Night Owl 6/Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006 - Night Owl Corp (1990).iso/029a/unshl102.zip/UND_READ.ME

Text File | 1991-09-15 | 19KB | 454 lines

UndelShell, Version 1.0 Copyright (C) 1991 by James H. Price

This file tells you how to use the UndelShell program. To
print a hard copy of the file, enter the following at a DOS prompt:

                    TYPE UND_READ.ME > PRN

NOTE ON SHAREWARE:

    This is a shareware program.  It is not free or public domain
    software.  You are encouraged to try it, without charge, for a
    period of 30 days.  If you continue to use it beyond the trial
    period, you should register it.  Please be fair about this.

    You're encouraged to distribute the program freely as long as it's
    not altered in any way, is distributed with this documentation, and
    if no charge is made for the program.  (Reasonable distribution fees
    to cover mailing or diskette costs are perfectly okay with me.)

INTRODUCTION:

    UndelShell is a shell for the DOS 5.0 UNDELETE program.  This
    new DOS feature is godsend for anyone who's ever accidently deleted
    a file; which is to say, everyone.    Unfortunately, the program
    suffers from a fairly primitive interface, which DOSSHELL does
    little to alleviate.  Simply searching for the file to be undeleted
    can cause you to lose the file permanently then and there!

    UndelShell provides safe, fast, and easy access to the UNDELETE
    program.  First, UndelShell cooperates with the DOS UNDELETE program
    to display a complete list of the recoverable files in a selected
    directory.    It allows you to scroll through the list, sort the list
    in various ways, and tag the file(s) to be recovered. When you're
    ready, UndelShell automatically invokes the DOS UNDELETE program to
    recover the files you've selected. A buffer file maintained on your
    disk keeps deleted files from being overwritten during this process.

    UndelShell gives the DOS UNDELETE program a modern interface, with
    pop-down menus, on-line context sensitive help, and full mouse
    support.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:

    UndelShell runs on any IBM PC or compatible computer using DOS 2.0
    or later.    The UNDELETE program included with DOS 5.0 is required.

WHAT'S ON THE DISK:

    The distribution disk or ZIP file should contain the files listed
    below.

    UNDEL.EXE           The program itself
    UND_READ.ME         This document


INSTALLATION:

    Copy the UNDEL.EXE file to a directory on your hard disk.  (If you
    don't have a hard disk, the program can be run from a floppy disk.)
    The DOS directory is the recommended location.     If UndelShell and
    the DOS 5.0 UNDELETE program are not in the same directory, the DOS
    UNDELETE program must be in a directory included in your PATH
    environment variable.

    Consult your DOS documentation for further details on the PATH
    statement, if necessary.


QUICK START:

    I think you'll find UndelShell very easy to use.  Probably the best
    way to learn it is just to start it, look over the menus, read the
    on-line help, and practice undeleting a few files.    In that spirit:

    Start the program by typing UNDEL at DOS prompt.  Press <Alt>+H, or
    click on the "Help" item at the far right to get a quick overview of
    how to use the menus, mouse, etc.  For help with specific items,
    highlight the menu entry and press F1, or click on it with the right
    mouse button.  To exit the program, select "Quit" from the "Files"
    menu.  Further details are provided below.


COMMAND LINE PARAMETERS:

    You can get a synopsis of the command line syntax and available
    parameters by typing UNDEL /h at the DOS prompt.  For the record, it
    is:

                UNDEL [path] [/DOS | /DT]

    [path]    When you specify a path, e.g. "UNDEL c:\windows", UndelShell
            automatically searches the directory specified for
            recoverable files, and displays this list when the program
            starts.

    [/DOS]    This parameter forces UndelShell to use the DOS directory
            to search for recoverable files.

    [/DT]    This parameter forces UndelShell to use the "deletion-tracking
            file" (see below) to search for recoverable files.

    You can specify one or the other of these last two parameters. If
    you specify both, the one specified first is used.  If neither
    parameter is specified, the deletion-tracking file is used if it is
    present, otherwise the DOS directory is used.


