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*********************************************************** * * * zDEL 2.00 * * * * January 15, 1993 * * * * * * * * * * User's Manual * * * * * * * * Copyright (C) 1993 P & J's Software * * * *********************************************************** zDEL 2.00 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 =========================================================== 1 What's New in zDEL 2.00..........................3 2 Important Differences Between 1.x and 2.0........3 3 Taking zDEL for a Test Drive.....................4 4 Function of zDEL.................................4 5 zDEL License Agreement...........................4 6 zDEL Registration................................5 7 Disclaimer.......................................6 8 Command Line Syntax..............................6 9 The Drive and Path Parameters....................6 10 Using a Filespec.................................7 11 Use of Command Line Switches.....................7 11.1 -A Attribute Switch............................7 11.1.1 h The Hidden File Attribute...................8 11.1.2 s The System File Attribute...................8 11.1.3 r The Read Only File Attribute................8 11.2 -C Confirmation Switch.........................8 11.2.1 d Confirm Directory Delete....................9 11.2.2 f Confirm File Delete.........................9 11.2.3 s Confirm Subdirectories to search............9 11.3 -D Directory Specification Switch..............9 11.4 -F Filespec Switch............................10 11.5 -K Keep Relative Root Directory Switch........10 11.6 -NOLOGO Suppress zDEL Banner Switch...........10 11.7 -O Override ZDELCMD Switch....................10 11.8 -Q Suppress Delete Reporting Switch...........10 11.9 -R Recurse Directories Switch.................11 11.9.1 k Keep Directory Tree Structure..............11 11.9.2 p Prune Directory Tree Structure.............11 11.10 -S Search Process Switch......................11 11.10.1 a Accumulate Bytes...........................12 11.10.2 l Search All Logical Drives..................12 11.10.3 p Search the PATH Environment Variable.......12 11.11 -V Verbose Display Switch.....................13 11.12 -W Suppress Warning Messages Switch...........13 11.13 -WHERE "Where is..." Switch...................13 11.14 -WIPE Wipe Data Switch........................14 11.15 -X Exclude Filespec Switch....................14 12 Using the ZDELCMD Environment Variable..........15 13 Acknowledgments.................................15 14 How to Contact P & J's Software.................16 15 Plans for Future Updates........................16 zDEL 2.00 1 What's New in zDEL 2.00 3 =========================================================== 1 What's New in zDEL 2.00 ----------------------------------------------------------- zDEL 2.0 has been an exciting update. New features added are based on the feedback of 1.x users. We hope you will find the new features listed below just as exciting and useful for you too: * Bit testing may be done with all file attributes. * Multiple filespecs may be specified to delete files. * Multiple filespecs may be specified to EXCLUDE files. * Multiple directories may be specified to scan. * The PATH may be scanned. * All logical drives may be scanned. * A new verbose display mode. * Bytes freed may be accumulated and reported. * A "where is ..." mode is available. * Optionally "wipe" files (permanently destroys the data). * A "(Y)es, (N)o, Yes to (A)ll" prompt has been given to all Confirmation switches. zDEL 2.0 is Shareware. Thank you for your support in advance. 2 Important Differences Between 1.x and 2.0 ----------------------------------------------------------- If you've never used zDEL 1.x, then you do not need to read this section. Many differences exist between zDEL 1.x and 2.0. However, few require attention. You should be aware of these changes: * -Fc is no longer File confirmation. -F is now used to specify an additional filespec to delete. -Cf is now used for the Confirmation of file deletions. * -Fh is no longer used to suppress delete reporting. The -Q switch now serves as this function. * -Q is no longer the same as -W. -Q is now used for suppressing delete reporting. -W is used to suppress warning messages (as in 1.x). * -Rc is now specified as -Cd. (Confirm directory delete). * -S is no longer used to confirm which subdirectories to search. It is now -Cs. The above changes and others were made to provide a more organized and logical switch interface and for various other reasons. zDEL 2.00 3 Taking zDEL for a Test Drive 4 =========================================================== 3 Taking zDEL for a Test Drive ----------------------------------------------------------- zDEL deletes files and subdirectories. That's its purpose. Deleting information has the potential to be very dangerous if misused. To test zDEL, TEST IT ON A FLOPPY which has experimental data on it. Use a floppy disk that has no valuable information on it, or copy another disk and use it as a testing diskette. Then type a: (or b:, or whatever your floppy drive designation is). Once changed over to the floppy drive, no data on any other disk can be deleted as long as you don't specify otherwise (i.e.