 SafeBoot Help Contents

SafeBoot  is a Windows application you can use to safeguard your critical Windows boot files. The application can be run manually from its icon, or automatically when Windows boots. It was designed primarily to run each time Windows boots to insure that the most recent working copies of all critical files are saved. You may also want to save an archive set of files to a different directory or a floppy disk just to be sure you always have a safe working set. For more information about configuring SafeBoot  for automatic operation, see the Configuration Screen Overview below.

The Contents lists Help topics available for SafeBoot . Use the scroll bars to see entries not currently visible in the Help window.

To learn how to use help, press F1 or choose How to Use Help from the Help menu.

The majority of help available in this system is based on Hyper graphics. This means you can click on an area of the displayed picture and a pop-up window with an explanation will be displayed. Context sensitive help is also available while using SafeBoot . Just highlight a button or another control and press F1.

Introduction

Configuration Screen Overview

Main Screen Overview

Scan Screen Overview

Filter Screen Overview

Database Repair

Background Information

License Agreement

Copyright Notice

Support Information


 SafeBoot Copyright © 1993, 1994 Lake Forest Software


 If you have any questions or problems with SafeBoot feel free to contact Lake Forest Software at 7117 Mowhawa Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana  46815. If you are an America OnLine member you may send E-Mail to LakeForest. If you are a member of Compuserve you may send E-Mail to 74361,22. Internet: 74361.22@compuserve.com

Thank You.


 Lake Forest Software License Agreement

This is a legal agreement between you (either an individual or an entity) and Lake Forest Software. By using this software you are agreeing to be bound by the terms of this agreement. If you do not agree to the terms of this agreement, promptly return the software diskette to Lake Forest Software for a full refund.

1. GRANT OF LICENSE. This License Agreement permits you to use one copy of the enclosed Lake Forest Software software program (the "SOFTWARE") on a single computer. The SOFTWARE is in use on a computer when it is loaded into temporary memory (i.e., RAM) or installed into permanent memory (e.g., hard disk, CD-ROM, or other storage device) of that computer. However, installation on a network server for the sole purpose of internal distribution shall not constitute "use" for which a separate license is required, provided that you have a separate license for each computer to which the SOFTWARE is distributed.

2. COPYRIGHT. The SOFTWARE is owned by Lake Forest Software and is protected by United States copyright laws and international treaty provisions. Therefore, you must treat the SOFTWARE like any other copyrighted material (e.g., a book or musical recording) except that you may either (a) make one copy of the SOFTWARE solely for backup or archival purposes, or (b) transfer the software to a single hard disk provided you keep the original solely for backup or archival purposes.

3. OTHER RESTRICTIONS. You may not rent or lease the SOFTWARE, but you may transfer the SOFTWARE on a permanent basis provided you retain no copies and the recipient agrees to the terms of this Agreement. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the SOFTWARE. If the SOFTWARE is an update or has been updated, any transfer must include the most recent update and all prior versions.


Introduction to SafeBoot
 An Introduction to SafeBoot

SafeBoot  provides an easy way to perform regular backups of Windows' most critical configuration files. If you've ever booted your computer only to find out one of these files has been lost or corrupted, you'll be glad you're using SafeBoot .

While SafeBoot isn't a substitute for full backups of your hard disk, it can provide a quick and easy way to restore damaged files. It can save you a lot of time over swapping floppy disks or restoring a backup tape, since all of the files can be backed up to one of your hard disks.

If you are a novice with computers, SafeBoot can provide a level of protection that will allow you to experiment with different settings for Windows. You won't have to worry about totally screwing something up and not know how to fix it.

If you are an expert with computers, you can feel free to dig into WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, CONFIG.SYS and other files to performance tune your system. If you step over the line, just restore the files from the last time you got it right.


 SafeBoot Configuration Screen

This screen is used to configure SafeBoot for operation. It can be used to customize SafeBoot to work the way you would like it to.

Click on various parts of the screen below for more detailed information.

See Also: 	Filter Screen Overview

Main Screen Overview

Scan Screen Overview


 SafeBoot Main Screen

The main screen of SafeBoot is where you will spend most of your time when you want to use the application in manual mode.

Click on various parts of the screen below for more detailed information.

See Also: 	Filter Screen Overview

Configuration Screen Overview

Scan Screen Overview


 SafeBoot Scan Screen

The scan screen can be used to add files from directories other than your Windows directory to the backup list.

