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1993-01-14
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DOC 1.1 documentation file
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note - this is a plain ASCII text file but it contains multiple
documents each separated by a title line beginning with two @ signs.
You may find it most convenient to view or print this file using the
DOC.EXE program supplied.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Title1:PC MAGAZINE
Title2:Power Pack Volume 2
Copyright:(C)1993 Ziff-Davis UK Ltd
@@Introduction
Introduction
PC Magazine Power Pack Volume 2
-------------------------------------------------------
Welcome! This disk is one of three making up the
PC Magazine Power Pack, a collection of the top
utilities from the PC Magazine utility library.
Volume 2 brings together a comprehensive set of disk
and file related utilities that cover a huge range
of functions.
Program Summary
---------------
2FILE & 2FLOPPY Floppy disk image copier
BAC Simpy but handy backup program
CHKFRAG Report on disk fragmentation
CHKPATH Check DOS command search path
CO Copies, moves and deletes files
COMPARE Displays differences between files
CONCEAL Hide sensitive files
DIRCOMP Compare two directories
DIRMATCH Directory comparison tool
DIRNOTES Keep comments with filenames
DOS-EDIT Innovative command-line editor
DR Mini file manager
DSCAN Check for bad sectors
FFF Find files fast!
FILECTRL Multi-format file browser
FREE Check disk free space
FSIZE Report space occupied by files
PCPARK2 Generic hard disk hard park
PCTODAY & PCCOPY Back-up today's files
PCUNZIP Unpack ZIP format files
PRUNE Directory tree manager
RED Move a file from one dir to another
RENDIR Rename a directory
REPEATS List duplicate filenames
RN Directory manager; links to DR
SEARCH Find files by name or content
SHOWDUPE Locate duplicate files
SLICE Split file onto multiple floppies
TOUCH Update time and date stamps
WIPE Secure file delete
XDIR Pop-up directory listing
The PC Magazine Utility library
-------------------------------
These programs are taken from the library of utility
programs originally written for the US edition
of PC Magazine. More information on these and the other
programs in the library is available on-line in the
ZiffNet forum on the CompuServe Information Service.
Where do I go from here?
------------------------
For more information about installing and running these
programs, see the 'Tech Notes' document. If you're
reading this in the DOC documentation viewer provided,
press the Left arrow key to go back to the document list
on the left and then the down arrow key to highlight
'Tech Notes'.
It is a good idea too to make sure that you read the
instructions for each program fully before trying
to use it.
@@Tech Notes
Technical Notes
PC Magazine Power Pack
-------------------------------------------------------
This document provides additional information on
setting up and using these utilities and on using the
documentation viewer program.
Installing the programs
-----------------------
To install these programs to a hard disk, use the
install program provided (started by typing GO).
Note that you can try out or use the programs directly
from the floppy if you don't want to install them onto
your hard disk straightaway. For example, to try the
PRUNE program out, follow steps like these:
* Insert the disk containing PRUNE (volume 2)
* Enter A: (or B:) at the DOS prompt to log
onto the disk
* Enter PRUNE to run the PRUNE program
Installing the programs from DOS
--------------------------------
You can install all of the programs or just selected
ones using the DOS COPY command in the normal way.
For example, to install the FSIZE program, you might:
* Insert volume 2, the disk with FSIZE on it
* Enter A: (or B: if appropriate) to log onto the
disk.
* Enter COPY FSIZE.COM C:\UTILS to copy the FSIZE
program to an existing UTILS directory on your
hard disk drive C.
Most of the programs use their own name for a filename
(for example, the CHKFRAG program is in the file
CHKFRAG.EXE). The programs will be either .COM or .EXE
type files. Use the DOS DIR command to find out the
filenames you need for your COPY command.
Installing volumes 1, 2 and 3 together
--------------------------------------
You can opt to install all three volumes in the Power
Pack into a single directory on your hard disk so that
all the programs are together. This is a convenient
arrangement and saves disk space. To do this using the
GO program, install each disk in turn but select the
same directory, for example C:\PCMAG, each time.
Some files, such as PACKING.LST and DOC.EXE, are
installed by each volume. When you come to install
volumes 2 and 3, GO will warn you that these files
already exist as they will have been copied to your
disk when you installed volume 1. You should choose
the 'Skip this file' menu option to continue the
installation.
If you do install all three volumes to one directory,
the DOC documentation program will present a menu of
files when you start it with the command DOC. You can
also switch between the manuals for the three disks
by choosing 'Select document file' from the DOC menu.
If you want the instructions for a particular program,
you can still enter DOC followed by a space and the
program name when you start it (for example, DOC ANSI).
DOC will search all three manuals for the right
document and open the correct file. If you know which
file the document is in, you can reduce the search
time by giving its name on the command line too, for
example DOC MANUALS3 ANSI.
Running the utilities
---------------------
These utilities are all individual programs which
should be started or loaded from the DOS prompt as
needed by entering the relevant command (usually the
program name followed by a space and any parameters
that particular program needs). Read the
documentation for a particular program before trying
to use it. This will give a guide to the command
format needed to use the program and in some cases a
few examples to show you how it works.
Please note that there is no overall menu or front-
end for the utilities as this isn't really an
appropriate way to use them.
In general, the way to run a particular program is to
change to the drive and directory where it is stored
and then enter the relevant command.
For example, if you want to run the DIRMATCH program,
and you install these programs to a C:\HOTUTILS
directory, you might enter:
C: change to drive C
CD \PCMAG2 change to the volume 2 directory
DIRMATCH start DIRMATCH
Putting the programs in your DOS command PATH
---------------------------------------------
You can start DOS programs by either changing to the
drive and directory they are in and then entering
the relevant command or, if you have DOS 3.0 or
later, giving the relevant drive and directory
before the command name (e.g. enter C:\PCMAG2\PRUNE
to start PRUNE from a PCMAG2 directory on drive C).
However, it is most convenient if you place the
programs in your DOS command search path... a directory
that is mentioned in your current PATH command. You
can do this by either:
* Adding the directory the program is in to your
normal PATH command in AUTOEXEC.BAT. For example,
if the PATH command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file reads
C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS
and you have installed all the programs to a C:\PCMAG
directory, you might change it to read
C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\PCMAG
You should be careful when making changes to
AUTOEXEC.BAT not to disturb other commands already
in it. See your DOS manual for full instructions.
or
* Copying those programs you use often to a directory
already in your PATH command. Many PCs already have
a directory called \BIN or \UTILS for small utility
programs like these. For example, if you have a
\BIN directory on drive C and use the HC program
often, copy it across with a command like this:
COPY C:\PCMAG1\HC.EXE C:\BIN
Loading programs from AUTOEXEC.BAT
----------------------------------
Some of these utilities are designed to be loaded or
run whenever your PC is working by placing the
relevant command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT startup file.
Please bear in mind:
* The program file must be available for AUTOEXEC.BAT
to load it. If it is not in a directory already
named in a PATH command earlier in AUTOEXEC.BAT,
you must give the drive and directory where it is
stored (e.g. C:\PCMAG1\ADDIT) or copy the file
to the root directory of the hard disk.
* The order in which resident programs are loaded can
be significant. If there appears to be a conflict,
try re-ordering the lines in AUTOEXEC.BAT.
* Always keep a startup floppy to hand and a back-up
copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that if problems
arise you can restore things to normal.
Using TSR (memory-resident) programs
------------------------------------
Some of these utilities are 'TSRs' or memory-resident
programs. These load into memory when first started
and remain there, either operating invisibly or
waiting to be called up.
TSR programs are very popular and those on this disk
are carefully written and fully tested. However, the
design of DOS means that there is always a chance of
conflict between different TSR programs or between a
TSR and your main software.
To avoid problems, please note:
1. You should carefully test any new TSR program
on your system before using it while doing
your normal work.
2. Each TSR uses up memory. If you load too many
at once, your normal software may not be
able to run.
3. If you discover a conflict, loading the TSRs
in a different order may resolve it.
4. You can sometimes change the 'hotkey' used to
call up a TSR to avoid a conflict with keys used
by your other programs.
PACKING.LST file
----------------
A complete index of all the files on all three
volumes is provided in a text file called
PACKING.LST. This is arranged with details of one
file per line so that it easy to search using a
program such as the DOS FIND command. Use this
file to help you locate particular programs or
to identify the contents of various files.
Viewing and printing the documentation
--------------------------------------
A simple on-disk documentation viewer and printer
is provided in the program file DOC.EXE. The
documents for this are stored in the files
MANUALS1.TXT, MANUALS2.TXT and MANUALS3.TXT, one
for each volume.
You can start DOC by changing to the disk and
directory containing it and entering DOC.
DOC command line
----------------
The easiest way to start DOC is just with the command
DOC. However, you can add either the name of a
particular documentation file or of a particular
document to the command. For example,
DOC MANUALS3 Starts DOC with MANUALS3.TXT
loaded. This form is only
needed if you have more than
one document file in the
current directory and want
to load a particular one
straightaway.
DOC CALC Starts DOC with the
instructions for CALC
selected. It may take a
moment or two for DOC to
locate the relevant document.
DOC MANUALS3 BROWSE Stars DOC with the MANUALS3
file, open at the instructions
for BROWSE.
Running DOC
-----------
DOC displays a list of available documents down the
left side of the screen and shows the text of the
currently selected document on the right.
To select documents, use the up and down arrow keys to
move through the list on the left. Typing the initial
letters of a document name will jump directly to the
next matching document. Once you've found the document
you want, press TAB or the right arrow key to move
to the text of the document on the right. The cursor
keys (Home, End, Up, Down, PgUp, PgDn) will now move
through the text. Press the left arrow or TAB key
again to go back to select other documents.
The DOC menu
------------
To call up DOC's menu, press the ESC key. DOC
presents various options which you can select with
the cursor and Return keys or by pressing one of
the highlighted letters. The options will vary
depending on your PC's configuration and the
document files available.
Pressing ESC a second time cancels the menu.
Quitting DOC
------------
Choose the Quit option from the menu to leave
the DOC program and return to DOS.
Colour display off
------------------
Choose Colour display off from the menu to ask
DOC to work in black-and-white. You may wish to
do this if you're using a laptop with an LCD screen
that doesn't show colours well or with some greyscale
or CGA composite video monitors.
This menu option does not appear on PCs that do not
have a colour capability.
Extended screen on
------------------
Choosing this menu option switches the display to
43 or 50 lines so that you can see more text without
scrolling. You can go back to the normal display by
choosing Extended screen off subsequently.
This menu option is only available on EGA or VGA
equipped PCs.
If you have a Super VGA display card and a program
to set extended text modes, such as 60 lines deep,
you might like to try setting an appropriate mode
before starting DOC... the program will operate
correctly with many non-standard Super VGA formats.
