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- DiskDupe Trial
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- ________________________________________________________________________
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- Owner's Manual
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- Version 5.0
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- Micro System Designs, Inc.
- 10062 Miller Ave, Suite 104
- Cupertino, CA 95014
- Phone 408-446-2066
- Fax 408-446-2095
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- DiskDupe Trial (May 1995)
-
- (DD50T.DOC)
-
- (c) Copyright 1988 - 1995 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.
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 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.HLP,
- DISKDUPE.TXT, FILE_ID.DIZ 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.
-
-
-
-
- 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 in a
- fraction of the time other systems can. 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 or compatible computer
- - DOS 3.1 or later
- - 450k free RAM
- - Hard Disk, RAM Disk or Network
-
-
-
- WHATS NEW
-
- DiskDupe 5.0 new features include:
-
- - Support for extended disk formats like Microsoft's DMF
- 1.68Mb format
-
- - CRC protection of disk images that protects against
- viruses, data tampering and memory corruption
-
- - Track Range data support that permits for copying only the
- data portion of the disk
-
- - Ability to compare disks
-
- - User-definable IMAGE file descriptions that make it easy
- to find your IMAGES
-
- - User selectable drive step time for maximum speed
-
-
-
- - Extensive on-line help that is only a keystroke away
-
- - User definable JOBS that are saved internally and aid in
- the streamlining of repetitive copying
-
- - Windows style interface with color screens
-
- - Color and sound customization capability
-
- - Elapsed time and disks per hour counters
-
- - Disk information history box that permits viewing of prior
- messages during duplication
-
- - Disk cleaning counts that keep track of how often a
- particular drive is used and display an alert when it is
- time to clean the drive
-
- - A Windows icon and .PIF file are included
-
-
-
- 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 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.
-
- Note: If you have a previous version of DiskDupe, you can
- copy the files into the same subdirectory and your original
- setup information will be retained.
-
-
-
- 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 such as F:\APPS\DISKDUPE.
-
- 2. Run DiskDupe from the shared subdirectory, configure it
- and exit to save the configuration file.
-
- 3. Copy the file DISKDUPE.DAT from the shared subdirectory
- to a local subdirectory that DiskDupe will be started from
- such as C:\DISKDUPE.
-
- 4. 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:
-
- - Start DiskDupe from the local subdirectory or create a
- batch file to do so.
-
- - Add the shared subdirectory, F:\APPS\DISKDUPE, to the
- user's PATH statement.
-
- - Keep "Auto-Set A:&B:" on 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.
-
-
- SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY
-
- - Windows 3.1: If you receive an error 909 "DMA setup error"
- when you try to copy disks, start DiskDupe with the command
-
-
-
- line "DISKDUPE /DMAWINOFF". This will be saved so you only
- have to enter it once.
-
- - 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
-
-
- NAVIGATION BASICS AND STICKY MENUS
-
- DiskDupe uses the same technique for navigating the menus that
- is used in Windows, and just like Windows there are pull-down
- menus available across the top of the screen that allow the user
- to access dialog boxes for entering selections.
-
- If you have a mouse, you can select menu choices by clicking on
- them with the mouse. If you do not have a mouse, you can select
- menu choices by pressing <Alt><Z> where <Z> is the first letter
- of the menu. Once the menus are active, you can move around them
- using the arrow keys. Use <Enter> to select a menu item.
-
- The <F10> key enables the 'Sticky Menus' for default access to
- the menus for mouseless computers. Pressing <F10> again turns
- 'Sticky Menus' off.
-
- Once you have selected a menu item, a dialog box appears
- with choices for that item. Use <Tab> or <Shift><Tab> to
- move from field to field. When you have made your
- selections, press <Enter> to save them.
-
- When you are in a dialog box you can press <Alt><N>, where
- <N> is the highlighted letter of the option you want to go
- to. You can also press the highlighted letter of the option
- alone to move around as long as you are not moving from a
- field that required you to type something in. To leave a
- dialog box or help screen press <Esc>. To close a Job or any
- other file box, either click on the Close button in the
- upper left corner of the box or press <Alt><F3>.
-
- In the Help screens you can also use the <Tab> key to move
- the highlight bar from one keyword to another. Use <Enter>
- to select the highlighted keyword. Use the arrow keys or the
- <Page Up> and <Page Down> keys to scroll up and down in the
- Help screen.
-
-
-
- OPENING FILES
-
- When Opening a file from the File menu, you can type the
- name of the file and DiskDupe will add the appropriate
- extension automatically. If you want to open a file that
- doesn't have an extension, type a "." after the filename.
- You can also enter a new directory and press <Enter> to see
- the files in another directory or point to a file or
- directory in the list box to open it. DiskDupe will
- remember the last directory you used the next time you need
- to open a file.
-
-
- USING THE HELP FILE
-
- If you're ever in need of assistance, DiskDupe has an
- extensive on-line Help file to answer any of your questions.
- The Help file provides answers to simple "how to" questions
- as well as error messages that might appear on your screen.
- You can access the Help file through the menu bar or by
- pressing the <F1> key. Once you're in the Help file, you
- can use DiskDupe's hot keys to move around -- <F1> to go to
- General information on the Help file, <Alt><B> to go back to
- the previous Help screen, <Alt><C> to go to the Table of
- Contents, <Alt><I> to go back to the Index, <F5> to zoom in
- on Help and <Esc> to leave Help.
-
-
- OLD STYLE MENUS
-
- With the introduction of DiskDupe 5.0 the user-interface has
- changed. To accommodate prior DiskDupe users, there is an
- "Old Style Menus" option that can be found under Setup,
- Global that adopts the 4.0 menu style.
-
-
- JOB DIALOG BOX NAVIGATION
-
- The job dialog box shown in the center of the screen,
- displays all the current settings for the particular task
- that is to be performed as well a provides a method to
- change these settings quickly. Simply click on the blue box
- next to the item that needs to be changed with the mouse or
- <Tab> over to the selection and press <Enter> (to get to the
- job dialog box without a mouse press <F10> and then press
- <Tab> to locate the position of the cursor). For example, if
- you wanted to change Track Range to Data, click or press
- <Enter> on the box next to Range
-
- When the program is first ran, the position of the cursor is
- on the GO button of the job dialog box. This allows the user
- to simply press <Enter> to begin duplication. The cursor can
-
-
-
- also be positioned on the Copies and Operation selection to
- initiate duplication by pressing <ENTER>.
-
-
- BASIC OPERATION
-
- DiskDupe has three basic operations - duplicating,
- formatting, and comparing.
-
- 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.
-
- 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 the top down on the Job menu when
- changing menu settings.
-
- 2. If you want to format disks, set the Source to Format.
-
- 3. From the Job, Go menu, decide how many Copies you want
- and whether you want to Duplicate 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 of different types and sizes. For
- example, if you want 4 copies of a disk, you would select
- Duplicate with Copies set to 4.
-
- 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. From the Job menu select Source, Drive and choose the
- appropriate one to copy from. Source and Destination can be
- the same drive, but do not need to be if you have two or
- more drives.
-
- 2. From the Job menu select Destination, Drive and choose
- the appropriate one to which you want to copy to.
-
- 3. From the Job menu, select Go 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. Also select Duplicate for the operation. NOTE: If
- you wanted to compare the data of two disks to identify any
- discrepancies, instead of copying the data, you would follow
- the same above procedure except you would need to select
- Compare for the operation instead.
-
- 4. After selecting the operation and from the same menu,
- select the Ok button 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.
-
- To create an image, set Source to the drive with the master
- disk in it. Set Destination to Image and then type in a file
- name. DiskDupe images usually use the extension .DDI, but
- any extension may be used. Then select Go from the Job menu
- and Duplicate for the operation to create an image.
-
- Images can also be created from the File menu by selecting
- New, Image. After doing so, enter in a filename and follow
- the instructions provided on the screen.
-
- To use the image, set Source to image, and select the image.
- Then set Destination to the drive you want to copy to and
- select Job, Go.
-
-
- 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.
-
- 1. To use Relay, make sure all your master disks have
- write-protect tabs on them.
-
- 2. From the Job menu select Destination, Drive and choose
- the appropriate one for the drive to which you want to copy
- to. Also from the Job menu, select Relay.for the Source.
-
- 3. From the Job menu select Go, Duplicate for the
- operation and press <Enter>. 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. After it gets done reading, insert the disk 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!
-
-
- 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. From the Job menu select Destination, Cascade.
-
- 2. From the Job menu select Source, Drive.
-
- 3. Put a write-protected master disk into the first drive.
-
- 4. From the Job menu select Go, Duplicate and press
- <Enter>.
