Copyright: Copyright © 1995-1996, ING. Roberto Grassi


Table Of Content
GRBack

GRBack for Windows 95© and Windows NT©:

The fast way to make backups and retrieve data.

Installing GRBack.

Create a new directory and copy the files in the archive to that directory.

If you have System Agent from the Microsoft Plus! Pack installed on your system, the first time you run GRBack a System Agent Task is inserted automatically. This starts GRBack at every system startup. You can easily modify the scheduling options with the System Agent program.

Removing GRBack.

Simply delete the directory you installed the GRBack files in.

User Guide.

When you run the shareware version of the program, the About dialog box will appear showing the program version and the author's address. This information allows the user to register quickly.

Clicking the OK button will initiate the program execution.

The program uses a  property sheet dialog box interface with the following pages:

Backup

Zip Compressor

Advanced Options

The first page allows you to define the backup jobs. The second page lets you select the ZIP archive options. The third page is where you set special options.

Development Information.

GrBack for Windows® 95 Windows® NT (GRBack) was written in C + + with the Microsoft Visual C + + compiler  and the aid of the Microsoft MFC.

This program was developed and written by Roberto Grassi.

Many thanks to my wife, Michela, and our sons, Fabio and Ilaria for their patience and encouragement.

Epilog.

The help file has been kept small  since the program is very simple to use.

However if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. See Contact Information  for my mailing addresses.

I'm checking my email at least once a week.

Windows 95, Windows NT, Visual C + + and MFC are ® trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.


General Description

GRBack is a backup utility that lets you backup one disk drive onto another. This way, if a drive dies you can have a safe copy of its contents at another location. The program works with fixed, network, and removable drives.

To get the best use out of this program, you need to have at least two physical drives. This way you're protected from total hardware failures. If you have only one physical drive, you are only protected from some physical disk surface damages.

The program is designed to integrate with Microsoft's System Agent that you can find in the Microsoft Plus! package for Windows 95. (However, you don't need System Agent to use GRBack.) System Agent is a scheduler that can run different programs at specified times transparently to the user and in unattended mode.

GRBack allows you to perform an Incremental Backup (which saves time) or a Full Backup every specified number of incremental backups. This is done simply by checking an option.

GRBack will create PKZIP compatible ZIP files that you can use with the many available shells without learning how to use a new restore tool. Also, GRBack does not create a unique big archive file, but it transfers to the destination drive an exact copy of the source directory tree structure with a ZIP file for each source directory.

GRBack is completely configurable via simple $backup.??? files ( see Backup configuration files  ) placed in the source directories. These files allow you to skip the backup of certain directories, or to select only some files and to exclude other files. See Configuring your backup for more details.

GRBack accept the command line option /A to enable the Autostart Unattended mode. Starting the program with this option, instead of the typical Backup page you will get the AutoStart dialog box, that after a specified delay time, executes all defined backup Jobs.

During the backup execution, GRBack show you the Progress Report dialog box listing what archives are created or updated. The same information is also stored into the GRBack.log file created into the same directory where the GRBack.exe file reside. This file is opened in append mode until a full backup is done. When the full backup is done the GRBack.log file is restarted from zero.

Into this file are also stored the error messages to help the user to understand why some things does not works.

Some example of commonly encountered GRBack problems are:

•	already opened files (for write) that cannot be read

•	network drives that does not have the write permission

•	network drives connected to file systems that does not allows long file names (for the directories).


Backup

This dialog box allows you to define your backup Jobs.

This is a picture of the dialog layout:

The available tool tips let you get quick information about all the options in this dialog. When pressing the Help button you'll get this help page.

The first time you run GRBack, it automatically insert into the Jobs list box a default configuration based on the drives on your system. At any time you can build this default initial jobs list by pressing the Scan Drives button.

The first step is to define the Number of Backups before Full number. This number allows you to rebuild your archives from scratch when the specified number of incremental backups is reached. The Incremental Backups Counter shows you how many incremental backups remain before a full backup. This counter starts from the Number of Backups before Full number and decrements every time an incremental backup finishes. When the counter value reaches zero a full backup is automatically started. The full backup delete any previously stored zip archive into the specified destination directory tree (in recursive mode). The incremental backup is an update backup in which each existing archive is updated with the new files, or with a more recent version of an existing file. If the archive doesn't exist, the incremental backup becomes a full backup because all archives must be built from scratch.

