File signatures??

[Mike or Penny Novack]

On 6/28/2017 9:40 AM, matt at considine.net wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I think this is the right venue to ask this question.  If not, I can 
> hopefully get a pointer to where else to turn.
>
> I need to figure out what - if any - file signatures could be used to 
> identify gnucash data files.  The need arises from a harddisk crash 
> and recovery effort,

Horses and barn doors. And I am sure you will be better prepared next 
time. But others on the list should take note. And proper backup 
procedures are not just for gnucash:

a) Do not keep backups on the same device. Some day a disk may crash.
b) Ideally do not keep backups (not all of them) in the same location. 
You might make two copies, one to keep handy (for a data restore of a 
messed up file) and one stored off site for a more serious disaster. I 
learned THAT lesson in 2006 when a house fire (just one room actually 
burned) destroyed most of the backups kept in another room nearby (heat, 
smoke, and water)

What I personally do is have a couple of large external drives. These 
days a terabyte drive is only about $100. Sure slow going copying all 
the user data but you don't have to sit there while the computer chugs 
away making a copy of the data directory << you only need to do 
"systems" when you install software --- if instead of immediately 
updating every time you are notified of a new version but instead wait 
till you have several and do them at one time as a "build" you can space 
out THOSE backups >>

Michael D Novack