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DiskDupe Trial
________________________________________________________________________
Owner's Manual
Version 4.0
Micro System Designs, Inc.
10062 Miller Ave, Suite 104
Cupertino, CA 95014
Phone 408-446-2066
Fax 408-446-2095
DiskDupe Trial (December 1992)
(DD40T.DOC)
(c) Copyright 1988 - 1992 Micro System Designs, Inc.
All rights reserved.
DISKDUPE, DISKDUPE PRO, DISKDUPE AUTO PRO, DISKMACHINE, AUTOLOAD, RELAY,
RAMBODISK, CASCADE, TRACK RANGE and MICRO SYSTEM DESIGNS are trademarks
of Micro System Designs, Inc. Other brands and product names are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed,
stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language (natural
or computer) in any form by any means without the written permission of
Micro System Designs, Inc., except as described in the following
license.
Page 2
LICENSE AGREEMENT
This software is protected by both United States copyright law and
international treaty provisions. You are granted a limited license to
use this program on a trial basis for up to 30 days. To continue using
the program after the trial period, you are required to pay the license
fee.
You are granted a limited license to copy DiskDupe for the trial use of
others providing you include the files DISKDUPE.EXE, DISKDUPE.OVR,
DISKDUPE.DAT, and DISKDUPE.TXT in complete and unmodified form and make
it clear to the recipient that this is not free software but payment of
the license fee is required for continued use after the trial period.
LIMITED WARRANTY
Micro System Designs does not warrant that the functions contained in
this program will meet your requirements or that the program operation
will be uninterrupted or error free.
Micro System Designs specifically disclaims all other warranties,
expressed or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of
fitness for any particular purpose and of merchantability.
IN NO EVENT WILL MICRO SYSTEM DESIGNS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, COMMERCIAL
DAMAGE OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE
USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER
PARTY.
GOVERNING LAW
These statements shall be construed, interpreted, and governed by the
laws of the state of California. You agree that this is the complete and
exclusive statement of this agreement which supersedes any prior
agreement or other communication between us on this subject. Use,
duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government of the computer
software and documentation in this package shall be subject to the
restricted rights under DFARS 52.227-7013 applicable to commercial
computer software.
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
INTRODUCTION
DISKDUPE DUPLICATES DISKS FAST!
Thank you for trying DiskDupe. DiskDupe is the best program to automate
your disk duplicating needs. DiskDupe can duplicate disks amazingly fast
and without any fuss. Other programs simply don't measure up to DiskDupe
in terms of speed, bad disk detection, ease of use, and depth of
features.
DiskDupe duplicates, formats and compares disks up to 6 times faster
than DOS. It copies even high-density disks in a single drive - without
swapping! DiskDupe senses when you put a disk in the drive and goes
right to work. If a disk needs to be formatted, that's taken care of
automatically. To perform at maximum speed, DiskDupe bypasses DOS and
the BIOS and talks directly to your floppy controller.
REQUIREMENTS
- IBM PC, PS/2 or Compatible
- DOS 2.0 or later
- 300k RAM
- Hard Disk (or two floppy drives and 100k Expanded Memory)
INSTALLATION
HARD DISK INSTALLATION
To install DiskDupe on your hard disk:
1. Type: MD C:\DISKDUPE <Enter> to make a subdirectory for DiskDupe
on your hard disk.
2. Type: CD C:\DISKDUPE <Enter> to change to that directory.
3. Insert the DiskDupe program disk in drive A:, or the appropriate
floppy drive, and type: COPY A:\*.* <Enter> to copy the files to your
hard disk.
4. Type DISKDUPE <Enter> to run DiskDupe.
DiskDupe searches the current directory and your path for its
configuration file DISKDUPE.DAT. You can add the \DISKDUPE subdirectory
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
to the path statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that you do not need
to change to the \DISKDUPE subdirectory every time you run DiskDupe.
NETWORK INSTALLATION
Running DiskDupe on a network allows you to take full advantage of the
multiuser environment and allows you to share image files. As long as
only one computer is using DiskDupe at a time, you can install DiskDupe
on the network under the terms of this license agreement. If more than
one person will be using DiskDupe at the same time, contact us for
information on a site license.
If you are the only one using DiskDupe on your network, you can install
it as described above in the hard disk installation. However, if you
would like multiple workstations to be able to access DiskDupe, the
network administrator should install it according to the following
instructions.
