System folder D to C (again?)

[nigelp]

I regulary copy the C drive to CF card using the ctrl Y function. If I have to reset the machine away from home do I just make a copy of the System folder in D and then paste to system folder (now empty) in C. Do all the extra bits also then become downloaded ie. games etc?. Also if i put that Cf card in a empty psion will all the goodies on it also transfer or do I have to do something? Thanks

[diem]

If you are using this as a method to give you a backup/restore facility away from your PC, I suggest you look at one of the very good 'backup-to-CF' applications out there (there's 3 or 4 of them I've seen) - I use Ralph Sprenger's Backup.

To make the system work, install this app to your backup CF card, then also back up to it. From then on, you can completely reset your Psion, then just pop the CF in, run the app, and select Restore...

[MikeMcC]

I regulary copy the C drive to CF card using the ctrl Y function.
I back up my "C" drive to Compact Flash using the same Ctrl-Y disk copy function, but the copy of "C" drive goes into a folder on "D" drive, not into the root, so that the contents of the folder can be copied back and don't become confused with, for example, files in the System folder in "D" drive.

[nigelp]

Mike using your method I would just copy C to D into say a folder called HELP and to restore copy the contents of HELP into the system folder on C? Scared to try it but could rstore from computer!!

[MikeMcC]

Originally posted by nigelp
Mike using your method I would just copy C to D into say a folder called HELP and to restore copy the contents of HELP into the system folder on C? Scared to try it but could rstore from computer!!
I copy my "C" drive to a folder on "D" drive called _C_Backup and the reason for the underscore character at the start is so that it appears as the last folder in the System screen on "D" drive.

To restore my "C" drive, I would go into the _C_Backup folder, highlight all of the files and folders shown (i.e. all of the immediate sub-folders and all of the files at the top level within the backup folder) copy them, move to the root of "C" and paste them in.

[nigelp]

Thanks I will try it later after performing a hard reset, a dummy run will be better than panicking when iam away with my Psion. I can always restore anyway if things go strange!! Will the applications on the D drive transfer to another psion ( If I had an empty spare) or would they have to be individually reloaded?

[MikeMcC]

Will the applications on the D drive transfer to another psion ( If I had an empty spare) or would they have to be individually reloaded? That's a rather ambiguous question.

If you mean can the files you copied into a backup folder be copied back to a different Psion, then "yes". They are just files.

Applications which were originally installed on "D" drive are a different matter and these may have to be reinstalled from the installation files if you want them in "C" drive of a different machine.

[nigelp]

Sorry what I meant was say I have Opera downloaded to D on the CF card on this Psion 1 and I pop the CF into another (Psion 2) will Opera work or would I have to reinstall from original sis.

[MikeMcC]

I don't use Opera but would think that if you backed up Psion1's "C" drive to a folder on "D" then transferred the CF card to Psion2 and copied the contents of the backup folder to Psion2's "C" drive, Psion2 should behave exactly the same way as Psion1 did with the CF card present, because all the .ini files and anything else which needs to be on "C" drive is there again.

The exception to this is any program whose registration code is tied to the "Unique ID" of a particular machine.

[netBookBabe]

Originally posted by nigelp
... what I meant was say I have Opera downloaded to D on the CF card on this Psion 1 and I pop the CF into another (Psion 2) will Opera work?
Straight answer, specifically relating to Opera - yes, it will! :D

Julie

[netBookBabe]

Nigel

My post about Opera was a little hurried earlier on, sorry (other problems taking priority).

Basically, I find that the majority of applications installed to drive D: on either my netBook or my MC218 will work when the CF is transferred to the other machine. As Mike says, there will be some shareware apps where the registration code is specific to the machine you install it on (TomeRaider is an example).

It always amazes me that I can transfer the card in a flash (oops! - NPI) and everything works.

Incidentally, those "other problems" I referred to are very much PC-related - thinking of chucking it out the window and relying totally on the Psions! And I'm NOT kidding!

Julie

[nigelp]

Thamks that answers all my questions!! I often take my Psion to the mountains, backpacking etc. In the future I may travel abroad for a while using my Psion as a Guidebook, diary, reading book well everything, and may have another at home just in case that can be sent out to me if something strange happens and all backed up to a CF card. what a wonderful machine the Psion is!!!

[netBookBabe]

Nigel, you did understand that for the interchange between machines to work you have to actually install the app to drive D: in the first place - not just copy across from C:?

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious here, but I just wasn't positive what you meant by "downloaded to D".

By the way, if I'm travelling, I usually take a spare CF containing the .sis files of my essential apps, just for reassurance. I've never had to use it though. Wonderful machines, indeed.

Julie

[nigelp]

Yes I usually install to D now to save space on C. How do you send the .sis to the spare CF I find that when I use 'send to command' from the PC the EPOC installer opens automatically?

[nigelp]

Forget that it worked OK this time just me being a numpty! Will get another CF and put all my downloads on it. Thanks Nigel;)

[netBookBabe]

By the way, Nigel, remember that .sis files are by default deleted from the Psion once the installation is complete. In this case you probably would not want that to happen.

Either make a copy of the .sis you want to use, and install from that, or there is an option in Control Panel > Add/Remove > Preferences to disable the auto-deletion.

Julie

[nigelp]

No did not realise this! Amaxing how much these Psions can do and how much You, Mike and Diem know and kindly pass on to us with our daily questions. Thankyou all, learnt loads thanks to this forum!! :D