QuickStart Data Rescue User's Manual

Table of Contents

Introduction

QuickStart Data Rescue, from Enhanced Software Technologies (EST), is a PC crash recovery utility that is designed to turn the daunting task of post-crash recovery into an uncomplicated, menu-driven process. Providing reliable image-based backup technology combined with a simple selection interface, QuickStart eliminates most manual recovery steps and significantly reduces the chances of user error. QuickStart comes pre-configured and will support most operating systems.

In order to provide the greatest flexibility for QuickStart Data Rescue, the product ships with two diskettes. Please ensure that you use the correct disk for your backup device.

The disks are labeled:

P/N: 02004SCSI, ATAPI, and Parallel Tapes
P/N: 02005Internal: TR-1, TR-2, TR-3, and Ditto Tapes

Once you have selected the proper diskette, you will need the following items to successfully recover a system with QuickStart:

Due to the importance of QuickStart recovery tapes, the tape backup device should be cleaned prior to beginning the backup or restore procedures and new media should be utilized for all backup volumes.

QuickStart disks should be created regularly based on your individual needs. EST recommends creating new backup volumes at least once a month and even more frequently at locations where hard drive information changes constantly. The timeline should be determined by a variety of factors including (but not necessarily limited to):

Experience has shown that it is best to be over-cautious when it comes to backing up data, so take as many precautions as necessary to achieve the best results.

Before You Begin

To ensure the highest level of performance possible, all hard-drives should be prepared before you begin the backup process. The following steps should be taken to complete this process:

  1. Defragment all hard drives involved.
  2. Force the operating system to consolidate free space.
  3. Search through the available utilities to locate the defragment option. If this is available, use it, as it will enhance the backup process.
  4. See Appendix C for tips on Windows 95/98/NT and PC-UNIX systems.

Keep in mind that these procedures will aid in the backup process but are not necessary to the overall success of QuickStart Data Rescue.

Two additional factors that will prove ideal to a QuickStart process are a Pentium or better CPU and a SCSI DAT or ATAPI tape drive. Once again, while these two conditions are ideal, they are by no means required.

Known Limitations

QuickStart relies on certain system configuration standards in order to work properly and, while it is designed to work with most modern PC systems, there are some known limitations for its use. As of this printing, the following limitations have been identified:

Some flavors of UNIX require the use of geometrically-identical hard drives during the restore process. This has proven to be the case with all variations of BSD and Unixware and it is unknown whether there are additional operating systems that require this. QuickStart was NOT designed for use with RAID systems and PCMCIA cards. For an up-to-date list of known limitations, see: http://www.estinc.com/qsdr.html#limits

Initial Use / Diskette Setup

To begin, place the QuickStart Data Rescue diskette into your primary, bootable floppy disk drive and reboot your system. The first time you use a QuickStart Data Rescue diskette, you will be required to provide some basic configuration information.

Booting QuickStart

Upon rebooting, you'll notice some QuickStart messages. Each of these messages begins with "QS:" and contains such statements as: load, boot, and initializing.

Once QuickStart has been launched for the first time, you will be prompted for your serial number. Follow these steps to enter the number:

  1. Enter the first four digits of your serial number.
  2. Press Tab
  3. Enter the final four digits of your serial number.
  4. Press Tab
  5. Press at the Save button.

Following this step (first time only), and once the initialization procedure is complete, you will see a screen stating that QuickStart is "Detecting Devices" This should only take a moment and, as QuickStart is performing this detection process, the status line (last line of the screen) will keep you informed of the system's progress. Results from QuickStart's device probe will be shown in green if devices are found, and red if not.

If this is the first time you've used QuickStart, you will then be taken to the Configuration Screen.

Configuring Your Mouse

If you have either a Microsoft serial or a PS/2 mouse, QuickStart should auto-select the mouse type for you. As QuickStart brings you to the initial configuration menu, you will be able to see if QuickStart has preselected your mouse. If the mouse has been preselected and is active (pointer moves as you move your mouse), you may skip to the Software Data Compression section. If your mouse was not configured automatically, you will have to select it from the "Mouse Type" field. The following menu shows the initial configuration menu.

To initiate the mouse, you can traverse the menu as indicated by the help information near the bottom of your screen. Use the key to move between options and use the key or bar to select an item. Use your arrow keys to move between choices within a given item and select your mouse type from the listing in the drop-down box. Once you've selected the correct choice, the mouse pointer should become active.

Software Data Compression

By default, software data compression is turned on. Software compression will increase the speed of the backup as well as decrease the amount of backup media needed. This can be disabled if so desired. If the tape drive uses hardware compression, software compression should be disabled.

