Distribution Summary
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
grbakp54.zip GRBackPro: professional backup for Windows XP/2000/NT/Me/98/95 v5.4.xx
Size: 629KB
Release Date: 15 May 2002
Categories: WinXP, Win2000, WinNT, WinMe, Win98, Win95, backup utility, file utility,
system utility
Replace file: grbakp53.zip, grbakp52.zip
Special HW Requirements: none.
Review
~~~~~~~
GRBackPro is a data backup program for Windows XP/2000/NT/Me/98/95 designed to easily solve your backup problems at a low price. You can define multiple backup sessions each having different options. Each session can contains many Jobs. Any Job can backup a whole disk, a single folder or few files. An integrated restore facility allows you to quickly maintain two or more PC aligned. GRBackPro has an integrated scheduler to make your backup automatically start without your intervention. You can install it as a Windows XP/2000/NT or Windows Me/98/95 service to have your backups start even if no users are logged in. GRBackPro support network, floppy, Hard drives, CD-RW and all removable hard drives (NO Tapes). GRBackPro is full featured with many professional options. GRBackPro comes with a setup program for an easy installation. GRBackPro is year 2000 compliant and has been selected as the Microsoft and WUGNET shareware pick of the week for Windows Me/98/95 and Windows NT.
Best rated with five stars by ZDNet.
Detailed Description
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GRBackPro is a Windows XP/2000/NT/Me/98/95 professional backup program that
helps you maintain your vital computer data. It can recreate your source
folder tree into the destination drive (or a single compressed
archive) and for every folder it can copy your files or create a pkzip
compatible compressed archive with long file name support and password
protection.
You can run a full, incremental or differential backup of your files.
You can synchronize your backup files/directories with your sources. The
integrated scheduler allows you to run the backup at predefined moments
without your intervention. Your backup is fully configurable via the
user interface or with simple text files placed in your source
directories.
The program comes with a setup program that allows you to install,
evaluate and uninstall the package leaving your system perfectly clean.
Follows the major GRBackPro features:
* Support for network, CD-RW (Packet Write), fixed and removable drives (like floppy,
Iomega ZIP/JAZ, LS-120, SyQuest and other similar).
Tapes are NOT supported unless they have a drive letter.
* Support network UNC names.
* Running as NT Service can Logon to any account.
* Can store backup files/archives on multiple removable media.
* Can run as Win 2000/NT or Win 98/95 service process.
* Fully customizable: include, exclude files; exclude, skip directories.
* Backup a single file or folder or even a complete disk drive.
* Integrated restore facility.
* Integrated scheduler.
* Create PKZIP 2.0 compatible archives with long file names support.
* Support PKZIP standard password protection scheme.
* Backup modes are: Full, Incremental and Differential.
* Allows you to copy files instead of compress them.
* Recreate exactly your source directory structure so that you can
easily navigate into the backup archives and restore single files.
Optionally can backup to a single archive with stored path names.
* Synchronize the backup archives with the source files/directories.
* Run in the background and it is actionable from the tray icon bar.
* Can start the backup at Windows shutdown or shutdown Windows at
backup completion.
* All backup activities are notified into a detailed log file.
* A report dialog allows you to view and extract selected activities.
* Print facility.
CD-RW support
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GRBackPro cannot directly write to a CD-R nor a CD-RW media because it cannot
sustain the minimum data rate the CD drive REQUIRES. You have however the
chance to install a packet write software so that you will be able to use
GRBackPro to backup to a CD-RW media like you normally do to a floppy for
example. This software drive virtualizes the CD-RW media allowing any
application to read and write to the CD media without any limitation to the
data rate because this problem is handled by this software driver.
GRBackPro can write to packed write formatted CD-R or CD-RW media and span on
multiple disks if your source files does not fit in a single CD-R or CD-RW.
Examples of packet write software drives are: Adaptec DirectCD and Ahead InCD.
You can find them at http://www.roxio.com or http://www.ahead.de
NOTE: we have seen that the CD writer device that can read at high speed (>=30x)
but write at 2x, 4x, 8x, 10x can be slow when you execute an Incremental backup.
This is due to the fact that this backup mode need to frequently switch from
write to read and back to write. As the normal CD writer read speed is high the
CD writer has to change the spin rotation of the CD and thus every time the backup
software switch from write to read and vice-versa the CD writer has to spend
additional time to change the spin rotation and wait it stabilize.
