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MASS-STORE COPY
"Make copies of optical disks while
using only one optical drive!"
USER'S MANUAL
VERSION 2.6
By David Smith
(c) 1991 Informative Technologies
1718 M Street NW, Suite 292
Washington, D.C. 20036
Voice (202) 675-4528
FAX (202) 675-4529
CompuServe 71311,2334
INTRODUCTION
Mass-Store Copy Features
------------------------
Mass-Store Copy is the new solution for making copies of optical disks
while using only one optical drive. Mass-Store Copy will also copy any
DOS compatible removable disk such as Bernoulli Box disks while
using only one Bernoulli Box drive.
o Backups of optical disks are made using one drive. There is no need
to buy a second optical drive just to make backup copies of optical
disks!
o Copies any size removable DOS disk, regardless of available space on
the hard drive.
o Files that are copied can be based on file date, file specifications,
system flag, hidden flag, and archive bit.
o Files can be compressed as they are copied onto the hard drive and
then uncompressed when they are copied onto the backup disk. This
means you'll do less disk swapping when copying disks.
o Mass-Store Copy also copies DOS compatible disks that must be
"Mounted" and "Dismounted".
o Files that are larger than your hard drive can be copied regardless
of available space on the hard drive.
o Mass-Store Copy is compatible with:
+ Bernoulli Box Drives
+ WORM Drives
+ Eraseable Optical Drives
+ 5.25, 3.5, or "Super" Floppy Drives
+ Removable/Portable Hard Drive Packs
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"If you don't have two WORM drives, you likely need to
have this program." - Jerry Pournelle, BYTE January 1991
--------------------------------------------------------------------
INSTALLATION
To install manually from drive A: type:
C:
MD \MASSCOPY
CD \MASSCOPY
COPY A:\*.*
To install Mass-Store Copy manually, create a directory on the hard
disk and copy the files from the Mass-Store Copy floppy disk to the
directory you created. Look at the READ.ME file for additional or
updated information on Mass-Store Copy.
QUICK START
If you need to make a copy or backup of a removable disk, select a
disk that will become a copy of the original disk. The disk you select
will become the backup disk. Mass-Store Copy will not format the disk;
therefore, the backup disk must have already been formatted. Type
"MASSCOPY" and the drive letter of the drive to copy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Example:
MASSCOPY E:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In this example, 'E' is the drive letter of the optical
drive. The current hard drive will be used as the buffer
drive. Next, press 'B' to begin the disk copy. Put the
disks that the program requests into the copy drive until
the original disk is copied.
OR
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Example:
MASSCOPY
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Next, press 'C' for COPY SELECTION to display the copy
selection window. Enter the drive letter of the copy drive
and the drive letter of the buffer drive in the copy
selection window. Press [ENTER] to return back to the menu.
Now, press 'B' for BEGIN DISK COPY to begin copying your
original disk. Put the disks that the program requests into
the copy drive until the original disk is copied.
COPY SELECTION
This window is displayed by pressing 'C' when the program begins. On
this screen, you are prompted to enter the copy drive, buffer drive,
copy date, and file specification. These are factors that will affect
the copy process.
Copy Drive
The copy drive is a DOS compatible drive that uses removable media.
This program is for copying large removable disks such as DOS
compatible optical disks. These disk are difficult to copy without
using two optical drives because of the large amount of information
that can be stored on the disks. Mass-Store Copy copies files from the
copy drive on an original disk to a buffer drive then back to the copy
drive onto a backup disk.
Buffer Drive
Mass-Store Copy uses one drive on your system to temporarily hold
files as they are copied from one disk to another. This drive is
called the buffer drive. The DOS command XCOPY works similarly to
Mass-Store Copy, except that it uses memory to hold the files as they
are copied from one place to another. Mass-Store Copy uses a disk to
buffer the files because a larger buffer is needed to copy large disks
such as optical disks. The disk you want to copy cannot be used as a
buffer drive; therefore, the computer must have at least two drives.
One drive is used as the buffer drive and the other is the copy drive.
A RAM disk used as the buffer drive would not be advisable. Using a
1MB RAM disk to copy a 400MB optical disk would take at least 400
swaps. Ideally, one should use a buffer drive in which the original
disk is no more than four to ten times the size of the buffer drive.
You should select the drive on your computer that has the most free
space. Mass-Store Copy can use any size drive as a buffer. If you
select a drive with little free space as the buffer, you will have to
swap the original and backup disks more. For example, using a 100MB
hard drive to copy a 400MB optical disk would take about 4 disk swaps.
Mass-Store Copy will even copy files larger than the amount of free
space available on the buffer drive.