Fast screen on
--------------
This menu option only appears on PCs fitted with CGA
or equivalent displays. Normally the DOC program
deliberately slows down on this type of display to
prevent the screen flicker or 'snow' that some CGA
displays can suffer from. If your system does not
suffer from snow, choose 'Fast screen on' for a
faster screen display. There's no harm in trying
this option either way on your PC... snow does no
harm and you might prefer to have a fast display
that flickers to a slow one that doesn't.
Print Document
--------------
Choose this menu option to print the currently selected
document. A menu appears from where you can make four
print settings, choose Go to start printing or Cancel
to return to viewing documents. You may need to alter
the settings to suit your system before choosing Go
as follows:
1. Output port
This is the printer interface that DOC should print
the document to. By pressing O you can step through
the ports fitted to your computer. The default LPT1,
the first parallel printer port, is correct for
most PCs. DOC can work with a serial printer (COM1
or COM2) if you have one but you must make sure that
the port is correctly set up (e.g. with a command
such as MODE COM1:9600,n,8,1,p) BEFORE running DOC.
X-On/X-Off handshaking is automatically provided
for serial printers.
You can set the output port to "FILE". In this case,
DOC will ask for the name of a disk file when you
start printing and will then print to disk rather
than to a printer. If the file you name already
exists, DOC will append pages to it.
DOC does not support PostScript printers. If you
have one of these, you might like to use the print
to FILE option and then use a PostScript conversion
program or word processor to print the resulting
file.
2. Lines per page
This is the number of printable lines on each page
on your printer. DOC will print with this set
incorrectly but will not be able to put page breaks
and headers in the right place. The default is 70
lines for A4 fan-fold paper at 6 lines per inch,
typical of many dot-matrix printers. Other common
values are 64, 66 and 72.
If you have difficulty with this setting, a
workaround is to set the form-length correctly on
your printer, enter a small number of lines per
page (e.g. 60) and then select the "Use form-feeds"
option.
3. Use form-feeds
Set this option to Yes if you're using a LaserJet-
style printer or any printer with the form-length
set correctly. DOC will work with this option set
to No by counting output lines but this is slower.
4. Pause between pages
Set this option to Yes if you're feeding single-
sheets to the printer... DOC will pause for you
to get the next sheet ready between each page.
Select document file
--------------------
This menu option only appears if you have more than
one DOC documentation file in the current directory
when you start DOC, for example if you install all
three volumes to the same directory on your hard
disk. Using this option, you can switch from one
file to another without leaving DOC.
Using document files without DOC
--------------------------------
The DOC document files can be accessed by
programs other than DOC though this may not be as
convenient. They are plain ASCII text files, with a
line-feed/carriage return pair at the end of every
line so they can be viewed with normal DOS commands
such as TYPE MANUALS1.TXT | MORE or
COPY MANUALS1.TXT PRN, text editor programs or
other file viewers and browsers.
The only unusual aspect is that the file contains
multiple documents separated by lines beginning with
two @ signs and a title for that particular document.
DOC uses these to provide its list of available
documents. If you're using the files outside of DOC,
you may wish to break them up at these lines.
Customising the utilities
-------------------------
Some of these utilities are compact assembly language
.COM programs to make them small, fast and efficient.
This means that some of the programs do not include
built-in configuration options.
However, if you're experienced with DEBUG, you can
'patch' the programs to customise their operation.
The manual for each program will describe the ways
in which it can be customised but typically you
can do so to:
* Customise the screen colours the program uses
(if the display is hard to read on your screen).
* Change the 'Hotkey' used by one of the TSR
programs to avoid a conflict with your other
software.
* Change defaults such as sorting order, size of
records and so on.
To customise a utility, follow this general procedure
in conjunction with the manual for the program. (You
SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT this if you are not confident about
using DEBUG as a mistake may stop the program from
working or even crash your PC.)
1. Always MAKE A COPY of the .COM file for the program
in question as a back-up. For example, assuming you
were patching a program called POP-CAL.COM, you
might enter:
COPY POP-CAL.COM ORIGCAL.COM
2. Start DEBUG with the name of the program to modify.
You must have the DOS DEBUG program available for
this to work. For example, enter
DEBUG POP-CAL.COM
DEBUG loads the file and presents a - prompt.
3. Use the DEBUG E command to modify the areas of
the program as described in its documentation.
For example, assume the hotkey for POP-CAL can be
changed by entering a new keyboard scan code at
location 174. If we wanted to use Alt-P rather
than Alt-C we can see from the scan code (SS) table
below that we need to change this to code 19.
This can then be entered in DEBUG with:
E174 19
4. After making all the necessary changes, save the
file back onto disk with the W command. Enter
W
5. Now leave DEBUG. Enter
Q
6. Now load and test out the new program. If it no
longer works, delete it, restore your back-up
copy (e.g. COPY ORIGCAL.COM POP-CAL.COM)
and then try again.
The tables below list the values necessary for
customising colours and hotkeys.
Keyboard scan codes
for alternative hotkeys
(Values for SS)
-----------------------
Scan Scan
Key Code (hex) Key Code (hex)
-------- ---------- --------- ----------
Esc 01 Z 2C
1 ! 02 X 2D
@ 2 03 C 2E
# 3 04 V 2F
$ 4 05 B 30
% 5 06 N 31
^ 6 07 M 32
& 7 08 < , 33
* 8 09 > . 34
( 9 0A ? / 35
) 0 0B R Shift 36
_ - 0C PrtSc * 37
+ = 0D Alt 38
Bkspace 0E Spacebar 39
Tab 0F CapsLk 3A
Q 10 F1 3B
W 11 F2 3C
E 12 F3 3D
R 13 F4 3E
T 14 F5 3F
Y 15 F6 40
U 16 F7 41
I 17 F8 42
O 18 F9 43
P 19 F10 44
{ [ 1A NumLock 45
} ] 1B ScrlLk 46
Enter 1C 7 Home 47
Ctrl 1D 8 UpArr 48
A 1E 9 PgUp 49
S 1F - 4A
D 20 4 LArrow 4B
F 21 5 4C
G 22 6 RArrow 4D
H 23 + 4E
J 24 1 End 4F
K 25 2 DnArr 50
L 26 3 PgDn 51
: ; 27 0 Ins 52
" ' 28 . Del 53
` 29 SysReq 54
L Shift 2A F11 57
| \ 2B F12 58
Shift Mask codes
for alternative hotkeys
(Values for MM)
-----------------------
Value Alt Ctrl L-Shift R-Shift
----- --- ---- ------- -------
0
1 X
2 X
3 X X
4 X
5 X X
6 X X
7 X X X
8 X
9 X X
A X X
B X X X
C X X
D X X X
E X X X
F X X X X
X signifies that this key must pressed. For example,
to use Left Shift and Right Shift for the hotkey,
the value to use for MM would be 3.
Colour values
---------------
Black 0
Blue 1
Green 2
Cyan 3
Red 4
Magenta 5
Brown 6
Lt Gray 7
Dark Gray 8
Lt Blue 9
Lt Green A
Lt Cyan B
Orange C
Violet D
Yellow E
White F
A full colour value is two hex digits, the first
for the background colour and the second for the
foreground. For example, bright white on a dark
blue background is 1F. Do not choose light colours
(values larger than 7) for the background as it
will produce a blinking display in most of the
programs.
@@2FILE & 2FLOPPY
2FILE & 2FLOPPY Steve Cooper
Floppy disk image copying Version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
2FILE creates an exact, sector-by-sector copy of a
floppy disk as a single hard disk file for modem
transmission, multiple floppy duplication and so
forth. 2FLOPPY provides the opposite capability,
formatting and writing a new floppy disk from a file
produced by 2FILE. 2FILE and 2FLOPPY support all
5.25-inch and 3.5-inch DOS diskette formats.
Format
------
2FILE d: [e:][\path\]filename[.ext]
and
2FLOPPY d: [e:][\path\]filename[.ext]
[/number] [/q] [/v]
Using 2FILE
-----------
The d: parameter is the drive containing the floppy
disk to be copied, and filename is the name to be
given to the 2FILE copy. A default .FLP extension will
be supplied if none is specified, and the
currently-logged hard drive and path will be used for
storage unless otherwise specified with the optional
e: and \path\ parameters. The hard disk must have
enough space to hold the entire floppy plus a 13-byte
header.
Files created with 2FILE can be compressed before
modem transmission with ARC, PKARC, PKZIP and similar
utilities.
Using 2FLOPPY
-------------
The d: parameter is the drive containing the floppy
disk to be formatted and written to. The filename is
that of the 2FILE source file, which is assumed to be
located on the currently-logged hard disk and
directory unless the e: and/or \path\ parameters are
supplied. The 2FILE source is presumed to have the
default .FLP extension unless an .ext is specified.
The optional /number parameter is used when a number
of floppy diskettes are to be made from the same 2FILE
source. Values for /number may range from 1 through
32,767 (default: 1). The user will be prompted with a
message and a beep to insert new floppies, as needed.
To silence the beep, use the /q parameter. Copies are
verified unless the /v parameter is specified. The /q
and /v switches may be entered in either upper- or
lower-case.
Notes
-----
1. Just like the DOS DISKCOPY command, 2FILE and
2FLOPPY produce exact copies of a disk,
preserving any file fragmentation on the disk.
If you're sending a .FLP file via modem to
someone, you might want to ensure that your
original disk is unfragmented before you
use 2FILE on it.
2. 2FLOPPY formats and writes over the destination
disk with the 2FILE-produced file. ANYTHING
ALREADY ON THE DISK WILL BE LOST so make sure
you only use it on a new or unwanted floppy.
@@BAC
BAC John Dickinson
Backs-up files to multiple floppies Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Backs up all (or selected) files in a directory to hard
or floppy disks, permitting disk changes when target
disks become full.
Format
------
BAC [d:][path]filename[.ext] [d:][path]
Remarks
-------
Unlike the DOS COPY command, BAC permits you to
change (formatted) target disks when backing up files
to disk. Furthermore, it only backs up files whose date
stamp is later than those of identically named files on
the target disk. Unlike BACKUP, BAC does not change the
setting of the archive bit. Also, files copied with
BAC are fully usable at all times; they do not need
first to go through a RESTORE process.
BAC supports the use of global (* and ?) characters
in filenames and extensions. It does not, however,
permit you to REName files during copying.
Examples
--------
You are working at a PC/AT with a hard disk drive (C:)
on which you keep your copy of BAC, and you want to
back up all the .DOC files stored on a 1.2-Mb floppy
disk (drive A:) onto regular 360K disks (drive B:).
Since these .DOC files will require approximately 600K,
you must have two formatted blank floppy disks ready to
use in drive B:. From the C> prompt you enter
BAC A:*.DOC B:
When the first target disk in drive B: is full, you
will be prompted to change disks.