To overcome this problem you have to change your packet write driver settings in
order to set a read speed near or equal to the write one.
What's New on version 5.4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This version fixes all version 5.3 problems. They were:
- Fixed: Not complete file/folder delete from disk full dialog.
VERY IMPORTANT: previous program versions do not completely delete all
folders on Full backup mode. If you were using this bug as a feature you
may lost your previous backup folders when you upgrade to this version.
- Fixed: Few more internal problems on full backup mode.
- Fixed: Diagnostic about temporary storage disk full condition.
- Fixed: Now the program main window can be moved when the backup is running.
- Fixed: Scheduler never "force full backup" problems.
- Fixed: Including files with brackets in file name does not include them.
- Fixed: After the scheduler has run a backup if the machine suddenly reboot the
last executed time was not stored so that after the reboot the backup
start again (i.e. the previous run time was not stored).
- Fixed: Using the backup at shutdown only execute once if repeated shutdown
happen.
- Fixed: The Restore procedure showed a long Analysis phase.
- Fixed: Some system folders were not shown when browsing in Job Add/Edit dialog.
- Fixed: Backup synchronization does not delete read-only files.
- Fixed: Restore synchronization does not delete hidden/system files.
- Fixed: Zip compressor: if a file read error occur the resulting zip archive is
not complete (i.e. the central directory is not well written).
- Fixed: When running as a service under Windows XP/2000/NT the AddJob dialog does not
correctly login.
- Fixed: When a Job has skip folders defined and it is executed, then the next
backup will still skip that same folders (i.e. the skip folders option is not
reset at backup completion).
- Fixed: Restoring to a disk near full does not shown disk full error.
- Fixed: When restoring from an NT machine unpacked files erroneously have DOS 8.3
truncated names.
- Fixed: When the program start for the very first time it display a message that
states the Backup configuration file need to be updated (in reality it does not
yet exist).
- Improved: Add/Edit Job dialog is now displayed more quickly.
- Improved: Documentation.
- Changed: Button Close has been renamed to "Hide".
- Changed: The backup execution at Windows shutdown has been changed in order
to be more compatible with what Windows requires.
- Changed: The folder creation and deletion on the destination drive has been
optimized.
- Added: Job list popup menu selections to change source and destination folder
name.
- Added: Possibility to quit or shutdown windows after a backup run (if no errors).
- Added: Confirmation request before to start a Restore operation.
- Added: Possibility to shutdown and power off after a backup run completes.
- Added: Delay at shutdown parameter in order to be sure the disk cache correctly
flushes.
- Added: Volume label is now set on destination disk at every disk full condition.
- Added: File and Folder details when deleting destination disk.
- Added: When a full backup mode is selected the program now check if the
destination disk is empty. In this case it will no more ask to delete
existing files.
- Added: The new Log file mode "Debug" has been added so that some technical
information has been moved out from the Log file mode "Detailed". In
this way the "Detailed" is more cleaner from the user point of view.
- Added: The disk full dialog now remember the last selected action.
- Added: Log report entry to signal when a file is not backup but it has a size
different from the destination file.
- Fixed: Zip archive version has been changed to 0 (DOS) so that many more unzip
software can read the archive file attributes.
- Fixed: The scheduler didn't take into account the daylight saving.
- Fixed: Killed an extra delay when windows forces program close (shutdown, reboot).
- Fixed: When backing up with a single zip archive as a destination the program
erroneously shown a wrong statistic on the progress dialog and on the Log file.
- Changed: When running as a service the Close command [x] has been mapped directly
to the Hide button. If necessary, the service must be stopped from the control
panel.
- Changed: In Full backup mode the program now delete the destination disk folders
during the analysis phase instead that during the Execution phase. This avoid
that previously backed up folder can be erroneously deleted.
- Changed: the new option "At backup completion do: ." has been moved from
the Options dialog to the Backup dialog so that it can be enabled or disabled
on a per backup Session basis. The option has been also renamed to
"On Manual backup completion do: ." so that it is more clear that this
option is active ONLY when the backup is manually started by pressing the
Backup button.
- Added: Files that compared to the destination only differ on the file attribute
will now backed up only if the file date and time are the same.
- Added: In order to have the backup safely start and complete at Windows shutdown
the program has been modified in order to stop the Windows shutdown procedure.