The Force FULL backup check box allows you to bypass the previously described automatic incremental/full backup policy and force a full backup anyway. In this case, the Incremental Backups Counter is decremented since an incremental backup was done and isn't initialized to the Number of Backups before Full number. This option allows you to rebuild your archives, because you know that some important changes need the complete archive rebuild without modifying the Incremental Backups Counter. The Full backup obviously takes more time than the incremental backup, so use this option carefully. This option is here to allow the user to force a full backup without breaking the incremental backup counter sequence, and must be used only for one run and then removed.

You can customize the Jobs list box by editing the existing items or adding new items. To edit an inserted job, just double-click it on the list box, Or, you can press the Edit Job(s) button when the Job you want to modify is highlighted. This way you get the Edit Job dialog box that allows you to modify the currently selected Job. You can also append a new job to the list by pressing the Add Job button. Pressing it you get the Add Job  dialog box that allows you to define your Job. You can also delete the currently selected Jobs (one or more) by pressing the Kill Job(s) button.

The Select All button allows you to select all the Jobs with a mouse click. This operation is needed before you press the Start button to begin the backup on all listed Jobs. When you press the Start button only the selected Jobs will be executed and the Progress Report dialog box appear to show you how the backup proceed.

The About button let you see the program version and the author contact information.

The Quit button allows you to abort the backup and exit from the program without saving any modified option.

The Apply button allows you to save to the Windows registry all the current options, so that the next time you start the program you'll find your setup just as you left it. This button is enabled only when you change an option. The same effect is obtained when you press the Start button. In this case you save all your modified options and start the backup jobs.

The Delay to Autostart edit box allows you to define the Autostart timeout. When GRBack starts with the command line option /A ( or /a ) or when it is executed from the Microsoft System Agent, the AutoStart dialog box appears. This dialog box allows you to wait the specified delay seconds before automatically starting the backup of ALL the Jobs in the list. The Autostart feature is useful when you want to skip the backup for the following  reasons:

•	You have re booted the system and you have already done the backup.

•	There aren't any significant things to backup.


Zip Compressor

This dialog box allows you to set the available ZIP compressor options.

This is a picture of the dialog layout:

The available tool tips allows you to get a quick information about all the options in this dialog.

The Copy only (don't create ZIP archives) option disable the internal ZIP compressor at all. In this way you can simply copy your source files into the destination drive.

If the previous option is not checked you can proceed by selecting the Zip Options.

The Archive Mode group box has the following two radio buttons:

•	Update (only changed OR new files)

•	Freshen (only changed files)

The Update (only changed OR new files) option lets you, as explained in the parentheses, to insert into your ZIP archive the new files and update the existing files.

The Freshen (only changed files) option allows you only to update existing files. Possible new files will not be archived.

The Include System/Hidden files check box allows you to archive the System or Hidden files into your archives. This option is very useful when you want to backup vital operating system files in the root directory or in the system directory.

The Use Special Path for tmp files check box allows you to select a different temporary directory. When not checked, the tmp directory used is the directory where the destination archive will be stored. If you check this option, the Path edit box will be enabled, allowing you to specify the full path you want to set.

The Compression Level slider allows you to select the compression level from 10 possible values. The Min value just stores the source files (no compression), while the Max value allows you to minimize the archive size in spite of the program speed. A good value is an intermediate one to satisfy the size and speed needs. (The default value is 6.)

The Apply button allows you to save into the program's registry area the options you have selected. It is enabled only when you change an option.

The Start button begins the backup task of the currently selected Jobs ( see Backup Options ). When you press the Start button only the selected Jobs will be executed and the Progress Report dialog box appear to show you how the backup is proceeding.

The Help button display this help page.


AutoStart

The following dialog box appear when the program is run with the command line option /A (or /a ) or when it is executed by the Microsoft System Agent (SAGE).

The available tool tips allows you to get a quick information about all the options in this dialog.

This dialog box allows you to abort or configure the backup, as well as when GRBack is to execute in Autostart Unattended mode.

The number to the right of the Time to Autostart string is a countdown counter that shows you how many seconds remain before the program automatically starts and executes all the listed Jobs. If the program is run unattended by any operator after the countdown is terminated, the program automatically selects all Jobs and starts. This is the default condition.

In certain cases you may need to change the program configuration before the backup starts. In this case you can press the Enter Interactive Mode button and go to the Backup page.

Other times you need to abort the backup because you have already done it, or you have no time to do it now because you want all the computer resources for another task. In these cases you can press the Exit button and quit the program.

Other times you are at your keyboard when the system boots and GRBack starts. In this case you can stop the countdown and start the backup now by pressing the Start button.


Edit Job

This dialog box allows you to edit an existing Job.

This is a picture of the dialog layout:

The available tool tips allows you to get quick information about all the options in this dialog.