Notes
-----
1. BAC compares the date stamps of identically
named files and will not overwrite a newer version
with an older one. This may cause files to be skipped
if you omit to keep your date/time current.
2. Requires DOS 2.0 or later.
@@CHKFRAG
CHKFRAG Bob Flanders and Michael Holmes
Reports on extent of file fragmentation Version 1.7
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Reports on-screen the extent of file fragmentation on
a hard disk and provides an ERRORLEVEL value usable
within a batch file to call a defragmentation program.
Format
------
CHKFRAG [d:] [/% | /N | /E] [/L]
Remarks
-------
Executed without any of its optional parameters,
CHKFRAG produces a screen report indicating the number
of files and directories, how many and what percentage
of these are fragmented, and how many extra
(non-contiguously stored) parts of files are contained
on the currently-logged drive. An ERRORLEVEL code
from 0-100, reflecting the percentage of fragmented
files, (the /% parameter is the default) is also
shown.
An alternative drive (d:) to be analyzed may be
specified, as may be ERRORLEVEL return codes that
reflect the actual number of fragmented files (the /N
parameter) or of extra sections (the /E parameter).
The ERRORLEVEL return codes are not intended for
strict accuracy: if any file is fragmented the
minimum ERRORLEVEL returned by the /% parameter is 1%,
and 254 is the maximum ERRORLEVEL returned by the /N
and /E switch options. These return codes are
intended to be used to trigger automatic loading and
execution of the user's defragmenting utility from
within a batch file. An ERRORLEVEL return code of 255
is used to indicate an error condition, which halts
operation.
If desired, a list of the names of fragmented files
and directories can be produced by specifying the
optional /L parameter. The normal screen output from
CHKFRAG may be redirected to a file or to a printer,
for easier analysis.
The DOS CHKDSK command, specified with its /F switch,
should be executed before running CHKFRAG; lost
clusters or cross-linked files are interpreted by
CHKFRAG as error conditions. Drives created with the
DOS ASSIGN or SUBST commands, and directories created
by JOIN are not checked by CHKFRAG. While analyzing
large disks, the utility requires approximately 100KB
of available RAM. CHKFRAG's on-screen recommendations
are to consider using a defragmenting utility when
file fragmentation is in the range from 11% to 75%,
and definitely to defragment disks that show more than
75% fragmentation.
Notes
-----
1. Version 1.7 of CHKFRAG is included on this disk. You
should replace any older versions of CHKFRAG you have
with this version.
@@CHKPATH
CHKPATH John Deurbrouck
Lists available programs and checks PATH
command Version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Displays either all or same-named .COM, .EXE, and .BAT
files on the user's path or in specified drive(s) or
directories, showing which program will actually be
executed; also warns of common problems in PATH syntax
and usage.
Format
------
CHKPATH [/a] [/d=drive(s)] [/s=dir1 ... dirn]
[/e=var] [/n] [/p]
Remarks
-------
Entered without any of the optional / switches,
CHKPATH presents a syntax help screen. The /a switch
causes display of all rather than conflicting-name
programs. The /n eliminates file size, date, and time
information from the list. The /p/ switch pauses at
each screenful.
Using the /d= switch causes a search of all directories
in the drive(s) named. No spaces between the drive
letter colon and the next drive are allowed in this
case, but sequential drives may be specified with a
dash, as in /d=C:-F:H:. The /s= switch restricts the
search to the directories specified, as in /s=C:\DOS
D:\UTIL.
Most frequently, CHKPATH will be used with the /e=
switch, with PATH as the specified var. By specifying
/e=var more than once on the same CHKPATH run,
however, conflicts among different
directory-specifying environment variables may be
checked at once. Environment variables should be
formatted as in the DOS PATH statement.
CHKPATH will also alert the existence of empty,
repeated, or relatively-specified (backslash omitted)
directories on the DOS path. More than one specifying
switch can be used at once to make multiple-selection
comparisons. When both specified and non-specified
directories are shown in the listing the latter will
be prefixed by a minus sign.
All CHKPATH output can be redirected to a printer or a
file.
@@CO
CO Michael J. Mefford
Convenient selective file copy, move or
delete Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Copies, moves, or deletes files individually or in
tagged groups from directory listings sorted by name,
extension, size, or date.
Format
------
CO [d:][\directory][/E][/S][/D][/T][/O]
Remarks
-------
Entered without any of its optional parameters and
switches, CO presents an sorted listing of the current
directory with a menu of Function Key commands on the
right. The file attributes (Archive, Hidden,
Read-Only, and System) are shown by the appropriate
letters to the right of each listed file. The Up- and
Down-Arrow keys move the file-selection highlight bar
one line at a time. Ctrl-PgUp (^PgUp) and ^PgDn move to
the top and bottom of the current display page (21
files), while PgUp and PgDn allow you to scroll through
the entire directory listing. The Home and End keys go
to the beginning and end of the listing, respectively.
Pressing a letter moves the highlight bar to the first
(then subsequent) filename(s) beginning with that
letter. Multiple files are tagged for group copying,
moving, or deleting by pressing the gray plus (+) key;
the gray minus (-) key unmarks a mistagged file.
The optional /E, /S, /D, /T, and /O command-line
switches sort the initial directory listing by
Extension, Size, DaTe (/D and /T operate identically),
or by Original DOS order. Once on screen, function keys
F7 (Name), F8 (Extension), F9 (Size), and F10 (Date)
can be used for subsequent sorts. F1 initiates the Copy
process for the highlighted (or marked) file(s). F6
toggles the Copy Verify option (comparable to DOS /V).
F2 and F3 are used for Move and Delete. You are
prompted for the appropriate destination for Copy and
Move: different drives and paths are supported, as is
the use of the DOS ? and * wildcards. Renaming while
copying is permitted.
When a marked (tagged) file is successfully copied, its
marker arrow is replaced by an asterisk. If a floppy
disk becomes filled, CO automatically attempts to find
other marked files that will fit. Back-up will then halt
with some file(s) remaining to be copied. Replace
the full diskette with another, hit F1 again, re-enter
the correct destination drive, and the remaining marked
files will be copied.
To divide the contents of a directory into two parts,
mark and copy the first set of files, as above, so that
all have the "copied" asterisk. Then press F5 to mark
the previously-untagged files and repeat the copying
process for the second group.
Note
----
CO functions can alternately be performed by
Ctrl-letter commands: ^C (Copy), ^D (Delete),
^M (Move), ^V (Verify), ^N (Name), ^E (Extension),
^S (Size), and ^T (Date).
@@COMPARE
COMPARE Michael J. Mefford
Compare contents of two files Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Displays the differences between two text or two binary
files. Files need not be the same length, and paragraph
reformatting changes introduced by wordwrap are ignored.
Format
------
COMPARE filespec filespec[/B][/W]
Remarks
-------
COMPARE's default assumption is that the filenames
designated in filespec are to be compared as ASCII text
files. Formatting commands embedded by word processing
programs are reproduced on screen but are not acted
upon. Files in which the "high bit" is set (such as
those produced by WordStar's document mode) can be made
displayable in ASCII by entering the optional /W on the
command line.
Files are displayed in two on-screen windows.
Differences are shown in inverse video, and are
preceded by several lines of matching text to provide
a context. When the windows are filled, pressing any
key continues to search for differences; pressing Esc
returns the user to DOS. All character modes, but no
graphics modes, are supported.
Files with .COM or .EXE extensions are automatically
displayed in COMPARE's binary mode, which is similar to
that produced by DEBUG.COM. Unlike DEBUG, however,
COMPARE uses the IBM/ASCII symbol set rather than
periods to show non-alphanumeric characters, and its
segment offset begins at zero rather than at 100h. Any
file can be compared in binary mode by adding the
optional /B switch on the command line.
Note
----
When COMPARE finds a difference between files it
searches ahead up to 400 bytes (the reach value) for a
string of 10 (excluding spaces) successive matching
characters (the sequence value). DEBUG.COM can be used
to change the reach and search values on a copy of
COMPARE.COM thus:
DEBUG COMPARE.COM
E 6ED cd ab
E 6F5 cd ab
E 6F9 gh ef
W
Q
where abcd is the reach value, in hex (default 0190h)
and efgh is the sequence value (default 000Ah).
@@CONCEAL
CONCEAL Michael J. Mefford
Hide files and blank the screen for
security Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Provides file security through password protection of
selected files and a screen-blanking system activated
either by a hotkey or by a period of keyboard
inactivity. Most options explained below have ON and
OFF states (default on) that may be entered with the
parameters.
Format
------
CONCEAL [/P password] [filespec] [options]
Remarks
-------
CONCEAL is normally loaded as a TSR requiring
approximately 1K of RAM, via the AUTOEXEC.BAT line
CONCEAL /S
Files are then protected with the command
CONCEAL filespec /S
This applies the DOS System attribute to the filespec,
making it invisible to DOS. CONCEAL then monitors and
fails any attempts to remove the System attribute, and
any DOS calls to open, delete, rename, or change the
file attribute of protected files unless the proper
password is supplied. Legitimate access is provided by
the command
CONCEAL /P password filespec /S OFF
This turns off the filespec System attribute, which
must later be reapplied. (The /F option allows
password-access without removing the System attribute,
but may not work with all applications.) The default
password SHAZAM can be changed with the /N parameter
option. Other file attributes (Archive, System, Hidden,
Read-only) can be changed with the /A option:
CONCEAL /A filespec [+|-A] [+|-S] [+|-H] [+|-R]
Hardware screen blanking is provided by entering
CONCEAL /B nn
where nn is a number of minutes (0 - 60). The default
is 3 minutes, and a value of 0 for nn turns blanking
off. The /G option may be entered instead of /B to
provide a bouncing ball instead of a blank screen
display. Instant blanking is achieved with a hotkey
(default Alt-Z), which may be changed to any Alt- or
Ctrl- alphanumeric key with the /H option. From
graphics mode, the /G option defaults to /B. To blank
over graphics applications such as Windows, use the /O
parameter. Adding the /T switch will require password
entry rather than a simple keystroke to terminate
screen blanking. The /U switch uninstalls CONCEAL.
@@DIRCOMP
DIRCOMP Charles Petzold
Lists two directories side-by-side Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Permits comparison of the contents of two directories
in alphabetical order, with the options of redirecting
the screen display either to a file or to a printer.
Format
------
DIRCOMP directory1 directory2
Remarks
-------
The directories to be compared do not need to be on
the same drive. Use the normal DOS backslash (\)
character in specifying the path to a desired
directory. The DOS "wildcard" characters (* and ?)
may be used to limit the filenames displayed.
Identically-named files are shown side-by-side to
facilitate comparison of their size, date, and time.
Other filenames are presented alphabetically in their
respective directory columns. Press [Pause] to halt
the display scrolling temporarily; striking any
key thereafter causes scrolling to resume.
