C-64 or C-128 (in 40- and 80-Column mode); 1541, 1571 or 1581 disk drives.
RUN SHELL is a file-maintenance and disk-archiving program that runs in both 64 and 128 mode and is compatible with all three Commodore disk drives. It also supports both 40- and 80-column output; all three Commodore RAM expansion units (REUs) to a limited degree; and partitioning and subdirectory access on the 1581 drive.
If you use an REU, be sure it's installed before power-up.
RUN Shell can be loaded in either 64 or 128 mode, but don't try to load it in one mode and switch to the other, because it configures itself to fit the mode. You may, however, toggle between 80- and 40-Column modes.
RUN Shell operates in a screen window. Almost all of the program's options present a directory from which to select files. Use the cursor keys to move the arrow to your selection, then highlight the filename by pressing the space bar. If you change your mind, deselect the file with F5.
When you're finished highlighting files you want, activate the operation by pressing F7. In many cases, a Y/N prompt will ask you to verify your selection.
You can usually abort to the main menu by pressing the stop key. If not, there'll always be a Y/N prompt later to abort the operation.
When RUN Shell expects a keypress to continue an operation (when swapping disks during a file copy, for example), press the space bar to continue or the stop key to abort to the main menu. To exit RUN Shell, press F1.
THE OPTIONS
Disk Setup--You can configure RUN Shell to operate under two different logical drives (logical meaning that device numbers and drives are handled internally with the shell program). These logical drives--A and B--can be set up for any combination of disk or RAM drives, as well as device numbers 8-11. To keep things straight, I'd suggest that you set the lower device number to drive A and the higher device number (including RAM drives) to drive B.
You can also configure RUN Shell for single-drive operation by setting both the A and B drives to the same device number.
Rename a File--The directory is displayed in the shell window, and you select and highlight the filename you want to change by using the cursor keys and space bar as described above. When the highlight bar appears, enter a new filename that's no longer than 16 characters; then press return and continue the operation. When you're ready to activate all the new names, press F7.
Scratch a File--This option operates much like Rename. Use the cursor keys and space bar to select and highlight filenames you wish to scratch. When all selections are made, press F7. The F5 key deselects a file if you change your mind after highlighting, and the stop key aborts to the verification prompt. Neither the Rename nor Scratch option works with RAM drives.
Format a Disk--First, the Format routine attempts to read a disk header from the selected drive. If an error occurs, it assumes the disk hasn't been formatted before and prompts for a header name and two-letter ID. If the disk has been formatted before, the header name appears in the input window. Then you can reformat with the same header name by pressing the return key, or you can type in a new name, with or without a two-letter ID.
If the drive selected is a RAM device, you needn't enter a header name, but you do have to specify the type of device at the prompt. All RAM devices must be formatted before being used as a logical drive or you'll get a RAM Disk Full error message.
Clean Up a Disk--This is a collect operation, and no verification is involved, so be sure the disk is in the proper drive.
Copy File--You can copy files (except relative files) between any two disk drives other than a RAM expander (see RAM, below). Just highlight the files you want to copy and press F7.
C-64 users can copy files of 90 disk blocks or less, while C-128 users can go up to 180 blocks. Use the Copy Disk routines to copy disks with larger file sizes.
To copy files from a 1581 subdirectory, you must first open the subdirectory with the Directory routine. With a single 1581 drive, you can copy only 90/180 disk blocks at a time, because RUN Shell won't detect previously opened directories after each disk swap.
Copy Disk--This option completely reproduces a disk. It works best with two drives, although it can be used with one. If you have a 1581, keep in mind that trying to single-copy 800K of data with a C-64 takes about 26 disk swaps (16 for the C-128), so use the Copy File routine when appropriate. It's very important that 1541/1571 users format the target disk either before entering the Copy Disk routine or while in the routine to ensure faithful data reproduction; 1581 users must format their disks beforehand.
You can't copy from a 1581 drive to a 1541/71, because of the different formats involved.
Create Dir--You can create partitions and subdirectories on the 1581 disk drive. Just select the starting track of your partition with the + or - key (pressing the space bar to lock in the selection); then use + or - to scroll through the size of directory desired, and RUN Shell will automatically make the calculations for creating the partition. Press the space bar again to lock in the block size, and then answer the prompts as they appear.
To create a subdirectory from the partition, answer the formatting prompts as they come on-screen. You don't need to format a subdirectory within this option. You can format the partition by opening it within the Directory option and then using the Format option. Formatted partitions will always be 40 blocks less than your selected number in order to accommodate the partition directory.
Use this option only on new disks, as the partition routine over-writes any data already in the selected tracks of the disk.
You can create nested directories (directories within directories) as long as each encompasses at least three tracks and doesn't fall on the directory track (the first track of the directory) of the previous partition.
Once a directory is in place, access the root directory by pressing the stop key (see Directory, below). Then you must reopen the directory in which you want to nest the new subdirectory before you access the Create Partition option.
RAM--This option for owners of REUs is a supplement to Commodore's RAMDOS utility, not a replacement. It includes the following three suboptions and requires that your REU has been formatted.
The first suboption loads disk files into the RAM drive. When RUN Shell asks you which logical drive to use, always select the logical RAM drive as the target (to load to) and a disk drive as the source (to load from). Then highlight the desired files and press F7 to initiate the load. Don't attempt to load files containing more than 90 disk blocks on the C-64 or 180 blocks on the C-128, or you might corrupt the computer's memory.
The second suboption loads files from the RAM drive into system memory. Select whichever logical drive is assigned to the RAM drive. Use this operation only for sequential files and machine language programs. With this option, you don't have to load a word processor to examine a sequential file. Just load the file into the RAM drive and download it into system memory; then, using the cursor keys, scroll through it in the directory window.
The third RAM suboption lets you "dump" all RAM directory files to disk and provides a handy way of copying files from one subdirectory to another. Just open a subdirectory on your 1581 drive and select Disk to Expansion to load the files into memory. Then close the subdirectory (see Directory, below), open the target subdirectory and select Expansion to Disk. Select the logical RAM drive as the source and the logical disk drive as the target for this suboption.
Disk Log--This option reports the starting and ending addresses of a selected file, as well as the total number of bytes it contains. It handles only one filename at a time.
Directory--This option displays a disk directory, and, if the device is a 1581 drive, lets you open a partition. You can access the root directory whenever you want by pressing the stop key
