Backup Error via WinXP Remote Access

[AisquithPCA]

We have mapped the "a" drive on an end user's PC and named it drive Z on the host. We can restore data to the host from that drive, but we cannot backup data from the host to the remote drive. We get an error that says, "Target Media is NON-Removable and can not be used for a Multi-Volume Operation. We have the latest maintenance release.

[NeilZ]

We have mapped the "a" drive on an end user's PC and named it drive Z on the host. We can restore data to the host from that drive, but we cannot backup data from the host to the remote drive. We get an error that says, "Target Media is NON-Removable and can not be used for a Multi-Volume Operation. We have the latest maintenance release.

My hunch is that the Remote Access does not present the drive as 'networked' to Powerchurch' PC+ will not backup to a non-removable 'Local' drive.

What we do, using GoToMyPC, is backup to our external backup HD on the server, then copy that file to a zip drive located at the client PC. Works like a charm.

[AisquithPCA]

We have mapped the "a" drive on an end user's PC and named it drive Z on the host. We can restore data to the host from that drive, but we cannot backup data from the host to the remote drive. We get an error that says, "Target Media is NON-Removable and can not be used for a Multi-Volume Operation. We have the latest maintenance release.

My hunch is that the Remote Access does not present the drive as 'networked' to Powerchurch' PC+ will not backup to a non-removable 'Local' drive.

What we do, using GoToMyPC, is backup to our external backup HD on the server, then copy that file to a zip drive located at the client PC. Works like a charm.

GoToMyPC is just too expensive. I am aware that it is either not presenting as a networked drive or is not being seen as one. I was hoping there was a solution. Telephone Tech Support didn't ask me any questions at all - he basically uttered one sentence, "We don't support that". Frankly, I expected more.

[AisquithPCA]

Remember - I mapped the "a" drive of the client to "z" on the host. Why did I pick "z"? No reason in particular. Thinking that perhaps PCP didn't like the "z" designation, and noticing that the host machine didn't even have an "a" drive, I mapped the "a" drive on the client to the "a" drive on the host ---- and....

It didn't work! But - I stumbled onto a solution.

Believe it or not, you can map the "c" drive of the client to the "a" drive on the host, and PCP *will* back up to it and restore from it, even though it is a fixed drive! I reproduced this on two different machines. I suppose that PCP thinks "a" is removable regardless of what type of drive it is.

Does this qualify as a glitch? If it is, I actually like it better this way.

[NeilZ]

Remember - I mapped the "a" drive of the client to "z" on the host. Why did I pick "z"? No reason in particular. Thinking that perhaps PCP didn't like the "z" designation, and noticing that the host machine didn't even have an "a" drive, I mapped the "a" drive on the client to the "a" drive on the host ---- and....

It didn't work! But - I stumbled onto a solution.

Believe it or not, you can map the "c" drive of the client to the "a" drive on the host, and PCP *will* back up to it and restore from it, even though it is a fixed drive! I reproduced this on two different machines. I suppose that PCP thinks "a" is removable regardless of what type of drive it is.

Does this qualify as a glitch? If it is, I actually like it better this way.

Probably not a glitch, but an 'A' drive is defined as a floppy in most OSs, so as long as XP informs PC+ that its a removable drive, PC+ is happy.

FWIW ... the OS is the determiner of whether or not a drive is removable, PC+ only gets what WinXP gives it as info.

In defense of the tech support guy ... he has a point. They can't be expected to support every configuration that could possibly be put together in the computing world. Even Microsoft has said that on occasions when I asked about networking Win2k/XP, Macs and an OS/2 box .. their reply .. why would you ??

And yes, GoToMyPC is somewhat pricey, we're paying $250 or so a year for two connections, but it is much safer and secure, and it does allow much more than the Citrix Lite, WinTerminal Servcies do.

[AisquithPCA]

In defense of the tech support guy ... he has a point. They can't be expected to support every configuration that could possibly be put together in the computing world. Even Microsoft has said that on occasions when I asked about networking Win2k/XP, Macs and an OS/2 box .. their reply .. why would you ??

In terms of my knowledge of PCP, I am a neophyte, and it took me a couple of hours to figure out the solution. I am quite sure that the tech guy could have come up with the same solution, but more quickly, had he bothered to ask me a few questions. It was his demeanor that I thought left much to be desired.

The reason I thought it was a glitch is this: if I mapped "a" on the host to "a" on the client (2.5" diskette), I got the error message that "a" was non-removeable. If I mapped "a" on the host to "c" on the client, it works like a charm, even though "c" is clearly not removeable.

[NeilZ]

In defense of the tech support guy ... he has a point. They can't be expected to support every configuration that could possibly be put together in the computing world. Even Microsoft has said that on occasions when I asked about networking Win2k/XP, Macs and an OS/2 box .. their reply .. why would you ??

In terms of my knowledge of PCP, I am a neophyte, and it took me a couple of hours to figure out the solution. I am quite sure that the tech guy could have come up with the same solution, but more quickly, had he bothered to ask me a few questions. It was his demeanor that I thought left much to be desired.

The reason I thought it was a glitch is this: if I mapped "a" on the host to "a" on the client (2.5" diskette), I got the error message that "a" was non-removeable. If I mapped "a" on the host to "c" on the client, it works like a charm, even though "c" is clearly not removeable.

Again, its a Windows XP thing ... the host knows that 'A' is a removable drive and that's all PC+ knows about. It know's nothing about the 'client' at all. Drive 'Z' is normally used as a networked drive, unless the operating system knows that its a local removable drive, which you can do with CD-RW & DVD-RWs.

Once again, since I've done my share of phone support, there are areas that they just can't support, as they don't have the network setup to do so. And remember, this is actually a small firm, it doesn't have hundreds of employees, I believe there may be less than 50 or so. So they really can't check every permutation.

I'd cut him some slack, again having done phone support, there are days you just want to throw your hands up and quit but you don't. However, you do get and sound very frustrated. It shouldn't come across, but there are times it does.

Blessings.

[Zaphod]

PowerChurch (particularly v9) makes no assumptions whatsoever about drive letters. During the backup/restore process, it loops through all the drive letters available and asks Windows what type of drive it is. For a backup, PowerChurch will display available Removable media drives. If the A drive is a CD-Rom, that's what PowerChurch will know, and display information accordingly. Appropriate media for a backup are things like floppies, CD-R/RW, ZIP, USB Flash drives (which report as removable), and mapped network drives. I'm thinking, based on what you've written, that you managed to fool PowerChurch with your mapping scheme, and it thinks that drive is a mapped network drive. That would be my guess anyway, because I really don't know.

I'm sorry that the tech you spoke to was abrupt, but remote access is really and truly something we don't support. We've heard from our users that they've had luck with various remote access techniques, and that's great, but it was never a design consideration of PowerChurch. It's not something we've tested or really even attempted.

[NeilZ]

So .. I was right when I said the only thing PC+ knows about drives, is what Windows tells it.

FWIW .. that's was a logical assumption on my part, due to my previous programming experiences.