- zdel c:). Please read the rest of this file, because it contains information on how to use and register zDEL. You can type "zDEL /?" to request zDEL's full help. 4 Function of zDEL ----------------------------------------------------------- The purpose of zDEL is to provide MS-DOS users with a more powerful and efficient tool for deleting files and subdirectories. zDEL does everything the ERASE, DEL and DELNODE commands do and more. zDEL offers the ability to search for hidden, system, and read only files. The ability to search through directories is possible with zDEL. You can search directories with a specific filespec too. You can even pick which subdirectories you want to search into. And just for added safety, zDEL has the ability to prompt you for permission to delete a file and/or subdirectory. This gives you the power to choose which files you want to delete and skip over the ones you want to keep. And for all of you nervous people out there, zDEL will always let you know what it is going to do BEFORE it does anything (unless you override it with a switch). 5 zDEL License Agreement ----------------------------------------------------------- zDEL is Shareware and is supported by you. As a Shareware program, you may review zDEL for a period of 14 days. If during that time you decide zDEL 2.0 is a program you would like to have and continue to use, please follow the registration instructions outlined in section 6. If you decide you do not need zDEL for any reason, within 14 days after you receive my registration letter, simply delete all zDEL files and any archive file you may have received zDEL in (i.e.- ZDEL200.ZIP) and P and J's Software will gladly refund 100% OF ALL REGISTRATION MONEY (sorry, no postal refunds). We would appreciate feedback when doing so, although not required. zDEL 2.00 6 zDEL Registration 5 =========================================================== 6 zDEL Registration ----------------------------------------------------------- zDEL 2.0 is Shareware and is not free. However, the fee is low and there are various types of registration: 1. $5 - Minimum registration fee. 2. $15 - Register zDEL 2.0 and receive a free update when the next one becomes available. 3. Network - fee from 1 or 2 plus .25 cents per machine that zDEL will be used on. (i.e.- $5.50 for a 2 machine network with option 1 or $15.50 with option 2) To register zDEL, please fill out the form REGISTER.TXT that is supplied with zDEL. It contains a straightforward method to calculate your payment. zDEL may be freely distributed provided the following rules are adhered to: * The program ZDEL.EXE and its components MANUAL.TXT, README.TXT and REGISTER.TXT are not modified in any way whatsoever. * The files MANUAL.TXT, README.TXT and REGISTER.TXT are provided with each copy of the program ZDEL.EXE. If you send your address and the appropriate registration fee, I will mail you a letter stating your registration status. REGARDLESS of which option you choose, THANK YOU for your support of zDEL and the Shareware industry. zDEL 2.00 7 Disclaimer 6 =========================================================== 7 Disclaimer ----------------------------------------------------------- P & J's Software, disclaim all warranties as to this software, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, functionality or data integrity or protection. Furthermore, accuracy of the information within this document and fitness of the zDEL program for any purpose may change without notice, and should not be considered as a commitment of any kind. To test zDEL, read section 3. Whew! <g> 8 Command Line Syntax ----------------------------------------------------------- The command line syntax appears when you type "zDEL -?" or "zDEL" at the MS-DOS prompt. zDEL's syntax is shown below: zDEL [drive:][path]filespec [-A{[+,-]<a|h|r|s>}] [-C<d|f|s>] [-Ddirectory] [-Ffilespec] [-K] [-NOLOGO] [-O] [-Q] [-R[<k,p>]] [-S<a|<l,p>>] [-V] [-W] [-WHERE] [-WIPE[:nnn]] [-Xfilespec] Reading the syntax requires that you know what the symbols mean. The symbols used in the command line syntax and