Backing Up Data

It’s very important to keep backup diskettes containing copies of the files you create. You can copy data and program files several ways:

You can use the COPY or XCOPY command to copy individual files or groups of files.

You can use the DISKCOPY command to make an exact duplicate of a diskette.

You can use the BACKUP command to back up hard disk files to diskettes. Because BACKUP can split large files across two or more diskettes, it makes more efficient use of diskette space than COPY or XCOPY. It also gives you a way to back up files that are larger than the capacity of your diskettes.

DISKCOPY and BACKUP are described below. The COPY command is described in the previous section, “Copying Files.” See your MS-DOS manual for information on XCOPY.

Note

Alternative ways to perform the functions listed above are through the MENU and XTREE programs. See the sections on MENU and XTREE later in this chapter.

Using the DISKCOPY Command

The DISKCOPY command lets you make an exact copy of a diskette. (You cannot use DISKCOPY to copy to or from a hard disk.) Because this procedure copies the data byte-by-byte, the two diskettes must be of the same type; that is, you cannot use DISKCOPY to copy a 5¼-inch, 360KB diskette to a 3½-inch 720KB diskette. You can use the COPY command, however, to copy files between incompatible diskettes and to copy files to or from the hard disk.

Using MS-DOS With Your Computer 4-29