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Verbatim
Backup.Exec

Richard of Boston writes:
Much to my surprise the well entrenched Arcada/Seagate/Veritas backup software for DOS and Win 3.1 is not y2k compliant. I only discovered this yesterday as I was not expecting a problem - this isn't accounting or database software.

The program cannot successfully log the dates on files created after 12/31/1999. All dates are logged in the format "1-01-:0", "1-05-:0" etc.

So I went to Seagate's web site. The say "Not our problem. We sold the software. Go to Veritas for support."

Go to Veritas. Their site says: "Tough. All of these versions of the software are not y2k compliant." (See LONG list at their web site.) "We won't make a y2k compliant release/patch for the DOS and Win 3.1 versions. We WILL sell you a copy of our software that will run on Win 98/NT4."

No mention is made of the peril, if any, of using the non y2k compliant software at their site. Am I still successfully backing up? Is this simply an error in the report logs? Will a restore actually work? Who knows? If they do they aren't saying anything.

Further, special tapes made by Verbatim require this specific software. They are extra length tapes, in my case TR-3EX, and this is the only software designed to recognize the tapes.

I have 5 home computers running DOS/WFWG 3.11 None of these systems can accommodate the bloatware of Win 98 required to run the yk2 compliant version of Backup Exec. Both myself and my sister would have to spend $8,000 to $10,000 to purchase replacement computers, new copies of an OS that we don't want and pay for the yk2 compliant version of Backup Exec in order to successfully backup our data and program files!

Even if we went to a different vendor - the only one I know of is Hewlett Packard that makes a DOS y2k compliant backup program - I still cannot use the Verbatim extra length tapes I purchased. So far I have only made direct contact with Verbatim. I was told that the person in charge of technical support for their backup tape products, "Mark," was in a meeting and would call me back. I'm still waiting...

Since this software is so entrenched - anyone that purchased a Seagate, Conner, Maynard, Iomega tape drive (to name only a few) - I'm hard pressed to believe I am the only person that has encountered this problem. Especially since Verbatim was giving away copies of the software at no charge in order for consumers to be able to use some of their backup tapes. It's been an industry standard for at least six years.

Veritas has a web site at: http://www.veritas.com/
Verbatim is at http://www.verbatimcorp.com/

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