Penn State University Libraries - Backing Up Macros

Like with any other application you use, it is recommended to back up your macro files periodically, preferably anytime after you make an alteration to any macro file. The most obvious place to back them up will be your U drive. The file types you should be concerned with are .mex and .mxe.

However, if you don't make changes very often or not at all, make sure you keep your macros in the My Documents folder. This will ensure that your macros are backed up each time the Windows Backup utility is scheduled (usually weekly). This will also ensure that your macros will be backed up during Life Cycle Upgrades. Please keep in mind that I will maintain backups of the standard "master" sets of macros, but these will not contain any of your personalized macros.

There are a number of different options available. The important thing to remember is to backup file types of .mex and .mxe.

• Back them up by copying .mex and .mxe files to a floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, external hard drive, or other storage device.
• If you are on a network, back them up to space you have on another drive located on a server. This way if your computer hard drive crashes, a copy will still be available elsewhere on the network. When considering this option, check with your network representative(s) to make sure that their servers have regularly scheduled back ups.
• If you have Web storage space somewhere, consider saving copies there.
• If you make use of some regularly scheduled backup utility, make sure that these files are included in the set of files it backs up. Alternately keep your macros in a folder that the backup utility regularly backs up (e.g. My Documents). It is important that the backup utility makes backups to some external device or a server on a network. If it backs up to your hard drive and your hard drive crashes, you'll lose both your macros and the backups of them.
• Consider making use of Macro Express' backup function. In the Options menu, select Preferences and then select Backup. This function is primarily used for keeping a copy of a previous version of your macro file after you have made changes to it. This way you can restore things if you've made editing mistakes. However, if you are on a network or have an external storage device attached to your computer, you can set it up to store backups there.
• Try to remember to make backups anytime you make an alteration to a macro file (i.e. editing macros, making new macros, etc.).