In comparing large directories it is frequently
desirable to redirect the output of DIRCOMP either to
a file (which you can then call up with your word
processor) or to a printer.
Example
-------
To create a file called COMPARE.TMP in the root
directory of drive C: (your currently active drive)
that compares the listings in your \LETTERS
subdirectory with the files contained on a floppy disk
in drive B: you would enter:
DIRCOMP \LETTERS B: > \COMPARE.TMP
Example
-------
To print out the same comparison without creating a
file, you would enter:
DIRCOMP \LETTERS B: >PRN
@@DIRMATCH
DIRMATCH Michael J. Mefford
Compare two directories side-by-side Version 3.1
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
To display two scrollable, alphabetised, directory
listings side-by-side, with the more recent of matching
filenames highlighted; to provide mark, copy, and move
facilities to update the target directory with one or
more selected files from the source.
Format
------
DIRMATCH source target [/D][/A]
Remarks
-------
The source and target may comprise any combination of
drives, directories, or subdirectories (with optional *
and ? wildcards) valid for the DOS DIR command. The
user will be prompted for target and source directories
if these items are incorrect. By default, DIRMATCH
displays all files in the two directories. The optional
/D and /A switches restrict the display to Different
and Alike files, respectively. The on-screen display,
together with the number-of-files counters, can be
cycled through All, Different and Alike modes with F1;
Shift-F1 cycles in reverse. Pressing Esc exits the
utility. Crtl-C will abort the program operation.
An inverse-video selector bar shows the current
position in the listings, and may be moved with the
UpArrow, DownArrow, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys.
When the selector bar is on a filename, pressing the
plus (+) key on the keypad or the equal (+=) key on the
keyboard marks the file for further action. Pressing
the minus (-) key on the keypad or the hyphen (-) key
on the keyboard unmarks a marked file. F2 marks all
files; F3 clears all marks.
A file under the selector-bar or a group of marked
files can be copied from source to target directories
by pressing F4. A confirming prompt is provided.
Similarly, pressing F5 moves a file or marked group, by
first copying and then deleting file(s) from the
source. While older files can be copied (F4) to the
target directory, by default F5 will not move them.
F6 will delete the marked files from the source
directory after prompting for confirmation. F7 moves
marked files only if there are not existing files in
the target directory with the same name.
F8 reverses the source and target directories on the
screen making the current source the target and the
current target the source. This allows the user to move
and copy files in any direction and to delete any file.
This is especially helpful when updating two
directories that have been maintained independently
(e.g. at the office and at home) so that they will
both have the latest versions of the same file.
Pressing F9 prints a list of All files, with more
recent matching filenames identified with a
greater-than (>) sign. F10 displays the amount of free
space on the target disk drive.
DIRMATCH supports any number of screen display lines,
including 43-line (EGA) and 50-line (VGA) modes. It can
display up to 1,423 filenames in its listings. Hidden
and read-only files are not displayed. DIRMATCH
requires 64K free RAM in order to run.
New features in Version 2.0:
F6 Delete file(s)
F7 Moves file(s)
(if not already on Target directory)
F8 Swaps Target & Source directories
F9 Pressing F9 prints a list of all files, with more
recent matching filenames identified with a
greater-than (>) sign
F10 Checks amount of free disk space in Target
directory
Colour patch addresses:
EE9 Heading
EEE File listings
EF3 Bottom menu
EF8 Highlight bar
EFD Directory names & F1 active mode toggle
F02 Recent Files
How to use DEBUG to patch colours:
Dark colours Light colours
------------ -------------
Black 0 Dark Gray 8
Blue 1 Lt Blue 9
Green 2 Lt Green A
Cyan 3 Lt Cyan B
Red 4 Orange C
Magenta 5 Violet D
Brown 6 Yellow E
Lt Gray 7 White F
To change an area's default colours (background &
foreground), simply choose from the list of available
colours above and substitute the corresponding values
at the appropriate location.
When choosing a colour combination, remember that the
first value represents the background colour and the
second value represents the foreground colour. NOTE:
using a light colour as the background colour will
result in blinking characters.
For example, if you wanted to change the heading from
the default colours of blue on gray to white on red,
you would change the value at location EDF from "71" to
"4F." Here is the sequence of DEBUG commands to do
this:
DEBUG DIRMATCH.COM
(Tell DEBUG to load DIRMATCH.COM)
E EDF 4F
(Edit location "EDF" & replace value with "4F")
W
(Write the modified DIRMATCH.COM file to disk)
Q
( Quit DEBUG)
@@DIRNOTES
DIRNOTES Michael J. Mefford
Lets you add notes to describe file
contents Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Produces a dual-column directory listing with
DOS-format, alphabetically-sorted filenames on the
left and a coordinated, 38-character field on the
right in which to enter descriptive comments about
file comments, hotkey information, etc.
Format
------
DIRNOTES [d:][path][directory]
Remarks
-------
The cursor Up- and Down-Arrow keys, are used to scroll
the coordinated directory listings/notes line by
line. PgUp and PgDn scroll by screenful, and Home and
End go to the beginning and end of the listings.
The DIRNOTES editor operates in overstrike mode and
incorporates a backspace delete. The Left- and
Right-Arrow keys can be used to move the cursor
without deleting characters beneath it. Pressing the
Esc key automatically saves user-entered notes in a
file called DIRN-abc.DAT, where abc represent the
first three letters of the directory name. The .DAT
file created by DIRNOTES is in standard ASCII, and so
may be TYPEd.
A "U" immediately after the filename in the DIRNOTES
directory listing indicates that that file has been
changed since the last time the data file was
updated. That file's descriptive comments may need to
be changed.
Note
----
The .DAT files created by DIRNOTES should not be
edited with a word processor. The record field
lengths are fixed, and any changes made other than by
DIRNOTES itself may render the file unrecoverable.
@@DOS-EDIT
DOS-EDIT Charles Petzold
DOS command line editing Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Permits moving to, editing, and reentering on-screen
DOS commands without retyping.
Format
------
DOS-EDIT (loads memory-resident program)
then
<Up Arrow> (enables DOS-Edit keys)
<Left Arrow> (cursor left)
<Right Arrow> (cursor right)
<Up Arrow> (cursor up)
<Down Arrow> (cursor down)
<Backspace> (destructive backspace)
<Ins> (insert/overwrite toggle)
<Del> (delete character)
<PgDn> (delete to end of line)
<PgUp> (cursor to column 1)
<Home> (cursor to initial column #)
<Esc> (exit edit mode, no changes)
<End> (transfer text line right of
cursor to end of original line)
<Enter> (like <End>, plus execute command)
Remarks
-------
When loaded, normally through your AUTOEXEC.BAT file,
an initial Up Arrow keypress activates the DOS-EDIT
mode. (Thereafter, the Up Arrow functions as a normal
cursor arrow key.) If you move the cursor down to the
original line, you will leave the DOS-EDIT mode (e.g.,
the Left Arrow key will once again delete characters).
Example
-------
A typical use of DOS-EDIT is to correct a long command
line in which you made a typing error. Simply move
the cursor up to the mis- typed line, correct the
mistake (using the appropriate keys listed under
FORMAT), press Home (to position the cursor to pick up
the whole of the line), then Enter.
A less obvious example occurs if you have just done a
DIR listing and want to run a program. Move the
cursor up and just to the right of the program name.
Press PgDn to delete the extension and the rest of the
line, PgUp to position the cursor to pick up the whole
command name, then Enter.
Note
----
1. DOS-EDIT is a memory-resident program,
and so may cause conflicts with some
other memory-resident software programs.
Such problems can frequently be solved
by changing the order in which the
several memory-resident programs are
loaded. DOS-EDIT should be loaded
before ASSIGN.COM and before SideKick,
for example.
@@DR
DR Michael J. Mefford
File management utility Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
DR.COM provides an integrated set of file management
facilities for sorting, viewing, renaming, deleting,
and moving files to another directory. The command is
entered at the DOS prompt, with the following syntax:
Format
------
DR [d:][directory]
The default filename display (21 per page, to a maximum
of 721) is sorted alphabetically. Various switches,
added to the command, may be added to sort by other
criteria:
/E (sort by Extension)
/S (sort by Size)
/D or /T (sort by DaTe)
/O (sort by DOS DIR order)
Thus, for example,
DR \PROG /S
sorts the initial display of the PROG directory of the
default drive by size.
When a DR listing is on screen, a menu is displayed
showing further options. A highlight bar illuminates a
single filename, and the Up and Down Arrow keys move
the highlight bar a line at a time. The PgUp and PgDn
keys move the bar a page at a time, and Ctrl-PgUp and
Ctrl-PgDn move it to the top and bottom of the current
page. Home and End move to the beginning and end of the
directory listing. Pressing (and repressing) a letter
moves the bar to the first (and successive) filename(s)
beginning with that letter.
The highlighted file may be brought on screen for
viewing by pressing F1 (or Enter or Ctrl-V). The Up and
Down Arrows, PgUp and PgDn, and Home and End work
within the file, as well. Esc, Enter, or F1 return you
to the menu and directory listing. When pressed at the
menu level, Esc terminates the program.
Within DR, the following function keys (and
alternatively, the indicated Ctrl-letter) combinations
are used:
F1 Ctrl-V or Enter View file
F2 Ctrl-D Delete file
F3 Ctrl-R Rename file
F4 Ctrl-M Move file
F5 (none) Confirm Delete On/Off
F6 Ctrl-W WordStar hi-bit ON/Off
F7 Ctrl-N Sort files by Name
F8 Ctrl-E Sort files by Extension
F9 Ctrl-S Sort files by Size
F10 Ctrl-T Sort files by Date
Successive sorts can be used to arrange files, e.g. in
order of size and then, additionally, by extension.
Files can be renamed and may be moved from one
directory to another within DR, but they cannot be
renamed and moved in a single step. Files cannot be
copied from within DR... use CO on this disk instead.
@@DSCAN
DSCAN Based on a program by Charles Petzold
Scans for bad sectors on a disk Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Locates and identifies disk errors on hard and floppy
disks.
Format
------
DSCAN [d:]
Remarks
-------
Bad sectors on a disk can cause loss of data but, as
standard, DOS provides no tools to check for them.
The DOS FORMAT command detects bad sectors initially
-- and flags them in the disk's FAT (file allocation
table) so that they won't be used -- but bad sectors
can develop long after formatting. The RECOVER
command will lock out bad sectors but is only used
after damage has been found. The CHKDSK program only
checks a disk's directory structure and FAT for
consistency... it does not read through file data.
DSCAN simply reads every sector on a disk in turn
checking for errors. Regular use can provide
advance warning that a floppy has developed a faulty
area or that a hard disk is beginning to go bad.
DSCAN does not attempt any repairs (it only ever reads
a disk and does not write to it) but it's enough to
warn you of potential problems or to check that a
floppy you have prepared for someone is readable.