The Source combo box allows you to select the source drive for your backup Job.

The Destination combo box allows you to select the destination drive for your backup Job.

The Additional Path edit box allows you to enter an optional path name that will be concatenated to the default destination path name (in the figure A:\BAK_C\).

With the OK button you can confirm the source and destination and exit, modifying the currently selected Job.

With the Cancel button you don't modify the currently selected Job.


Add Job

This dialog box allows you to append a new Job to the current Job list.

This is a picture of the dialog layout:

The available tool tips allows you to get quick information about all the options in this dialog.

The Source combo box allows you to select the source drive for your backup Job.

The Destination combo box allows you to select the destination drive for your backup Job.

The Additional Path edit box allows you to enter an optional path name that will be concatenated to the default destination path name (in the figure A:\BAK_A\).

With the OK button you can confirm the source and destination and exit, appending the specified Job to the list.

With the Cancel button you don't append any Job to the list.


Progress Report

The following dialog box shows you information on how the backup is proceeding.

In particular, the Current Job string shows you the currently executing Job.

The Current Path string shows you the path name under analysis, and the Elapsed Time shows you the elapsed time since you pressed the Start button to begin the backup Jobs.

The Updated/Created List show you which destination archives are created or updated. You can navigate in this list, but when a new item is inserted the focus goes to the last inserted item. The whole contents of this list box is dumped to a file named GRBack.log located where the GRBack.exe file is. This way you can view what archives are created or updated after the backup is completed.

Also in this progress report dialog you will find an animated icon that entertains the user while GRBack works.


Advanced Options

This dialog box allows you to set some special options.

This is a picture of the dialog layout:

The page is divided into three areas:

•	Backup group.

•	Network Drives group.

•	no group.

Backup.

The Exclude directories edit box allows you to insert several directory names that you want globally skip during your backup. These names are not full path names, but simply directory names separated by a ';'. A default setting already defined by GRBack is to skip all "Recycled" directories in every source drive. Another directory people like to skip is "Temp" or "Tmp".  As shown in the figure you can append a '*' to the directory name. In this way you can skip all directories whose name start with the specified string. In the example I had inserted "Bak*" to skip all GRBack created directory and thus avoid the backup of the backup directories.

The Global File include edit box lets you to define some file extension that you want to backup. When this edit box string is empty GRBack safely assume that you want include all files (*.*). See Backup configuration files for more details.

The Global File exclude edit box lets you specify what are the file extensions you want exclude from all your backup Jobs. When this edit box string is empty GRBack safely assume you want to exclude nothing. See Backup configuration files for more details.

The Clear the file archive attribute after the file is inserted into the backup archive check box allows you to modify the source file attributes when a file is inserted into the $backup.zip archive. In this way, all the source files that go into the backup archive don't have the archive attribute on. This allows you to quickly see if a file was backed up or not by simply looking at its attributes.

The Create a directory list file for each source directory check box allows you to select if your destination directory tree should contain the $backup.dir files (checked) or not. The $backup.dir file contain the list of the source directory contents when the backup was started. This file can be useful to investigate why some files were not included into the backup and what was the original directory content.

Network Drives.

Into the Network Drives group you find two buttons.

The Connect ... button allows you to connect a network path to a new local drive.

The Disconnect ... button allows you to disconnect a local drive connected with a network path.

WARNING: Be careful when using these options, especially if you are not sure where your backup files will go. Consult your system administrator in order to best configure your backup Jobs.

Not grouped options.

The Enable Tool Tips Help check box allows you to enable (checked) or disable (unchecked) the tool tips help messages that appear every time you move your mouse cursor over an item. The first few times you use the program these messages can be very useful for you -- but after you become an expert, they might seem annoying.


What is GRBack ?

GRBack is a full 32-bit cross-backup utility written for Windows 95/NT. The purpose of this utility is to do a backup of a drive onto anther drive. This is known as a CROSS backup.

What's it for?

GRBack allows you to protect your data by making a safe and compressed copy of it onto another drive of your choice.

As the current cost of a hard drives is relatively inexpensive, the best way to protect your data is to install at least two physical hard drives and use GRBack utility to backup selected data from one hard drive to the other. This way, if one of your hard drives die, you have a safe backup on the other.

Another good way is to buy a 100MB Iomega ZIP drive and backup your drives into it. You can do the same using local area networks or removable hard drives.

The created backup archive IS NOT a unique BIG file. GRBack will create the exact directory tree as your original source files, plus a single ZIP archive for every source directory. This behavior simplifies your efforts when you want to restore specific files, because you will find the exact source structure of your drives in a subdirectory of the backup destination drive.

