Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Cambridge, England, UK
Posts: 44

After a complicated saga with Handsprings European tech support (more detail below if you're interested) I now have to move all my stuff to a new Visor Deluxe.

However the backup module won't work with my old one (that was the initial problem) so I can't use that to copy everything.

Does anyone know how I can do a complete backup between two Visors (I have Windows 98), I don't really want to have to buy software for a one-time job (I hope it's only a one-time job).

I know from a previous hard reset (after the backup module first stopped working) how annoying it is to have to reinstall everything and find all the tiny little settings and things that haven't been backed up by HotSync.

Kev.


The Faulty Backup Module
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While I was working on a French subantarctic island I was using my backup module quite frequently in case my Visor got eaten by a seal or something (much more likely than you might think)

One day it stopped working, I couldn't phone tech support (it's amazing how much Inmarsat charge for satellite phone calls) so I tried a soft reset, a 'no-notify' reset and then a hard reset. None of them worked.

The fault involved the backup module software popping up a window to the effect that I needed to have the backup module installed to run the software. This is odd seeing as the software lives on the module as well.

When I got home I phoned tech support. They said it sounded like a fault on the backup module and that they would send out a new one. They also asked me to return the faulty one.

A while later I got a new Visor Deluxe! Being at least fairly honest I reported the extra Visor to Handspring, who said they would arrange for it to be collected.

Before I heard anything about collection a backup module arrived, so I tried it in my original Visor and it still failed to work. Looks like a faulty Visor, so it's just as well they sent me a new one, the new one works fine with the backup module.

Of course now I'm having to deal with both Tech Support and Customer Services to arrange things so that they expect the return of my old (faulty) Visor and not the new one.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Surfside, FL, USA
Posts: 113

BackupBuddy lets you perform a complete backup, and while it is commercial software, I believe they have a 30-day free trial. Good luck!

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: London, UK
Posts: 118

oops

Last edited by IanP on 02-23-2001 at 01:12 PM

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: London, UK
Posts: 118

quote:

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Written by James Hromadka's in his article on USBFile Mover
One interesting side-effect of USBFileMover is that you can copy hidden files that are on the module. I was able to copy FileMover to my Visor and run it with no module installed. If USBFileMover could work with other modules, this could be an easier way for manufacturers to update internal module applications.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Cambridge, England, UK
Posts: 44

quote:

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Originally posted by IanP
If this is true then it looks like USBFileMover could do the trick...

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: London, UK
Posts: 118

I could resist giving it a go...and it works!

The download includes 2 files a .prc and an .exe. Install the prc and open it, it displays a message saying its waiting for desktop connection. Now open the exe and away you go you can copy backwards and forwards from the Internal Memory to the PC.

I've only made a complete backup of my Visor so far and all went well. The file list transferred was identical to that shown in Filez - except the ROM (I guess I was hoping for too much!).

I've no experience of BackUp buddy, am I right to assume I've just achieved a manual equivalent?

NOTE: Copying files this way just zapped my battery by 10%, mind you the battery drains while its just sat in the USB cradle!

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Cambridge, England, UK
Posts: 44

quote:

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Originally posted by IanP
I could resist giving it a go...and it works!

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 80

Or you could download BackupAll from palmgear, use it, then hotsync.

Then hotsync the new visor and give it the same hotsync name.

Thats how I recovered from having to switch out my deluxe.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Cambridge, England, UK
Posts: 44

I ended up using BackupBuddy, but I wouldn't make a habit of it. The stupid thing just kept crashing during the restores but never got round to copying the HotSync name across so when I tried again it thought it was still a blank device.

BackupBuddy is now uninstalled.

In the end I manually installed a few programs from my backup directory, decided I didn't need some of the other stuff and so the whole thing wasn't really any better than a restore without BackupBuddy.

Kev.