-
- *** Instead of using a master disk to make copies from, an
- image can be used instead. When selecting Source from the
- Job menu, select Image, then select Job, Go, Duplicate and
- press <Enter>.
-
- 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 it 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. If the disk
- is changed in the first drive before DiskDupe reaches the
- end of the cycle, you must press <ENTER> to resume copying.
- 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 the following drives. It will
- continue, through the cycle, to make copies of the first
- disk until the second write-protected master disk is read
- and so on.
-
- To perform a Relay with Cascade, select Source from the Job
- menu, then select Relay, select Destination from the Job
- menu, then select Cascade, and then from the Job menu select
- Go, then Duplicate and press <Enter>.
-
-
-
- FORMATTING DISKS
-
- With DiskDupe, you can either format a disk as it is being
- duplicated or separately. When you copy disks with
- Duplicate, DiskDupe will detect whether a disk has been
- formatted and, if necessary, format it while copying. To
- format a disk do the following:
-
- 1. Select Job, Source, Format.
-
- 2. Select Job, Destination, Drive and choose the one you
- will use to format the disk with.
-
- 3. Select Job, Format and then set the Format option to
- Always, the Verify option to Always and the Track Range
- option to All.
-
- 4. Select Job, Go set the number of copies and then
- Duplicate.
-
-
- QUICK ERASE
-
- To do a quick erase follow the above instructions on
- formatting a disk, but instead set the Format option (Job,
- Format) 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.
-
-
- FORMAT COMPATIBILITY
-
- When DiskDupe formats disks, 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, 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 an image of this disk.
-
- 3. Now whenever you need to format a disk with this
- particular version of DOS, simply make a copy of this image.
-
-
-
- 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.
-
-
- CLEANING THE DRIVE
-
- To clean the drive, use a good wet-dry type cleaning disk.
- From the Setup menu select Drives, then highlight the drive
- that needs cleaning. Select the Clean button, 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.
-
-
- HOW OFTEN TO CLEAN
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
-
- DiskDupe has a cleaning counter that keeps track of how
- often you use a particular drive. Once the counter reaches a
- certain value (the default setting is 500) a Clean! button
- appears on the main menu alerting the user that it is time
- to clean the drive. To clean the drive simply press the
- button and follow the instructions given.
-
-
-
-
-
- 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 FIXFLOP.EXE program. This is a small
- memory-resident program that allows such computers to read
- this 5.25" disk. (NOTE: FIXFLOP is included with the
- registered versions of DiskDupe and can be found in our
- CompuServe Forum.)
-
- 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.
-
-
-
- JOB OPTIONS
-
-
- DISK TYPE
-
- Normally you can leave this set at Auto and let DiskDupe
- automatically sense the type of disk you are using. There
- are times however when DiskDupe requires the user to select
- the disk type. This occurs before formatting a disk. If you
- want to bypass this question, set the disk type to the
- appropriate type.
-
- CAUTION: Setting the disk type yourself can sometimes cause
- more problems than it is worth. For example, if the Disk
- Type was left on 1.2Mb accidently while copying a 1.44Mb
- disk, DiskDupe would assume that the disk being read in is a
- 1.2Mb disk and only copy the first 15 sectors of each track
- as opposed to the full 18.
-
-
- FORMAT OPTIONS
-
- 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 Job, Format and 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 OPTIONS
-
- 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.
-
-
-
- COMPARING WHILE DUPLICATING
-
- To compare a disk byte-by-byte to the master during
- duplication, set Verify to Always or in a separate step use
- the Compare operation. Performing a compare is exactly the
- same as making a copy of a disk, except the Compare
- operation is selected instead of the Duplicate. See the
- previous section on Copying Disks.
-
- When viewing the duplication statistics on the screen, i.e.
- the little dots, circles and checkmarks, you will notice
- that both Verify and Compare are present. Verify is
- referring to the CRC check that the controller automatically
- performs when reading data from the disk. Compare refers to
- the byte-by-byte compare that is done when Verify is on.
-
-
- TRACK RANGE DATA
-
- When Track Range is set to Data it has no affect when
- reading a disk or image, but it can greatly increase copy
- times by writing to only the data portions of a disk. There
- are some caveats though.
-
- When using the Track Range Data feature it is important that
- the master be "clean" , i.e. completely blank (which can be
- accomplished by using the DOS format command with the /U
- switch or by formatting a disk with DiskDupe as discussed
- earlier) before files are copied to it so that there is no
- old data on the final tracks of the disk.