Date
All files created on the date selected and after this date will be
copied if the files have changed. Entering a date on the copy
selection screen is optional. If a date is not entered, the files will
be copied without regard to date. The date is in the format of
MM/DD/YY, MM=Month, DD=Day, and YY=Year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Example:
10/10/89
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In this example all files that have been created or modified on or
after October 10, 1989 will be copied if they match the other copy
criteria.
File Specification
The file specification determines which files are copied. The file
specification *.DAT copies all the files with .DAT in the extension of
the file name. If the file specification is not given then the default
is *.*, which selects all files to be copied. If you need to copy a
single file, you can enter the file name here. The files will be
placed in the same directory on the backup disk as on the original
disk.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Example:
DATABASE.JUN
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Entering DATABASE.JUN would cause Mass-Store Copy to only
copy the file DATABASE.JUN. Mass-Store Copy will search the
disk for that file and copy only that file to the backup disk.
OR
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Example:
*.DOC
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Entering *.DOC would cause Mass-Store Copy to copy all
files ending in .DOC. Mass-Store Copy will search the disk
for those files and copy them to the backup disk.
ADVANCED OPTIONS
The advanced options are displayed or changed in the advanced options
window. The window can be displayed at any time by holding down the
alt key and pressing 'A', (Alt+A). This window can also be displayed
when the program begins by pressing 'A'.
Options on the advanced screen allow selections such as copy all
files, copy archive, clear archive, copy hidden files, and copy system
files.
Copy All Files
If you select 'YES' for this option, then all files will be copied
that match the file specification, even if the files have not changed
from the original disk to the backup disk. If you select 'NO', then
files will be copied without regard to this option.
Clear Archive Flag After File is Copied
The setting of this option determines if the archive bit of each file
will be cleared, indicating that the file has been backed up since it
was made or last changed. If you select 'YES', then after the file is
copied, its archive bit will be cleared, which means the file has been
backed up. If you select 'NO', then the archive bit will not be
changed.
If you select 'YES' make sure the original disk is not write protected
so that the archive bit can be cleared. It may not be possible to
clear the archive bit if the disk to be copied is a WORM disk and all
its free space has been used.
Copy Files with Archive Flag Set
The archive bit of a file indicates whether the file has been backed
up since the file was created or last changed. If the archive bit of a
file is set then it indicates the file has not been backup up. If you
select 'YES', then files with the archive bit set will be copied that
match the other copy criteria. If 'NO', then files will be copied
without regard to the setting of the archive bit.
Copy Hidden Files
If you select 'YES' for this option, hidden files will be copied. If
'NO', hidden files will not be copied.
Copy System Files
If you select 'YES' for this option, system files will be copied. If
you select 'NO', system files will not be copied.
MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING
In some cases, removable DOS disks need a program to be run in order
for DOS to recognize the disk; this mounting program is provided with
your own removable disk drive for mounting the removable disks. Also,
removable DOS disks sometimes require a dismounting program to be run
before the disk is ejected from the drive. The program to dismount
your removable disks ensures that the removable DOS disk is current
before it is removed. Mass-Store Copy can copy these types of
removable disks if the mounting and dismounting commands are entered
in the mounting and dismounting window. The mounting and dismounting
window can be displayed at any time by holding down the alt key and
pressing 'M' (Alt+M). This window can be displayed when the program
begins by pressing 'M'.
The mounting commands are executed before the disks in the copy drive
are accessed. Before the disks are taken out of the copy drive, the
dismount commands are executed.
SAVE SETTINGS
This menu option saves the current copy selection, advanced options,
mounting/dismounting commands, and additional settings to a setup
file. The settings do not take effect until they are run from the
setup file.
Display Title
If you select 'YES', the "Mass-Store Copy" program title will show at
the top of the screen. If you select 'NO', the title will not be
displayed.
Clear Background
If you select 'YES', the screen background will be cleared with a
solid block character. If you select 'NO', the background will not be
cleared.
Monochrome
This option causes the screen to use monochrome colors.
BIOS Writes
If this option is set to 'YES', the text displayed on the screen will
use BIOS writes instead of direct writes for greater compatibility. If
this option is set to 'NO', the screen updates will be faster.
Exit After Copy
If you select 'YES', the program will terminate after a single copy of
a disk is made. If you select 'NO', the program will not terminate
after a copy of a disk is made. Using this option, when running
Mass-Store Copy from a "Setup File", helps guard against the user
selecting the wrong options after Mass-Store Copy has run.
Auto Start
If you select 'YES' for this option, the copy process will begin
automatically when the program begins. Using this option, when running
Mass-Store Copy from a "Setup File", helps guard against the user
selecting the wrong options before Mass-Store Copy has run.