1. Copy all the files from the DiskDupe disk into a shared
subdirectory on the network.
2. Copy the file DISKDUPE.DAT from the shared subdirectory to a local
subdirectory that DiskDupe will be started from.
3. DiskDupe searches the current directory and the path for its
configuration file DISKDUPE.DAT, which is updated with DiskDupe's
current settings each time you exit. If DiskDupe cannot locate a
DISKDUPE.DAT file, it creates one in the directory from which it was
started. There are several ways for a user's configuration to be saved:
- Add the local subdirectory to the user's PATH statement.
- Keep "Use CMOS for A&B" set as "Yes" in the shared subdirectory. If
started with the shared DISKDUPE.DAT, DiskDupe will start up with the
A: and B: drives tailored to the specific workstation's configuration
at the time it was turned on or rebooted (drive settings can still be
changed from within DiskDupe at any time). This alleviates the need
for some users to have a local DISKDUPE.DAT file.
- Start DiskDupe from the local subdirectory or create a batch file
to do so.
FLOPPY DRIVE INSTALLATION
If the computer doesn't have a hard disk and is not attached to a
network, you can run DiskDupe on a dual floppy disk system if you have
at least 100k of expanded memory. It is best if you can leave the
DiskDupe disk in one drive and use the other drive for copying.
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
If you need to use both drives for copying, start DiskDupe and set it up
exactly the way you want it. Next exit DiskDupe to save the setup
information. Then start DiskDupe again and choose an option under the Go
menu. You can now take out the DiskDupe disk and use both drives for
copying.
SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY
- Windows 3.1: If you receive an error message saying the DMA buffer is
too small, add the line DMABufferSize = 018 to the Windows SYSTEM.INI
file in the [386Enh] section.
- QEMM and SmartDrive 3.1: If you receive an error message saying the
DMA buffer is too small, change your CONFIG.SYS to "QEMM386.SYS DB=3
DMA=15" to load QEMM. You don't need the DB=3 parameter if you don't
have a SCSI hard disk.
- OS/2: For maximum speed, open the DOS settings box for the
DISKDUPE.EXE object. You'll need to set HW_TIMER to Off and
IDLE_SENSITIVITY to 100 for the DOS session.
NAVIGATING THE MENUS
DiskDupe supports both mouse and keyboard use. When you first start
DiskDupe, you'll see a menu bar across the top of the screen, from which
you can select pull-down menus, either by clicking on each option with
the mouse or moving the highlight bar with the cursor keys and pressing
<Enter>. Once the menus are displayed, click on a menu item with the
mouse to select it, or use the Up/Down arrow keys to scroll vertically
through each menu and the Left/Right arrow keys to move from menu to
menu. Once you have made the desired changes in a box, the <Esc> key
will get you out of any menu.
Although the mouse and keyboard functions are generally interchangeable,
you may have to use <Enter> or <Esc> to select or cancel some settings
that are specified in menu boxes.
Note: When using the keyboard, you must press <Enter> to make a
selection. If you scroll down a menu, and then move to a different menu
without making a selection, the highlight bar will remain on the setting
you scrolled down to, but the highlighted setting will not be selected.
BASIC OPERATION
DiskDupe has three basic operations - duplicating, formatting, and
comparing - each of which is selected from the Go menu.
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
Duplicate makes a copy of a disk, Format prepares a new disk for use,
and Compare checks that two or more disks are identical. The Copies
setting controls the number of copies that are made. Enter 0 for copies
to copy continuously. (NOTE: The Trial edition only allows 5 copies, and
Lite Edition allows 10. All other versions have no limit)
Whether you are Duplicating, Formatting, or Comparing, DiskDupe always
works from the Source drive to the Destination drive. It copies from the
source disk, sometimes called the master disk, to the destination, or
target disk. Sometimes, for instance when you format a disk, only the
Destination setting is used.
Although the simplest way to use DiskDupe is to copy from one disk to
another disk, other modes are useful for certain tasks. Two other common
ways of working with disks in DiskDupe are Relay and Cascade. There are
also variations, such as creating an image of a disk on your hard disk
and making copies from that file. For each variation, there are settings
that control how each of the basic operations work. The basic technique
goes like this:
1. Try working from right to left when changing menu settings. Start
with the Options menu, and then check the menu settings for Disk,
Destination, and Source. For the Disk setting, you can usually use Auto.