The generated archive ZIP files fully support long file names, so GRBack is fully integrated with Windows 95 and Windows NT.

Why use GRBack?

GRBack offers you many advantages over similar utilities, and over the standard Windows functionality. Here are some of these reasons:

•	It has an intuitive and easy to use interface.

•	It is fully configurable via simple ASCII files placed in the source directory.

•	It is fully integrated with the Microsoft Plus! System Agent (SAGE).

•	When you want to restore some files, it allows you to skip long backup path lists and go directly to the source directory in the backup tree where you know your file is and get it.

•	It compresses the source files with an industry standard format, so that many available shell extensions let you see its contents without having to learn special restore tools.

•	It fully supports network and removable drives. This allows you to select the appropriate destination drive for your backup data. You must however note that long file names cannot be copyed on network drives that only support short file names.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can be a GRBack backup archive restored in case of a system crash?

A:  No. More precisely, GRBack was designed as a DATA backup program. It assumes that the system is up and running, so it's not useful to backup your system files since with Windows 95 the long file name files/directories can't be restored from MS-DOS when Windows 95 isn't up and running.

Q: Why with compression level set to the minimum GRBack continues to create ZIP archive files? Is it still zipping the files?

A:  GRBack always creates a ZIP archive file in which it simply store the files when the compression level is set to the minimum. In this way the source files are always packaged together. If you want a simple copy of your files, you must select the Copy only (don't create ZIP  archives) option ( see Zip Compressor  for more details) .

Q: Does GRBack run on Windows NT?

A:  The current version was intensively tested under Windows 95. However some test were conducted also under Windows NT 4.0 without any problem.

Q: How can I exclude a whole directory without stopping the subdirectory backup?

A:  Simply insert the line "*.*" into the file $backup.exc created into the directory you want exclude.

Q: How can I restore the backup?

A:  GRBack does not actually offer a restore option. Instead, you can use any Explorer shell extension that allows you to view your ZIP files to navigate in the destination backup directory. The place where you find your file is the exact path you have always used, prefixed by a backup path. This path can be the standard X:\BAK_Y (where X is the source drive and Y is the destination drive) or a more complex user-specified path. See  Configuring your backup for more details).

Q: Can GRBack backup a file that is opened while it runs?

A:  Yes. If you have a file opened for modification, GRBack will backup your last saved version.

Q: Does GRBack ask me another removable disk media if the first become full ?

A:  Yes. You will have the option to insert another disk media and retry the operation that failed. Also you can retry the operation or skip it as you need.

Q: Why GRBack stop with errors if my destination disk is on a Windows 3.1/3.11 network drive ?

A:  The problem is related to the long file name support. As these operating systems does not support long file names when the program try to make a long file name directory this operation fails. A future version of GRBack will try to highlight this kind of errors.


About The Author
Ing. Roberto Grassi.

I'm a software developer since 1978 (BASIC language) when I received my first degree in Electronics. Then I started working and studying to become an Electronic Engineer in 1985 with full votes.

I write programs in 'C' since 1990 and in 'C++' since 1994.

Currently I write embedded applications in C/C++ language and I develop some (what I hope are useful) Windows utilities that I'm marketing via the shareware concept.

Please feel free to contact me if you need a software consultant and/or you want to start a business with me.


How to Register

Why register?

Registering this software provides the following advantages:

•	Registration qualifies you for technical support, notification of upgrades and maintenance releases and information about new products. You will be added to our E-Mail list and alerted when major new releases become available.

•	The license agreement (see License/Copyright ) allows the use of registered software both at your home and at your office. This guarantees that you are NOT in violation of Internationals Copyright law!

How to register.

You are guaranteed that your fees will be taken only after the complete registered program or the key registration file has been delivered to you (via e-mail or snail mail)!

In order to register, you must complete the form that appears by running the register.exe application that accompanies the software package. To run this register application, press the Register Now button on the About GRBack ...  dialog box that appear when you run the shareware version.

When you are inside the register.exe program, perform the following simple steps:

STEP 1: Enter all of your personal data.

Complete the "Register To:", the "Email" address and the "Postal Address" fields and, give us your comments if you wish.

STEP 2:  Select the software you want to register.

Specify the "Quantity" and the "License" type you want.

Here are the available License types:

Single user license gives you the right to you to use the program at your home and at your office.

Site license gives you the right to use the program inside a single organization for an area of up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) in radius.

Worldwide license give you the right to use the program inside a single organization all over the world.

STEP 3: Select the payment method.

You have several options: cash to the author (10% discount), check or money order, VISA, Master Card, American Express, First Virtual and Invoice.

