Geos Backups.txt

				Geos Backups.

Greetings All,

	Having recently helped out a fellow Commodore Scenian, it struck me (not hard) that maybe a few fellow Geos users or new users for that matter may not know how to backup their valuable Geos Master disks. When purchased originally Berkeley Softworks gave you the ability to make 1 backup. Quite a revolutionary idea at the time. Has with all things it soon became possible to make more backups from 3rd parties.  There may have been others but the 2 that I know are Maverick and CMD. 

Maverick V5.

     This program of disks gives you the ability to backup practically any Commodore disk ever produced but most of all has its own Geos Section. With Maverick you can make backups of both Geos 64 and 128. This article only concerns the 64 version. Although I have made up lots of 128 backups I have not done any recently. Next article perhaps. From within Maverick you access the Geos section and depending on your fancy can make backups as follows.

First.
	From the Geos menu select Geos side 2 and when prompted select the boot64 option, you will then be prompted to insert and this is MOST important, an ORIGINAL GEOS MASTER or BOOT DISK. Copies of originals will not work; this illuminates any thoughts of piracy. Follow on screen prompts until finished. You have options of single or duel drive capabilities and once the process is complete, there will be 3 files on your new backup---Geos, G1 and G2. Next simply boot up your Geos system and transfer the following files to you backup. Configure Desktop, Printer Driver, Input Driver (mouse or joystick), all your Preferences and any other files that you may have. That is it, a new backup ready to boot up. You will notice that your new backup may boot up slightly slower, this is because the fast routines that Berkeley uses in an original are bypassed.

Second.
	
	This method also uses Maverick and although a bit longer to make than the above method is better because you do not loose the fast load routines. Make a copy of your ORIGINAL Geos disk, again copies will not work. Select the Geos section from within Maverick until you come to a menu screen with various options. One of these will be F7 to load the Geos Parameters. After loading the parameters, select Geos 2.0 and follow on screen prompts, depending on 1 or 2 drives (previously set up). After completion, you should see a message----Parameter Successful---Execute Again---Y/N. Select NO and re-insert the parameter disk. Next choose the Desktop parameter and follow the same procedure for Geos 2.0. Once finished you have a duplicate backup disk of YOUR MASTER DISK with fast routines in place.  That is it all done.



CMD.

	Cmd's geoMakeboot is probably the easiest way to make a backup of your MASTER disk. Again only ORIGINALS can be used. Format new disk and copy 2 files from the geoMakeboot disk, Geos and makeboot 64. Next copy the main files from your Master, Desktop, Configure, drivers, preferences etc. Then simply click on makeboot, wait till the screen returns and hey presto, you have created your backup. Again a bit slower than your original disk because the fast routines are bypassed. Not to serious when you consider that a wrecked backup disk is not much of a problem and can be replaced.

	Suggestions, queries etc are most welcome, even criticism if I have got it wrong.

                                                                     Dave Elliott