DiskDupe then automatically sets the type of disk.
2. From the Go menu, decide how many Copies you want or the number of
times you want something done. In some cases, this setting is ignored.
(NOTE: The Trial edition only allows 5 copies, and Lite Edition allows
10. All other versions have no limit)
3. Select the operation, usually Duplicate, Format, or Compare.
COPYING DISKS
Whether you're duplicating, formatting, or comparing, many variations
are possible in DiskDupe. Copying from one disk to another is the
simplest way to make new disks. Variations of this include Relay and
Cascade introduced in detail in this chapter.
Regardless of the options chosen, DiskDupe makes an exact copy of a
disk, including hidden and system files, subdirectories, and volume
labels. However, DiskDupe cannot make duplicates of copy protected
disks.
DISK TO DISK
The most straightforward way to duplicate is to copy from one disk to
another. This is useful for making a specific number of copies of disks
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
of different types and sizes. For example, if you want 5 copies of a
disk, you would select Duplicate with Copies set to 5.
You do not explicitly need to set up DiskDupe to copy "disk to disk". It
is the standard way it works. Below are step-by-step instructions.
1. Move to the Type menu. Use the <Up> and <Down> arrow keys to
highlight the type of disk you want to copy, or select Auto, and press
<Enter>.
2. From the Destination menu, select the drive to which you want to
copy.
3. Under Source, indicate the drive from which you want to copy.
Source and Destination can be the same drive, but do not need to be.
4. Move to the Go menu and set the number of copies that you want to
make. If you want DiskDupe to copy continuously until you press <Esc>,
enter 0 for the number of copies. (NOTE: The Trial edition only allows 5
copies, and Lite Edition allows 10. All other versions have no limit)
5. Highlight Duplicate and press <Enter>.
DiskDupe will prompt you to put the master disk in the Source drive and
the drive light will turn on. As soon as you close the drive door,
DiskDupe will start reading the disk into your computer's RAM memory,
using your hard disk as virtual memory if necessary. This allows
DiskDupe to make as many copies as you want without having to reread the
master disk.
Notes:
- Although you can duplicate 360k disks in a 5.25", 1.2Mb drive, it is
not recommended, particularly if the disks might need to be read in a
360k drive. A 1.2Mb drive writes a narrower track than a 360k drive, so
it does not make a very good 360k duplicate.
- DiskDupe will not successfully copy disks that are copy protected.
However, it will allow you to make copy protected disks of your own.
- Although DiskDupe is DOS-based, it will allow you to duplicate disks
of other formats, including Mac high-density, Xenix, Unix, and Midi
disks. DiskDupe can copy Unix disks that have an interleave of 3, but
the copies it makes will have an interleave of 1.
IMAGES
If you frequently make copies of one disk, making an image of the disk
on your hard drive saves time and avoids unnecessary wear on the disk.
The only drawback is the hard disk space that images take up.
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
To create an image, set Source to the drive with the master disk in it.
Set Destination to File and then type in a file name. DiskDupe images
usually use the extension .DDI. Then select Go, Duplicate to create the
image.
To use the image, set Source to file, and press <Enter> when you see the
*.DDI. DiskDupe will then show you all the images you have created.
Select the one you want and press <Enter>. Then set Destination to the
drive you want to copy to and select Go, Duplicate to make the copies.
RELAY
Relay is an extremely efficient method of backing up program disks or
making copies of a shareware library. To use it, first make sure all
your master disks have write-protect tabs on them. Relay senses the
write-protect tabs and automatically reads and copies the master disks
to all the non write-protected disks after each master disk. This allows
you to make copies of different master disks of one type without using
the keyboard.
Then set Source to Relay, Destination to A: and select Duplicate from
the Go menu. Put in the first master disk and let DiskDupe read it.
Afterwards, put in as many disks as you want to copy. When you want to
start copying from the next write-protected master, just insert it into
the drive. DiskDupe will sense the write-protect tab and read the new
master disk without a keystroke.
1. To use Relay, make sure all your master disks have write-protect
tabs on them.
2. For Destination, select the drive to which you want to copy. For
Source select Relay.
3. Under Go, select Duplicate. The number of copies doesn't matter
when using Relay.
4. Put in the first write-protected master disk and let DiskDupe read
it.