their meanings are listed below: {} The parameter(s) between can be repeated in the given sequence. [] The parameter(s) between square brackets are optional. <> The parameter(s) between the LT and GT symbols are members of a list. space A space is required as a delimiter. , A comma means pick ONE in the list. | A pipe symbol means pick AT LEAST one. You may select others. The command line is not case sensitive. It is illustrated as such for documentation purposes only. 9 The Drive and Path Parameters ----------------------------------------------------------- The [drive:] parameter is optional. You would use this parameter if you wanted to delete files from a logical drive that was different from your current working logical drive. You must use the drive letter and the ':' for this parameter. zDEL 2.00 9 The Drive and Path Parameters 7 =========================================================== The [path] parameter is optional. This represents the pathname of where to start looking for the file(s) you specified in the filespec parameter. If you want to delete from a root directory, and you are not currently in the root directory, you must provide the '\' symbol. If no path is supplied, the current working directory is used. 10 Using a Filespec ----------------------------------------------------------- A filespec is used as a pattern to match file names against. You could just type an existing filename, and zDEL will only find that file. With the use of wildcards '*' and '?', you can instruct zDEL to use the pattern matching rules listed below: '*' - Match the remainder of characters. '?' - Match with a single character. Please refer to your MS-DOS User's Guide for more information on filenames, filespecs and wildcards. 11 Use of Command Line Switches ----------------------------------------------------------- There are 15 switches that you may use with zDEL. They are "-A", "-C", "-D", "-F", "-K", "-NOLOGO", "-O", "-Q", "-R", "-S", "-V", "-W", "-WHERE", "-WIPE" and "-X". They are all optional. 11.1 -A Attribute Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -A switch follows the syntax of "[-A{[+,-]<a|h|r|s>}]". The attribute switch allows you to search for archive, hidden, system, or read only attributes in a file. If you only specify "-A" then zDEL assumes "-Aahrs" which will delete any file, regardless of attribute setting. By MS-DOS definition, if you specify h, s or r with -A, then MS-DOS will also report files which do not have the hidden, system and read only bits set (called normal files). You may use the attribute prefix '+' or '-' to designate that the following attribute must be on or off in the file. For example, "-A+h" will make sure that all files reported have the hidden bit set. Conversely, "-A-h" will make sure that all files reported do not have the hidden bit set. zDEL 2.0 11.1.1 h The Hidden File Attribute 8 =========================================================== 11.1.1 h The Hidden File Attribute ----------------------------------------------------------- If you want to search for Normal files and files that may contain the hidden file attribute, you must tell zDEL by appending 'h' to the "-A" switch. Example: "zDEL *.* -Ah" 11.1.2 s The System File Attribute ----------------------------------------------------------- If you want to search for Normal files and files that may contain the system file attribute, you must tell zDEL by appending 's' to the "-A" switch. Example: "zDEL *.* -As" 11.1.3 r The Read Only File Attribute ----------------------------------------------------------- If you want to search for Normal files and files that may contain the read-only file attribute, you must tell zDEL by appending 'r' to the "-A" switch. Example: "zDEL *.* -Ar" 11.2 -C Confirmation Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -C switch follows the syntax of "[-C<d|f|s>]". The Confirmation switch allows you to respond to a "(Y)es, (N)o, Yes to (A)ll" question for file deletion, subdirectory deletion and for which directories to search. zDEL 2.00 11.2.1 d Confirm Directory Delete 9 =========================================================== 11.2.1 d Confirm Directory Delete ----------------------------------------------------------- Supplying zDEL with "-Cd" will make zDEL prompt you with the "(Y)es, (N)o, Yes to (A)ll" question for every directory found in the current search path. Pressing Y will delete the directory. Press N and zDEL will not delete the directory. Press A and all subsequent directories found will automatically be deleted and the prompt will be suppressed for directory confirmation ONLY. Example "zDEL *.