Select Tape Drive Type

The "Select Tape Drive Type" option offers three choices:

If you selected the ATAPI/SCSI tape drive, you will not need to select the I/O Base, IRQ, or DMA settings. You may skip to the "Detect Tape Drive" section.

Setting IO Base, IRQ, and DMA

If you've selected a floppy-based tape drive, the I/O Base, IRQ, and DMA options will become activated (see Appendix A for instructions on obtaining these settings on a Windows 95/98/NT system). Some default entries are selected. Change those that are incorrect. If you don't know what your settings are, you can look on the card itself. Otherwise, you can try different combinations until you successfully detect the tape drive.

If you've selected a parallel port tape drive, the I/O Base and IRQ settings will show Auto. Once all three options are set correctly, QuickStart can detect your tape drive.

Detect Tape Drive

When QuickStart is ready, the status message to the left of the "Detect" button should state "Ready to detect tape drive(s)" (see Figure 2.1). Some tape drives can only be properly detected with media loaded, so ensure that your media is loaded and ready to go before pressing "Detect". Select "Detect" to start the detection process.

Tape Drive Not Found

If you have an incorrect tape drive type selected (ATAPI/SCSI vs. floppy vs. parallel), have incorrectly set the I/O Base, IRQ, or DMA setting for your floppy controller, if QuickStart was unable to detect your Parallel drive's I/O and IRQ settings, or you have any other system problems, the status message will state: "Tape drive not found".

If QuickStart is unable to detect your floppy-based device, you will need to change the current settings. Check your floppy controller card for the exact settings. Windows users can check Appendix A for information on how to obtain proper settings. If you don't know your settings and don't wish to check the card, you can also change the settings until you find a combination that works (this could take some time to accomplish).

If QuickStart is unable to detect the I/O Base and IRQ for your parallel drive, you will need to set the I/O Base and IRQ yourself. Check your BIOS to obtain this information. Correct entries as necessary until drive is detected.

You will be unable to continue until your tape drive is properly detected. Select "Detect" again when ready or continue correcting your settings until you receive the "Detected tape drive" status message.

Detected Tape Drive

Once the "Detected tape drive" status message appears, save your configuration information to the QuickStart diskette by selecting "Save". Failure to select "Save" will force you to repeat the configuration information next time you boot QuickStart. If you receive an error during the save function, ensure that you do not have the diskette write-protected. Once the information is saved, select "Close". This will bring you to the QuickStart Main Menu.

QuickStart Main Menu

The QuickStart Main Menu appears like this:

From this menu you may choose one of the following:

Backup System

Selecting the "Backup System" option from the Main Menu will invoke the following menu:

Your primary hard drive and backup device will be listed within the System Backup Menu. You may change either setting as needed prior to beginning the backup procedure.

Starting the Backup

Select the "Start" button once you've validated the "From" and "To" options. A warning will be displayed to remind you that you're about to overwrite ALL of the data on your backup media. Select "Continue" once you are sure you have the proper media loaded and are ready to proceed. (Note: Selecting the "Continue" button without having media loaded and ready will bring up an error message. If this happens, correct the error and select "Continue" from the error message menu.) You should then be prompted with a message regarding automatic verification of the archive.

Verifying Data

Verifying your data is the best method of ensuring that it has successfully been recorded on your media. This is a very important step and should be considered an integral part of creating a reliable backup. Failure to verify your backup compromises the reliability of the restoration process and jeopardizes the entire success of the operation. By default, QuickStart will verify your backup automatically. See "Verify Backup" later in this manual for complete details on the verification process.

Progress Meter

Selecting "Start" will invoke the backup progress meter shown below. The numeric values shown are just a sample and will vary based on your particular backup. The progress meter consistently informs you of the current backup status.

Note: The KBytes/Sec information provided on the progress meter represents the average variable of the process as a whole. You may select "Cancel" at any time to abort the current process. It should be noted, however, that once the backup process is started, the backup media's previous data, if any, will be lost. Therefore, caution should be used in answering the warning prompts when they appear.

Labelling Tapes

Should your backup require additional tapes or other media, you will be prompted to insert them as needed. Be certain that you clearly label all volumes (see "Storage" later in this manual for more details).

Upon completion of the backup, the "Process Completed" screen will appear. Click "OK" to continue. If you've used more than one volume for your backup, place volume one back into the backup drive at this time and proceed with the verification process.

Verify Backup

All backups should be verified as part of the complete QuickStart Data Rescue process. Although you should select this during the backup phase, it can be completed separately due to its importance. To verify your backup manually, click on the "Verify Backup" button.

If you've selected auto-verify from the Backup Menu, you will not be prompted again to start the verification (with the exception that you will be prompted to place the first volume in the drive in order to begin the verification process on a multi-volume backup). The initial Verification menu which appears requires you to validate the "From" location.

If the backup created more than one volume, ensure that you insert them in the proper order, beginning with volume one. Once you are certain you have the correct volume loaded, click the "Start" button. The verification progress meter will appear (identical to the backup progress meter shown earlier in this manual). It will keep you informed of the progress of the verification.

As with the backup procedure, you will be prompted to insert additional volumes if they were used. The "Cancel" button may be pressed at any time to cancel the process.

Reminder: Failing to select and complete the verification process is like failing to acquire insurance until after the accident! It's not only unwise, it's worthless.

Errors During Verification

The verification process is your validation of a successful backup. It is highly recommended you repeat the system backup procedure if the verification process reports any errors. Upon completion of the verification process, remove, label (see "Storage"), and write-protect the backup volume(s). Click the "Exit & Reboot" button and remove the QuickStart Data Rescue diskette as prompted.

Storage

Be sure to place all QuickStart Data Rescue items (i.e. QuickStart diskette, backup volume(s), instruction manual) in a secure, but convenient, location. Properly label all backup volumes, using information like:

Off-site Storage

Off-site storage is highly recommended and should be integrated accordingly when creating your disaster recovery plan. One option is to create two QuickStart master volumes whenever you would normally create one and then take one off-site. You can also create a duplicate diskette and store it with your off-site storage items (see "Duplicate Diskette" section later in this manual for further details).

Recover System

When the time comes to recover from a system failure, QuickStart Data Rescue will provide a complete recovery solution and return your system to normal operation in minimal time.

To recover a system, you'll need:

Once you've replaced the failing element of your system and are ready to recover the hard drive(s), complete the following steps:

As long as you've saved your configuration information during the initial data backup process, you will be brought directly to the QuickStart Main Menu. If you're brought to the Configuration Menu, or if you need to change any configuration information shown, refer to the "Initial Use/Setup Diskette" section at the beginning of this manual for assistance.

From the QuickStart Main Menu, select "Recover System". The System Recovery Menu shown below will appear:

You will need to validate the "From" location, which represents the backup device's location. You will also need to validate the "To" location, which represents the hard drive to which the backup data will be sent.

CAUTION: Ensure that you have volume one (1) loaded prior to selecting the "Start" button. Once selected, a warning message will appear to remind you that you are about to destroy all data on your hard drive. This additional warning message is provided as a fail-safe to avoid accidentally starting the recovery process. After you've confirmed the warning message, you will see QuickStart's Geometry Menu as shown below.

The Geometry Menu shows you the geometry that will be used during the restore process. If your replacement hard drive is not set to the specifications shown, you should make the necessary changes through your system's BIOS. Once you've clicked "OK" on the Geometry Menu, QuickStart will continue with the restore process. If the destination hard drive's geometry is incompatible with the original drive, you will see the following Alignment Menu:

In most cases, you should select "Normal Restore", which will align the existing partitions to the new geometry. Please note that it is possible for this message to appear even if you are restoring to a similar hard drive, especially if your original drive was not in LBA mode. You may also select "Preserve Layout", which will maintain the layout from the original drive and ignore the new drive's geometry. This option can be useful for some PC-UNIX systems that cannot handle restoring to a drive of different geometry. If, after selecting the "Normal" restore mode, your PC-UNIX-based system does not boot, you should try the "Preserve Layout" option. You may cancel the process at this time without any harm.

Restoring to a Larger Hard Drive

If the destination hard drive is larger than the one the backup image was taken from, QuickStart will also advise you that it is about to create an additional partition. At the "Add Partition" Menu (Figure 9.1), you can select the partition type from the available choices.

If you wish to create a partition of a type that isn't offered, select "Skip" and then use your native partitioning tools to complete this task. To allow QuickStart to add the partition for you, select your partition type and click "Continue".

After selecting "Continue", QuickStart will create the partition and display a confirmation screen reporting the size of partition created. Click "OK" to proceed to the final steps in the restore process.

Note to Linux User's: If you are restoring to a hard drive with a different geometry (different number of heads) on a Linux OS, please refer to Appendix B.

Final Steps to Restoring

Regardless of whether you have a hard drive of different geometry or not, you will be shown the "Archive Information" screen, which displays the volume currently in your system. Select "Continue" on the Archive Menu after confirming that you have the correct archive in the drive and the restore is in progress.

The Restore progress meter will appear, providing you with the status of your restoration. Although you may select "Abort" at any time once the process has begun, aborting prior to completion will leave your system in a non-operative condition.

