Return to the Main FAQ's PageFAQ # 46
ALL-WaysTM Support
Which ALL-Ways files should I back-up?
First, if you are not backing up your key files, you absolutely should be. Remember, it is not "if" your hard drive will crash. It is only a matter of "when" your hard drive will crash.
The ZIP function in the ALL-Ways Toolbox Module can be used to compress and save your key files onto floppy disks. If you use this method, then it is important to back-up your Race Database, History and IV Profile files. Doing so will protect your valuable Race Database, your Handicapping Profiles and your race History files that are used to update track Pars, Daily Track Variants and Track-to-Track adjustments. However, because ALL-Ways files are so large, this process will eventually be very time consuming and will require a large number of disks.
We strongly suggest that you invest in a ZIP Drive or a Tape Backup Unit. Here is a reprint of an article in the ALL-Ways Newsletter for January 1998.
BACKING UP KEY FILES
It is not "if" you will have a hard disk crash but "when". The best way to avoid the problems caused by a hard disk crash is to regularly back up key ALL-Ways software files. Early on, it is practical to use the ALL-Ways software Toolbox to automatically Zip backup copies of these key files onto floppy disks. As your Race Databases grow, however, you will find it is much faster and easier to use a larger storage medium than floppy disks. You can purchase an external Iomega Zip Drive for about $150. The removable Iomega Zip Disks hold 100 million bytes of data compared with 1.44 million bytes on a floppy disk. One or two Zip Disks will hold your entire FRANFILE directory/folder. You can purchase an external magnetic tape backup unit, also for about $150. These use removable magnetic tapes that hold billions of bytes of data, enough to back up your entire hard drive. We strongly recommend you protect the investment you have in your Race Databases by purchasing one of these backup devices.
We prefer the tape backup units. The first time you back up your complete hard drive it will take an hour or so. It is automatic, so you do not need to stay around while the backup takes place. Thereafter, you can instruct the tape unit to do an incremental backup, which means that only changes to your files that occurred since the last backup will be backed up this time. This process takes but a few minutes and it is all automatic.
You should have a regular backup routine. Download the ALL-Ways software data files and the Flash Results files from BRIS into your FRANDATA directory/folder. Retain these files until the next backup is completed. When the backup is completed, you can discard (delete) the data files and results files. We suggest you backup all the files in your C:\FRANFILE directory or folder.
So, if you have one of these fast methods to back-up your large ALL-Ways files, here is what we suggest. We suggest you back-up your files every two weeks or so. Specifically, we suggest you copy the entire contents of your C:FRANFILE directory\folder to your back-up disk or tape. When you have done this you no longer need any files in your C:FRANDATA directory\folder. This surprises some people when we tell them this. The fact is that, after you have processed the ALL-Ways data file and the Flash Results file, ALL-Ways never again uses these files because all the data is now in the Race Database for the track. The only reason to keep these files in your FRANDATA directory\folder is in case you need them to restore your Race Database. After you back up your FRANFILE directory\folder, you should retain the ALL-Ways data files and Flash Results files in your FRANDATA directory\folder until you back-up your FRANFILE directory\folder again.