* -Cd" 11.2.2 f Confirm File Delete ----------------------------------------------------------- Supplying zDEL with "-Cf" will make zDEL prompt you with the "(Y)es, (N)o, Yes to (A)ll" question for every file found in the current search path. Pressing Y will delete the file. Press N and zDEL will not delete the file. Press A and all subsequent files found will automatically be deleted and the prompt will be suppressed for file confirmation ONLY. Example "zDEL *.* -Cf" 11.2.3 s Confirm Subdirectories to search ----------------------------------------------------------- Supplying zDEL with "-Cs" will make zDEL prompt you with the "(Y)es, (N)o, Yes to (A)ll" question for every subdirectory found in the current search path. Pressing Y will search the subdirectory. Press N and zDEL will skip that directory and look for the next one on the same depth level. Press A and all subsequent directories found will automatically be searched and the prompt will be suppressed for subdirectory search confirmation ONLY. Example "zDEL *.* -Cs" 11.3 -D Directory Specification Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -D switch follows the syntax of "[-Ddirectory]". This switch allows you to specify an additional directory to search for the filespec(s) you have specified to delete. No filespec information is allowed with -D. For example, "-D\utils\archive\*.zip" is not allowed, but "-D\utils\archive" is. You may specify up to 25 on the command line. Example: "zDEL *.txt -D\windows\docs -D\scratch\docs" zDEL 2.00 11.4 -F Filespec Switch 10 =========================================================== 11.4 -F Filespec Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -F switch follows the syntax of "[-Ffilespec]". This switch allows you to specify an additional filespec to delete. No directory information is allowed with -F. For example, "-F\utils\archive\*.zip" is not allowed, but "-F*.zip" is. You may specify up to 25 on the command line. Example: "zDEL *.bak -F*.tmp -F*.old -F*.00?" 11.5 -K Keep Relative Root Directory Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -K switch follows the syntax of "[-K]". This switch is used with the -Rp switch. Doing so prevents zDEL from deleting the beginning directory. For example, "zDEL junk1 -Djunk2 -Rp" will prune the two given directory trees, but it will keep the "junk1" and "junk2" directory entries. 11.6 -NOLOGO Suppress zDEL Banner Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -NOLOGO switch follows the syntax of "[-NOLOGO]". This switch allows you to suppress the zDEL banner information. You might find this useful if you use zDEL in a batch file. Example: "zDEL d:\junk -NOLOGO" 11.7 -O Override ZDELCMD Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -O switch follows the syntax of "[-O]". This switch will override the switches supplied in the ZDELCMD environment variable. Example: "zDEL *.c -O" 11.8 -Q Suppress Delete Reporting Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -Q switch follows the syntax of "[-Q]". This switch causes zDEL not to display any of the filenames or subdirectories that are deleted. Because displaying text takes considerable time in relation to other tasks done by a computer, our tests have shown that using this switch will increase the speed of zDEL by over 50% in most cases. zDEL is by far the fastest when this switch is used. Example: "zDEL T:\SCRATCH -Q" zDEL 2.00 11.9 -R Recurse Directories Switch 11 =========================================================== 11.9 -R Recurse Directories Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -R switch follows the syntax of "[-R[<k,p>]]". This switch causes zDEL to recursively search all directories found in the current search path. All directories specified by -D or -Sp are affected by this switch as well. 11.9.1 k Keep Directory Tree Structure ----------------------------------------------------------- If you specify "-Rk" or "-R" on the command line, zDEL will search all directories in the search path, but it will not attempt to delete them. Example "zDEL \*.TMP -R" 11.9.2 p Prune Directory Tree Structure ----------------------------------------------------------- If you specify "-Rp" on the command line, zDEL will search all directories in the search path and will try to delete each directory it searches. NOTE: If you specify only a directory (with no filespec) in the SECOND command line parameter, then zDEL AUTOMATICALLY turns on the "-Rp" deletion process and assumes a filespec of "*.*". This does not apply to directory names specified by the "-D" switch. Parameter 1 2 3 --------------------------------- example 1: zDEL mydir -> auto "-Rp" example 2: zDEL *.