Backing Up Diskettes; Copying System Diskettes; Copying Data Diskettes - North Star Advantage User Manual

You should only insert or remove a diskette from a disk drive that is idle. When a disk drive is
in operation, the red light on the drive goes on and the sound of the disk drive motor is
audible. This indicates that the record/playback head is in contact with the diskette. Pulling
the diskette out then could damage its surface. Wait until the red light has gone out and the
disk drive is silent before removing the diskette.
3.1.2 Backing Up Diskettes
Perhaps the single most important part of working with a computer is learning to make backup
copies of all your diskettes. This practice is crucial, not just to guard against accidental damage,
but because diskettes eventually wear out. Like a phonograph record that is played repeatedly,
a diskette becomes less reliable after very extensive use.
Systematic backup of your diskettes provides invaluable protection against information loss
due to operator error, equipment malfunction, and the effects of long-term wear.
3.1.3 Copying System Diskettes
If you have only one copy of a system diskette and something happens to it, you will have to
buy another copy. To spare yourself this expense and inconvenience, take the factory master
of your system diskette and copy it before you use it for any other purpose. Each North Star
Application Program and System Software Program contains a COPY function for this kind of
duplication. Consult the program manual for instructions on how to perform this function.
Make at least two working copies of each original system diskette, and store the factory master
in a safe place.
All North Star programs are copyrighted. You can make duplicatesforyour use only, not sale or
distribution to others.
3.1.4 Copying Data Diskettes
With data diskettes, the risk is slightly different. Here, you face the loss of the time and effort
you have invested in generating the data on the diskette. If you have been working for a week
and a half on a report and the diskette containing your only version is accidentally erased, you
will have to start over again from the beginning.
ADVANTAGE User Manual
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