DELETION TRACKING

    The "deletion-tracking" file is generated and maintained by the
    MIRROR program, an optional memory-resident utility included with
    DOS 5.0.  If your AUTOEXEC.BAT includes the line "MIRROR /T(drive)",
    or you have the file "PCTRACKR.DEL" located in a root directory of
    your hard disk, then the "deletion tracking file" is being
    maintained for that drive.     Using MIRROR makes file recovery easier
    and more certain, at the cost of some memory.  See your DOS manual
    for more information on this program.

    If you specify /DT when MIRROR has not been used, you will receive
    the message "No recoverable files found", even though there may well
    be files on the disk which could be recovered through the DOS
    directory. The same thing can happen if you've removed MIRROR from
    your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, but not deleted the "PCTRACKR.DEL" file from
    the root directory.  If you suspect this problem, start UndelShell
    with the /DOS parameter, use the "Toggle Mode" command from the
    "Undelete" menu to switch to DOS Directory mode, or (best yet)
    delete the un-needed PCTRACKR.DEL file.  To delete PCTRACKR.DEL, you
    must first use the following command:

                    ATTRIB -S [d]:\PCTRACKR.DEL

    where [d] represents a drive letter (C, D, etc.).  Otherwise the
    file remains hidden.

    You can switch between DOS Directory and Delete Track modes from within
    UndelShell by using the "Set Mode Command" on the "Undelete" menu.
    The selection remains active until you switch directories, at which
    point the default setting is restored.


USING THE PROGRAM:

    The UndelShell screen consists of 5 distinct areas.

        Menu bar:  The top row lists the main menu entries.  When an
        item from the top row is selected, a pop-down menu box will
        appear with related commands.

        Directory box:    The vertical rectangle at the left; used for
                        file and directory releated functions.

        Entry box:    The thin horizontal rectangle at upper center;
                    used for text entry.

        Files box:    The large rectangle in the center of the screen;
                    contains a list of recoverable files in the current
                    directory.

        Hint bar:    The bottom row; gives active keys for each
                    operation, short reminders on procedure, or a brief
                    description of the purpose of a menu item.


    To access items on the menu bar, either 1) press <Alt>+(highlighted
    letter), 2) highlight the item with the arrow keys and press Enter,
    or 3) click on the item with the LEFT mouse button.  A pop down menu
    will appear. To select commands from the menu, either 1) press the
    highlighted letter, 2) highlight the item with arrow keys and press
    Enter, or 3) click the item with the LEFT mouse button.

    Help on using each command is available by highlighting the item and
    pressing the F1 key, or by clicking the item with the RIGHT mouse
    button.  In addition, the Hint bar at the bottom of the screen
    provides a list of active keys and their purpose.  For some
    functions, pressing F1 during the operation provides additional
    help.

    The available commands are:

    ≡    <Alt>+<Spacebar>

        Information -- gives time, search mode, and recoverable files
        About -- Copyright information
        Registering -- How to register the program

    File    <Alt>+F

        Change dir -- change directory to search for recoverable files
        Rename file -- just that
        Delete file -- just that
        Quit -- Exit the program

    Undelete    <Alt>+U

        Undelete -- Select files and undelete them
        Toggle Mode --    Switch between DOS Directory and Delete Track
                        search mode

    Sort    <Alt>+S

        Name sort -- sort files by name
        Extension sort -- sort files by extension
        Date/Time sort -- sort files by time (latest first)

    Display     <Alt>+D

        Set colors -- adjust screen colors
        Restore default -- return to default colors
        Set monochrome    -- Suggested colors for monochrome monitors
        Save current -- make current color scheme the default

    Help    <Alt>+H

        Using the menus -- how to use the menus
        Additional Help -- how to use on-line help
        Using the mouse -- how to run the program with the mouse


HOW TO UNDELETE FILES

        1) Change to the directory that contained the file.  You can do
        this directly from DOS, from within the program with the "Change
        dir" command, or by specifying the directory on the command line
        when you start UndelShell, as in "UNDEL C:\UTIL".

        A list of recoverable files in the selected directory will be
        displayed in the Files box.  If you wish, you can sort the files
        at this point using one of the sort functions from the "Sort"
        menu item.

        2) Select the "Undelete" function from the "Undelete" menu.

        The first file in the Files Box will be highlighted.

