BackMaster README File.


Updated : September 22, 1994.


This file contains information about specific problems you may
encounter and specific system configurations.


Topics covered in this readme file:
     -  Adaptec controllers
     -  Bus timing and BackMaster DMA overrun error
     -  CoreTape 250 tape drive support
     -  Creating recovery diskettes
     -  Device driver conflicts
     -  Incompatibility with TAPE.EXE 4.03 or greater
     -  Low memory systems (8MB or less)
     -  Older tape drives (Hard Select)
     -  Stacker and DCF2
     -  TC-15M high-speed adapter
     -  Technical support
     -  Time critical
     -  Version of OS/2
     -  Write errors



Adaptec controllers:
     If you have an Adaptec Busmaster controller, the following
     CONFIG.SYS setting is suggested:

     BASEDEV=AHA154X.ADD /V /A:0 /BON:4 /A:0 /BOFF:12

     /V displays messages during bootup.  /A:0 specifies the
     first of four possible adapters, and is necessary even if
     only one adapter is installed.  /BON:4 sets the bus on time
     to 4 microseconds. /BOFF:12 sets the bus off time to 12
     microseconds.  Most of this information may be found in the
     Command Reference under BASEDEV.  The above BASEDEV setting
     gives the floppy controller enough time on the bus to
     transfer enough data (by DMA) to keep the tape moving.

     Special thanks to Beta Tester Jay Vanderbilt for this
     information.


Bus timing and BackMaster DMA overrun error:
     BackMaster may not work correctly if your system bus timing
     is set higher than 8 MHZ.  Tape drives are very sensitive to
     hardware timing and an abnormal bus speed may result in
     operational problems or errors reported by BackMaster.

     If you are consistently getting a DMA overrun error message
     (error number 51) we suggest checking your hardware settings.
     Experiment with the bus speed, setting it as close to 8MHz
     as possible.  If your system supports the 7.15MHz or 7.25MHz
     settings, these will usually work best.


CoreTape 250 tape drive support:
     The BackMaster 1.1 release does not support the
     CoreTape 250.


Creating recovery diskettes:
     Now is a good time to create a set of custom recovery
     diskettes for your computer.  The recovery diskettes can
     be used with a complete system backup to restore your
     system or move your system to a new hard drive.  BMRCVR
     (in the BackMaster folder) will create the recovery
     diskettes automatically.  You may, if you wish, create
     the recovery diskettes manually.  Instructions for doing
     so are given in the file BOOT.TXT, which is located in
     the directory to which BackMaster was installed.


Device driver conflicts:
     The BackMaster device drivers, FTDVR.SYS, TC15DVR.SYS, and
     PTDVR.SYS, may on some systems have conflicts with the
     Multimedia Presentation Manager (MMPM) drivers, some cdrom
     device drivers, the Diamond P9000 video drivers, and ATI
     Graphics Ultra video drivers.  The driver conflicts may
     cause an "Unable to open driver" error message or an OS/2
     TRAP 000D.  To avoid the driver conflicts, make sure that
     FTDVR.SYS, TC15DVR.SYS, and PTDVR.SYS are loaded in
     CONFIG.SYS after the CDROM drivers, Diamond P9000 video
     drivers, and ATI Graphics Ultra video drivers, but before
     the MMPM drivers.

          Note:  We recommend locating FTDVR.SYS and PTDVR.SYS
          immediately following the IFS= statement (if present)
          in CONFIG.SYS.  However, some drivers (such as CDROM
          drivers) may have to be loaded before our driver.  Some
          experimentation on your part may be required to find
          the optimal location for FTDVR.SYS and PTDVR.SYS.

          Concerning the Diamond P9000 video drivers:  The driver
          conflict with the P9000 and BackMaster drivers has been
          known to cause OS/2 command windows to indefinitely
          scroll, as if the enter key was continually pressed.
          This symptom disappears when the video drivers are loaded
          ahead of the BackMaster drivers.

          Concerning the ATI Graphics Ultra video drivers:
          Confilicts with these drivers are infrequent.

