Re: Need help - backup disks

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

richwind writes ...
> 
> I have have recently obtained several apple + and IIe computers for my
> classroom and lots of software for my students.  I know nothing about apple
> commands and I desperately need help making backup copies of the programs
> before something happens to my master disks.  The  computer books have been
> lost and the books that the software was meant to suppliment are no longer
> in use, so it is unlikely that my request for new software will generate
> much of a response.  Thank you in advance.  richwind@Carolina.net


     There are several approaches to making backups. One is to use a
whole-disk 'fast copier' such as Disk Muncher or Diversi-Copy. These
usually work fine so long as the disk to be backed up is not copy
protected.

     Educational software is often copy protected. If a lot of your
software is from MECC, a good try is to get an MECC copy program by John
Kielkopf named
"meccopy". You can find it as meccopy.sdk on Ground at ...

ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple8/Utils/

Meccopy will make copy de-protected copies of many MECC products. (To
get the program going on your Apple II, transfer meccopy.sdk file to the
Apple and use ShrinkIt 3.4 to unshrink the file to a formatted 5.25"
diskette.)

     A different way to get backups of copy protected software is to use
a whole-disk copier with built-in features to deal with specific copy
protection schemes-- like Copy II Plus, Locksmith, ... . Later versions
of Copy II Plus (v7.1 and later) include a 'Bit Copier' with a large
library of parms to copy many pieces of copy protected software.

     Probably the quickest way to get backups for copy protected
software is to access one of the major Apple II archives and download
already-deprotected copies of the stuff you want backed up. Educational
software is probably the least well represented area; but, there is a
chance you will find some of the titles you wish to back up on Asimov or
Asimov-GS ...

  ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/
  ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/apple_II/
  ftp://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/apple_II/
  ftp://mirror.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/

  ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/ 


     A good 'starting off' place for information about the Apple II
(which includes a listing of other A2 info sites) is the Csa2
(comp.sys.apple2) newsgroup FAQs at ... 

ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/apple2/Faqs/
http://www.grin.net/~cturley/A2.FAQs.and.INFO/CSA2.FAQs/
ftp://apple.cabi.net/pub/applegs/FAQs.and.INFO/A2.Csa2.FAQs/
ftp://ground.ecn.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/Faqs/Formatted/ 

Start with the first file listed.


     When there are more questions (about copying, downloading,
transferring files from PC to Apple II, ...), this newsgroup is the
place to post them.



Rubywand