        3) Tag the file(s) to be recovered.  Do this by clicking the
        file with the LEFT mouse button, or by highlighting it with the
        arrow keys and pressing the Spacebar.  If you're using the DOS
        Directory, you'll need to supply the first letter of the file.
        SImply press the desired letter on the keyboard.  (Any letter
        or legal fliename character will do.)    A small mark will appear
        indicating that the file is tagged. Pressing the space bar again
        untags a tagged file.

        PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End can be used to scroll a long list.  To
        scroll a list with the mouse, place the mouse on the top or
        bottom row of the box, and press and hold down the RIGHT mouse
        button.

        4) When you're done tagging, press F2, the Enter key, or the
        RIGHT mouse button.  You abort at any time by pressing ESC, or
        by clicking the mouse outside the file list.  If files are
        tagged when you abort, you will be asked to confirm the action.

        As each file is recovered, it's name will be displayed in the
        Files box.    A "Undeletion complete" notice will appear when the
        operation is finished.

        NOTE: The UNDELETE program will sometimes find more than one
        copy of a deleted file, or two deleted files that differed only
        in the first letter.  UndelShell will notify you if this occurs.
        When using Delete Tracking, you'll have to press ESC to
        continue, then rename the file and undelete the duplicates.
        When using the DOS Directory, multiple copies will be recovered,
        but the duplicates will begin with non-letter characters such as
        '#', or '%'.  You can Rename or Delete these files from within
        UndelShell.

        Another pathalogical situation occurs when you try to undelete a
        file with the same name as an existing file.  UndelShell will
        inform you when this occurs, and ask that you Rename the
        existing file before continuing with the Undeletion.


USING THE DIRECTORY FUNCTIONS:

    The "Rename", "Delete", and "Change dir" functions all use
    UndelShell's directory pick list.  Use of the pick list is described
    below:

        The Directory Box ordinarily displays the sub-directories of the
        currently selected directory (if any), with a double period ".."
        at the top to indicate the current directory.  When Rename or
        Delete is selected, the directory list is followed by the files
        in the current directory.  If the current directory is a root
        (i.e., directory A:\, B:\, C:\, etc.), a list of available
        drives appears at the top of the box instead of the double
        period.

        To select a sub-directory, highlight that directory and press
        Enter, or click it with the LEFT mouse button.    To move up a
        level, select the ".." entry at the top of the box.  When the
        desired directory is displayed in the text box, press F2, or
        click the RIGHT mouse button.

        You can also simply type the path of the desired directory.  You
        will automatically switch to the text entry box when you begin
        typing.  Press ESC to abort, or TAB to return to the pick list.

        To select a file for the Rename or Delete functions, click the
        desired file with the LEFT mouse button, or highlight it and
        press Enter.  The file name will be highlighted in the text
        entry box.

        When renaming a file, you can edit the existing name or enter a
        new one.  When the new name is displayed, press Enter.    A dialog
        box will appear asking you to verify the the names are correct.
        Press ESC to abort, or any key to accept the existing names.

        The Rename function will use the existing path and filename to
        fill in any portions of the file name or path you don't supply.
        For example, to rename C:\UTIL\OLDNAME.TXT to
        C:\UTIL\NEWNAME.TXT, you only need to enter "NEWNAME".  To
        rename C:\UTIL\OLDNAME.TXT to C:\UTIL\OLDNAME.DAT, you only need
        to enter ".DAT".  To rename (move) C:\UTIL\OLDNAME.DAT to
        C:\DOS\OLDNAME.DAT, you only need to enter "\DOS\".  (You can
        move a file among directories on the same drive, but not across
        drives.)

        Deleting a file is similar.  Select the file with the LEFT mouse
        button or by highlighting it with the arrow keys and pressing
        Enter.    You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

        NOTE: Instead of pressing a key to confirm the rename or
        deletion, you can click the mouse INSIDE the dialog box.
        Clicking the mouse OUTSIDE the dialog box aborts the operation.