You will be prompted for any additional volume(s) needed for your restoration process. When completed, click on the "OK" button in the "Process Completed" screen.

Upon successful completion of this process, you should receive the following message:

Select "OK" to continue.

As your final step to the restoration procedure, remove the QuickStart diskette and backup volume (remember to store in a secure location) as indicated and click the "Exit and Reboot" button.

Linux users will need to refer to Appendix B for additional details.

Duplicate Diskette

You are permitted to make a single copy of your QuickStart diskette as a backup copy in the event that your master diskette becomes corrupted. We highly recommend that you perform this duplication operation and store the duplicate disk with your off-site QuickStart backup copy. To create the disk, click on the "Duplicate Diskette" button.

After selecting the "Duplicate Diskette" option, QuickStart will read the current diskette's image into memory. You will then be prompted to insert a blank disk (any data on this disk will be destroyed). As a safeguard, QuickStart will not overwrite another QuickStart disk. This prevents you from overwriting your original as well as any other duplicate disk you may have. Ensure the disk that you're going to write to is not write-protected, then insert the disk and continue.

You will be prompted to remove the disk upon completion of the duplication process. Remove the duplicate disk as instructed and place the original disk back in the drive. The duplicate disk will be identical to your original except that it will not have the option of creating an additional duplicate diskette. Label your duplicate with the information contained on the original and safeguard this disk in the same manner.

Improvements

As with any product, feedback from end-users is vital to the product's evolution. Please feel free to provide your input by letting us know how we can make QuickStart Data Rescue work better for you. Contact us by e-mail at qs_improve@estinc.com.

Appendix A: Microsoft Windows Settings

During QuickStart's initial configuration you are required to know your floppy controller card's I/O Base, IRQ, and DMA settings. If you do not know these settings for your Windows 95 system, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click the "My Computer" icon
  2. Select "Properties"
  3. Select the "Device Manager" tab
  4. Select the "Tape drive controllers" entry (shown below)
  5. Select the proper Tape Drive Controller from the list
  6. Click the Properties button
  7. Click on the Resources tab (shown below)

For Windows NT users, system settings information can be found under Start/Administrative Tools/Windows NT Diagnostics. The Diagnostics window is shown below.

Appendix B: Linux Instructions

If you are using a Linux (UNIX) operating system and wish to restore to a larger hard drive with different geometry (different number of heads), you will need to follow these procedures after you have exited and rebooted from QuickStart's Restore operation. This is due to the fact that you may not be able to boot after recovering to a hard drive of different geometry.

For Red Hat Linux

Insert the Red Hat Installation CD and boot your system. At the SYSLINUX boot prompt, enter the command string:

linux noinitrd root=/dev/hdaX 1

where "X" is the root filesystem*. Once the system boots to single-user mode, type "lilo", remove the CD, and reboot. Note that these instructions may work for other distributions of Linux, as well.

*If you do not know the designation of the root filesystem (i.e. hda2), you may be forced to enter successive numbers into the string until the root filesystem is mounted.

Appendix C: Hard Drive Preparation

Since QuickStart needs to make an image of your entire hard drive, it is a good idea to complete some hard drive preparations which will allow for a quicker backup and use less backup media. The following are some methods that can be used:

Windows 98: Defragment hard drive(s)

  1. Click on Start
  2. Select: Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Disk Defragmenter.
  3. Defragment all hard drives.
  4. Click on Settings
  5. Ensure you have the settings set as shown below.

Windows 95: Defragment hard drive(s)

  1. Click on "Start"
  2. Select: Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Disk Defragmenter.
  3. Select desired drive, then select Advanced.
  4. Select option: Full Defragmentation (both files and free space).
  5. Select "this time only" and click "OK".
  6. Select "Start". Repeat for every drive on system.

Note that Windows NT does not come standard with a disk defragmentation utility. Consult your system administrator for further information regarding this step.

UNIX

Fill the unused portion of the hard drive with 0's (zeros). In order to be able to do this, you must have the file, /dev/zero. Where /dev/zero exists, it can be used to send a continuous data stream of zeros to a location of choice.

Use the following cat command to create a file with zeros:

where "N" is the numeric, 0-9, as needed.

Depending on your OS, you may be limited to a file size of about 2GB. If this is the case, simply continue creating the files incrementing "N" as needed (junk0, junk1...) until you fill the entire drive. Repeat as many times as necessary on all volumes (partitions). Once the hard drive fills, remove all junkN files:

This procedure will fill your hard drive with zeros, which compress very nicely. Depending on previous hard drive usage, your backup speed and compression could improve significantly. It is recommended for all UNIX systems that have /dev/zero.