home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Disk Copying on the IBM PC XT
-
- Bob Jewell
- Hawaii IBM PC Users Group
-
- Since the IBM PC XT has only one
- diskette drive, I found it somewhat
- awkward to copy from one diskette to
- another. If I use DISKCOPY or COPY A
- system instructs me to swap the "A"
- and "B" diskettes in and out of slot
- A after each and every file on the
- diskette.
-
- I found another approach which
- employs the subdirectory
- capabilities of DOS 2.0. It seems to
- work well for the COPY mode since it
- saves the repetitive disk swapping.
- However, DISKCOPY, (an image copy),
- must still be done via the normal
- swapping method. .
-
- The first step is to define a
- subdirectory. I chose the name
- SUBDIR1 and set it up by the command:
-
- C>MKDIR\SUBDIR1
-
- To copy all of the files from one
- diskette to another, copy them from
- the source diskette to the fixed disk
- subdirectory:
-
- C>COPY A:*.* C:\SUBDIR1
-
- Then replace the source diskette in
- slot A with the target diskette. Copy
- the files from the subdirectory on
- the fixed disk to the target
- diskette:
-
- C>COPY C:\SUBDIR1\*.* A:
-
- The last step is to erase the files
- in the subdirectory. This allows
- another diskette to be copied later,
- as its files will be alone in the
- subdirectory ...not added to the set
- just copied:
-
-
- C>ERASE C:\SUBDIR1\*.*
- Are you sure (Y/N)? Y
-
- In the ERASE step it is crucial that
- the appropriate subdirectory name is
- used or the entire fixed disk will be
- erased! As with most operations
- utilizing the fixed disk, an
- extra-cautious approach and frequent
- backups are necessary.
-
- Several variations are possible. For
- example, in the first COPY operation
- above, from source diskette(s) to the
- fixed disk subdirectory, a series of
- individual files can be specified
- rather than using the *.*, thus
- creating a new "diskette" in the
- subdirectory that will then be copied
- out in the second COPY operation.
-
- For applications where it is desired
- to copy one diskette to another
- without change, the following BAT
- procedure may be used. It prompts the
- user to insert the source diskette
- then the target diskette. The target
- diskette should be pre-formatted,
- normally having no files on it unless
- it is desired to append to it (such
- as when consolidating
- partially-filled diskettes).
-
-
- ECHO OFF
- REM DSKTODSK.BAT COPIES FILES FROM
- REM ONE DISKETTE TO ANOTHER USING
- REM THE IBM PC XT - R. M. JEWELL
- REM APPENDS ALL FILES ON SOURCE TO
- REM EXISTING FILES ON TARGET
- ECHO OK TO ERASE SUBDIR1 ON C: ?
- ECHO HIT ANY KEY ELSE CTRL+BREAK
- PAUSE
- ERASE C:\SUBDIR1\*.*
- ECHO INSERT SOURCE IN DRIVE A:
- ECHO HIT ANY KEY WHEN READY
- PAUSE
- COPY A:*.* C:\SUBDIR1
- ECHO REMOVE DISKETTE FROM A:
- ECHO INSERT TARGET IN DRIVE A:
- ECHO HIT ANY KEY WHEN READY
- PAUSE
- COPY C:\SUBDIR1\*.* A: