE FILE SERVER
Click on START
Click on PROGRAMS
Click on MS-DOS PROMPT
Insert a CLEAN stiffy disk
Type the following lines, press enter after each line
CD\MFW5
PKZIP   -A    -&V   A: DATA    *.DB?

2.  Look at the zip files on the hard drive

There are two zip files on the hard drive that contain the backup information. Look at MFW5BACK.ZIP to see if the date and size is correct. If it is correct, you can unzip the file.
You are still in DOS at the C:\MFW5> prompt
Type the following and press enter:
DIR  *.ZI?

3.  Unzip the file

If you are satisfied that the MFW5BACK.ZIP file is the correct file to restore, type the following and press enter after each line:
CD\MFW5

DEL  *.IDX
DEL  *.DB?
PKUNZIP   -O   MFW5BACK

How to restore a backup from stiffy disks in WINDOWS 95

If you are unable to restore the backup zip file on your hard drive, then only use your backup disks. To restore a backup file, you must use the SAME WINDOWS version that was used for the backup, e.g. if you did your backup using Windows 95 you have to restore it using Windows 95. You will not be able to restore a backup done in Windows 95 with Windows 98.
The following will explain the use of the Windows 95 restore function.

EXIT FROM MICROVET ON ALL COMPUTERS
DO THIS OPERATION ON THE FILE SERVER

Double click on the MICROVET BACKUP STEP 2 icon
Click on RESTORE
Click on SETTINGS
Click on OPTIONS
Click on RESTORE
Click on ORIGINAL LOCATION
Click on OVERWRITE
Click on OK
Click on RESTORE FROM: 3 1/2 FLOPPY (A:)
Click on BACKUP SET e.g. FRIDAY
Click on NEXT STEP
Click on CONTENTS OF FRIDAY: C
Press the spacebar and all the boxes will be ticked
Click on START RESTORE

This procedure will restore the MFW5BACK.ZIP file. You still have to unzip the file, do steps 2 and 3 of How to restore a backup from the hard drive in WINDOWS 95.