Click on various parts of the screen below for more detailed information.

See Also: 	Filter Screen Overview

Configuration Screen Overview

Main Screen Overview


File Filters
 SafeBoot Filter Screen

The filter screen is used to limit the files presented in various lists based on the file's 3 character extension.

Click on various parts of the screen below for more detailed information.

See Also: 	Main Screen Overview

Configuration Screen Overview

Scan Screen Overview


 Database Repair

Hopefully, you will never have to use this procedure. If your system hangs, you have a power outage, or just because, the database that SafeBoot uses can become corrupted. If SafeBoot detects this condition at startup it will display a message describing the above condition. When you click OK, SafeBoot will attempt to automatically repair the database. This will normally be a successful procedure, but given that anything can happen at least once, here's how to fix it if the automatic procedure fails.

Rename SAFEBOOT.INI in your windows directory to SAFEBOOT.SAV

ex. 	CD \WINDOWS

RENAME SAFEBOOT.INI SAFEBOOT.SAV

Delete the 2 database files in the SafeBoot installation directory

ex.	CD \SAFEBOOT

DEL SB20FLST.*

Run SafeBoot again. You will need to go through the configuration routine.

Copy back SAFEBOOT.SAV to SAFEBOOT.INI. This will restore any filters and other settings you might have made.

ex.	CD \WINDOWS

COPY SAFEBOOT.SAV SAFEBOOT.INI

See Also: 	Configuration Screen Overview


SafeBoot Background Information
 Background Information

Lake Forest Software came into being due to the desire for inexpensive and high quality software. Although Lake Forest Software has only been in existence for a short period of time, I (the priciple owner and programmer) have been in the data processing business for almost 15 years.

I received a BS in Computer Science way back in 1980. I've done programming and analysis work on PCs (since 1981, before they were fashionable), midrange (nice platform), and mainframe (they make great file servers) computers. I'm now close to completing an MBA degree, so I thought I would start a small company to try my hand at big business.

I've chosen Visual Basic 3.0 to write SafeBoot because of the inherent power of the language and it's ease of use. The development life cycle is surprising short, due in part to the excellent facilities provided in the Visual Basic development environment. I've decided however, to write SafeBoot Version 3.0 in Visual C++ for reduced processing time, no runtime DLLs, more control over minute details, and it looks like a interesting language to learn.

SafeBoot Version 1.X was created in November, 1993 - January, 1994 in MS Visual Basic 3.0 Standard Edition.

SafeBoot Version 2.0 was written from February - April, 1994 in MS Visual Basic 3.0 Professional Edition.

SafeBoot Version 3.0 development will begin later in 1994 and will be written with MS Visual C++ 1.5 Professional Edition. Look for it sometime in 1995.


Press this button when you have completed your selections.


This list shows you all of the files from your Windows directory that have not been selected for backup. If you remove files from the backup, they will also appear in this list even if they are not from the Windows directory. This list may be filtered using one of the filter buttons below.

See Also: 	Selecting files from a list


 Selecting Files From A List

The conventions for multiple selection follow Windows standards. First, select the first file in the list you want to move. Then using the mouse you can CTRL+Click on several non-contiguous files, or SHIFT+Click to select a contiguous block of files. For more information, see your Windows documentation.

Both lists on the main screen allow the multiple selection of files. This makes it easier to move a number of files from one list to the other without having to move them one at a time.

You can now use the Add or Remove buttons on the main screen to move the files.

An alternate method of moving the files is to drag and drop the selection between the lists. This method is similar to Windows conventions for drag and drop with one exception. If you are moving multiple selections, you must continue to hold down the CTRL or SHIFT keys while performing the drag operation. Hopefully, this anomaly will be rectified when SafeBoot Version 3.0 is written in Visual C++.


The Archive Directory area reflects where you have decided to keep a safe set of files. They will only be overwritten if you perform another Archive. This directory can be changed by the Set Archive button at the left.


Use this button to create a directory for backup or archiving. When pressed, a small input box will be displayed. The proper format for a directory name is XXXXXXXX or XXXXXXXX.XXX


This list displays all of the files in the selected directory that match the filter settings.

See Also: 	Filter Screen Overview


When this selection is checked, all DOS batch (command) files will appear in the list. The AUTOEXEC.BAT file is an example of this type of file.


When this selection is checked, all configuration files will appear in the list.