5. Insert the disks you want the master copied to.
6. When you are ready to start using the next write-protected master
disk just put it in. DiskDupe will recognize the write-protect tab and
start reading this in as the next master disk.
7. When you are finished, press <Esc>.
Caution: If your master disks do not have write-protect tabs on them,
they will be overwritten.
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
CASCADE
If you have more than one floppy drive of the same type and are making
multiple copies, you can use Cascade to get more efficiency out of your
drives. Using Cascade is similar to copying from A: to B: - reading a
disk from one drive and making a copy in another - except that, once the
first disk is read, DiskDupe cycles through and makes copies in each
drive.
1. Choose Cascade from the Destination menu.
2. Choose the Source drive or Image.
3. Put a write-protected master disk into the first drive.
4. Select Duplicate from the Go menu.
DiskDupe will read the first disk and then wait for you to remove the
disk and insert new ones in all the drives. DiskDupe will sense the disk
change, make a copy in the first drive, and then switch to the next
drive to make a copy. It will make copies until it reaches the end of
the cycle, where the Cascade Pause feature waits for you to change the
disks in all the drives. DiskDupe will sense when you insert a new disk
in the first drive and resume copying immediately.
DiskDupe will continue copying until the desired number of copies has
been made or until you hit <Esc> to break the cycle. If a bad disk is
encountered, you will have to remove it and insert a new disk in that
same drive before DiskDupe resumes duplicating.
Note: The IBM PC and compatibles cannot copy to two drives
simultaneously.
RELAY AND CASCADE
You can also combine Cascade with Relay. In such a setup, the first
write-protected master disk is read from the first drive in the cycle
and will be copied to every non write-protected disk inserted in that
drive. In the second drive another master disk is read and copied to
each non write-protected disk inserted in that drive.
FORMATTING DISKS
With DiskDupe, you can either format a disk as it is being duplicated or
separately, by choosing Format from the Go menu. When you copy disks
with Duplicate, DiskDupe will detect whether a disk has been formatted
and, if necessary, format it while copying. Format is a separate feature
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
used whenever you want to just format some disks or preformat disks
ahead of time for later use with DiskDupe. To format disks:
1. Go to the Options menu to select the Format and Verify settings.
The options are discussed below.
2. If you are formatting a 720k disk in a 1.4Mb drive, set Disk to
720k otherwise leave it set to Auto.
3. Set Destination to the drive you will use to format the disk. This
can be Cascade to use both drive. Source is not used when formatting.
4. Select Format from the Go menu.
QUICK ERASE
To do a quick erase, set Format under the Options menu to Only If
Necessary and set Verify to Only After Format.
Reformatting a disk that has been previously formatted takes only about
2 seconds per disk. This effectively wipes out the data on a disk by
writing over the disk's FAT (File Allocation Table) and directory table.
DiskDupe will write the first couple of tracks, where the file and
directory information is located, realize that the disk doesn't need to
be formatted, and prompt you for another disk. If you run a DIR or
CHKDSK on the disk, you will see that the disk is indeed empty.
If you also want to recheck the disk to make sure there are no damaged
areas, set the Verify option to Always. This is quicker than a full
reformat, but will check the entire disk for defects.
Note: Although the disk appears blank, some of the data is still
physically on the disk. The only time this might pose a problem is if
the disk contains sensitive information that you want to be sure to wipe
off completely. If so, use the full reformat option.
FULL REFORMAT
To do a full reformat, set Format under the Options menu to Always.
Use full reformat if you plan to use an old disk as a master disk or
want to completely erase all the data on it.
FORMAT COMPATIBILITY
When DiskDupe formats disks using Format under Go, it places a DOS 3.3
boot track on the disk. This is compatible with all versions of DOS. If
you want to format a disk with the boot track of another version of DOS,
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
or make a bootable disk or make formatted Unix, Midi or Mac high density
disks, follow these instructions.
1. Format a disk using the normal format command for that system. With
DOS this is FORMAT or FORMAT /S.
2. Use DiskDupe to make a copy of this disk. If you want you can also
create an image file of this disk and use that as the Source.
If you are using a master disk formatted with DOS 4.0 or higher,
DiskDupe will copy the serial number of the master disk without changing
it.
CLEANING
To ensure good copies and avoid strange problems, it is critical that
the drive heads be kept clean. Dirty heads can cause good disks to be
rejected and bad disks to be passed.