     The BackMaster installation program, BMINST, will place the
     FTDVR.SYS, TC15DVR.SYS, and PTDVR.SYS in the correct location
     in CONFIG.SYS for most machines (except in the case of the
     Diamond P9000 and ATI Graphics Ultra video drivers).  The
     driver conflicts are mentioned here for the case of a manual
     installation or a driver conflict with specific systems.


Incompatibility with TAPE.EXE 4.03 or greater:
     BackMaster will not read compressed tapes made with any
     version of TAPE.EXE 4.03 or greater, but BackMaster will
     read the uncompressed volumes made with this software.


Low memory:
     BackMaster may not work correctly on machines with less than
     8 MB of memory.  Machines with 8 MB of memory that have
     network software loaded may also fall into this category. 
     In the case of a low memory machine, BackMaster will report
     one of these errors:  "Unable to load device driver", or
     "Unable to allocate memory in device driver".  Note:  This
     problem may be resolved in future versions of BackMaster or
     OS/2.


Older tape drives (Hard Select):
     The list of tape drives in the "Configuration Options"
     dialog refer to Soft Select tape drives (most of the newer
     tape drives are Soft Select), and will not correctly select
     the older Hard Select type of tape drive.  If you have a
     Hard Select tape drive, select the "Generic QIC 40/80" tape
     drive from the "Configuration Options" list.  Refer to the
     documentation that came with your tape drive to determine
     which type of tape drive (Hard Select or Soft Select) you
     have.  In general, Hard Select drives may have jumpers to
     select the drive (A or B) and will only function as the A or
     B device, but not as a third floppy device.


Stacker and DCF2:
     If FTDVR.SYS (or PTDVR.SYS) resides on a stacked volume,
     the DEVICE=FTDVR.SYS statement should be placed after the
     Stacker device drivers.  Some conflicts have been reported
     when BackMaster accesses files in a DCF2 Virtual Disk Unit,
     resulting in a SYS3715 in DOSCALL1.  If you encounter this
     problem, please report it to Proportional Software.


TC-15M high-speed adapter:
     BackMaster supports the TC-15 high-speed adapter, but does
     not support the TC-15M high-speed adapter, which is the
     microchannel version of the TC-15.
     

Technical support:
     Customer assistance and technical support are available
     during normal business hours.  If possible, try to be seated
     near your computer when calling.  Another way to get
     technical support is to fill out the TECHSUPP.FRM ascii text
     file (located in the BackMaster folder on the Desktop) and
     FAX it to us, upload it to our BBS, or send it via CompuServe.

       How to reach us:
         (409) 564-1862 Voice (9am-6pm CST)
         (409) 560-5970 BBS   (No parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit)
         (409) 560-5868 FAX
         CompuServe users can send mail to 74431,1621 or GO MSRDEV


Time critical:
     During normal tape drive operations, BackMaster must respond
     to the tape drive signals within a certain amount of time,
     or the tape drive may start to behave unpredictably, causing
     BackMaster to abort the current tape operation.  Active DOS
     and Windows sessions may deny BackMaster the CPU time needed
     to respond quickly to tape drive signals.  If BackMaster
     aborts in the middle of a tape operation, make sure that the
     "Time Critical" check box in the "Device" page of the
     configuration notebook is checked before retrying the tape
     operation.  Time critical will ensure that BackMaster is
     given enough CPU time to respond quickly to the tape drive
     requests.


Version of OS/2:
     BackMaster is designed for OS/2 versions 2.1 and above.  It
     may be used with OS/2 2.0, but unexpected crashes may occur,
     especially during the file selection process.  If you must
     use BackMaster with OS/2 2.0, we suggest that you avoid
     extensive opening and closing of directory folders during
     the file selection process.


Write errors:
     Write errors during a backup are fatal.  If BackMaster
     detects a write error, it will report the error and abort
     the backup.  It will be necessary to reformat the tape
     before making further backups, since version 1.1 of
     BackMaster will not update the bad sector map if bad sectors
     are found during a backup.