DSCAN messages
--------------
DSCAN reads blocks of sectors on the disk. If a
read fault occurs, it goes back and reads each
sector in the block individually to determine
the nature of the fault. Its messages include...
Problems with scanning
----------------------
Unknown Media
Disk format unrecognised
Unknown Unit: DSCAN cannot identify the type of
drive it has been asked to scan and can't
work with it. These messages may be produced
if the disk's boot sector is damaged but, if
the disk appears to operate correctly, it is
more likely that DSCAN is not compatible with
the type or format of the disk in question.
Can't Read FAT: DSCAN can't read the disk's
FAT in order to check where faults are.
This message may occur if there are
bad sectors in the FAT area. DSCAN will
continue to operate if it can but will not
be able say if bad sectors are already flagged,
are free or lie within files.
Type of fault
-------------
CRC Error: Data checksum as recalculated
during read does not agree with checksum
stored on disk when written.
Sector Not Found: Sector boundary created
during formatting is no longer readable.
Read Fault
General Failure: The sectors so designated
are bad, but the errors reported don't
fall into any of the above categories.
Location of fault
-----------------
File Alloc. Table: The bad sector is in the FAT
which will prevent access to some files or
directories. This is a serious problem,
particularly if a large number of sectors
are affected and should be investigated
further.
Boot Sector: The first sector of the disk is
bad. Typically, if this is the case, neither
DSCAN nor normal programs will be able to
recognise the disk at all since it stores
information about the format of the disk.
A damaged boot sector on a hard disk can
sometimes be repaired by running the SYS
command from an original DOS master floppy,
at least for long enough to copy valuable
files off the disk. The drive may have to
backed-up and reformatted or even repaired
or replaced if the problem persists.
Root Directory: Errors here could keep you
from later being able to load a file or
save updates to it. CHKDSK will
probably indicate unallocated cluster
chains or cross-linked files, and you
may have to use CHKDSK/F to save what
you can.
Unallocated: A bad sector has been found in
a currently unused area of the disk.
An "Abort, Retry, Ignore?" will be
produced if in future DOS tries to save
a file to this area. DSCAN does not
lock out the bad sector.
Used by file: A bad sector has been found
which is in one of your files. While
DSCAN checks that the fault lies
within a file, it does not determine
the name of the file. You may be able
to identify the file by using the
COPY command to read through your files.
For example,
COPY *.* NUL
When COPY encounters the file with the
bad sector it will report "Abort, Retry,
Ignore." Note the bad file and press
"I" to continue. NUL is the name of DOS's
NUL device so that the copied data is
simply thrown away.
Notes
-----
1. Requires DOS 2.0 or higher.
2. DSCAN is based on the original DISKSCAN program
by Charles Petzold
@@FFF
FFF John Deurbrouck
File finding utility Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
A file and directory-finding utility that can search
all directories on any or all drives for one or more
target filespecs. Extended wildcards, size and attribute
information, and multiple report formats are supported.
Format
------
FFF [/a] [drive(s):] [/d|do] [/h|ho|hro] [/s]
[/l|t|w] name(s)
Remarks
-------
The name(s) parameter may consist of multiple entries
(separated by spaces) on the same command line. Thus,
FFF *.exe *.com *.bat will find all executable files on
the current (default) drive.
In FFF, * stands for 0 to n characters, ? for one and
only one character; the period is treated specially as
an ordinary character. Thus *.* and * both mean
"all files" and *.?* restricts a listing to files that
have at least a 1-character extension. Unlike normal
DOS commands, combinations such as *C*T*.* are
permitted, facilitating finding files with a basename
that has, in this case, a C and a T in that order.
All other parameters are optional and are not sensitive
as to case or entry order. The /a switch causes FFF to
search all system drives in alphabetic order. One or
more drives may be specified, singly, in ranges, or
intermixed, by entering a drive(s): parameter. This
parameter must end with a colon, and included range(s)
of drives (e.g. c-e:) must begin with the lowest letter
drive in the group.
By default, searches begin from the root directory of
the drive(s) specified; the /s switch restricts the
search to the current subdirectory and its children.
The /d switch returns directories as well as files that
match name(s); /do lists matching directories only. The
/h switch adds hidden and system files; /ho restricts
the listing to hidden and system files; and /hro
reports hidden, system, and read-only files in addition
to normal files.
The default FFF report lists files and directories
found under their parent directories and supplies file
size, date and time, and attribute (archive, hidden,
system, read-only) information on each. File size and
allocation size totals are also supplied and a storage
efficiency percentage is calculated. The /w (wide)
switch reports entries individually, five across. The
/l (limited) switch lists number of entries and total
and allocated space. The /t (terse) switch reports
fully-qualified names only.
@@FILECTRL
FILECTRL Michael J. Mefford
Multi-format file viewer and browser version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
A full-directory file-viewing and removal utility
capable of displaying WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, Q&A
Write, and WordStar documents as if they were in ASCII
format. FILECTRL automatically supports normal 25-line,
43-line (EGA), 50-line (VGA) and UltraVision displays.
Format
------
FILECTRL [filespec] [options]
Remarks
-------
Entered without any parameters, FILECTRL displays a
filename list of the current directory in its left
window and the first part of the text of the
highlighted filename in its right window. The text is
shown stripped of any header and formatting codes. Any
drive and/or directory can be specified with filespec,
and * and ? can be used to limit the file list.
Pressing Esc exits the utility.
The Tab key (a toggle) shifts between windows, as do
the Left- and Right-Arrow keys. The display in the
active window is shown in high-intensity colour, and
scrolling within the active window uses the usual Up-
and Down- Arrows, PgUp and PgDn, Home and End keys.
From the file list window pressing a letter jumps the
selection highlight to the first filename beginning
with that letter and so continues with subsequent
keypresses.
F2 deletes a highlighted filename or empty
subdirectory, and Ctrl-F2 deletes a group of marked
filenames. Files can be marked with the + key and
unmarked with the -; the spacebar toggles the mark on
and off. All deletions are prompted for confirmation
prior to execution.
Pressing F5 successively (1) widens the file list to
show full DOS directory information, (2) widens the
text display to a full 80 columns, and (3) returns to
the original display. Shift-F5 reverses the display
sequence. Pressing Enter while a filename is
highlighted toggles between the filelist display and
the 80-column text display. Pressing Enter while a
subdirectory (< >) or the parent (<..>) directory is
highlighted loads the files from that directory. F3
permits entering a new filespec.
By default FILECTRL sorts filenames in ascending
alphabetical order. The F7, F8, F9, and F10 keys set
the sort field to filename, extension, size, and date,
respectively. Pressing F6 toggles between ascending and
descending order.
FILECTRL also permits entering a number of options as
command-line switches. These are summarised below.
/M+ = Include only files modified
since last back-up
/M- = Include only files NOT modified
since last back-up
/H = Include Hidden files
/R = Include Read-only files
/P date = Only include files ON or Prior date
/A date = Only include files ON or After date
(date format = mm/dd/yy)
/W = WordStar files; remove high bit
/N = Sort by Name
/E = Sort by Extension
/S = Sort by Size
/D = Sort by Date
/O = Sort by Original DOS DIR order
(default is Sort by Name)
/F = Sort in descending order
For use with laptop computers it may be necessary to
enter the DOS MODE BW80 command before executing
FILECTRL.
@@FREE
FREE Based on a program by Art Merrill
List disk free space version 1.0s
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
FREE.COM reports the amount of free space, the amount
of space used and the total space on one or more disk
drives. This information is also reported by the DIR
and CHKDSK commands but where a large number of files
are present, FREE is much faster.
Format
------
FREE [d:] [d:]...
or
FREE dd...
Remarks
-------
FREE is in many respects a companion program to
FSIZE: the latter tells you how much storage space
you must have to make your copies, the former tells
you how much you do have.
Unlike most DOS commands, you do not have to
include the : after drive letters or even separate
them with spaces. FREE C: D: is equivalent to
FREE C D or even FREE CD. If you give more than
one drive letter, FREE prints totals for the
drives listed; if you hard disk is divided into
C D and E partitions, FREE CDE will list the
space on each partition and then the drive as
a whole.
Notes
-----
1. Requires DOS 2.0 or later.
2. This version of FREE updates the original
PC Magazine FREE.COM written by Art Merrill
@@FSIZE
FSIZE Based on a program by Art Merrill
List file sizes and space occupied version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Calculates the storage requirements of a file or group
of files based on the number of DOS clusters necessary
to make floppy disk and hard disk copies.
Format
------
FSIZE filespec
or
FSIZE filespec d:
Remarks
-------
DOS stores files in fixed-length 'allocation units' or
'clusters'. For floppy disks, the cluster size is
usually 1024 bytes (two 512-byte sectors). A standard
XT 10Mb hard disk has a cluster size of 4096 bytes (8
512-byte sectors). AT hard disks typically have a
cluster size of 2K (4 512-byte sectors). The cluster
size is determined when the disk is formatted; larger
clusters may be used on some drives, particularly
large capacity units.
The cluster size dictates how much disk space a file
takes up. DOS always stores files in a multiple of the
cluster size, if necessary padding out the last sectors
of the file with random data. For example, with a 2K
cluster size, a one byte file will still take up 2K
(2048 bytes); the same space as a 900 byte one or a
2048 byte one. A 3000 byte file would occupy two
clusters, using a total of 4096 bytes.
Entered with a file specification, FSIZE lists the
total size of the files given and the space they
actually occupy on the disk. It also notes how much
space is 'lost' to padding data and what the cluster
size is on the drive holding the files.
Underneath, FSIZE lists how much space would be
required for the files on different types of disk.
For example, if the files are currently on a hard
disk, you can see how much free space is needed to
copy them onto a floppy disk. Similarly, if the
files are on a floppy, you can see how much space
they would take up if you coped them to a hard disk.
If you give a drive letter after the filespec,
FSIZE determines the cluster size on that drive
and reports how much space would be taken up by
the files if they were copied to it, rather than
producing a table of various values.
Examples
--------
FSIZE *.*
Lists how much space files in the current directory
take up.
FSIZE A:*.PCX
Lists how much space the PCX files on drive A take up.
FSIZE C:\JAN
Lists how much space files in the \JAN directory on
drive C take up.
FSIZE ACCOUNTS.WK1 B:
Lists how much space the file ACCOUNTS.WK1 takes up
and how much free space would be needed to copy it
onto a floppy in drive B. Note that drive B (or
whatever) must be ready for this to work as FSIZE
needs to read the cluster size from the disk.
Notes
-----
1. Requires DOS 2.0 or later.
2. From DOS 4 on, you can determine the cluster
size on a particular drive with CHKDSK. You can
do this with FSIZE and any version of DOS by
running it with the name of any file on the
disk
3. If you are copying files into sub-directories,
remember that the directory entries themselves
require disk space; DOS may fit the files into
the existing directory on the disk or it may
need to extend the directory by a cluster or two
to cope.
