HOWTO: Backing Up Visual FoxPro Setup Disks

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0

SUMMARY

This article explains how to make a backup copy of a set of installation disks prior to installing Visual FoxPro. With the exception of Disk 1, Visual FoxPro disks use a format called DMF (Distribution Media Format). DMF increases the capacity of a 3.5-inch disk to approximately 1.7MB, thus reducing the number of disks needed to install Visual FoxPro. Because of this new format, DMF-formatted disks cannot be copied using the MS-DOS DISKCOPY command, or any other conventional method of copying floppy disks. However, the contents of the disks can be transferred to another storage device, such as a local hard disk, and then backed-up using tape backup or similar software.

MORE INFORMATION

Instructions for transferring files from the DMF formatted floppy disks to a local hard drive are included in the Readme.hlp file located on Visual FoxPro Disk 1. The section titled "Installing Visual FoxPro from 3.5-inch Disks" discusses how to transfer the files from floppy disk to hard disk.

NOTE: There is an error in the syntax of the FOR command in the Readme.hlp file. This is how the FOR command appears in the README.HLP file:

   FOR %I IN (*.*) DO C:\DISKS\EXTRACT /C A:\%I C:\DISKS\%I

   FOR %I IN (A:\*.*) DO C:\DISKS\EXTRACT /C %I C:\DISKS

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