STEP 4: Send the form.

If you have an e-mail connection, you can send this form directly to the "Kagi" shareware registration service. Otherwise, you can print the form and surface mail it to the address specified in the lower right of the dialog box.

What do you get after you register?

After you have sent the form to Kagi for processing you will get an Email note from "Kagi" that confirms that your payment has been processed. Also, you will get Email from the "Author" with your personal copy of the GRBack.key file (based on your personal data) attached. This key file is a license to use the program and will transform your shareware program into a fully registered one. It must be placed in the directory where the program executable resides.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

If you want any information about the program, please contact only the author (see Contact Information ). Please, be sure to include all your personal data in the registration form so that we can build your personal program registration key file!


Update/Support

Updates.

As soon as you are registered and until further notice, all updates are free, provided that you get the latest version of the software from an electronic archive. The latest update is simply located over the previous version. The important thing to remember is to  keep the file GRBack.key.

Where is the latest Shareware version?

If you do not have access to a modem, we will mail you a diskette with the latest available version when we receive your registration form and license fee.

Otherwise you can check one of the following home pages on the World Wide Web:

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/4866

http://www.ipsnet.it/netpages/room216

http://mini.net/cgi-bin/sax?2347

Moreover you can check the WINSHARE  forum on Compuserve under the Mem/Disk library.

Reporting Bugs.

If you find a bug in the program, you can report it to one of the addresses listed in the documentation. Please provide the following information:

•	An exact description of the bug and how it can it be reproduced.

•	The program version number. The version number can be obtained by pressing the "About" button.

•	Windows version (for example, 4.950). You can get the version number by opening the control panel windows and double clicking the "System" icon. The version number will be displayed on the "General" property sheet.

•	Fatal errors: The error address and the contents of the error box displayed by Windows.

Support.

If you have any problem please read Frequently Asked Questions .

If you still have questions or bug reports, you can reach us at the addresses listed in Contact Information .


Contact Information

Internet e-mail:

grsoft@kagi.com

Snail mail address:

Roberto Grassi

P.O.Box 48

Leumann (Torino), 10096

ITALY


License/Copyright
Software License/Copyright

Software License.

IMPORTANT - READ CAREFULLY: by installing and using this software product, you agree to be bound by the terms of this software license. If you do not agree with the terms of this user license, promptly remove this product from your machine.

Shareware Version.

You have a right to test this program for a period of one month.

Use of this product after the trial period of one month is in violation of International Copyright law! It is also unfair to the author, who has spent hundreds of hours developing this product.

You are allowed to copy this Shareware Version, and ONLY the Shareware Version, and give it to any other person, as long as it is not modified in any way. Modifications is understood to means changing, adding or removing any files in this package without the author's written permission.

Registration.

This program is neither freeware nor public domain. Use after the 30-day trial period requires registration.

See How to Register for details on registration.

Registered version (Personal license).

The registered version may be installed on a maximum of two computers, so long as it is ONLY running on one system at any time: i.e. one installation at home and one installation at the office and used by the licensee. The simultaneous use of this product by multiple personnel requires additional licenses.

The licensee shall not use, copy, rent, lease, sell, modify, decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, or  transfer the licensed program except as provided in this agreement.  Any such unauthorized use shall result in immediate termination of this license.

Multiple licenses (Site or Worldwide).

Multiple licenses allow an institution, company or school to install this product on multiple computers or on a server. The institution, company or school must guarantee that the program is not installed and run on machines that outside the license defined area.

•	Site license gives you the right to use the program inside a single organization for an area of up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) in radius.

•	Worldwide license give you the right to use the program inside a single organization all over the world.

All licenses will be issued in the name of the institution, company or school.

Each additional license also allows a single user to use the program at home.

The licensee shall not use, copy, rent, lease, sell, modify, decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, or  transfer the licensed program except as provided in this agreement.  Any such unauthorized use shall result in immediate termination of this license.

Liability.

We try to keep our software as bug free as possible. However, it is a general rule, Murphy's, that no software is ever error free, and the number of errors increases with the complexity of the program. We cannot guarantee that this software will run in every environment, on any Windows compatible machine, or together with any other application, without producing errors. Any liability for damage of any sort is hereby denied. In any case, the liability is limited to the registration fee.

Please evaluate this program with not critical data. We cannot guarantee the safety of your data. Should you detect errors before registration, the user accepts the program errors after registration. Any description of software errors will be accepted, but we cannot guarantee that the errors can be corrected.

All mentioned trademarks and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

The author's legal domicile is Torino, Italy.


