HD95COPY


1 The problem

1. How can you backup / restore a drive containing long filenames?
2. There are many networks (e.g. in schools) where all PCs are identically configured. It seems to be useful to 
configure ONE PC and to copy this installation to all other PCs over the network. For DOS or Windows 3.x it 
has been easy to do by help of xcopy or pkzip.
But Windows 95 supports long filenames - which are invisible for DOS and therefore are not copied.
You can use the Backup program of Windows 95. But it requires Windows to be installed. What can you do, if 
your harddisk is still empty or Windows will not start?


2 The solution

It's easy by help of HD95COPY. This program reads your harddisk sector by sector and stores this data
together with some needed information on your network server or on any other medium you can access using a 
drive letter. From there you can do a restore on all other workstations.
If you like you can span the backup file over some removable media, e.g. ZIP disks.
(The performance is very high because only sectors are stored which are actually used!)

To do a restore you don't have to install Windows - HD95COPY is a DOS program!


3 Requirements

1. Hard disks don't have to be identical. But the size of clusters must be the same.
2. The hard disk you want to restore to must not contain bad sectors in the area where the data are written to. 
Outside this area bad sectors are treated correctly: they are not ,copied" by backup; if the target drive has bad 
sectors, they stay marked.
3. HD95COPY requires MS-DOS version 5 or higher. Even with MS-DOS 5 you can backup a hard disk 
containing Windows 95!


4 Installation

No special installation is needed. I suggest you copy HD95COPY.EXE to the path where you want your backup
file stored.
I suggest to create a bootable floppy disk. Copy to it FORMAT.COM and all drivers you need to connect to 
your network and, if you want, your mouse driver. Then you can boot from this floppy, format your hard disk, 
start HD95COPY (from your network) and set up your hard disk.


5 Useful hints

All data are backed up and restored as they are - even destroyed data! Therefore it is strongly recommended
that you check your hard disk before doing a backup, e.g. using SCANDISK (if your system is Windows 95 you 
MUST use SCANDSKW.EXE of Windows 95 !!!). You also should do a virus scan.
You should run HD95COPY directly from DOS, not in a DOS session. Windows always keeps some files open, 
there could be errors when backing up them.
HD95COPY has been tested very carefully by different people with numerous types of hard disks and 
computers. However, if you think of the unnumerous types of hardware and software, reliability in all cases 
cannot be assured.


6 Backup

Defragment your hard disk you want to get the backup from (if you use Windows 95, use DEFRAGW.EXE of
Windows 95, not the DOS utility!!!)
Log in to your network to get write access to the path of the backup file.
Start HD95COPY and choose a backup file by clicking on ,file / backup file" and typing a name (without 
extension; .HD2 is automatically added). The default drive is the drive you started HD95COPY from; but you 
could even select another one.
Click on ,Drive" and select the drive to get the backup from.
Click on ,Backup".


7 Restore

Log in to your network to get at least read access to the path of the backup file.
Start HD95COPY and choose a backup file by clicking on ,file / backup file".
Click on ,Drive" and select the drive to write the data to.
Click on ,Restore".
If you select ,overwrite boot sector of drive C:" the bootsector of C: is written, even if you restore another drive 
(the backup file contains in every case the bootsector of C:, even if you backed up another drive).
When restore is finished, you boot the PC.
By clicking on ,HD-Info" you can see some information about your hard disk.


8 Restore with command line parameters

You can use the following command line parameters:
	/D=<drive>
	/F=<backup file>   (.HD2 is automatically appended)
	/Y   (if you want to restore without any question)

example:   HD95COPY   /D=C   /F=H:\BACKUP\APRIL97   /Y


9 Verify

After creating the backup file you can test ist integrity by comparing it with the data on the drive.


10 Messages and Errors

10.1 "You need more than 1 medium"
HD95COPY recognizes if you select a removable medium to store the backup file. This messages tells you that 
you will need more than one medium to complete the backup.

10.2 "You backed up drive ..."
You can restore to another drive than you got the backup from. But be careful, the INI files and registry contain 
paths with drive letters!

10.3 "This is disk ... of current backup"
If you back up to removable media and you insert e.g. disk 2 again as disk 4, it cannot be overwritten. Or else 
you would lose that part of your backup.

10.4 "Drive ... has bad sectors (without data)"
The target drive has bad sectors, but they are outside the used part of the disk.

10.5 "Drive ... has bad sectors to write on"
In this case usually a restore is not possible, if you did not get the backup from that disk.
You should format the disk before restoring - or better, change your hard disk!

10.6 "Errors in data structure"
The target disk contains bad sectors which could not be written. Use SCANDISK (of Windows 95) to correct it 
- or better, change your hard disk!


11 Disclaimer

HD95COPY has been developed and tested very carefully. But I expressly disclaim any warranty of any kind
and any liability for consequential damages. You use this program on your own risk.


12 License

12.1 for QuickNet
If you use QuickNet (license of more than 2 stations), you are automatically licensed - with no fee!

12.2 for other networks
HD95COPY is NOT free software. It is distributed as SHAREWARE. You can test the program for 30 days. If 
you find it useful and decide to use it you have to register. If you continue to use the software after the 
evaluation period without purchasing a license, you are in violation of international copyright laws.
(If you use the shareware version, you can do a restore only to one station at a time.)

The registration fee is
	ATS 300,- in Austria
	DM 50,- oder US$ 40,-
You may pay by
- mail or money order to Gottfried Siehs, Tiergartenstrasse 99, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria / Europe
- eurocheque
- bank transfer to:
	PSK Bank Innsbruck, Konto-Nr. 7786.901, BLZ 60000 (Dr. Gottfried Siehs)
(Please let me know your EMail address or your FAX number to send you the registration key!)


Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.



Gottfried Siehs, Tiergartenstrasse 99, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria/Europe.

My EMail: g.siehs@tirol.com