HOW DRIVES GET DIRTY
Drive heads get dirty in two ways. Particles on the disk surface like
dust and cigarette smoke can stick to the head and/or the magnetic
coating on the disk rubs off on the head. These coatings vary in quality
and they all absorb moisture. Poor quality disks that have been in humid
environments can clog the drive heads after just 50 or 60 disks.
When the head gets dirty, it no longer makes good contact with the disk
and the dirt particles diffuse the reading and writing process. This
produces erratic results. Some disks work fine while others are
inexplicably rejected.
HOW OFTEN TO CLEAN
We recommend that you clean the drive heads every 500 disks, or at least
once a month. Sometimes in humid or dirty environments, you will need to
clean the heads every 100 disks. If you start experiencing a lot of
rejected disks or have other problems, it is always a good idea to clean
the heads.
When drives are extremely dirty, you can actually see the dirt on the
head. After you remove the cover, you will be able to see reddish-brown
spots on the white ceramic piece attached to the moveable head-frame.
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
CLEANING THE DRIVE
To clean the drive, use a good wet-dry type cleaning disk. Under
DiskDupe's Destination menu, select the drive you want to clean. Then
choose Clean from the Go menu. Insert the cleaning disk in the drive and
press <Enter>. The drive will be cleaned for 15 seconds.
While cleaning, DiskDupe moves the head back and forth across the disk.
This provides the best possible cleaning and makes sure the cleaning
disk is evenly used. Be sure to discard the cleaning disk if you see any
discoloration on it or it has been used past the recommended number of
cleanings.
If you clean your drives regularly, a 15 second cleaning is sufficient.
However, if your drives are especially dirty, several cleanings may be
required. In extreme cases, it is necessary to clean the drive head by
hand with a Q-tip and isopropyl alcohol.
Cleaning the drive does not wear it out. A dirty drive will actually
wear out faster because of the abrasive action of the dirt.
DISK CONVERSION
DiskDupe allows you to convert certain types of disks to disks of
another physical size, such as a 5.25", 1.2Mb disk to a 3.5", 1.4Mb. You
can, for example, copy a program's 5.25" program disks to 3.5" disks for
installation on a laptop which only has a 3.5" drive.
Converting disks is just a special application of the Duplicate command.
The table below indicates which disks, drives, and settings to use for a
conversion. The conversions listed are the only ones presently
supported.
Conversion Disk type Drive Type
------------- ---------- -------------------
360k to 3.5" 720k disk 720k or 1.4Mb drive
720k to 5.25" 360k disk 1.2Mb drive
1.2Mb to 3.5" 1.4Mb disk 1.4Mb drive
For the 3.5", 720k to 5.25" conversion, copy to a low-density 360k disk
in the 1.2Mb drive. If you get an error on several disks, try using a
1.2Mb disk instead. This disk will be formatted to 720k capacity by
using the area between the tracks. If a computer has problems reading
the files on the disk, even though it recognizes the disk and can do a
DIR of it, use the FIX720.COM program. This is a small memory-resident
program that allows such computers to read this 5.25" disk. (NOTE:
FIX720 is included with the registered versions of DiskDupe.)
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
DiskDupe transfers the information track-by-track, including volume
labels, subdirectories, hidden and system files. During a conversion,
the destination disk will be formatted to the same capacity as the
source disk. So if you are copying from a 5.25", 360k disk to a 3.5",
720k disk, the 3.5" disk will have a capacity of 360k.
Track-by-track conversion won't copy from a higher density disk to a
lower density disk, even if the higher density disk has just a few files
on it. In this case, it's better to use the DOS Copy command to transfer
the files.
Note: If you are copying disks to send to others, we recommend making a
master for each disk size, rather than using track conversions. This
allows you to use the full capacity of the disk and will alleviate any
possible problems that other computers might have reading these disks.
OPTIONS
CASCADE PAUSE
If you intend to change each disk as it is copied, you can set Cascade
Pause to Off under the Options menu. DiskDupe will cycle continuously
and overwrite the disks in the drives, including the master disk if it
is not write-protected. If you prefer to change the disks all at once,
leave Cascade Pause set to On, and DiskDupe will wait for you to do so.