* -Dmydir -> NO auto "-Rp" This "auto -Rp" is very convenient and powerful. Remember, zDEL will tell you everything it's going to do first as long as you don't specify "-W" in the command line. Example "zDEL mydir" 11.10 -S Search Process Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -S switch follows the syntax of "[-S<a|<l,p>>]". This switch tells zDEL to perform additional operations while searching. zDEL 2.0 11.10.1 a Accumulate Bytes 12 =========================================================== 11.10.1 a Accumulate Bytes ----------------------------------------------------------- If you specify "-Sa" on the command line, zDEL will accumulate the number of bytes freed for every file it deletes on a per logical drive basis. The report will be displayed regardless if the -Q switch is used. Example: "zDEL c:\scratch -Sa" 11.10.2 l Search All Logical Drives ----------------------------------------------------------- If you specify "-Sl" on the command line, zDEL will apply all the filespec and directory information you have supplied to every logical drive it finds. The scan starts from the C: drive. If you have any network connections defined, zDEL will search those as well. You cannot use the -Sl switch with the -Sp switch. A usage tip that may be of help is that when you use this switch, "-Sl", be sure not to specify any drive letters in any directories you may have supplied zDEL with. If you do there's no harm done, only time wasted because when zDEL changes to a logical drive with the "-Sl" switch, it applies ALL filespec and directory information given with "-F" and "-D", respectively. Therefore, if you specify "-Dc:\mydir" as a directory to search, then for every logical drive zDEL changes to, zDEL is forced to go back to C:\MYDIR to look for filespecs to delete. The only reason you would WANT to do this is if you know there is a "\mydir" directory on another logical drive you don't want to mess with, but you still need to use the "-Sl" switch. Example: "zDEL *.txt -Sl" 11.10.3 p Search the PATH Environment Variable ----------------------------------------------------------- If you specify "-Sp" on the command line, zDEL will add all the directories specified in the PATH environment variable to the list of directories to search. This list is exactly the same as the list used by the -D switch. You cannot use the -Sp switch with the -Sl switch. Example: "zDEL *.tmp -Sp" zDEL 2.00 11.11 -V Verbose Display Switch 13 =========================================================== 11.11 -V Verbose Display Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -V switch follows the syntax of "[-V]". This switch tells zDEL to display a detailed (verbose) report of each file and directory that it deletes. An example output is shown below: [...A] 1626 D:\TEMP\JUNK\FILE1.TXT [...A] 4050 D:\TEMP\JUNK\FILE2.TXT [...A] 23746 D:\TEMP\JUNK\FILE3.TXT [....] 0 S D:\TEMP\JUNK Without using the -V switch, only the filename and its path are displayed: D:\TEMP\JUNK\FILE1.TXT D:\TEMP\JUNK\FILE2.TXT D:\TEMP\JUNK\FILE3.TXT D:\TEMP\JUNK Example: "zDEL *.txt -V" 11.12 -W Suppress Warning Messages Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -W switch follows the syntax of "[-W]". This switch tells zDEL not to display the "If you continue, zDEL will..." warning messages. If you do not want to confirm this message every time you use zDEL, or you are using zDEL in a batch file, then use the -W switch on the command line. If you prefer to ALWAYS have this switch enabled, you should put the command "SET ZDELCMD=-W" in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, or type it directly from the MS-DOS command prompt. Example: "zDEL *.txt -W" 11.13 -WHERE "Where is..." Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -WHERE switch follows the syntax of "[-WHERE]". This switch tells zDEL not to delete anything and only display the files and directories found during the search. This is handy if you don't have a file finding program, or if you use it in conjunction with -Sa you'll be able to tell how much space will be freed before you delete anything. zDEL 2.00 11.13 -WHERE "Where is..." Switch 14 =========================================================== Using -WHERE with -Sa can be very helpful in a situation where you are low on disk space and you need more space to install a program that needs "x" more bytes of disk space to fit. Just keep adding files with -F until you satisfy the requirement, then remove the -WHERE switch and zDEL will delete everything you specified. Example: "zDEL \*.tmp -F*.bak -WHERE" 11.14 -WIPE Wipe Data Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -WIPE switch follows the syntax of "[-WIPE[:nnn]]". If you did not know already, when a file is deleted in MS-DOS, the