4. FSIZE combines and updates the PC Magazine
SIZE and ATSIZE utilities written by Art Merrill
@@PCPARK2
PCPARK2 Robert L. Hummel
Generic hard disk park Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Parks the heads on a hard disk
Format
------
PCPARK2
Remarks
-------
This is a small but useful "universal" program to
park the heads of your hard disk drive. These days
most hard disks automatically park the read/write
heads in a safe place but some don't.
If yours doesn't, you should park the heads on the
disk whenever you switch off. If you do not have an
official parking program for your particular drive,
run this program just before you switch off...
PCPARK2 moves the heads to the last cylinder
available where you normally do not have much, if
any, data stored.
If you have more than one disk drive,
the program will loop through them all and park all
of their heads.
Notes
-----
1. Some very early PCs will not support PCPARK2
because of limitations in their BIOS software.
PCPARK2 may also report that it is not able to
park the disk on some current models of PC.
2. There is no harm running PCPARK2 on a drive
that automatically parks itself anyway when it
is powered down... if you're not sure about
your drive, run PCPARK2 anyway.
@@PCTODAY & PCCOPY
PCTODAY & PCCOPY Ethan Winer
Handy aids to daily back-up Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
PCTODAY & PCCOPY make backing up your day's work quick
and convenient. PCTODAY scans all the files on your
hard disk and makes a list of all the files bearing
the date specified. PCCOPY then uses the list to copy
those files to your designated destination.
Format
------
PCTODAY [d:] [/d mm-dd-yyyy] [> filename.ext]
and
PCCOPY Source [Destination] [/x filespec]
or
PCCOPY @Responsefile [Destination]
Entered without any command line arguments, PCTODAY
displays the drive, directory, filename, and date of
all files modified on the current date. Files with
read-only, hidden, and system attributes are included.
The listing pauses at the end of each screen page (if
more than one is needed) and serves as a reminder of
which files may need to be backed up.
By adding the optional /d switch, followed by any legal
DOS date in standard mm-dd-yyyy format, you can force
PCTODAY to include earlier-dated files. To limit the
drives in the search path or to include network and
floppy disks drives, just specify them individually on
the PCTODAY command line. (It's important that you
remember to include the colon after each drive
letter.) For example, to see a list of the files on
drives C: and D: (only) with file dates on or after
November 25, you would enter the line
PCTODAY C: D: /D 11-25-1991
Any number of drives can be similarly specified.
Spacing is not crucial in any of the command line
arguments, and drive letters and the date can be
listed in any order or even intermixed.
To send the list to a file (for use by PCCOPY) instead
of to the display, use the standard DOS redirection
symbol (>) followed by any legal filename. You can put
such a FILENAME.EXT on another drive, if desired.
Thus, given the command
PCTODAY > D:LOGFILE.B25
PCTODAY will create LOGFILE.B25 as a filename (which is
also known as a response file; see the syntax for
PCCOPY) in the default directory of drive D:.
LOGFILE.B25 contains the names of each file to be
backed up in the same order as they would appear
on-screen; however, it omits the file dates, the blank
lines between directories, and the sign-on message.
Restricting the listing to filenames only makes it
easier for PCCOPY to process the list.
In addition to using a PCTODAY list file as a source
for PCCOPY, you can use it with PKWARE's popular PKZIP
file compression utility. PKZIP lets you specify that
the filenames to be processed are to be found in a
response file rather than entered on the DOS command
line. Thus, the three-line batch file
PCTODAY > PCTODAY.RSP
PKZIP PCTODAY.ZIP @PCTODAY.RSP
COPY PCTODAY.ZIP A:
will back up the day's work for your entire system into
a compressed .ZIP file stored on drive A:. Note,
however, that in this case you must be sure that after
compression the .ZIP file will fit on a single floppy
disk.
Using PCCOPY
------------
Used as a standalone utility, PCCOPY works in much the
same way as the DOS COPY command, except that it
restricts its processing specifically to those files
that need to be copied. If the destination drive or
directory has an identical or newer file of the same
name, PCCOPY will not overwrite it. That can save you
a substantial amount of time when many large files are
involved. To copy all unduplicated files from your
current directory to the \WORK directory on network
drive H:, you would enter:
PCCOPY *.* H:\WORK
As with COPY, you can omit the destination argument if
you wish to copy to your current drive and directory.
And if a source or destination drive is given but a
path is not, the current directory for that drive will
be used.
The final--and potentially most powerful--feature of
PCCOPY when used as a standalone utility is its ability
to exclude one or more groups of files. Files to be
excluded are identified with the /x command line
argument, followed by an identifying filespec, as
shown in the following line:
PCCOPY *.* H:\MYDIR /X *.BAK
In this example, the DOS wildcard * is used as part of
the exclude specification to prevent the copying of
any files that have a .BAK extension.
The ? and * wildcards can be applied to any common
parts of a group of filenames, of course -- not simply
to an extension -- and PCCOPY supports the use of up
to ten different exclude specifications. The placement
of the /x specifications is not important; they can
even be intermixed with the source and response file
(@responsefile) parameters. Note, however, that the /x
switch is recognised only when PCCOPY is working with
a source filespec. As explained below, filenames
contained in a response file are copied un-
conditionally; any /x commands are simply ignored.
To use PCCOPY with PCTODAY, you begin by having the
latter create a response file (arbitrarily named
LOGFILE.B25 previously). Then, instead of supplying
PCCOPY with a filespec, you tell it to copy the files
listed in this response file by preceding it with an at
sign (@), as follows:
PCCOPY @LOGFILE.B25 A:
Although you will presumably use PCTODAY to create the
response file most of the time, any group of files can
be put into a response file. Remember, however, that
when a response file is used with PCCOPY, the copying
is unconditional: All the files in a response file
will be copied, whether or not they are newer than the
same-named files on the target drive and directory.
If at any time you forget the syntax for either PCTODAY
or PCCOPY, entering the command with the /? switch
will display the syntax.
@@PCUNZIP
PCUNZIP Michael Mefford
ZIP archive file expander Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
PCUNZIP provides a smaller, no-cost alternative to the
shareware utility PKUNZIP for decompressing .ZIP files
downloaded from services such as PC Magazine's ZEUS or
PCMAGNET and other sources.
Format
------
PCUNZIP filename [\path] [/V] [/E] [/O] [/?]
Remarks
-------
Entered simply with a filename (adding the .ZIP
extension is unnecessary), PCUNZIP uncompresses all
files within a .ZIP file into the current directory. A
path to an existing subdirectory can be supplied if it
is desired to store the decompressed file(s) elsewhere.
The optional /V (view) switch can be supplied to
display a listing of the files contained in a given
.ZIP filename. The /E (extract) switch, followed by
the name of one of these contained files, will extract
and decompress only the named file. By default,
PCUNZIP issues a confirming prompt before overwriting
a same-named file in the target subdirectory. This
warning can be overridden by executing PCUNZIP with
the /O switch.
PCUNZIP and its /V and /E options support the use of
the DOS * and ? wildcards. This enables viewing or
extracting all or only the similarly named files for a
C program, for example. Unlike the full PKUNZIP
utility, however, PCUNZIP does not support the
decompression of encrypted files.
PCUNZIP occupies just 5K of disk space and requires
only 100K of working memory while active.
@@PRUNE
PRUNE Michael J. Mefford
Sub-directory manager Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
To organise a hard disk by renaming, removing, copying,
and moving entire directories, together with their
files and subdirectories. Directories may be put into
other locations on their current or on another drive's
directory tree. PRUNE also reports directory or branch
size and permits directly calling up PC Magazine's DR
and DIRMATCH utilities to inspect files or update
directories with current file versions.
Format
------
PRUNE [d:] [d:]
Remarks
-------
Entered at the DOS prompt without either of its two
optional (d:) drive arguments, PRUNE displays a graphic
directory tree of the current drive in both of its
side-by-side windows. The d: arguments permit initial
display of any one or two directory trees on the
system. The active window, which has the highlight bar,
can be toggled with the Tab key or with the Left- or
Right-Arrow keys. The directory tree can be traversed
with the Up-/Down-Arrow, PgUp/PgDn, and Home/End keys.
Esc exits the utility.
The operations PRUNE can perform on the highlighted
directory are executed with the Function Keys. Note
that except for the Rename Directory command (F3),
"directory" here includes all directory and
subdirectory files. Prompts and confirmatory warnings
are provided as needed.
F1 copies the highlighted directory to another location
on the current tree or to one highlighted in the
alternate window. F2 removes a directory, and should be
used with special care. F4 moves (copies, then removes
the original) a directory. F5 gives the size of a
directory branch, including subdirectories, in terms of
the bytes allocated to the clusters required. Although
PRUNE will not copy or move directories where
insufficient space exists, this information may be
useful in deciding which directories to work on. F6
displays the same information for the directory files
without including any subdirectories. F7 permits
loading and displaying the tree of a new drive. F8
calls up the DR utility to permit reading the files in
a directory, and F9 calls up DIRMATCH to permit
updating a target directory with file versions from a
more recent directory. Note that for F8 and F9 to work,
these utilities must be on the DOS path. If using a
floppy drive, COMMAND.COM must also be on it.
Black and white display
-----------------------
Some systems, especially laptops, do not display
colour contrasts very well. If you find PRUNE hard to
read, you can force it to use black and white
attributes by entering the command MODE BW80 before
running the program. The best way to do this is from
a batch file containing the lines
MODE BW80
PRUNE %1 %2
If you have a colour system and PRUNE is using black
and white attributes, some other application may have
changed the video mode. To encourage PRUNE to use
colour, issue the DOS command MODE CO80 before
running the program.
Customising PRUNE
-----------------
The following instructions will enable you to customise
the colours used by PRUNE and to change the program run
by pressing F7 DR. Start by making a back-up copy of
PRUNE.COM and then enter:
DEBUG PRUNE.COM
You are now ready to modify the utility. If at any time
you make a mistake, simply abort the editing process by
entering Q. The last two commands that you enter after
entering any modifications are
W
Q
for Write to disk and to Quit DEBUG.
Colour scheme: Enter the following DEBUG instructions,
replacing the xx with a hexadecimal colour value. The
default colour values and their descriptions are shown
as comments to the right of the semicolons. Do not type
in the comments.
E 17B xx ; 71 Blue on light gray Menu colour
E 17C xx ; 17 Light gray on blue Inactive tree
E 17D xx ; 31 Blue on cyan Menu bar
E 17E xx ; 1F White on blue Active tree
E 17F xx ; 17 Light gray on blue DR colour
Alternate colours may be selected from the following
list. The background colour number is entered for the
first x and the foreground colour for the second x. Do
not use a light colour for the background or the
display will blink.
