Hypothetical question:
Let's say your MOS desktop is the main (or only) system that you use. If the hardware - other than hard drive - fails and you don't have replacement parts or another MOS installation, how would you salvage all of your content from the HDD? I'm assuming you can get access to another Windows/Linux/MacOSX machine.

Perhaps you could make thar other computer to read MorphOS hard drive, if you can make it understand MorphOS' filesystem.

But MorphOS is so small you could make a full backup of it daily, to a small external device. Remenber that old "copy all clone" install procedure, when MorhpOS didn't have its setup wizard?

If the backup volume uses the popular FAT32 filesystem, you'll loose the file protection bits, which it's not a disaster, but it's a pain. Hint: In the MorphOS CD there's a little script to set those protection bits, as the files effecively come from a CD, which filesystem also doesn't have protection bits.

What do you to when the one and only windows system dies?

I guess you would get a relacement system. Problem solved.

Unless you give up your MorphOS hobby forever, you simply pick up a new Mac or other compatible MorphOS hardware and start over.

If you take the broken hardware as a sign to give up your hobby just get your drive to someone with a proper Mac or MorphOS compatible system and copy the data. Since its only music, movies and texts you won´t get any trouble, here.

And, even more important. There is always your backup, which allows you to install from scratch back to your privious system.

I currently use a simple tar/gzip script to backup my system drawer wise to a network drive. Flags are bad, but as already said. There is a script for system files and most other stuff can be fixed by a simple "protect s:#? s add".

So, no big deal!

Geit

[ Edited by geit on 2010/12/7 12:01 ]

> MorphOS is so small you could make a full backup of it daily,
> to a small external device.

I don't think that "all of your content from the HDD" only refers to MorphOS system files.

> If the backup volume uses the popular FAT32 filesystem,
> you'll loose the file protection bits

...and the filenotes.

Quote:

What about the executable protection bit, to be set in "C:#?" files at least? I thought it was mandatory...

@geit:
Good point that it makes no difference - it's about doing same in MOS as one would with any
other platform.

@others:
There are some good guides on this forum about backups already. So, to preserve all file metadata there are limitations to file systems one can use for backup e.g. SFS, IceFS, etc. If that was your only backup, could you mount that file system in another OS?

you can always have a backup hardware... a spare efika could do the trick for you...

bye, MarK.

I just setup more then one hdd and use primary as System disk and allways backup what i have on my system disk to diffrent drive.
i do this evertime i update my Morphos istallation and i dont have a partion thats bigger then must have form system, like 5gig or soo.
btw, i dont use the system disk to store my apps either. :D

X

I always found the usage of LHA the best backup ever :)

Just go to a CLI and use (assuming for example that your Partition you wanna backup is DH0:)

1> DH0:
1> lha -aezrx a TARGET:Backup.lha #?

TARGET can be any other Partition, NFS Drive, USB Stick etc...
That command will LHA everything from drive DH0 into an Backup.lha file maintaining all protection bits. If you also want the file compressed you can use the "Z" option instead of "z" in the declaration of the command.

System backup is the important part. For games etc, you can take a backup not so often. I guess if you have an MP3/Video collection on MorphOS, you can have these backed up in an external HD anywayz :)

[ Edited by mfilos on 2010/12/24 8:28 ]

come on, people, this is 2010, almost 2011. burn data DVD's, get a portable USB Hard Drive, flash drives, and so on. Amiga Forever lets you read amiga drives.......always backup your data.
Merry Christmas and Happy Festivas

I've got a replacement motherboard, spare hard drives, and a USB backup drive. I'm all set (wouldn't mind an extra power supply though).