>> More information about the environment, data volume, and controllability of file access during the backup process would be necessary to address this more adequately.
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>Files will be released, though I won't code the app to assume that. The environment is a W2K server, NT workstations, ethernet. Data is about 150 MB and that's generous.

Is there any backup system already in place on the server or elsewhere? If so, you might be able to piggyback on that.

If there is no backup system in place the client owes it to themselves to get a good one for the server at least. There, CD will probably not be practical; modern DAT tape would likely be a better choice. The built-in W2K Backup applet may be sufficient; if not they could invest in something like Veritas Backup Exec (W2K Backup is basically BE "Lite").

If the POS workstations are all the same or similar and don't change often, you could consider a drive/partition imaging product like PowerQuest Drive Image or Norton Ghost.

It's also worth noting that some enterprise server backup apps include agents that can be loaded on client PCs to include them in regular backups. If a large enough tape drive or changer/jukebox is used the entire network can be backed up on a scheduled basis.