When the backup is complete the program has to display a new shutdown dialog
box asking the user what to do because Windows does not notify any application
what kind of shutdown was originally requested. To avoid this extra dialog box
a new selection has been added in the Add / Edit Scheduler Event dialog to the
right of the option "At Windows shutdown" so that the user can define a default
action to do without to have the extra dialog. If you select "Ask me at runtime"
from this new selection, the program will display the extra dialog again.
- Fixed: When renaming a backup session the scheduled events were not copied to
to the new backup session.
- Fixed: bug when copying files. File attributes were not always copied.
- Fixed: Command line option /Q in some cases start a Windows shutdown.
- Fixed: Excluding file whose name has one or more spaces does not work.
- Fixed: A damaged log file could block the program execution.
- Fixed: When pressing the Empty List in the Job dialog the program now ask
confirmation.
- Fixed: Zip compressor now test to not overcome the zip archive limit of 2GB.
- Fixed: Zip compressor now skip source files greater than 2GB not supported
by the zip archive.
- Added: Support for the new Windows XP visual aspect.
- Fixed: the skip folder list in the add/edit job dialog can be 1024 characters
but the program internally was using a shorter length.
- Added: new option in the backup dialog to select if you want or not the JobSrc
path name in the destination layout path name.
- Added: in the progress dialog the file sizes are now converted to KB or MB as
needed. This make them more readable.
- Added: when running the post backup application the program now wait execution
completion before to proceed.
- Added: pre and post backup application execution is now traced in the log report
file.
- Updated: Setup application to allow the user to decide if keep some user files
or let setup delete them.
#### Latest Build Changes ####
- Added: Tip of the Day
- Fixed: When running as a service and the backup mode is Full, the program
doesn't shown the delete previous backup confirmation dialog.
Install
~~~~~~~~
Unzip the distribution archive in a temporary directory and run the
Install.exe program.
The Install procedure will copy all the needed files where you want and will
register the program on your system. It will allows you to add a desktop
icon, and to list the program into the "Start Menu" or into the "Start
Menu \ Programs" menu.
It also registers itself into the Control Panel to allow a quick and
FULL Remove.
NOTE: You can install this version over a previous one if the program is not
running.
Remove
~~~~~~~
From the "Control Panel" - "Add/Remove Programs" you can quickly remove
the program (completely) from your system how the Windows standard
requires.
License
~~~~~~~~
Shareware is NOT Freeware ! This is NOT FREE software.
The evaluation license allows you to use this software, for evaluation
purposes only, without any charge for a period of 30 days. After the 30
days evaluation period you have to buy the program license if you want
to continue to use it (see the help file for details on how to).
The shareware concept allows you to buy the program license ONLY after
you have fully tested it on your system.
Please support the shareware concept, we must live selling our software.
Buying a License
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This software product is licensed at ONLY 59 US$
(site licenses at 2000 US$ and world-wide licenses at 3000 US$).
Accepted Credit cards are: VISA, MasterCard, EuroCard, American Express,
Optima, Discovery, Dinners Club, JCB Card and Carte Blanche.
You can also register this product directly on the WEB (with a secured transfer protocol):
http://order.kagi.com/?LU&S
or by phone (USA):
+1 (510) 658-5244
or by FAX (USA):
+1 (510) 652-6589.
For those interested in, the Kagi FEIN number is 943-281-839.
Please run the register.exe application, fill out the form in any part
and then follows the program instructions for delivery.
From inside the register.exe application you can also print and Invoice.
Disclaimer of Warranty
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This software and the accompanying files are provided "as are" and
without warranties as to performance of merchantability or any other
warranties whether expressed or implied. Because of the various hardware
and software environments into which this software may be put, no
warranty of fitness for a particular purpose is offered. Please use the
Shareware concept and try this software before to buy it.
Any liability of the seller will be limited exclusively to product price
refund. This software is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that The
Shareware Principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a
shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member
directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you
resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide
technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP
Ombudsman at 157-F Love Ave. Greenwood, IN 46142 USA, FAX 317-888-2195
or send e-mail to [email protected].
Distribution
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freely distributable as soon as the files inside the compressed archive
aren't modified in any way. Other text file can be added to the archive.
Please contact GRSoftware (see below) for a written permission.
Resellers
~~~~~~~~~~
Ask our reseller conditions to: [email protected].
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roberto Grassi
GRSoftware
P.O.BOX 48, 10096 Leumann (Torino) ITALY, EUROPE.
Internet E-Mail: [email protected], [email protected]
Internet Web site: http://www.grsoftware.net