Distribution

The distribution of outdated  versions of this package is prohibited without written permission of the author. If the software version you have obtained is over twelve (12) months old, please contact the author, see Contact Information , to ensure that you have the most current software version.

Vendor information.

The Shareware version of this program may be copied and given it to anyone so long as it is not modified in any way. Modification is understood to mean the changing, adding or removing of any files of this package without the written permission of the author.

Small additions to the package, such as the introductory comments or an installation batch file used by many shareware disk vendors are authorized.

This program can NOT be packaged with any commercial program or book.

A distribution fee may be charged for the cost of the diskette, shipping and handling. The distribution fee, per diskette, may not exceed US$8.00 in the U.S. and Canada, or US$12.00 internationally.

Users are encouraged to put this program on as many BBS systems as possible. The distribution on CD-ROM is also permitted, as long as the original files are not changed in any way. Please contact the author (see Contact Information) if you want to distribute the program with a different installation program, changed files etc.

This package CANNOT be sold as part of some other inclusive package.  Also it CANNOT be included in any commercial software packaging offer, without the written consent of the author.

All rights not expressly granted here are reserved to Roberto Grassi.

The author would appreciate copies of any articles written about this software package.  Please forward copies of any reviews, articles, catalog descriptions, or other information that is distributed regarding this package.

Thank you for your time and assistance in supporting the shareware marketing concept.

Vendor Update Program.

Most vendors have standard procedures for acquiring new files.  They get them from other vendors, BBSs, etc.  Most authors cannot afford to mail disks to hundreds or possibly thousands of vendors.  However, some vendors prefer to obtain programs directly from the authors.  If you would like to automatically obtain programs directly from us, then please help us to cover the cost.

Under our Update Program you can receive updates for an entire year for only US$10 per program.

To receive updates, simply send us a letter, see Contact Information , with your name, company name, mailing address, the name of the person, the program or programs for which updates are requested, and a check or money order for US$10 for each program.

All vendors participating in our Vendor Update Program will automatically receive any NEW programs which we may release while their Vendor Update Program is in effect.

The Vendor Update Program is only intended to help cover our expenses in those cases where a vendor desires to obtain the program directly.  If you have other means of obtaining our programs, then you may prefer not to use our Vendor Update Program.


Version History

May 1997 : Version 1.90.

•	Fixed some internal bugs.

•	Fixed bug when zipping filenames with special characters.

•	In the Zip Compressor dialog the option Include System/Hidden files has been moved outside the Zip Options group box. In this way you  can include system and hidden files also when copying.

•	The GRBack settings are no more stored into the system registry but  into a simple GRBack.ini file that reside into the same directory where  you have placed GRBack.exe. This allows the NT users to schedule  GRBack to run in unattended mode without any user logged in. As consequence when you run the first time this new version you must configure again the program settings before to start.

•	As on some systems the behavior was not well defined, the about dialog  box has been simplified and does no more shown the evaluation days.  Also the shareware version is now full functional and has only the initial nag screen.

•	The Log file has been expanded with more details. In particular a more detailed error diagnostic has been added.

•	When pressing the Scan Drives button on the Backup dialog the floppy drives are no more inserted into the Job list.

•	The automatically skipped directories: BAK* and RECYCLED has been internally removed. Now the user must specify them on the Advanced Options dialog  into the Exclude directories edit box. Also it is possible to append the character '*' to a directory name to skip all directories that start with a prefixed string. If the '*' is not present only directories that fully match will be skipped.

December 1996 : Version 1.80.

•	The backup configuration files $backup.* are now automatically included into the zip archive.

•	An option to enable the creation of the $backup.dir file (previously always generated) was added.

•	A new backup configuration file: $backup.skp can substitute an empty $backup.hlt file i.e. stop the backup of the directory and all its subdirectories that contain this backup configuration file. This configuration file take precedence over the $backup.hlt.

•	An option to completely disable the compression was added to the Advanced Options dialog box. In this way a simply file copy is performed.

•	Added into the Advanced Options dialog box an edit box to specify the files to include. The default value, when this edit is empty, is *.*. This options has a global validity i.e. it is valid for all Jobs.

•	Added into the Advanced Options dialog box an edit box to specify the files to exclude. This options has a global validity i.e. it is valid for all Jobs.

•	A more correct handling of the destination disk full condition was implemented. There is now a special dialog box to signal the user that the disk is full or the drive is not ready with a Retry option.

•	Fixed a BUG on handling file names with special characters (ASCII code greater then 128) into the generated zip archives.

•	Fixed a BUG in the Edit Job and Add Job dialog boxes when the Additional path edit box string start with the '\' character.