Dark colours Light colours
------------ -------------
Black 0 Dark Gray 8
Blue 1 Lt Blue 9
Green 2 Lt Green A
Cyan 3 Lt Cyan B
Red 4 Orange C
Magenta 5 Violet D
Brown 6 Yellow E
Lt Gray 7 White F
For example, to change the bar colour from blue on cyan
(31) to blue on light gray (17) you would enter
E 57A 17
PRUNE turns on the border, and some monitors can't
handle that. To disable the border, enter
E 185 1 g
Replace the 1 with a 0 to re-enable the border.
Reprogramming F7: Pressing F7 in PRUNE will run the
DR.COM utility if it is found on your DOS PATH. To
substitute a different utility for DR, enter
E 192 "12345678"
where 12345678 is the eight-character name of the
utility you want to use instead. Make sure to include
the quotes shown above, but do NOT add either the
period or the extension (.COM or .EXE) of the
alternative utility. Append spaces if the utility name
is less than eight characters. For example, if you have
a program named DirMagic you could enter
E 192 "DIRMAGIC"
The DR next to the F7 in the menu will not change, but
DirMagic will be executed all the same. Remember that
the new utility has to be in the DOS PATH. To change
the F7 utility back to DR, enter
E 192 "DR "
Finish the DEBUG session with
W
Q
@@RED
RED John Dickinson
Quickly moves files from one directory
to another Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Transfers one (or more) file(s) from one subdirectory
to another without requiring the use of COPY and ERASE.
Format
------
RED [d:][path]filename[.ext] [d:][path]
Remarks
-------
Like the DOS COPY command, RED.COM supports the use of
the global characters ? and * in specifying the desired
source files.
Unlike COPY, however, RED.COM does not permit renaming
a file during the transfer process. (This is why it is
unnecessary to supply a target filename.) Furthermore,
RED requires that the source and target drives be the
same. You cannot, therefore, remove a set of files from
drive C: by trying to REDirect them to drive A:.
Example
--------
Before submitting your income tax you calculated it
under several different methods, contained in files
named ROUGH1.DAT through ROUGH6.WKS. These are all in
the subdirectory \TAX on drive C:, and you want to move
them all to a sub-subdirectory (which you have created)
called \1992TAX\DRAFTS.
From the C> prompt enter
RED \TAX\ROUGH?.* \1992TAX\DRAFTS
and all six files will be moved out of \TAX and into
\1992\DRAFTS.
Notes
-----
1. Requires DOS 2.0 or later.
@@RENDIR
RENDIR John Dickinson
Renames a directory Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Permits renaming subdirectories directly, without
creating a new directory, moving the contents of the
old one into it, and then removing the old directory.
Format
------
RENDIR [d:][path]oldname[.ext] newname[.ext]
Remarks
-------
DOS has always provided a REName command for filenames,
but not for directories. A bug in DOS 3.0 permits you
to use the immediate mode of BASIC to
NAME olddir AS newdir
but this bug has been removed from subsequent DOS
versions. RENDIR.COM permits renaming directories in
DOS 3.0 and later.
While RENDIR allows you to change the name of a
directory on another drive than your current one, it
does not permit you to transfer a directory to another
drive by RENDIRing it. Thus, for example, if you are on
drive C: and have a directory on drive D: named \TAXES,
from the C> prompt you can
RENDIR D:\TAXES \TAXES92
You cannot, however
RENDIR D:\TAXES C:\TAXES92
Furthermore, you should not use RENDIR to try to change
the name of the subdirectory you are currently in.
Notes
-----
1. Unlike RENAME, RENDIR does not support use of the ?
and * wildcard characters.
2. Requires DOS 3.0 or higher.
@@REPEATS
REPEATS Michael J. Mefford
Helps locate duplicate files Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Checks all directories on a drive and reports all
duplicate filenames.
Format
------
REPEATS [d:][/P]
Remarks
-------
While not all duplicate files on a disk are
unnecessary, most are. If a hard disk has been in use
for some time it is astonishing how many outdated
versions or outright copies of the same file are
currently wasting space.
REPEATS lists all identical filenames, together with
their directory, size, date, and time information, so
you can decide which files to delete. The optional /P
switch directs the program output simultaneously to the
screen and to a printer. As an alternative, you could
redirect output to a file, DUPES.FND, by using the DOS
redirection command, thus:
REPEATS > DUPES.FND
Notes
-----
1. During the time it operates, REPEATS requires 128K of
available memory. The program can be terminated
prematurely by pressing Ctrl-Break.
@@RN
RN Michael J. Mefford
Directory manager (links to DR) Version 3.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Simplifies creating, removing, renaming, hiding,
unhiding, and changing to directories. Also
sets/resets the read-only and archive bits of all
files within a directory, and reports filecount and
space allocated. Allows immediate call-up of DR.COM
for handling individual files.
Format
------
RN [d:][/I]
Remarks
-------
RN can be entered either as an immediate command at the
DOS prompt, or it can be installed on a hard drive
(using the /I option) with a memory-resident database
of directory information that speeds up its subsequent
operations. If no drive (d:) is specified, the current
drive is assumed.
If installed, RN should be loaded before SideKick and
any other uninstallable memory-resident programs. (RN
cannot be deinstalled without rebooting.) The program
requires 128K RAM operating room; the database, if
used, occupies approximately 14K. RN cannot be called
up from within an application with a 'hotkey'; it can
be accessed only from the DOS prompt. Pressing Esc
terminates RN's operations.
When issued, RN.COM brings up an sorted directory tree
with the current listing highlighted and a menu listing
the function keys used for its various directory
services. The directory highlight bar is moved one
entry at a time by the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys,
and in larger increments by the Ctrl-PgUp and
Ctrl-PgDn, PgUp and PgDn, and Home and End keys. The
highlight bar should be placed on the directory to be
affected by the subsequent function key.
When renaming (F2) and creating (F3) directories, do
not enter the backslash (\) character but include it in
figuring the maximum path length (63 characters). RmDir
(F4), if you confirm at its warning prompt, deletes all
files within the directory (unless they are marked
read-only) before removing it. Hide/Unhide (F5) affects
the directory name only, not the individual files. F6
and F7 (mark/unmark as read-only and set/reset the
archive bit) toggle these bits on all files within the
directory. F8 updates the directory database if changes
are made outside RN, and F9 gives a file count together
with the space allocated to a directory's files. F10
calls DR.COM.
Note
----
1. The F2 key (Rename Directory) requires DOS 3.x.
@@SEARCH
SEARCH Michael J. Mefford
Searches for files by name or content Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Searches all or specified directories on a disk for
either designated filenames or the first occurrence of
character strings within files.
Format
------
SEARCH [filespec] [string][/P][/C][/B]
Remarks
-------
SEARCH defaults to a disk-wide search of all
subdirectories on the current disk. You can specify a
different drive and/or a pathname as part of the
optional filespec parameter. Filename searches support
the DOS * and ? wildcards. Character strings within
files are identified by putting them in quotation
marks. (The strings may themselves include a pair of
quotation marks.) Pressing either Ctrl-Break or Ctrl-C
terminates SEARCH manually.
To redirect the output of the SEARCH command to a
printer, add /P to the command line, as shown in the
first example below. Adding a similar /C switch will
make the search for a character string case-sensitive.
When searching for a character string, SEARCH normally
ignores .COM and .EXE files. While this saves time,
there may be occasions when you want to find copyright
notices, error messages, et al. in an executable file.
To include binary files in the search, add the /B
parameter on the command line.
Example
-------
To print out a list all the .COM files in the \PROG
subdirectory of your current drive, you would enter
SEARCH \PROG\*.COM/P
Example
--------
To find which of the file(s) in your \LETTERS
subdirectory contained the salutation, Dear Miss Jones,
enter
SEARCH \LETTERS "Dear Miss Jones"
Notes
-----
1. SEARCH returns a line number, based on the number of
previous carriage returns in the file, when it finds
a string. It reports only the first occurrence of
the string in each file.
@@SHOWDUPE
SHOWDUPE Richard Hale Shaw
Duplicate file finder Version 1.1
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
SHOWDUPE helps with disk housekeeping by locating all
the files with the same name on one or more hard disks,
displaying them as a scrolling list and allowing you to
easily view, compare or delete them.
Format
------
SHOWDUPE d:\path [d:\path]...
where d: is the drive and \path is the path to the
directory in which SHOWDUPE should begin to search.
Using SHOWDUPE
--------------
Enter a command such as
SHOWDUPE C:\
SHOWDUPE will recursively search the directory you
specify and all of its subdirectories. If you don't
specify at least a drive on the command line,
SHOWDUPE will default to the Search Directories
entry in SHOWDUPE.INI, its configuration file.
As the syntax indicates, you can specify more than one
search drive and path on the command line. For
example,
SHOWDUPE C:\DOS D:\OLDDOS
There's no limit to the number of drives or directories
you can specify on the command line. The total number
of files SHOWDUPE can scan is limited only by the
amount of conventional memory you have available;
SHOWDUPE, for example, will comfortably scan over 7,000
files on a 200MB hard drive.
Before you run SHOWDUPE, make sure SHOWDUPE.EXE and
SHOWDUPE.INI are both in the current directory, or in
a directory that is on your path. Once you execute the
program, SHOWDUPE displays a window that lists all the
files in the designated directories as it scans them.
It then displays a window that lists your duplicate
files.
After it has found all the duplicate files, SHOWDUPE
builds two tables, DUPES.IDX and DUPES.DAT, which it
puts in the same directory as SHOWDUPE.EXE and
SHOWDUPE.INI. Once it has created these files, the
program won't attempt to create them again unless you
delete them.
DUPES.IDX contains a sorted list of the filenames;
DUPES.DAT contains date, time, size, and directory
pathname information. All this information could have
been stored in a single file, but then when the
filenames were sorted, SHOWDUPE would have to load all
this information into memory when, in fact, it only
needs the filenames.
The menu bar at the bottom of the screen lists the
various commands for operating SHOWDUPE. In addition
to using the arrow keys to navigate the listing of
duplicate filenames, you can use Home and End go to
the top and bottom, and PgUp and PgDn to jump through
a screenful of filenames at a time. As you move the
highlight bar through the list, the full path for the
highlighted file appears in the Path window near the
top of the screen.
When you are ready to delete a duplicate file, scroll
to that filename and press the Del key. SHOWDUPE will
delete the file and gray its entry in the list box.
You can tag multiple files by moving the highlight bar
to each filename and pressing the Spacebar. SHOWDUPE
will change the colour of every entry that is tagged
for deletion. If you change your mind and wish to
untag a file, move the highlight bar to that entry and
hit the Spacebar again; it will act as a toggle, and
the colour of the entry will return to normal. Once you
have tagged all the files you want to delete, press F7
(Purge) to delete all the tagged files simultaneously.
