home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Software Vault: The Gold Collection
/
Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO
/
cdr11
/
powerb5.zip
/
P5DOS011.TIP
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-06-01
|
2KB
|
48 lines
MS-DOS's DISKCOPY command uses only conventional memory,
which means that copying high-density disks requires many
disk swaps. Even worse, DISKCOPY doesn't make a sound when
it prompts you to change disks. To avoid having to watch the
screen constantly, I made a small change in DISKCOPY that
causes it to beep when disks must be changed.
The change is very simple. Make a copy of your DISKCOPY.COM
file and load it into a hexadecimal editor such as Central
Point's PC Tools or The Norton Utilities. Next, use the
editor's find or search command to find the word "insert,"
which should bring you to the message about inserting a
disk. Depending on your DOS version, you may find two
separate strings for the source and target disks or only one
string containing the characters %s (the C language's
shorthand for a string that changes depending on the
situation).
At the end of the string(s), you'll find a carriage return
(code 0D hex) and a linefeed (0A hex). Replace each of these
characters with the hex code 07 (the "bell" character).
Repeat the procedure for the other string (if necessary),
and remember to update the file before leaving the editor.
Overwriting the carriage return and linefeed has another
advantage: The messages 'Insert the Source diskette in drive
X:' and 'Press any key when ready' now come on consecutive
lines, so that all the messages associated with one copy
operation fit on a single screen.
Jean-Louis Longueville
Namur, Belgium
Editor's Note: This technique will help you get your disks
copied faster unless you enjoy staring raptly at your PC
during the entire operation. But if you are making a
substantial number of copies, you might consider one of the
many shareware and freeware utilities that save an image of
a floppy disk to your hard drive and can reproduce the disk
on demand.
Title: Copy Alert
Category: DOS
Issue Date: October, 1992
Editor: Brett Glass
Supplementary Files: None
Filename: P5DOS011.TIP