Example
Using Cascade with drives A: and B:: While the master disk is being read
from drive A:, you put a blank disk in drive B:. As soon as DiskDupe is
finished reading from drive A:, it will start writing to the disk in
drive B:. If Cascade Pause is set to On, DiskDupe will wait for you to
hit a key at the end of each cycle, indicating that you have replaced
all the disks. With Cascade Pause set to Off, you must remove, and
replace, the disks as they are copied or DiskDupe will overwrite them.
DISK MENU
Normally you can leave this set at AUTO to let DiskDupe automatically
sense the type of disk you are using. When you are formatting and doing
diagnostics on a 1.4Mb drive, DiskDupe will assume you want to use a
1.4Mb disk. If you want to use a 720k disk, you will need to select it
manually. The same is true for a 360k disk in a 1.2Mb drive. Also if you
are copying non-DOS disks like Unix, Midi or Mac high density, you will
also need to select the copy type manually.
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
NOTE: Although you can duplicate 360k disks in a 5.25", 1.2Mb drive, it
is not recommended. The 5.25", 1.2Mb drives write a smaller track than
usual so they do not make very good 360k duplicates.
FORMAT OPTION
The Format and Verify options are used to help speed up the disk
duplicating time. If you always use new disks when making copies, go to
FORMAT under the OPTIONS menu, press <ENTER> and then select ALWAYS.
This will save a few seconds that DiskDupe normally takes to identify
that a disk is blank and shift into Format mode. When Format is set to
ALWAYS, a 360k disk will take less than 58 seconds to duplicate.
If, however, you sometimes use disks that are pre-formatted, you can
save a lot of time by setting FORMAT to ONLY IF NECESSARY . This will
skip the format step on disks that have been pre-formatted. You can use
this option even if you use a combination of pre-formatted and new disks
because DiskDupe will still sense when a disk is new and automatically
shift into format mode for that disk.
VERIFY OPTION
If you are confident that the disks you have pre-formatted have not been
subsequently damaged, you can also set VERIFY to ONLY AFTER FORMAT. On
pre-formatted disks this can cut the duplicating time on a 360k disk
down to less than 16 seconds per disk.
Be aware, however, that if the disks have been damaged after they were
formatted (for instance, someone accidently touched the floppy disk
surface), DiskDupe will probably not detect this damage if VERIFY is set
to ONLY AFTER FORMAT. Duplicating times for pre-formatted disks when
Verify is set to ALWAYS are still fairly quick.
COMPARE OPTION
To compare a disk byte-by-byte to the master during verify, turn On the
Compare option under Options menu.
Compare provides a more thorough check than a Verify. You can run both
together if you are running DiskDupe on a 386 or later model computer.
Using both Verify and Compare will not slow down the duplication any
more than running just one. Under Options, select On for Compare and set
Verify to Always.
On some 286's and slower computers, compare during verify might slowdown
the copying speed. If your computer passed the diagnostics tests under
the Go menu, you can turn Compare Off and still catch 99.97% of all disk
errors.
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TEMP FILE
The Temp File is the file on your hard disk where DiskDupe stores any
part of the disk image that will not fit in memory. If you have at least
640k of RAM memory in your computer and are duplicating 360k disks, the
entire disk will fit in memory and will not have to be buffered. If
however, you are duplicating another type of disk or don't have as much
memory, part of the disk will be buffered to this file.
DiskDupe will only store the parts of the disk with data on it. For
instance, if you are duplicating a disk that is only half full, only
that half of the disk that has data on it will be stored.
Note: If files have been erased from a disk, DiskDupe may be fooled into
thinking that there is more data on the disk than there really is. To
help DiskDupe work most efficiently, it is best to use a newly formatted
disk as your master disk.
OTHER FEATURES
AUTOMATIC DISK SENSING
DiskDupe automatically senses when you change disks without having to
touch the keyboard. This will speed up your duplication and also
eliminate errors.
To sense a disk change, DiskDupe needs to keep the drive on. So when
DiskDupe alerts you, it is okay to change the disk even though the drive
light is still on.
BAD DISK ALARM
DiskDupe sounds an alarm when it encounters a bad disk and asks you to
press the <ENTER> key. This alerts you that there is a bad disk to make
sure you don't accidentally put it in the good disk pile.
MAXIMUM SPEED
There are several ways you can optimize the speed of the copies made
with DiskDupe.
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
CLEAN MASTER
DiskDupe works faster when the master disk is "clean". This means that
the master disk was formatted before any files were copied to it.
