Should i be getting a notification or anything if it was successful or not?
I don't know. I've never had a corrupt database to try it on. But according to
this source...
-v[alidate] – Check database for validity. At the same time,
errors are reported and repaired.
-f[ull] – Use with the -v option. Checks all records and pages and releases unassigned record fragments.
...so you should see something reported—if it finds anything.
it doesn't seem to do anything other then briefly open a command prompt.
If, when running
gfix -v -f movies.pvd, all you get is a flash of a command window, something is wrong. When I try it on my database, it takes 2 - 3 seconds. This would be easier for you to judge if you run it from a command window (run
cmd.exe).
As for the backup I create a new copy of my database every time I add more titles (labeled as current # of movies).
As you now know, that's not an effective form of backup. It's fine for providing a means of recovery from an inherently risky operation or anything you might want to change your mind about. But the chance of a database error happening
and you realizing it has occurred (before discarding good backup) are pretty slim. Effective backup should be automatic, regular and retain as many versions as possible. That can be done with a system wide backup routine, or a simple utility that can be scheduled to make regular copies of critical data.
