Re: Backup

[Nathan Sivin nsivin@xxxxxxxx]

This is in reply to messages about hard drive cartridges and
batch files.

I just bought a Dataport hard drive cartridge--in fact two of
them--from Megahaus (www.megahaus.com), a dealer I have gotten
hardware from for a couple of years. For the frame that fits in
the computer, two cartridges, and two Maxtor 10gig IDE drives,
shipping included, for $300. That way I can keep one complete
weekly backup at my office and keep the current backup drive in
the computer. They sell a cheaper option, but this is the
Dataport V, which looks to be quite reliable.

I am using the same arrangement for backing up changed files as
Harry B, but keep in mind that
you don't need to delete files in order to avoid copying them to
the backup. In the batch file you can use the DOS "attribute"
command to turn off their archive bit, e.g.,
attrib -a \junk\*.bak
and then set the copy command so that it will copy only files
with the archive bit set, by using /m
xcopy c: e: /c /e /m

In other words, this xcopy command will copy only files you have
changed since the last backup (which turns their archive bit on),
*minus* those whose archive bit you have turned off with Attrib.

Cheers,
--
Nathan Sivin
History and Sociology of Science
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia PA 19104-6304
(215) 898-7454
nsivin@xxxxxxxx