Using a clean disk, DiskDupe is able to sense which part of the disk has
valid data on it and only duplicate that part of the disk. If you have a
master disk which has had many different files copied to it and then
erased, DiskDupe will have to duplicate the entire disk even though all
of the disk might not contain real data.
To make a clean master disk, first format a disk. Then use the DOS COPY
command to copy the necessary files onto this newly formatted disk. This
disk can now be used as your clean master disk.
FORMAT AND VERIFY OPTIMIZATION
1. Pre-format the disks. This can be done by copying from a blank
formatted disk. The disks will be formatted and verified and any bad
disks will be rejected. You can format disks at any time that is
convenient.
2. Use these pre-formatted disks later when you make copies. Make sure
that FORMAT is set to ONLY IF NECESSARY and VERIFY is set to ONLY AFTER
FORMAT on the SETUP menu.
3. If you are nervous about not verifying the disk after you write to
it, set the VERIFY option to ALWAYS. This will increase the duplicating
times but will re-verify the entire disk.
DUPLICATING TIMES
The following table shows how long it takes DiskDupe to duplicate disks.
If the source disk is not completely full, the duplicating times will be
faster than this.
Disks copied in one hour using DiskDupe. All these times assume that it
takes two seconds to change the disk.
360K 1.2Mb 720K 1.4MB
----- ------ ----- -----
Blank Disks 62 38 32 32
Pre-formatted/verify 106 65 55 55
Pre-formatted 200 126 106 106
Note: Some 1.4Mb drives however, won't be able to achieve the full 106
disk per hour.
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
Notice how much time you can save if you pre-formatted disks yourself.
However, if you buy disks that have already been formatted for you, we
recommend that you set Verify to Always. This insures that any disks
that are bad will be detected.
BATCH FILES
All DiskDupe parameters can be entered from the DOS command line. This
allows you to create DOS batch files to automate the use of DiskDupe.
COMMAND LINE
You can enter all the information on the DOS command line that you would
normally have to enter by using the DiskDupe menus. Here is an example:
DISKDUPE A: B: /C5 /DUP
This will start DiskDupe with A: as the source drive and B: as the
destination drive and will make 5 copies. The /DUP statement instructs
DiskDupe to start duplicating and then return to DOS without stopping at
the menus. This is useful if you want to use DiskDupe in a batch file.
The A: is the Source and can be a drive, a filename or the word RELAY.
The B: is the Destination and can be a drive or a filename. To use
Cascade drives, use AB: like DISKDUPE D1 AB:
The /C5 sets the number of copies to 5.
The /C is called a switch. There are many different switches you can
use. You can use as many or as few switches as you want. The next
section lists all the switches.
COMMAND LINE SWITCHES
/DUP Starts duplicating without pausing at the menus and
returns to DOS when finished.
/FOR Starts formatting without pausing at the menus and returns
to DOS when finished.
/CLEAN Starts cleaning without pausing at the menus and returns
to DOS when finished.
/TEST Starts the diagnostics without pausing at the menus and
returns to DOS when finished.
/DAT Use alternate .DAT file for different duplicating jobs.
Example /DATJOB1.DAT
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
/C Allows you to set the number of copies
Example: /C5 Set 5 copies. (NOTE: The Trial edition only
allows 5 copies, and Lite Edition allows 10. All other
versions have no limit)
/FA Sets the option for formatting to ALWAYS.
/FO Sets the option for formatting to ONLY WHEN NECESSARY.
/VA Sets the option for verifying to ALWAYS.
/VO Sets the option for verifying to ONLY AFTER FORMAT.
/T Sets the Disk type.
Auto Specifies Auto
360 Specifies a 5.25" 360K copy (Low Density)
12 Specifies a 5.25" 1.2M copy (High Density)
720 Specifies a 3.5" 720K copy (Low density)
14 Specifies a 2.5" 1.4M copy (High Density)
Example: /T720 Specifies a 720k copy.
/S Sets the type of installed drive.
For drive, use one of the following:
A:, B:
For setup information, use one of the following:
360, 12, 720, 14
Example: /SA:12 Specifies the A: drive is a 1.2M High
Density drive
/CMOS "YES" uses CMOS bootup configuration for A: and B: drives,
"NO" does not. Example: /CMOSYES
/TF Allows the user to set the option for the temporary file.
