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-- Full HotSync Backups? (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=808)

Does the software that comes with the Visor allow you backup ALL data on your Visor to your PC? If so what program does Handspring use?

Thanks,
Peter

I don't believe that it automatically backs up everything. To that end, I purchased BackupBuddy. It does a nice job of keeping my backup directory in sync with my Visor and of archiving things that I've deleted.

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Thanks,
Jay

The Visor comes with Palm Desktop and Hotsync Manager. The former works as a PIM (Personal Information Manager) and the latter to control the connection or conduit between your PC and Visor.

Palm Desktop allows you an easy way to interact with the built-in application's data. i.e.: Change a meeting, enter 50 new contacts, ect.

HS Manager will backup the majority of your DATA, but only very FEW of your applications. This is based on a version of the old Archive bit that is set by the developer of an app. I have only heard that not everyone writes their software to NOT have HS backup their data files. In the last three years I have found NO SOFTWARE that does not backup it's data every HS. I have also found very few that backup your apps.

If you install all your apps yourself (as opposed to getting beamed apps) and you are well organised you should have all your apps safe and will not need to keep a live backup of your Visor's apps. In the real world it can be tough to be that organized. Backup Buddy does a great job of setting that bit when it detects a file that is new on your Visor. That way when you do a HS ALL your data and yout apps are backed up.

I found some files in Windows explorer that look to be backups of installed software on my visor. Could someone check this out and see if you have it too, and if so, what are they?

Go to Windows explorer\C:\program files\palm\then there's a file with my last name and first initial\Backup

then there's a list of all the "extra" software I've installed. They're all application and database files with dates of my hotsyncs. I don't have a backup utility so was quite surprised to find this. If I double click on one it will transfer it to my visor during the next hotsync.

I hope someone can figure this out better than what I've been able to.

If you want to do a full backup of everything you should get BackupBuddy at http://www.backupbuddy.com

It backs up all apps. It has saved me tons of time already when twice I had to Erase my Palm. Just synced up and everything was back to normal with all my apps back.

I guess the new springboard backup will do this also.

Sunnie:

You pretty much figured it out for yourself. If you hard reset your PalmOS device, everything in the backup directory plus the data for the built in apps will be restored the first time you HotSync after the reset. If an app or its database are not in the backup directory, they will not be restored. There is an archive bit on apps and databases that determines if they get backed up.

BackupBuddy ensures that every app and database gets backed up and restored. It also lets you select apps to not backup, like doc files or AvantGo files.

I have hard reset my PalmPilotPro both with and without BackupBuddy. Without, I spent a lot of time reinstalling applications, preferences and reg codes. With BackupBuddy, you press one buton and relax.

Unfortunately, BackupBuddy doesn't do well with data stored on the Springboard memory expansion cartridge, but you can't have everything.

For most use, BackupBuddy is an absolutely essential program.