BEGPAN3.CVP   931015
 
                         Save What You Can
 
OK.  Maybe we don't yet know what is wrong, but if the computer is
still running, we can start some salvage operations.  Let's do a
backup.
 
You did one just yesterday?  Great!  Let's just check it to make
sure.  Try to "restore" one of the files - a data file, for example
- preferably to another computer (hopefully one that isn't
infected).  If the operation goes smoothly, and the file checks out
OK once restored, then you can go on to the next section (1.2) on
how to get started with the recovery.
 
The reason for checking out the backup is that some viral programs,
boot sector infectors especially, can ruin diskettes, or at least
the data on them. Some backup programs, particularly the fancier,
commercial ones, use a proprietary disk format to speed up the
process and cram more stuff onto each disk.  If those specially
formatted disks get infected with a boot sector infector which
expects a standard DOS disk, the backup could be corrupted.
 
When we do our backup, then, let's not get fancy.  Use a simple
method.  Wherever possible - as simple as copying each file,
individually, if you can.
 
What?  Copy each individual file for Windows and all your Windows
apps?  No.  Don't bother with the programs.  If it turns out that a
bunch of your programs are infected, the best thing to do, anyways,
is erase and re-install them.  Besides, the programs aren't the
valuable parts.  How much did that really extravagant database
program cost you, anyway?  $500?  Even if you don't have the
original disks to install it again, you can run down to the store
and get another tomorrow.  It's only money.  Ah, but your client
file.  *That* you've been working on for five years; more, if you
count all the time spent on it before you got the computer.  How
many hours would it take you to re-enter all that data?  Do you even
*have* all the bits and pieces written down in other places?  You
can't go down to the store and buy another copy of that file, so
that is what you should be backing up.  It's your data that is
really the valuable part of the system, not the programs.  And,
funnily enough, your data probably takes less time to backup.
 
If you are on a network, backing up can be as simple as copying all
your data onto the server.  This is especially so if the server is a
different type of machine (eg. you are working on a PC or Mac, and
the server is a VAX).  Don't worry if the system operators yell at
you for exceeding quota:  this is an emergency, and they are always
yelling at somebody, anyway.
 
Of course, the best solution is to back up both ways.  Redundant
backup, it's called.  Poor choice of words.  If something crashes, a
backup is *never* redundant.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993   BEGPAN3.CVP  931015
 
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