Example: /TFDISKDUPE.TMP Sets the temporary file to
DISKDUPE.TMP
BATCH FILE EXAMPLE
You can combine DiskDupe commands into DOS batch files to automate
sequences of tasks.
The following is a batch file that reads in a source disk and creates a
disk image file and makes 10 duplicates.
DISKDUPE B: DISK1 /DUP
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO END
DISKDUPE DISK1 B: /C10 /DUP
:END
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
Notice that you can test if there was a problem using the ERRORLEVEL
command. An ERRORLEVEL of one or greater indicates that there was an
error.
TROUBLE SHOOTING
COMMON PROBLEMS
PROBLEM: After I copy a disk using DiskDupe and then try to do a DIR on
it, I get an error reading the disk.
ANSWER: Take the disk out of the drive. Type <CTRL-C> several times and
put the disk back in.
QUESTION: On my PS/2 it copies the first disk fine but then makes a
grinding noise and sometimes I get a "Bad Seek Error".
ANSWER: Some of the PS/2 drives can't step at the proper rate. To
compensate for this, under Setup tell DiskDupe that it is a 720k drive.
You will still be able to copy both 720k and 1.4Mb disks but you won't
have the stepping problem.
QUESTION: I am trying to copy 360k disks on my AT type computer and it
is not working.
ANSWER: Make sure you have your A: drive set up correctly (usually as a
1.2Mb drive) and that the copy type is set to 360k.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
DiskDupe is backed by a technical support system designed to offer you
fast, courteous service. All registered users receive unlimited, free
technical support. We also provide limited support to unregistered
users.
In order for us to provide the best possible help please do the
following before calling. Write down the serial number of the DiskDupe
program, write down exactly what happened and what error message
appeared, write down what type of computer you are using and be at your
computer with DiskDupe running.
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DISKDUPE TRIAL MANUAL
MSD PRODUCTS
DISKDUPE TRIAL
Duplicates and formats 5.25" and 3.5" up to 6 times faster than Dos.
Copies even high density disks in one pass with no swapping. Talks
directly to the floppy controller for maximum speed. Uses the hard disk
as virtual memory. Automatically formats disks if needed. Senses disk
changes without a keystroke. Detects all bad disks for perfect copies.
Stores images on hard disk. Converts 5" to 3". Automatically detects
drive and disk type. Has Relay, Cascade, Diagnostics and Clean. Uses
command line or pull-down menus with mouse support.
DISKDUPE LITE
Same features as the Trial edition but removes the opening screens,
increases the copy limit to 10 and gives you access to unlimited, free
technical support. The manual is on the disk.
DISKDUPE STANDARD
Adds ability to compare disks byte-by-byte, choice of screen colors, no
limit on the number of copies made and EMS/XMS support. Includes printed
manual, re-usable product box and free drive cleaning kit.
DISKDUPE PRO
Adds support for up to four floppy drives, double speed drives, 2.8Mb
floppies, RamboDisk for fast custom disks, sets of disks, Track Range
for faster copying, serialization, label printing and copy protection
interface.
DISKDUPE AUTO PRO
All features of DiskDupe Pro plus works with any XPress, Trace,
Mountain, Ventuno, Rimage, Ashby, or Costas autoloader for hands-free
copying. Sounds an alarm when attention is needed. Automatically sends
bad disks to the reject bin.
DISKMACHINE
The DiskMachine includes an auto-loader that copies both 5.25" and 3.5"
disks, DiskDupe Auto Pro, cables and drives in a complete package.
Page 21
DISKDUPE REGISTRATION FORM Send to: Micro System Designs, Inc.
10062 Miller Ave, Suite 104
Version 4.0 Trial Cupertino, CA 95014
408-446-2066 Phone
Serial # ____________ 408-446-2095 Fax
YES! I want to register my copy of DiskDupe. (For faster service
call or fax us with your Mastercard or Visa.)
----------------------------------------------------
| DiskDupe Lite 4.0 @ $29 | |
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| DiskDupe Standard 4.0 @ $79 | |
----------------------------------------------------
| DiskDupe Pro 4.0 @ $179 | |
----------------------------------------------------
| DiskDupe Auto Pro 4.0 @ $379 | |
----------------------------------------------------
| Sales Tax: CA Residents only | |
----------------------------------------------------
| Shipping: US - $5, Int'l - $15 | |
----------------------------------------------------
| TOTAL |$ |
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