-
- When any image is used for copying and the Track Range is
- set to Data only the tracks that have data on the master are
- copied and verified on the destination disk. If DiskDupe has
- trouble reading any of the tracks that it is copying to then
- it will try to reformat the disk from the bad track through
- the last data track of the disk, so a poorly formatted disk
- is still usable.
-
-
-
- OTHER FEATURES
-
- JOBS
-
- A job is a particular task that the user would like DiskDupe
- to perform. The purpose of a job is to allow the user to
- save the settings for a particular task under a particular
- job name. The next time that task needs to be performed, the
- user can simply select the appropriate job rather than re-
- entering the settings. The settings that are unique to each
- job are those that can be found under the Job menu option,
-
-
-
- i.e. the setting for Source, Destination, Format, Verify
- etc.
-
-
- 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.
-
-
- 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, format a disk following the
- instructions described earlier for formatting 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.
-
- 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 LINES
-
- 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: /C4 /DUP
-
- This will start DiskDupe with A: as the source drive and B:
- as the destination drive and will make 4 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 DiskDupe image or
- the word RELAY OR FORMAT.
-
- The B: is the Destination and can be a drive or image. To
- use Cascade drives, use AB: like DISKDUPE DISK1.DDI AB:
-
- The /C4 sets the number of copies to 4.
-
- 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.
-
- /TEST Drive test.
-
- /C Allows you to set the number of copies
- Example: /C4 sets copies to 4.
-
- /FA Sets the option for formatting to Always.
-
- /FO Sets the option for formatting to Only If
- 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.
-
- /CMOS "YES" uses CMOS bootup configuration for A:
- and B: drives, "NO" does not. Example:
- /CMOSYES
-
-
-
- *** For additional command line switches, see the on-
- line Help.
-
-
- 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
-
- 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: Many PS/2's are NOT supported by DiskDupe 5.0.
-
- 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.
-
-
-
- DISKDUPE PRODUCTS
-
- The DiskDupe product line includes DiskDupe Lite, DiskDupe
- Standard, DiskDupe Professional and DiskDupe AutoPro.
-
- DiskDupe Lite is a no-frills duplication program designed
- for people that simply want to make copies, but don't
- require all the amenities of the Standard version. Main
- Features include disk images, relay copy, user definable
- jobs, 1.68Mb disk format and 5" to 3" disk conversion. There
- is a 4 copy maximum however.
-
- DiskDupe Standard is designed for people that routinely
- perform disk duplication and want all the features of the
- Lite, as well as full utilization of their computers EMS/XMS
- memory for quicker copying, command line support, adjustable
- drive step rate to increase drive efficiency, 2.88Mb drive
- support, user adjustable colors and sound and track range
- data.
-
- DiskDupe Professional is designed for software developers
- that want to do in-house duplication, and anticipate medium
- volume diskette duplication. The Pro contains all the great
- features of the Standard, as well as support for additional
- floppy drives, double speed drives, RAM drives, disk
- serialization, labels, custom disks and disk sets.
-
- DiskDupe AutoPro is designed to be used in conjunction with
- all the major manufacturer auto-loaders. It includes all the
- features of the Professional, with the addition of being
- able to generate log files of duplication activities,
- support quad speed (2XSDS) drives and in-lineprinters and
- provide network support.
-
- All of our products come with a comprehensive on-line help
- system that is only a key press away. If you need assistance
- beyond what the help can provide, you are entitled to FREE
- UNLIMITED technical support.
-
- As mentioned briefly before, we have a proven upgrade path
- available. If you decide to upgrade, almost all of your
- initial investment can be applied towards the upgrade.
-
-
-
- ** For a complete list of product comparison features go to
- the registration screen listing the various versions of
- DiskDupe available and press <F1>.
-
-
- HOW TO REGISTER
-
- To register, follow the instructions as described on the
- DiskDupe 5.0 Trial opening screen. Registration information
- can also be found under the Hello menu.
-
- You can contact us at:
-
- Micro System Designs, Inc.
- 10062 Miller Ave., Ste 104
- Cupertino, CA 95014
-
- TEL: (408) 446-2066
- FAX: (408) 446-2095
-
- For more information on our products:
-
- WWW: http://www.msd1.com/msd1/
- FTP: ftp.msd1.com/pub/msd1
- CIS: GO MSDESIGNS
-
- Internet: orders@msd1.com CIS: 75162,451 AOL: MaxDunn