Use Compression
If you would like to fit more on the buffer drive for each swap of the
original disk and the backup disk, set compression to 'YES'.
Mass-StoreCopy will compress the files as they are copied to the
buffer drive. More files will fit on the buffer drive, but it may take
longer depending on the speed of the computer. The files will be
uncompressed when they are copied to the backup disk. The compression
works best on files that have a lot of repetition such as data base
files. Files that are already compressed will not compress any
further. File compression ratios from 15% to 500% can be expected.
Snow Reduction
If a CGA monitor is used, selecting 'YES' for this option causes the
program to decrease the 'snow' on the screen.
Use Today's Date
If this option is set to 'YES', files that have today's date will be
copied to the backup disk. Today's date will be filled in for the date
copy criteria.
Setup File
This is a batch file to save the current program settings. This batch
file will call MASSCOPY.EXE to set the program options. If there are
too many options to fit in the batch file, a second file will be
created to store the settings. The second file will have the same file
name with a '.MSC' extension. The batch file will read the settings
from the '.MSC' file when the batch file is run. The settings do not
take effect until they are run from the "Setup File."
COMMAND LINE ARGUMENTS
All command line arguments are optional. Program settings including
command line arguments can be saved by selecting 'S' for "Save
Settings" from the main menu. You will not need to worry about command
line arguments if you set the program options and save them using the
"Save Settings" option on the main menu. The settings window can also
be displayed at any time by holding down the alt key and pressing 'S'
(Alt+S). The command line arguments are used as follows:
MASSCOPY D1: D2: FILESPEC -SWITCHES KEYS @FILE
D1 Original Disk
D2 Buffer Drive
FILESPEC File Specification
SWITCHES -bemstrip
KEYS Autokeys
FILE Autokeys File
SWITCHES
-b Uses BIOS for video writes. If your computer has trouble
displaying some of the windows on the screen, use this switch.
This alleviates incompatibilities in the display.
-e Exits the program after one disk is copied.
-g Enters today's date as the copy selection date. Files that were
changed or created today will be copied.
-i The copy process begins automatically when the program begins.
You may want to use this option if you are running Mass-Store
Copy from a batch file or menu program where you have set up the
copy parameters ahead of time and do not want them changed.
-m Disables color. Runs the program in monochrome mode.
-r Uses snow reduction mode for CGA monitors to reduce snow on the
screen when displaying text.
-s Disables clearing of the screen. Does not display the solid
background behind the program window. You may want to choose
this option if you are running the program from a menu and you
want it to look like it is part of the menu.
-t Disables the display of the program title.
AUTOKEYS
If the -p switch is selected on the command line, the next group of
characters on the command line is typed automatically when the program
begins. The symbol '!' acts as the [ENTER] key.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Example:
MASSCOPY -p CEC101089!B
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In this example, the 'C' key is pressed to display the copy selection
window. 'E' is entered as the copy drive and 'C' as the buffer drive.
The date 10/10/1989 is entered as the date selection criteria. 'B' is
then pressed to begin the copying process.
If the group of characters to be entered contains a space character,
enclose the characters in quotes (").
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Example:
MASSCOPY -p "CEC!!MATTACH E: FILES1.0!!ATTACH E:FILES2.0!!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In this example, the mounting commands for an optical drive were
entered on the mounting and dismounting screen with drive E: as the
optical drive and C: as the buffer drive.
AUTO KEYS FILE
The characters in this file are typed when the program begins. The
characters typed are treated just like Autokeys. See the command line
arguments section.
CONTEXT-SENSITIVE HELP
Pressing F1 at any time displays a help screen that
relates to the current context of the program. Use the PgUp/PgDn keys
to display the different pages of help text on the screen. Use the
arrow keys to move between cross-referenced items on the help screen
and press [ENTER] to select another help item.
SPECIAL KEYS
Arrow Keys...........Cursor movement
Home.................Beginning of field
End..................End of line/field
Ins..................Toggle insert mode
Del..................Delete character at cursor
Enter................Process current field
ESC..................Abort
Tab..................Next field
Shift-Tab............Previous Field
Ctrl-Home............Beginning of first field
Ctrl-End.............End of last field
Ctrl-U...............Delete to end of field
Ctrl-Y...............Delete to last field
Ctrl-R...............Restore Field
Ctrl-Enter or F10....Process all fields
F1...................Help
Alt+S................Display settings window
Alt+A................Display advanced window
Alt+M................Display the mounting window
Alt+X................Quit
Alt+F1...............Toggle BIOS screen writes
Alt+D................Shell to DOS
LIST OF FILES
MASSCOPY.EXE........The main executable file.