ADJUSTING THE DISPLAY:

    To adjust the screen colors either 1) press <Alt>+D; 2) highlight
    "Display" and press <Enter>; or 3) click on "Display" with the
    LEFT mouse button. Another menu box will appear giving a list of
    colors which can be changed.  Select one of these with the mouse,
    cursor keys, or by pressing its highlighted letter.  A box
    containing available colors will appear, with the current color
    bracketed between two arrows. Click the new color with the mouse,
    use the cursor keys to bracket it between the bright arrows and
    press Enter, or enter the two-digit hexidecimal number corresponding
    to the desired color. The color box and menu will disappear and the
    screen colors will be updated.

    The colors chosen will remain in effect until you exit the program.
    If you decide you liked your original colors better, you can select
    "Restore default" from the "Display" menu.  To make the new colors
    permanent, select the "Save Current" entry from the display box.

    Color information is written directly into the program file, so a
    separate configuration file is not required.


UNDEL.DAT

    UndelShell automatically generates a file called UNDEL.DAT. This file
    is overwritten during the UndelShell's operation with information
    obtained from the DOS UNDELETE program, then restored upon program
    termination. This procedure minimizes the possibility that the
    temporary files needed by UndelShell will accidently overwrite the
    file that you're trying to recover.  I recommend that you not
    delete this file.

FILE LIMITS:

    UndelShell places a limit of 1024 combined files and directories in
    the directory pick list, and 512 deleted files in the recoverable
    files list.

ERROR MESSAGES:

    UndelShell performs extensive error checking to try to keep things
    on the straigt and narrow.    Error messages consist of two or three
    lines.    The top lines describes the problem, as in "Couldn't rename
    file"; the bottom line gives some action, such as "Press any key to
    continue".  If the message consists of three lines, the middle line
    is the relevant DOS error message, such as "Permission denied".

    "Permission denied" usually arises when you try to rename a file
    with an existing name, or delete a file which is "read-only".

    "Not same device" occurs when you try to rename a file across
    drives, renaming C:\file.ext to D:\file.ext.

    The remaining DOS messages should be self-explanatory.


IMPORTANT NOTE:

    If you use UndelShell immediately following the deletion of a file
    your chances of recovering the file are excellent.    However, the
    longer you wait, the more likely the file is to be overwritten by
    subsequent disk activity!  If the file is overwritten, there's
    nothing UndelShell or DOS's UNDELETE can do to recover it.


OTHER TIPS:

    Files frequently become "fragmented" during normal use; that is,
    they're separated into several pieces stored in separate locations
    on your disk, rather than in a single location.  This is
    particularly true of data files which change size frequently.  Such
    a condition makes it more likely that an accidently deleted file
    will be overwritten by later disk activity.  Periodic use of a disk
    de-fragmenter will help greatly in recovering accidently deleted
    files, as well as generally speeding up your system.

    Disk activity of any sort proceeds more quickly if there's plenty of
    available room on your hard disk.  If your disk has little free
    space, consider archiving some rarely used files with a compression
    program such as PKZIP, storing them on floppy disks, or (gasp)
    buying a bigger hard drive.  UndelShell and many other programs will
    run faster if you do.


REGISTERING UndelShell:

    UndelShell is a shareware program, not free or public domain software.    A
    lot of time and effort went into developing it; if you use it, you
    should register it.  Please be fair about this.

    To register UndelShell, send $20.00 (American) or the equivalent,
    to

                    James H. Price
                    1253 E. Calaveras St
                    Altadena, CA  91001

    Upon receiving your registration, I'll send you the latest version
    of UndelShell, a printed manual describing its operation, and other
    goodies.


CONTACTING THE AUTHOR:

    If you have any questions or difficulties with the program, feel
    free to contact me at the above address. I can also be reached via
    CompuServe E-mail at 76264,3534.

FINE PRINT:

    UNDELETE and MIRROR are Copyright (C) 1987-1991 Central Point
    Software, Inc.

    MS-DOS(R) 5.00 Copyright (C) 1981-1991 Microsoft Corporation

    This program is distributed as-is.  There is no warranty of any
    kind.  The copyright owner may not be held liable for any damages,
    including lost profits or other incidental or consequential damages
    arising out of use or inability to use this program.  By using the
    program, you agree to this.  Neither the author nor this program are
    associated in any way with Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation,
    or Central Point Software, Inc; nor is this program endorsed by
    them.