Backing Up OS/2 There are several ways to backup OS/2 and your files. The BACKUP and RESTORE commands are part of OS/2. They can provide an adequate backup if you choose not to purchase other backup software. Although these commands lack the Graphical User Interface (GUI) that makes OS/2 so user friendly, there is good reason for that. There are some files, SYS.INI and OS2SYS.INI for example, that are not backed up if the workplace shell is active. A GUI program would require the workplace shell in order to run. This limits the ease and ability of running a full backup. However, you may boot your OS/2 system from diskettes and run the BACKUP command at a command prompt to backup all OS/2 system files as well as all personal files. The BACKUP command works much like the DOS BACKUP command. Please refer to the Information icon for more information on BACKUP and RESTORE. Also note, that the Command Reference Book does not specifically mention that OS/2 accepts wild cards (*) and specific files or subdirectories, but it does. OS/2 also allows you to perform backups based on date and time. For those of you using a tape backup system and/or would prefer some more advanced features in your backup software, I have listed a few products and their descriptions below. This information was obtained from the Summer 1995 Catalog of Indelible Blue (1-800-776-8284). BACKMASTER v1.1a by MSR Development $69.00 Supports QIC 40/80, CMS FC- 10/TC-15, IOMEGA FAST FLOPPY CONTROLLER, IOMEGA 250 PARALLEL PORT II, COLORADO TRAKKER, and more. Special features include automatic verify and bi-directional DOS compatibility. SYTOS PREMIUM v2.1 by Sytron $139 Supports Colorado Memory tape drives and more. Powerful features include emergency disaster recovery, a graphical multiple event scheduler and built-in autoloader support. SYTOS PLUS FOR CMS POWERTAPE v1.38 $179.00 SYTOS CMS JUMBO 250 v1.36 $95.00 DUALSTOR by IBM $46.00 Supports a wide variety of QIC 80 and Servo-Track formats including CMS Jumbo 250, IOMEGA and more. Special features include data compression and network support. BACKUPWIZ by PCX - The PC Experts $99.00 - $175.00 Allows backup to floppy disks and SCSI tape units. Special features include support for long filenames, HPFS, EAs and QFA. NOVABACK PM by Novastor Corp. v1.01 for SCSI $69.00 and v3.01 for QIC $79.00 Supports ASPI interfaces and QIC drives. Special features include unattended backups, data compression, subsystem diagnostics and on-line help. ARCsolo by Cheyenne Software $225.00 Provides reliable backup and restore for OS/2 workstations and LAN Servers. Special features include drag and drop workplace shell integration, enhanced automation and comprehensive disaster recovery. BACKUP AGAIN/2 PRO by Computer Data Strategies $99.00 Supports SCSI tape drives, Bernoulli Boxes, Sysquest, LAN-attached drives, floppy diskettes, optical disks and more. Special features include graphical user interface, HPFS386, password protection, selective backup and recovery, data compression, full command line disaster recovery tools and multiple concurrent scheduling methods. PERSONALLY SAFE 'N' SOUND by IBM $79.00 Supports backups to diskette, LAN, optical drives and hard drives. Special features include 32-bit multitasking, graphical user interface and scheduling automation. ADSM/2 by IBM $978.00 (Server with 10 Clients) Supports heterogeneous networks, AIX, DOS, HP-UX, MACINTOSH, NETWARE, OS/2, SCO UNIX, SOLARIS, SUNos, ULTRIX, OS/400 Systems, VM systems and MVS systems. Special features include support for networking protocols such as TCP/IP, APPC, NetBIOS, Named Pipes, and IPX.SPX. If you have any questions about this procedure, please post a note in the appropriate topic or forum area. Be sure to include your OS/2 version and your model number (i.e., 2155-G82).