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Loadstar 128 21
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q21.d81
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* * * SCRATCH FILES * * *
This utility lets you select several files to delete which are then
scratched all in one go. The scratch utility will work with all disk drives
that can be hooked up to the 128, including RAMDOS.
Press the HELP key to view your options for cursor movement and file
selection.
Select the files you want to scratch. To start scratching, press F1. As an
extra safeguard, you will be asked to confirm your action. If you haven't
selected any files, the message "No valid files" will appear, and the
scratch utility is aborted.
* * * UNSCRATCH FILES * * *
This is a utility to bring back files which have previously been deleted.
When a file is deleted, it is not really removed from the disk. The DOS
(Disk Operating System) makes two changes which render the file as deleted:
One, the file type flag is erased (set to 0), making the file unrecognizable
to the DOS. Two, the space which the file used on the disk is made
available to use as storage for other files. You should therefore restore
scratched files before saving something new on the disk. It will work only
with 1541, 1571, 1581 and compatible disk drives.
SPECIAL NOTE to GEOS users: You can unscratch GEOS files using this
utility. However, you MUST validate the disk from the GEOS desktop before
further saving anything to the disk. Furthermore, as an ounce of prevention
if you suspect that the disk has been written to since the files were
deleted, copy all the non-deleted files to another disk BEFORE attempting to
restore lost GEOS files.
You will be asked to insert the target disk, the disk with the files you
want to unscratch. The directory is then read into the computer's memory.
If there are no deleted file entry in the disk's directory, the message "No
valid files" appears, and the unscratch utility is aborted.
Press the HELP key to view your options for cursor movement and file
selection.
All files are initially marked as '*DEL'. To restore a file you must select
a file type. Your choices are listed at the top of the screen. It is
important that you select the right file type, as using the wrong file type
will in most cases prohibit the correct function and use of the file. To
undo the selection of a file, press D to make it a deleted file.
Some files may be marked as "Blocked". A blocked file is a file which is
marked in the directory as deleted, but the block where the first part of
the file is supposed to be is marked as used in the BAM. This would mean
that the block is now occupied by another file. A blocked file is thereby
unrecoverable since there is no way of knowing where the rest of the file
might be on the disk. A file might be unrightfully "blocked" due to an
error in the BAM. If you experience that, the unscratch utility identifies
that the file is blocked although you think it should be recoverable,
validate the disk and attempt unscratching the file again.
PLEASE NOTE: A file name might appear more than once in the directory. You
see two or more identical names, and you don't know which is the right one.
A deleted file may also have the same name as a valid file. The solution:
Restore all. Then rename the first one, the RENAME command will only affect
the first file that match the command parameters. Repeat if there are more
than two identical files. Try using the newly restored files to see which
one(s) you would like to keep. Scratch the other ones and, IMPORTANT!,
validate the disk to make sure the BAM is OK.
Since the disk space previously occupied by scratched files is left free for
other files to overwrite, unscratching does imply some potential problems.
To be absolutely sure that a file can be restored, it must be unscratched
before something new is written to the disk. All might not be lost however,
even if the disk has been written to. Each subsequent write to the disk
reduces the odds that previously scratched files can be restored. If
subsequent writes have occurred, or if you're in doubt, please read the
following:
1) A scratched file might be partly overwritten. When you don't find the
file contents you expect, the file is garbage, partly garbage, partly
missing or has parts that repeat, you are probably dealing with a partly
overwritten file. If a new file saved to the disk happens to claim even a
single block of the scratched file, that block and the rest of the deleted
file is lost. This is why: The two first bytes of each block in the file
always point to the next block in the file (unless it's the last block).
Now, if one block is overwritten, the pointers for the next block will
obviously point towards the rest of the new file. At some point therefore,
the two files will appear to have been spliced into one. The solution: If
you want to try to recover as much as possible of the file in question, copy
it. Either to another disk or by using the COPY command to make a copy
under a new name. Scratch the original file and, IMPORTANT!, validate the
disk to make sure the BAM is OK.
2) A file might be "looping". This is a phenomenon which is very rare, and
equally difficult to recover from. It is related to the "partly overwritten
file" problem. What happens is that, during the course of events, the
pointers in one of the blocks are now, due to overwriting, pointing back to
an earlier block in the same "file". The "file" will then repeat itself
into infinity. We can't really call it a file, it's just a complete jumble.
The unscratch utility will never be able to finish because it will never
stop validating the file. The same goes for scratching, loading, reading or
any other operation on the file; it just repeats forever! The Solution:
Reset your system. The best solution is to clear the file's identifier in
the directory using a sector editor, then validate the disk. If you don't
have the means or knowledge to do that, copy all the other files to another
disk using a FILE COPIER.
3) The directory entry of the original file might have been overwritten.
The place in the directory used by the scratched file has later been used by
another file. Unless you know how to use a sector editor and are prepared
to spend some time, the file is unrecoverable.
You may restore as many files as you wish. To start restoring the files,
press F1. Please note that unscratching may be a lengthy process as the
disk has to be validated, reclaiming the space for the restored files. If
you haven't selected any files, the message "No valid files" will appear,
and the unscratch utility is aborted.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If a disk error message appears at this point, one of the
restored files is probably malfunctioning. In any case, the disk hasn't
been properly validated, and you should go about with great caution. Using
the file copier, copy as many files as possible to another disk.
DISKSERVANT's file copier will identify the troublesome files. Then, you
might want to try recovering those files. You need to read as much as you
can from the original file and save it in a new file. Then, scratch the
troublesome files and, IMPORTANT, validate the disk.
* * * EDIT DIRECTORY * * *
The objective of this utility is to re-arrange and do various tricks with
the directory. You also have the option of changing the load address of
program files.
You'll be prompted for a disk, and a directory will appear on the screen.
This utility will display all files, even the deleted ones. Press the HELP
key to view your options for cursor movement and file selection.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a powerful utility which might cause havoc if used
without caution. However, except for the load address change command, no
changes will be permanent until you press F1 to rewrite the directory. If
you mess things up, press ESC to back out! It is especially important to
remember that many of the functions work simultaneously on all highlighted
files. Therefore, always make sure that you have only highlighted the files
you want to change, and nothing else. It's a good habit to press CLR after
using a function to ensure that all files are deselected before proceeding.
Deposit files (SHIFT/RETURN):
To move a files manua