Compaq Restore Utility (CE2)

Whether on the road or in the office users can now Backup and Restore the entire Compaq PC companion memory to a PC card Flash RAM card. PC companion customers can now carry their handheld and a PC card-based backup copy of their data with them at all times.
The PC companion stores all data in RAM (Random Access Memory). This includes all your personal information and any third party applications. The Compaq PC Card Backup and Restore utility is designed to backup all information stored in RAM in the event that you lose your data.

Depending on your PC companion usage you may want to perform a backup using the PC Card Backup Utility as often as once per day. If you should ever lose your data, then you can use the PC Card Restore Utility to restore all of your data in a matter of a few minutes.

1. Download the Backup.exe and Restore.exe utilities.

2. Connect the PC companion to your desktop or portable PC using the serial cable.

3. Start the HPC Explorer application on your desktop PC.

4. Using Windows Explorer, browse to the folder that contains these utilities.

5. Drag the utilities from your desktop Windows Explorer and drop them on the HPC Explorer window. (Please refer to your handheld PC User's Guide for more detailed instructions on transferring files to your PC companion.)

Backup Details

Each time you use the backup utility it will perform a full backup of your PC companion. All of your data files, databases, preferences, Windows CE system data, and applications are copied to the PC Card. Also, all subdirectories that you have on your PC companion will be duplicated on the PC Card. Backup can operate in one of two modes: dual backup mode and single backup mode. Dual backup mode retains copies of the last two backups that you have made. Single backup mode always overwrites the last backup.

When you run the Backup utility, you will notice a box selecting dual backup mode. Check this box to operate in dual backup mode.

Backup creates 2 top-level folders on the PC Card: \BackupA and \BackupB. In dual backup mode, Backup will toggle between these 2 folders each time it is executed, whereas single backup mode only uses \BackupA.

Tips

1. Use dual backup mode if you have sufficient space on your PC Card.

2. If you run out of space on your PC Card when using dual backup mode, delete the \BackupB folder on the PC Card and use single backup mode.

3. If you use single backup mode, backup on AC power when you can, or ensure that you have good batteries in your PC companion.


Restore Details

Before You Start

It is recommended that you reset your PC companion to its original factory prior to running Restore. To restore the factory configuration:

1. Remove the backup battery.
2. Remove the main batteries (AA).
3. Wait 5 minutes.
4. Install good main batteries.
5. Install a good backup battery.
6. Press the RESET button.
7. Turn on the PC companion.

Normal Restore

Restore will automatically select the most recent good backup.
To perform the Restore:

1. Copy the application Restore.exe from the PC Card to your PC companion. You may have to browse the PC Card folders to find where you installed the Restore utility.

2. Run Restore.exe from your PC companion.

3. When Restore completes, press the RESET button.

4. Restore cannot determine the current date and time. You will need to configure these values using the World Clock applet in the Control Panel.

Manual Restore

You will be notified, if Restore detects that you don't have a good backup file, from which to perform the restore.

NOTE: Even with an error condition, it is likely that you will be able to manually restore a significant amount of your data. If this error message occurs, follow these steps:

1. Browse the PC Card \BackupA and \BackupB folder trees to determine which is the most recent.

2. Copy the folders that contain your data files from the PC Card to your PC companion.

For example, copy the \My Documents folder on the PC Card and paste it into the My Handheld PC view.

3. You can try copying folders with applications, too. However, some applications make entries in the Windows CE registry when they install and so may not operate as expected until you reinstall them.

4. When you get an opportunity to do so, either restore from the desktop PC (using HPC Explorer) or reinstall any custom applications that are important to you.

Error Messages

Whenever an error occurs, the Backup and Restore utilities will display an error dialog box. These dialog boxes may have an error number in their title in addition to an error message. Please make a note of both the error number as well as the error message. If you receive an error message, first try the following steps in the order shown:

Backup Utility

1. Press the RESET button and run Backup again. Don't start other applications.

2. If you still have an issue, create more free space on the PC Card and run Backup again.

3. If you still have an issue, restore your PC companion from the backup on your desktop PC and run Backup again.


Restore Utility

1. Press the RESET button and run Restore again.

2. If you still have an issue, reset the PC companion to its original factory configuration and run Restore again.

You can use the Compaq Backup and Restore Utility with ATA Flash Memory PC Cards. Compaq, SanDisk, Simple Technology, and Magic Ram offer ATA Flash Memory PC Cards which are approved by Microsoft as Windows CE compatible. A minimum card size of 4 MB is recommended.

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