•	Fixed a BUG in the Edit Job and Add Job dialog boxes when the Source combo box contains a CD-ROM drive.

•	This version avoid to create empty directories i.e. directories that doesn't not contain any zip archive.

•	Modified the shareware program version. It does not stop the program from running after the 30 days trial period but only shows you how many days you are evaluating the program. It is up to you to stop from using the program if you are not a registered user.

•	Some other minor fixes.

November 1996 : Version 1.71.

•	Added a CD-ROM option as a possible backup source.

•	Fixed a bug in the shareware version's expiration time calculation that prevented shareware version 1.70 of the program to run after November 3, 1996.

•    Expanded the payment methods to allow an easier and automated registration of the registration of the program (see How to Register ).

October 1996 : Version 1.70.

•	Minors user interface refinements were made.

•	Added to the Advanced Options property sheet page an option to clear the source file archive attribute when it is inserted into the backup archive ( i.e. to mark it as already backed up ).

•	Added an About ... button on the Backup property sheet page to get more immediately the program information( version, contact etc... ).

•	Added an animated icon to the Progress Report dialog box to entertain the user while GRBack works.

September 1996 : Version 1.61.

•	Fixed some minor bugs.

•	Added network drives support.

•	Added SUBs drives support.

•	Added removable drives support.

•	Added an Advanced Options property sheet page to the main property sheet dialog. It allows the user to map a network drive, to enable/disable the tool tips messages and to define global backup exclude path names.

•	Added a user specified path name for every Job (see Backup ). This path will be appended to the default destination path X:\BAK_Y.

•	Enhanced the grback.log file. Now the information is appended on every incremental backup with a date/time stamp in order to have a complete backup history. When you make a full backup the log file will be restarted.

August 1996 : Version 1.50.

•	This is the first distributed shareware release.

GRBack exists now in English only.  If you would like me to provide translation of GRBack or the documentation in another language, please contact me (see Contact Information ).


Other Programs

GRDuw. (For Windows 95 only)

GRDuw is a 32-bit program that you can quickly duplicate diskettes. GRDuw has an easy and intuitive user interface and allows very quick operation. GRDuw performs a physical track by track copy. GRDuw can also format your diskettes or hard disks in an optimized mode and repair them should they fail. GRDuw includes a special feature to check your boot sector to verify if it is consistent and virus free. GRDuw can save and load diskette file images in binary form so that you can store your distribution diskettes on your hard drive for a fast diskette generation. GRDuw also accept a file name into the command line and also register the .dim extension into the explorer registry. Also you can create a desktop shortcut icon and drop on it a .dim diskette image file to run GRDuw and directly load the .dim file.

GRDuw is a MUST HAVE utility that enhances the power of your Windows 95 PC.


Configuring your backup

Include or exclude some files from you backup ZIP archive.

You can easily configure your backup Jobs by means of simple text files that you must place on your source directories. These files contain a list of file names that you want included or excluded from your backup archive.

See Backup configuration files for more details.

To better explain how these files work, suppose that you want to backup your Windows 95 user files but discard all the others files. You must create in your Windows directory (usually c:\windows) the file $backup.inc with the following contents:

*.ini

*.pif

*.dat

*.sys

where the '*' is a wild character that specifies any matching file.

For Windows 95 this same technique can be applied to your root directory where your system configuration files reside. You must create the file $backup.inc with the following contents:

autoexec.bat

autoexec.dos

config.sys

config.dos

The destination backup ZIP archive.

The created backup archive isn't a unique BIG file. The program will create an exact directory tree as your original source files and a single ZIP-compatible archive for every source directory. In the destination drive you will find a root subdirectory named BAK_? where the symbol '?' is replaced with the drive letter of the source disk. Also, if you have specified a user path in your Job the backup tree will be created taking it.

For example, if you want to backup the drive C: into the drive D: with the user specified path = User Name\Week1, the backup directory tree will start from the following directory: D:\BAK_C\User Name\Week1.

For every source directory GRBack will create a ZIP file named $backup.zip and a $backup.dir. The $backup.zip file is your backup archive. The $backup.dir is a text file with a listing of all the files in the source directory at the time the backup was executed. This file allow you to verify if your backup ZIP archive contains the correct files. Also, if your source directory has a $backup.inc or $backup.exc or $backup.hlt file it will be copied to the destination drive to give you evidence of the reason why some files present in the $backup.dir are not into the archive or vice versa are present.

Why the destination directory must start with BAK_ ?