MASSCOPY.HLP........Contains help text for Mass-Store Copy.
MOUNT.BAT...........Contains an example of using the autokeys and command
line options to set the Mounting and Dismounting commands
for a RacetTM Erasable Optical Drive.
ONE-COPY.BAT....... Contains an example of using the autokeys and command
line options to preset all the copy options for a single
copy of a removable disk.
READ.ME.............Contains additional or updated instructions for
Mass-Store Copy.
REGISTER.DOC........Registration information and registration form.
VENDOR.DOC..........List of disk vendor instructions.
SITELICE.DOC........Site and distribution license information.
MASSCOPY.DOC........Mass-Store-Copy Documentation.
THEORY OF OPERATIONS
Mass-Store Copy uses the date and time of the disk label on the disks
to tell them apart. If Mass-Store Copy is having trouble
differentiating between the disks or if you are inserting the wrong
disk when the program requests a disk, label the original and backup
disks using the DOS label command. You may label the disks with the
same name if you choose, because Mass-Store Copy uses only the date
and time of the label to tell the disks apart.
Mass-Store Copy creates four files on the hard drive when it runs.
These are temporary files with unique names that are created in the
current directory of the buffer drive. One file is a list of all files
on the original removable disk that matches the file specification and
date criteria. The second file is a list of files that Mass-Store Copy
will copy from the original disk to the backup disk. The third file is
a buffer file that holds the files being copied temporarily before
they are copied to the backup disk. The last file is a list of files
currently in the buffer file.
When Mass-Store Copy first starts to copy a disk, the program asks you
to swap the disks twice. This is done so a list of files to be copied
can be made. The list is made first, so that files are not
unnecessarily copied. Time is not wasted copying files that don't need
to be copied or have already been copied.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
If Mass-Store Copy informs you that no files were copied, if could be
for one of three reasons:
1. No files matched the copy criteria you selected.
2. The original disk was inserted as the backup disk so that the files
on the two disks appeared to be the same.
3. The files were the same on both disks and there was no need to copy
the files again.
When the program informs you that the copy drive is full, it could be
for one of three reasons:
1. The backup disk is smaller than the original disk.
2. The backup disk contains files that are not on the original disk
which take up more space.
3. The disk is a WORM disk and all the unused space on it has been
filled.
Mass-Store Copy uses approximately 300K when running.
Mass-Store Copy can be run from a path or from the program's directory.
The two files needed for the operation of Mass-Store Copy are
MASSCOPY.EXE and MASSCOPY.HLP. When the MASSCOPY.EXE file is executed,
the program expects the file MASSCOPY.HLP to be in the same directory
where MASSCOPY.EXE is kept.
If you receive a DOS critical error while copying a disk, it is
probably a problem with the optical drive or the media. If the error
occurs when Mass-Store Copy is writing to the disk, exit to DOS and
try creating a file on the optical disk. If you receive an error when
creating a file, it is probably a problem with the media.
If you fill up a optical platter every month or two, run Mass-Store
Copy once a week to backup only the new files or the files that have
changed since the last backup. If you do this every week, the backup
of the entire optical disk will not take as long.
If you need to backup a optical disk with the same settings every
time, use the options "Exit after Copy" and "Auto Start" on the save
settings screen. If you run Mass-Store Copy from a batch file using
these options, there is less of a chance of selecting the wrong option
when backing up a disk.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
There are several ways to contact the author:
1. Send EMAIL on CompuServe to David Smith 71311,2334
2. Send a FAX to (202)675-4529
3. Leave a message at the Programmers Corner BBS for David Smith #1082
BBS# (301) 596-1180
4. Leave a voice mail message at (202) 675-4528 for David Smith.
5. Or by mail to:
David Smith
Informative Technologies
1718 M Street NW, Suite 292
Washington, DC 20036
Please include all relevant information regarding your
problem including:
1 - A description of the event.
2 - The steps that consistently reproduce the event.
3 - Mass-Store Copy version number.
4 - Hardware information.
(Machine Type, Video Adapter, Drive Type, ...)
5 - Command line used to load Mass-Store Copy.
Feel free to leave comments and suggestions to the
attention of David Smith.
Voice mail messages will probably not be answered until the next day.
Email responses will usually be the fastest, with a response by the
end of the day. If you are outside of the United States and you need
pre or post registration support, please include your email address
when you leave a voice mail message or send a fax.
The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) wants to make sure
that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to
resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting
the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not
provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the
ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a
CompuServe message via email to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
NOTES
All software or service names mentioned are trademarks, servicemarks,
or registered trademarks of their respective holders.