actual data is not destroyed; only the File Allocation Table (FAT) is updated to reflect the space is now available. That is how UNDELETE utilities work. They merely scan the FAT for special information and ask you for the first character of the filename. If you are in an environment where the above scheme is not acceptable and you actually need the data destroyed (making UNDELETE utilities useless), then you need to use the -WIPE switch. Specify -WIPE on the zDEL command line to perform this action. You can specify any ASCII character from 0 to 255 to replace the data with. If you do not supply a character, 0 is used by default. Please note that the ONLY way get data back after using this method is if you have a backup. Also, because zDEL has to re-write all the data before it deletes the file, the time taken to do so is longer. Judge for yourself: on a hard drive with a 15ms access time, it takes about 1 second per megabyte. zDEL will report a real-time percentage complete status when it is in "Wipe" mode, unless you have specified the "-Q" switch. Example: "zDEL secret.exe -WIPE" 11.15 -X Exclude Filespec Switch ----------------------------------------------------------- The -X switch follows the syntax of "[-X]". Quite possibly the most powerful switch zDEL supports is this one. You may specify up to 25 exclude filespecs on the command line. For every file found, zDEL checks all the entries in the -X filespec table. If the current file matches a filespec in this table then the file is NOT deleted. Hence, excluding it from being deleted. Example: "zDEL *.* -X*.c -X*.h -X*.txt" zDEL 2.00 12 Using the ZDELCMD Environment Variable 15 =========================================================== 12 Using the ZDELCMD Environment Variable ----------------------------------------------------------- The ZDELCMD environment variable may be used to supply additional command line information to zDEL. Every time you use zDEL, it looks for and reads the ZDELCMD environment variable (as long as -O is not specified). Any switches recognized in the ZDELCMD environment variable are set just as if they were specified on the command line directly. One of the best things about using ZDELCMD is that you can use it for setting switches that you always want set. Therefore, you type them once into ZDELCMD and never have to again. For example, if you find yourself always using the -Sa and -V switches, just type "SET ZDELCMD=-Sa -V" at the prompt, or in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and now you don't have to type them ever again. If you never want to delete any executable files with zDEL, type "SET ZDELCMD=-X*.exe -X*.com -X*.bat" at the MS-DOS prompt. Remember, to override all the switches in ZDELCMD, use the -O switch. To remove the ZDELCMD variable from the environment table, type "SET ZDELCMD=" as you would to delete any environment variable. For more information on environment variables, please refer to your MS-DOS User's Guide. 13 Acknowledgments ----------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to all the zDEL 1.x users. zDEL is written with Microsoft C/C++ 7.00. MS-DOS, and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. zDEL 2.00 14 How to Contact P & J's Software 16 =========================================================== 14 How to Contact P & J's Software ----------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to send comments, suggestions or questions about zDEL, please write to any of the addresses below: U.S. Mail CompuServe Mail --------- --------------- P & J's Software 71303,2375 14150 NE 20th Box 277 Bellevue, WA 98007 We encourage you to use CompuServe Mail (only if you have an account of course) as it is faster, more reliable, uses less resources and ultimately less expensive for you. Please understand we can only guarantee a response to registered zDEL 2.0 users although we'll try to respond to all mail. This helps to keep support costs low. 15 Plans for Future Updates ----------------------------------------------------------- Expect a version to be released that is written for the Microsoft Windows NT operating system. zDEL will work with NT now, but zDEL is not an NT 32-bit application and therefore NT must implement some MS-DOS compatibility support functions. An NT version of zDEL would be much more robust. We imagine the NTFS will be supported by zDEL for NT. The release date for an NT version is unknown at this time. Probably a few months after the official release of NT would be our best estimate. There are no plans for an OS/2 2.0 version at this time. However, it still remains a posibility. Perhaps if enough OS/2 2.0 users respond we'll develop it.