This constrains comes from the cross backup concept. If you backup one drive into another and vice versa when the second backup start it will backup also the directory created by the first backup run. In this mode you waste useful disk space. GRBack will allow you to skip all the directories that start with the string "BAK" or "Bak" (case insensitive). To do this it will suffice that you place the string "Bak*" into the Exclude directories edit box that you find in the Advanced Options dialog. Also the "RECYCLED" directory must be inserted into this edit box if you does not want to backup the deleted files too. Previous versions of GRBack did all this stuff transparently to the user giving to it no way to include these directory in their backup. This version does nothing implicit and leave to the user the best choice of the directories to skip.

A Simple Example.

To better explain how the program works, let's take a look at this simple example: Suppose you have two drives -- drive C: and D:. And, suppose you have the following directory structure:

c:\win

c:\win\system

c:\win\system\vmm32

d:\works

d:\works\project1

d:\works\project1\res

Suppose that you don't create any $backup.??? file in any source directory. Also suppose that your specified Jobs doesn't have any user destination path to add to the standard one. You have inserted the following Jobs:

c:\ ----> d:\,

d:\ ----> c:

GRBack will cross-backup all files in all directories. It will create the following destination directories:

c:\bak_d

d:\bak_c

Inside each of these directories you will find the exact disk structure of the respective source drives:

c:\bak_d\works

c:\bak_d\works\project1

c:\bak_d\works\project1\res

d:\bak_c\win

d:\bak_c\win\system

d:\bak_c\win\system\vmm32

In each of these directories you will find two files:

$backup.dir	--> contain the complete source directory list.

$backup.zip	--> contain the compressed files.


Backup configuration files

The following are the files that the program can handle:

$backup.inc --> If a directory contains this file, all the files listed in it (wild characters are allowed) will be inserted into the directory ZIP file.

$backup.exc -> If a directory contains this file, all the files listed in it (wild characters are allowed) will NOT be inserted into the directory ZIP file.

$backup.hlt  -> If a directory contains this file, you have two possibilities. If the file is of zero length, then the program does not backup this directory and all its subdirectories. If the file has a length different from zero (It doesn't matter what its contents are), then the program  will backup only the current directory as specified by the files $backup.inc and $backup.exc if they are present.

$backup.skp  -> If a directory contains this file the program does not backup this directory and all its subdirectories.

Include files Precedence.

This is the include file precedence. The item 1. has the highest priority.

1.	The edit box into the Advanced Options dialog box.

2.	The $backup.inc if exist into the source directory.

3.	All files are included by default.

Exclude files Precedence.

This is the exclude file precedence. The item 1. has the highest priority.

1.	The edit box into the Advanced Options dialog box.

2.	The $backup.exc if exist into the source directory.

3.	No files are excluded by default.

Backup stop / skip Precedence.

This is the stop/skip precedence. The item 1. has the highest priority.

1.	The $backup.skp if exist into the source directory.

2.	The $backup.hlt if exist into the source directory.

3.	None is skipped/stopped by default.

Read carefully the Configuring your backup for a better understanding of the backup philosophy.


Informazioni

In questa pagina sono riassunte le informazioni generali del programma in lingua italiana. In attesa della traduzione completa delle istruzioni in italiano sono quì descritte le informazioni generali di immediata necessità.

Supporto.

Per qualunque problema riguardante l'uso del programma fare riferimento ai nostri indirizzi: Contact Information .

Registrazione.

E' possibile registrare la vostra copia del programma in diversi modi aggiuntivi rispetto a quelli standard previsti; vedi How to Register .

Il prezzo del programma è fissato in Lire 60000 ed i modi per registrarsi sono :

• Contrassegno (aggiungere Lire 9000 per le spese postali).

• Vaglia postale.

• Assegno non trasferibile.

• Contanti.

Affichè sia possibile compilare la vostra licenza d'uso occorre che voi inseriate nella busta (o vaglia) i vostri dati personali. In tal modo sarà possibile generare il vostro file di registrazione personale. Tale file vi verrà inviato via internet e-mail, se possedete un modem ed un abbonamento ad internet, oppure insieme all'ultima versione del programma su dischetto (ovviamente in questo caso dovrete aspettare molto più tempo).

I dati necessari sono:

• Nome Cognome

• Indirizzo postale

• Numero di telefono (opzionale)

• Indirizzo di posta elettronico (es. mio.nome@provider.it)

Distribuzione.

Potete divulgare la versione shareware del programma a chi volete purchè il pacchetto rimanga integro (cioè non siano sottratti dei file o aggiunti degli altri).

Ovviamente gli utenti registrati non devono divulgare il loro file di registrazione personale ed il fatto che esso contiene i dati personali dell'utente dovrebbe disincentivare questo tipo di divulgazione.