THE PROGRAM DOES THE FOLLOWING TWO THINGS o Splits a big file into smaller files of desired sizes. These sizes may be choosen either from a fully editable list of Base Sizes, or calculated from within the program. o Restores the big file from the smaller ones. TO SPLIT A FILE o Select the file by using the first button. o Accept the place shown for the smaller files, or, select another place by using the second button (accepting the place doesn't need any action). o Split the file by using the third button. o Optionally, a self-uniting batch file may be created by using the fourth button. TO RESTORE A FILE If you choose to use the self-uniting file: Before running this batch file, it has to be placed together with all smaller files at the same directory (for example C:\TEMP). Then run it and the restored file will also be placed at this directory. The Program The File Chopper is not necessary for this part. If you choose to use The File Chopper for restoring: o Locate the first smaller file in a series by using the fifth button. o Accept the place shown for the big file, or, select another place by using the sixth button. o Restore the file by using the seventh button. The big file may also be restored using the DOS-command COPY, see both below and the self-uniting batch file. TO CHOOSE SIZES OF THE SMALLER FILES Before splitting a file, you can choose the sizes of the smaller files. Default, each file fills up the available space on the disk(ette)s but using the base sizes they will get the base size as their sizes (except the last one). You can either choose between predefined base sizes or enter own ones. Base sizes may be modified, added, and deleted as you wish. Thereafter, you may change the size of any of the files by clicking on its size and then modify the value. The file sizes below this file will be recalculated. The number of files is always determined from the size information. MODIFY BASE SIZES You may choose between predefined and new base sizes. The list is fully editable; you may add, modify, and delete any entry, and put your own description of each size. USING THE HARD DISK VS DISKETTES You can either put the smaller files temporarily on the hard disk and then move them to/from the diskettes using the Explorer, or, you can access the diskettes directly. Use the second or fifth button to change places. If you don't have to store them on diskettes (you may want to send them by e-mail) then the hard disk is the better and much faster alternative (see also the Pause Menu). THE PAUSE MENU Use the alternatives under this menu item to decide whether or not the program shall halt before each smaller file and prompt for a new diskette. By this method you can choose between having all smaller files on one disk (maybe C:), or spreading them out on several (maybe A:). Default, the program chooses to halt before each smaller file only if you are writing to floppies (i.e. to A: or B:). THE MEMORY MENU The program stores temporarily parts of the file in memory. The more accessible memory the better, up to a point. This point depends on your computer, but 1MB is typical. If you are running low on available memory, choose a smaller value (0 byte being the ultimate lower limit). The program will never demand more memory than the sizes of the smaller files, although Windows may very well choose to use more. Diskettes are normally so slow that memory usage in these cases could be set to very low without any speed degradation. Besides this, the program needs about 2.5 MB to run. The progress bar updates only when memory has been filled or when a smaller file has been read to the end, that is, the less memory usage the more updates. THE ENDING MENU If, for example, the big file's name is Setup.exe, normally the smaller files get the names Setup.exe.Chopped_1, Setup.exe.Chopped_2 and so on. This ".Chopped_" between the big file's name and the running index may be changed to whatever is desired. By the way, when using button 2 or button 5, the filename may also be changed. THE LANGUAGE MENU Here you may choose which language the program will use. All texts, even the help, will comply with this choice. THE REMOVE FILE MENU Here you may choose to have the big file removed from the disk after it has been split, and/or having the smaller files removed one by one after they have been used for the restoring of the big file (if they are not write protected). The latter case can be used to restore the file although the available space on the disk prevents having both this file and the smaller ones stored at the same time. Note that if either or both of these options are used (default they are not activated) no questions will be asked before the removing. THE HELP MENU Here, you can get information about both how to register the program and how the program works. Both pieces of information can be put in a file and read by the Notepad (and hence, be printed out). There are a number of ways to register the program, both "on-line" and "off-line". Basically, "on-line" means to register using Internet and "off-line" using phone or regular mail/fax. In both cases credit cards, checks, bank transfer/wire and cash can be used. OLD SETTINGS The program remembers all old settings and uses them as default values next time you use the program. Among these are: The paths to the files, the position of the program's window, the chosen base size, and all changes of the base sizes. All these settings have default values that can be reset by exiting the program with the last but one alternative under the File menu. Note that resetting the values will also clear all changings of and addings to the Base Sizes. THE CONTENTS OF THE SMALLER FILES Nothing else but the contents of the big file are stored in the smaller files. This means that other programs that can merge files together may be used to restore the big file. Example: C:\>copy/b Picture.bmp.Chopped_1 + Picture.bmp.Chopped_2 Picture.bmp The two smaller files will here be merged together into the new file Picture.bmp. SHORT CUT COMBINATIONS The most used commands also can be started by the following short cuts: [Ctrl]+[A] Select a file to be split [Ctrl]+[B] Find a place for the smaller files [Ctrl]+[S] Split the file [Ctrl]+[D] Select a file to be restored [Ctrl]+[E] Find a place for the big file [Ctrl]+[J] Restore the file [Ctrl]+[R] Create a self-uniting file (optional) [Ctrl]+[Q] Exit The File Chopper SWITCHES TO CONTROL THE PROGRAM To control and pass information to the program already at the start, the program recognizes the following six switches: /bigfile=[drive:\path\filename] /smallfiles=[drive:\path\filename] /basesize=[base size entry number] /split /minimize /exit The first two may be used instead of the first two buttons. To choose a base size, enter a number indicating which entry it has in the base size list (1 means the first, normally 720 kB, 2 means the second, normally 1.44 MB, and so on). To make the program start splitting directly, use the "/split" switch. If also "/minimize" and/or "/exit" are used, the program will run minimized and/or exit when finished. The names of the switches are not case sensitive (for example: "/split", "/Split", and "/SPLIT" are all valid switches). Example: Starting the program (supposing it is located at C:\Prog) with C:\Prog\TheFileChopper.exe /BigFile=D:\Tmp\Data.z /BaseSize=2 /Split will split Data.z to the default name and place for the smaller files, using the second base size (normally 1.44 MB). DOS VERSION OF THIS PROGRAM There is a DOS version of this program, called FILECHOP. FILECHOP may be downloaded from our site, see under ''License Information'' under ''Help'' for addresses. This program is much simpler than ''The File Chopper,'' but it do contain the essential parts of this program. The programs are compatible with each other, except that FILECHOP only handles short file names (8+3 characters) and that the smaller files get extensions ''.1'', ''.2'', ... instead of getting ''.Chopped_1'', ''.Chopped_2'', ... appended.