Medisoft Backups - ZIP Files in Disguise

[Jason York]

An interesting fact that many Medisoft users do not know is that the Medisoft backups are really just Windows ZIP files with a different extension (.mbk). This bit of information can come in handy at times, especially when you may want to open a backup of your database in ARC32 or copy data tables from a backup to your current practice when repairing data issues. You can do these things without restoring your backup into another Medisoft practice. Here's how:

- First, you will need to make sure you are able to view file extensions in Windows. To do this, first right-click on the 'Start' menu, then click 'Explore'. When Windows Explorer comes up, go to 'Tools' --> 'Folder Options'. Click on the 'View' tab, then scroll down until you see 'Hide extensions for known file types'. Make sure the box next to this option is unchecked.

- Next, browse to the folder where you have your Medisoft backup stored. Right-click on the backup file, then click 'Rename'. At the end of the file name, chance '.mbk' to '.zip'.

- You are now ready to unzip your Medisoft backup into the folder of your choice!