When this selection is checked, all Windows group files will appear in the list. Each group (Main, Accessories, Startup, etc.) has one of these files associated with it.


When this selection is checked, all initialization files will appear in the list. The WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files are examples of this type of file.


When this selection is checked, a small input box will be displayed where you may enter a 3 character file extension of your choosing. Any files with the extension will appear in the list.


When this selection is checked, all DOS Program Information Files will appear in the list. These files help windows run DOS programs correctly. See PIF Editor in the Windows documentation for more information.


When this selection is checked, all system files will appear in the list. CONFIG.SYS is an example of this type of file.


Set the Auto Run option to automatically run SafeBoot each time Windows boots. Although not required, I would recommend setting Auto Scan as well.


Set the Auto Scan option to automatically add any new files in your Windows directory to the backup list. As you install new software, their initialization files will be picked up.


Click the Archive button to make a safe set of your files. The files will be saved to a floppy disk or another directory depending upon how you last set the archive directory on the configuration screen.

See Also: 	Selecting files from a list


Click the configure button to jump to the configuration screen. For more information about configuring SafeBoot, see Configuration Screen Overview

See Also: 	Configuration Screen Overview


First, select any file(s) you want to restore in the backup list. Then, click the Restore button to copy the saved file(s) over the lost or damaged file(s).

See Also: 	Selecting files from a list


First, select any file(s) you want to restore in the backup list. Then, click the Restore button to copy the saved file(s) over the lost or damaged file(s). This is similar to the Restore function except that it will copy the file from the specified Archive directory. If you've archived the files to a floppy, have it handy.

See Also: 	Selecting files from a list


These buttons control the movement of file(s) between the two lists. If you want to move all of the files from one list to the other, just click the All button. If you want to move one or more files, you must first select them in the list and click the Add or Remove buttons.


Click to Exit button to end SafeBoot.


The Installation Directory area reflects where SafeBoot was installed. You can not change this entry on the configuration screen.


First, use the Drive and Directory lists at the left to set a directory. If you want to Archive to a floppy disk, one must be in the drive. Then press Set Archive to establish the archive directory.


Use the Cancel button to cancel any changes you may have made to the settings.


Use these Drive and Directory lists to select the Backup and Archive directories. The directory must be double-clicked and appear to be "open" prior to setting them. Double check your settings before you are done.


Set the Exit When Complete option to automatically exit from SafeBoot when a backup or restore operation is complete.


Set the Once A Day option to perform a backup only on the first boot of the day (usually when you turn the power on). Otherwise, each time Windows boots, SafeBoot will run.


First, use the Drive and Directory lists at the left to set a directory. If you want to Archive to a floppy disk, one must be in the drive. Then press Set Backup to establish the backup directory. This is where your files will be backed up to each time SafeBoot runs.


When you have completed you configuration changes, click Done to return to the Main screen.


The Backup Directory area reflects where you have decided to regularly save your files. They will be overwritten each time SafeBoot runs (typically each time Windows boots). This directory can be changed by the Set Backup button at the left.


Press the Backup button to perform a backup of all files in the backup list immediately.


Choose the Edit menu to start SysEdit, a Windows supplied INI editor.


Choose the File menu to perform various backup and restore funtions. These are also available through the button bar.


Choose the Help menu to get help on various functions. Use the About SafeBoot selection to get the version number among other things.


Press the Scan button to add files that are not in your Windows directory to the backup list.


Press the Done button when you are done adding files to the backup list and return to the main screen.


This status area will be updated with one-line help descriptions as you move your mouse over various areas of the screen.


After selecting files to be added to the backup list, press Add To List to add them.


Press Cancel to return to the main screen without adding any files to the backup list.


Press the Configure button to jump to the SafeBoot configuration screen.

See Also: 	Configuration Screen Overview


Press the Filter List button to include or exclude certain file types from the file list.

See Also: 	Filter Screen Overview


Press the Filter List button to include or exclude certain file types from the file list.

See Also: 	Filter Screen Overview


This status area reports the total of all file sizes in the backup list.


This status area displays the file name currently being processed in a backup or other operation.


This list area displays all of the files in the backup list. It can be filtered with the buttons below.

See Also: 	Filter Screen Overview

Selecting files from a list


Use these Drive and Directory lists to select the directory you want to select files from. The directory must be double-clicked and appear to be "open" prior to setting them. Any files will appear in the list at the left.

See Also: 	Selecting files from a list