Backup/Restore Utility

Raynne413 · 01-11-03, 08:00 PM

Will the backup/restore utility work with Memory cards? I have started doing a backup every few days after having a REALLY bad experience. I had to hard reset and then reinstall over 250 MB of stuff, and I lost all of my saved games. I am thinking about buying a new memory card and was wondering if I could just do a restore to make my PPC the way it is now, or if I will have to reinstall everything, and then just move my saved games over.

Mike C · 01-12-03, 10:58 AM

Do you just want to copy the contents of the old card to a new card?
I'd select all and copy, then paste to a folder on the PC. Put in the new card and then copy/paste to the card.

I've never had to do a restore yet, but the Active Sync back-up seems to copy everything volatile to the PC. After a hard reset, you insert the PPC and decline a new partnership ... use as a Guest. Then clik restore and everything is reinstalled, right down to the old partnership.

Raynne413 · 01-12-03, 01:25 PM

So copying and pasting to the new card will work if I do a restore? Because I actually have programs installed to the memory card.

Mike C · 01-12-03, 03:25 PM

I need to do some research to see if the back-up utility copies the contents of memory cards, or just system memory. I thought it was just system memory ... the volatile stuff you loose on a hard reset.
If I was to get a bigger SD card, I would just copy the old one to the PC, and then change cards, and copy the PC to the card. It would be nice if Restore does this for us.

Anybody know?

SkyVoice · 01-12-03, 03:25 PM

It seems that when using the backup utility that is standard on the Axim it creates a backup file and stores it on the extra memory on the Axim. Considering this, I have adopted a new procedure that I use. First I make the backup IAW the design parameters of the Active Sync software. I then open EXPLORE in ActiveSync and then copy the created file to my desktop. After doing so I delete the backup file on the Axim. In this way, should I have to do a hard reset I will simply connect as a Guest since the partnerships will be gone, go to ActiveSync's EXPLORE and then download my saved file. I will then use the RESTORE utility and get the job done. The only real downside to this process would be that if I had to do a hard reset 'on the road'... no desktop equals no file. Since I am not away that much it isn't a problem for me. ActiveSync sure does like for you to rely on it heavily.

My two cents worth.

Ciao,

Ron

numsquat · 01-12-03, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Raynne413@Jan 12 2003, 12:25 PM
So copying and pasting to the new card will work if I do a restore? Because I actually have programs installed to the memory card.

If you have to do a hard reset, only the units RAM is cleared, everything on the card is not touched.

There are programs that will backup the units RAM to a mem card in addition to the PC backup. For anyone that is away from their PC for long periods of time, it's a godsend to be able to restore on the fly.

Mike C · 01-12-03, 03:41 PM

But Active Sync backup copies all the PPC files to the PC HD, not the Axim. The question is, does it copy the contents of the memory cards too?

Mike C · 01-12-03, 08:36 PM

After deliberately reseting and restoring my Axim, I can now tell you that the memory cards are not restored.
I created a fresh backup, when the CF card was full of media. I then cut the media files to my PC, leaving an empty CF card.
I then hard reset the Axim and restored. Everything is right back the way it started, except that the CF card is still empty.

Raynne413 · 01-12-03, 11:16 PM

Ok, what I am trying to figure out is this. The ActiveSync Backup/restore is supposed to re-install all of the programs that were previously installed, but not restore the programs from the memory card. So say I have PocketEverquest installed to the memory card. The basic info is installed to the PPC, but the folder is installed to the memory card. So could I do a restore, and then copy and paste the file from my old memory card to my new memory card, and it work?

Mike C · 01-13-03, 12:36 AM

Yes, it should work. One thing I found out doing my experiment, was that it's useless to restore unless you hard reset first. There's too many files in use and un-restorable unless you wipe it first. I had to do it twice, in other words, and it took almost two hours each time.

Even worse, when I re-did my backup afterward, it took as long as a full initial backup again!
At least all my files should be de-fragged by now.

Raynne413 · 01-13-03, 12:47 PM

Thanks. As long as EVERYTHING is restored, I don't mind doing a hard reset. I would rather wait for a few hours to do a restore, than spend a few hours reinstalling everything. :)

Mike C · 01-13-03, 03:16 PM

The only reason it took so long is because I had a bunch of media files in main memory, plus 12 or so ebooks.
As far as putting programs on a removable card, as long as the file/folder structure remains the same, the ax shouldn't care which specific SD card it's on.
A senario could run like ... you have two cards worth of media files, so if you install (copy) the program files to both, then you could use either card and still have access to that program.

Raynne413 · 01-13-03, 07:57 PM

The thing is, if they were just media files, I wouldn't worry about just copying and pasting, but they are actual programs and games.

Mike C · 01-13-03, 10:06 PM

Files is files.