Backups / Moving / Copying
Why should I make backup's?
How do I make a backup?
What can I store my backup on?
How many backup's should I have?
How do I restore a backup?
Do I need to backup only certain files?
Buying a new computer...moving vs. reinstalling?
Windows ME does not have a backup utility, what now?
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Think about this. If you had to re-enter all the data what day do you want to start from? Yesterday, last week, last month, from scratch? You walked in one morning and CLIP was gone what would you do? Of course it depends on your business. This is how you make a living. Protect it with everything you have. MAKE BACKUP'S.
Three things can bring your program to a grinding halt:
Hardware problems: You have no control over these. It is accepted that every hard drive will crash eventually. CLIP transfers a large amount of information around on your hard drive. If power is lost, even for a micro-second, it can cause the data to be written incorrectly. This can lead to data corruption.
Software problems: This may happen when applying an update. The update may be installed incorrectly or a anti-virus program may halt the update during installation. This often requires restoring a backup.
User error: By performing a "Global Replacement" incorrectly. Also if the period was closed before corrections to the billing the were made. Another common reason for restoring a backup is the period closing procedure was done twice.
These are just some of the more common reason's to restore a backup but, could be many more. Technology makes our world easier and saves time, however is still susceptible to error or failure and your data should always be protected. Having a good, current backup means no matter what happens from incorrect entries to the entire computer being destroyed, you will always be able to get your business up and running with minimal loss of data.
How do I make a backup?
Do to the fact that there are so many different types of backup utilities, it would be impossible to answer this here. Please refer to the manual provided by the backup manufacturer.
What can I store my backup on?
The most common types of storage are diskettes, tape, Zip, Jazz, and CD-ROM. There are benefits and draw backs to each. Almost all of these can be used with the Windows® Backup utility that comes free with Windows.
Media Pros Cons
3.5" Diskettes Inexpensive and universally read. One bad disk renders the backup useless. Very time consuming because you have to manually load each diskette.
Tape
Generally ships with a scheduler program that will automatically backup at a given time. Dependable. Reasonably inexpensive. Can hold large amounts of data. Data must be decompressed to use. Must have two identical tape drives if you want to restore the tape to another PC. Can not be universally read by all tape drives.
Zip
Very easy to use. Acts like an extra hard drive. Data can be accessed immediately and even run off of the zip drive. Reasonably inexpensive. Portable.
Zip can only hold 100MB or 250MB; depending on the type of Zip Drive. Slow to copy back and forth to hard drive unless the device is SCSI. Needs to be manually backed up.
CD-ROM Holds 650MB of data. Can be read by any CD-ROM drive. Can not be erased unless using a re-writable CD-ROM drive. Expensive. CD's are not reusable unless using a re-writable CD-ROM drive. Requires some work to restore backup.
How many backup's should I have?
This is a matter of opinion. Think about this. If you had to re-enter all the data what day do you want to start from? Yesterday, last week, last month, from scratch? Two weeks worth of backup's is recommended. Your End of Month should be saved forever. These backup's should be stored in a safe place separate from your computer.
How do I restore a backup?
Your backup's should be complete copies if the program. Everything you need is on the backup. You should NOT install the original installation disks. Restore your backup according to the instructions provided by the backup manufacture. Windows 95 directions can be found in the back of our manual. IMPORTANT: Make sure to select the option that "Overwrites All Files". It is normally set to only overwrite older files. If this is not changed you will receive errors when trying to run CLIP after restoring.
Do I need to backup only certain files?
No. Backup all files in the CLIP folder. CLIP uses multiple databases. If you forget to backup one of them correctly the program will not work.
Buying A New Computer
Moving CLIP vs. Installing CLIP
When you buy a new computer, you will want to “move” your current copy of CLIP rather than “reinstall” CLIP. If you simply install CLIP from your install disks, you lose all customer information, history, billing etc.
Your daily backups retain all your customer information as well as the actual program. When you move CLIP to your new computer you should not reinstall the program from the install disks. Your backup media (tapes, diskettes, Zip, Jazz, etc.) should be used so that you will have all your customer information in the new computer.
Moving CLIP from a computer running Windows 95
This move is a relatively easy one. You can use Windows 95 built in backup program that backs up your program to diskettes. Windows 98 can restore Windows 95 backups but Windows 95 cannot restore Windows 98. You find directions on how to back up in your Windows book or in your CLIP manual.
Moving CLIP from a computer running Windows 3.1
This requires a few more steps. Windows 3.1 has its own backup utility but it is not compatible with Windows 95/98. This means you cannot restore backup disks made in Windows 3.1 onto Windows 95/98, thanks to our friendly Microsoft Corp. This leaves you with the responsibility of transferring it. There are a couple of ways to do this. One is to bring in the old computer to a computer shop and have them transfer the information onto diskettes or onto the hard drive of your new computer in Win 95 format. The other option is to buy a backup device that works on both Win 3.1 and Win95/98. This can be a tape drive, zip drive, etc. This is one of the better options because backing up on diskettes each night can become cumbersome. Using the tape drive or Zip drive is much faster and easier. This requires you to install the backup hardware/software on both the old and new machine. Do not use the Windows 3.1 backup utility. You must “copy” the program or use the software that came with the backup device for both machines to read it. Basically the steps are: 1.Backup your program from your old computer onto the tape, zip, etc 2. Install the tape, zip, etc on the new computer 3.Restore the backup onto the new computer.
Windows ME or 2000 does not have a backup utility, what now?
When you install Windows Millennium Edition (ME), the Microsoft Backup tool is missing from the list of available system tools during Setup. Also, after you install Windows Me, the Backup tool is missing from the list of installed system tools. This issue occurs because Windows Me does not install the Backup tool. We have made the download available on our site to enable you to download and install the backup utility. Click Here to Download the file to your desktop. When download is complete, double click on the icon that was created on your desktop. This will install the backup utility. Click Here to read the Microsoft Readme info on installing the backup utility.