Files can be viewed with a separate file viewing
utility. SHOWDUPE comes with, and is initially
configured for, the PC Magazine SMOOTH.COM program. To
view a file, simply place the highlight over the file's
name and press Enter. In the case of SMOOTH, pressing
ESC will return you to SHOWDUPE. Note that SMOOTH can
display any type of file but that you will see odd
characters if you use it to examine binary or encoded
files such as graphics files, saved spreadsheets,
program files and so forth. SMOOTH is included on
volume 3 of the Power Pack.
While SHOWDUPE's list box may indicate that two files
have the same name, date, time and size, they still
might not be identical. How can you be sure they're
really the same? SHOWDUPE lets you perform a simple
byte-by-byte comparison. Highlight the first filename,
press F10, highlight the second filename, and press F10
again. SHOWDUPE will compare the contents of the two
files and display a message telling you whether they
are identical or not.
When you delete a file with SHOWDUPE, it does not
disappear from the list box but simply appears grayed
out. Therefore, after you've deleted a large number of
duplicate files, you may wish to rebuild the .IDX and
.DAT tables. Searching through a long list of files
that have already been deleted isn't efficient. Select
F9 (Build) and SHOWDUPE will rebuild the tables and
update the list box.
The Build command can also come in handy if you started
deleting files with SHOWDUPE but didn't finish the
task. When you run SHOWDUPE at a later date, it will
redisplay the listing of duplicates exactly as you
left it. However, it will not account for any new files
you've created, new program files you may have loaded
that may have created duplicates, or files you've
deleted since the last time you ran SHOWDUPE. Hit F9
and SHOWDUPE will rebuild the tables, finding any new
duplicates. To abort the table-building process, press
any key.
At any time, you can press Ctrl-Enter to shell out to
DOS from SHOWDUPE. Simply type EXIT to return.
Configuring SHOWDUPE
--------------------
SHOWDUPE uses an initialisation file to store your
own choice of program settings. The file is called
SHOWDUPE.INI and is similar to .INI type files used by
other programs... perhaps the most well known now being
the WIN.INI file used by Microsoft Windows 3.
The SHOWDUPE.INI file is designed to be easy to use...
it's just a plain ASCII text file, which you can create
or modify using a text editor, and uses plain English
words for each setting.
SHOWDUPE.INI lets you configure SHOWDUPE's screen
colours, desktop colours, and window colours. You can
also specify whether the program runs in 43- or
50-line mode on an EGA or VGA system, or uses the
default screen mode. You can specify an alternate file
viewer as well as name default search directories.
Each entry in SHOWDUPE.INI consists of a name followed
by an equals sign and the relevant value on a single
line. For example the line:
DeskTopBackGround=LIGHTGRAY
specifies that the Desktop background in the program
should be light gray in colour.
The colour settings
-------------------
For the following colour items, you can specify BLACK,
BLUE, GREEN, CYAN, RED, MAGENTA, BROWN, or LIGHTGRAY
for foreground and background colours. You can also use
DARKGRAY, LIGHTBLUE, LIGHTGREEN, LIGHTCYAN, LIGHTRED,
LIGHTMAGENTA, LIGHTYELLOW, and WHITE for any
foreground setting (theoretically, you can also use
these colours for background settings, but they cause
the background to blink).
The eight colour settings are:
ScreenBackGround=<colour>
ScreenForeGround=<colour>
DeskTopBackGround=<colour>
DeskTopForeGround=<colour>
WindowBackGround=<colour>
WindowForeGround=<colour>
ScreenBackGround=<colour>
ScreenForeGround=<colour>
The latter two items control the colour of the title bar
and status lines at the top and bottom of the screen.
The DeskTop settings control the colours of the desktop
that appears under the windows, and the Window
settings control the window colours.
Other settings
--------------
The ScreenMode setting specifies whether the program
runs in 43- or 50-line mode on an EGA or VGA system.
If you don't have such a system, or just want SHOWDUPE
to use the default video mode, set ScreenMode to
DEFAULT:
ScreenMode=DEFAULT
To force SHOWDUPE into EGA or VGA mode on such a
system, set ScreenMode to EGAVGA as follows (the
setting is ignored on other systems):
ScreenMode=EGAVGA
Another setting, Viewer=, lets you override the default
file viewer, SMOOTH.COM, if you don't have SMOOTH.COM
or prefer another file viewer. For example, to use an
editor called TED, you might include the line:
Viewer=TED.COM
You don't need to specify the directory that the
program resides in, as long as the program is in a
directory in your PATH.
Finally, the SearchDirectories setting lets you specify
the default search directories for building duplicate
file tables. Internally, SHOWDUPE defines this
setting as NULL. You can override it by specifying one
or more search directories. For example
SearchDirectories=C:\ D:\ E:\
If you specify search directories on the command line,
they will override the settings found in SHOWDUPE.INI.
This lets you maintain a set of default search
directories in SHOWDUPE.INI, but you can change them
at any time via command line arguments.
@@SLICE
SLICE Bob Flanders and Michael Holmes
Split a large file over multiple floppies Version 1.3
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Spreads a DOS file too large to be copied onto a single
floppy disk across multiple diskettes, enabling the
file to be restored onto a second machine.
Format
------
SLICE [d:][path]filename[.ext] d:
Remarks
-------
The filename of the file to be divided may be preceded
with a drive and/or path, if needed. The target
drive may be any drive that DOS recognises as a
removable medium. Diskettes from 160KB to 1.44MB
capacity may be used, as may disk cartridges whose
device driver identifies them as employing a removable
medium.
As each target diskette is filled, the user is
prompted to insert a fresh one; up to 99 formatted
target disks may be accommodated. On the first of
these, SLICE also creates a short (approximately 1KB)
program, SPLICE.COM, which is subsequently used to
reassemble the separate sections into which filename
has been broken. The syntax for SPLICE.COM is:
Format
------
d:\SPLICE s: [t:][path] [/R]
Remarks
-------
The d: parameter designates the drive on which
SPLICE.COM has been written, and s: designates the
source drive. Normally, these are the same. The
optional t: and path identify the hard disk/path onto
which the file is to be reassembled as single entity.
If these latter parameters are unspecified, the default
drive and directory will be used for restoration. The
original filename cannot be changed in either the SLICE
or SPLICE operations, each of which requires
approximately 34KB of available memory. The optional /R
parameter tells the program to disable the check for
removable media. If you receive an error message
saying, "Must be removable media," you can try running
SPLICE with the /R parameter. This is useful when the
device driver for a drive does not support the IOCTL
requesting removable status.
Note
----
The DOS BACKUP and RESTORE utilities also permit a
large file to be divided among multiple disks. However,
they are not as easy to use and require that the same
version of DOS be present on both the originating and
the receiving machines.
@@TOUCH
TOUCH Michael J. Mefford
Set time and date stamp on files Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Changes the DOS date and/or time designation of a file
or group of files either to the current system values
or to user-designated values.
Format
------
TOUCH filespec [/D date] [/T time]
Remarks
-------
Entered without any arguments, TOUCH displays a help
screen showing its syntax. If given a filespec but
neither of the optional switches (/D or /T), TOUCH
updates the designated file to the current system date
and time. Note that the standard DOS filename wild
cards (* and ?) are supported, so TOUCH can operate on
groups of files.
The optional /D date switch permits entry a
user-selected date in the customary DOS mm-dd-yy
format. If desired, the hyphen delimiters may be
replaced by forward slashes (/), and the year may be
entered either in full form (e.g. 1988) or in
abbreviated (88) form. TOUCH checks that each of the
three fields is filled with a non-zero value, but does
not check the validity of a date (e.g. 2/31/88). Legal
DOS years are from 1980 to 2099.
The optional /T time switch permits the user to specify
times in hours:minutes:seconds. If the minutes and/or
seconds parameters are omitted, TOUCH will set them to
0. Hours should be entered in military (24-hour)
format.
@@WIPE
WIPE Based on a program by Steven Holzner
Secure file delete utility Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
Provides security by deleting files permanently so that
their contents cannot be recovered.
Format
------
WIPE filespec [filespec]... [/N]
Remarks
-------
The DOS DEL command does not physically erase data
when it deletes a file... it simply removes the file's
details from the directory and marks the disk space
where the file's data is stored as free for future use.
This is an advantage in that, in the case of accidents,
it is often possible to recover a deleted file. It's a
weakness, however, in that the DEL command alone is not
enough to stop a determined person from recovering
sensitive information that you thought you'd deleted.
WIPE provides extra security when you need it... it
first overwrites the data in the file and only then
deletes it. In fact, it overwrites the existing data
three times with different values and obscures the
file's original directory details to the point where
most automated undelete programs will not even attempt
to recover the file's data.
WIPE asks for confirmation before wiping each file
specified (you can use wildcards or give several
filenames separated by spaces). Press Y to go ahead
or N to leave the files as is. If you want to wipe
a group of files and are sure you know what you are
doing, add /N to the WIPE command. The program will
then ask for confirmation only once before wiping
each selected file in turn.
Notes
-----
1. Requires DOS 2.0 or later
2. WIPE replaces the original DELZ program by
Steven Holzner
@@XDIR
XDIR Jeff Prosise
Pop-up directory display Version 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------
Purpose
-------
XDIR is a memory-resident utility that allows you to
display the filenames in any drive/directory even when
you are running another applications program.
Format
------
XDIR
Remarks
-------
Once loaded (normally as an entry in your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file), pressing the Alt-. (the Alt and the period key
combination) causes a blank window to pop up on the
screen. Pressing Enter then displays the first 40
filenames of your current directory in the window.
Pressing Esc once clears the display, and pressing it a
second time returns you to your previous application.
To view other directories, simply enter their
appropriate path designation (including drive, if
different) before pressing Enter when the window is
blank.
The PgUp and PgDn keys are used to display files beyond
the initial 40 shown in the window. Up to 360 files in
any one directory may be displayed.
Notes
-----
1. If you are experienced in using DEBUG, you may wish
to change some of the XDIR defaults. Remember
always to make changes to a copy of the program,
not to your original. After entering DEBUG XDIR.COM,
the following addresses and initial values may be of
interest:
Offset Value Parameter
------ ----- -----------
013C 4F Border colour attribute
013D 0F Text colour attribute
014D 00 File type (see Note 2)
0186 34 Period key scan code
018E 08 Alt-key shift code
2. By default, XDIR displays only normal filenames (00
at :014D). To show hidden files, the value here
should be 02. System files are 04, and subdirectories
are 10h. These values are additive. To display
subdirectories and files marked both hidden and
system (e.g. IBMBIO.COM) you would enter the value
16h at offset :014D in place of the default 00.
3. While no TSR program can be guaranteed compatible
with all other memory residents, XDIR should coexist
with most other TSRs.