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TwoDisks
DISK COMPARISON AND UPDATING UTILITY
Copyright (C) 1989 Barry L. Campbell
(tm) ┌─────────┐
┌─────┴───┐ │ MEMBER
──│ │o │──────────────────
│ ┌─────┴╨──┐ │ Association of
│ │ │─┘ Shareware
└───│ o │ Professionals
──────│ ║ │────────────────────
└────╨────┘
(Please see the note at the end of this file
for information about the Association of
Shareware Professionals.)
TwoDisks Documentation Table Of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
=================
Quick Summary of Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Quick Summary of Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Copyright Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Shareware Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Registering TwoDisks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Product Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Copying TwoDisks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Author's Promise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Credits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Specifics on the Use of TwoDisks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Color Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Entering Disk/Directory Names. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Entry on the Command Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Other Options on the First Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Main TwoDisks Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Display Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Action Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Drive Assignments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
What You Can Do With TwoDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Deleting Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
All Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Tag Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Copying Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Checking Free Space Before Copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Moving Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
View Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Change Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
<HOME> Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
To Exit From TwoDisks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Notes on Operation of TwoDisks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
The Association of Shareware Professionals . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
UPDATE NOTES (IMPORTANT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Page i
TwoDisks Documentation
Quick Summary of Operation:
==========================
TwoDisks is a MS-DOS External Utility program which will READ and COMPARE
the directories of TWO disks and show you the results of the comparison. You
may copy or move files between the disks or delete files from one or both of the
disks.
Quick Summary of Use:
====================
At the DOS prompt (A> for example) you may simply type
A>TWODISKS
and then be prompted for the disks or directories you wish to compare.
You may also enter the disks/directories for comparison on the command line
after the command TwoDisks with the disks/directories separated by a SPACE as
A>TWODISKS A C:\TURBO\FILES1 <RETURN>
which will compare the DEFAULT directory of the disk in drive A with the
subdirectory FILES1 in the subdirectory TURBO on the hard disk C.
If you enter ONLY ONE drive or directory name you will be prompted for the
other.
Copyright Notice:
================
Both the TwoDisks program and this documentation are copyright (c) 1989 by Barry
L. Campbell. All rights conveyed by the copyright laws of the United States are
strictly reserved.
TwoDisks is Shareware:
=====================
TwoDisks is NOT free. TwoDisks is NOT in the public domain. TwoDisks is a
commercial program distributed as SHAREWARE.
The SHAREWARE concept provides the user with quality, tested, fully-functional
software that can be evaluated on your own computer system and for your own
specific computer needs before you decide to purchase. No other means of
software distribution (nor the sale of ANY other product by ANY other means)
provides you with a more fair and generous GUARANTEE than SHAREWARE. Even other
software or products that come with a "money back guarantee" require you to pay
for the privilege of trying the software or product and then re-packaging and
returning the product (usually at your own expense) to the seller if you don't
like it. MANY software packages contain a "shrink wrap agreement" which in
essence states that once you break the seal, it's yours.
Page 1
TwoDisks Documentation
SHAREWARE provides the programmer with a distribution system that is convenient
(for both of us) and low in cost. This enables me to keep the price of my
software low and still make a reasonable profit.
Please don't be confused! SHAREWARE authors are competent programmers with good
ideas for products that fill needs. They are not "hackers" or amateurs that
program for the fun of it. They are BUSINESS men and women providing you with
good software at a reasonable price. SHAREWARE authors choose this method of
distribution for their software because it is efficient and cost-effective.
They are professionals and rely on YOU to be fair and honest with them.
SHAREWARE works on the HONOR SYSTEM. You have received TwoDisks for nothing (or
a reasonable distribution fee essentially covering media and handling costs).
You may use the program free for 30 days. You may even make copies of TwoDisks
(subject to the limitations outlined below) and give these copies to your
friends and associates for them to try. If you find TwoDisks a useful program
and choose to keep it and use it after the 30-day trial period, you are
obligated to pay for it.
Registering TwoDisks:
====================
The cost of TwoDisks is $25.00. For this fee you will receive:
- WRITTEN NOTIFICATION that you are a "registered owner" of TwoDisks.
- One FREE UPGRADE to the next version of TwoDisks when it is released.
- REDUCED PRICE offerings for future upgrades to TwoDisks.
- FREE PRODUCT SUPPORT via U.S. Mail or CompuServe.
To register send a check or money-order for $25.00 to:
Barry L. Campbell
P.O. Box 1592
Pearl City, HI 96782-8592
I will respond in writing within 2 working days of receipt of your check.
Product Support:
===============
TwoDisks is fully-supported software. I will reply to registered users'
comments, questions, suggestions, etc. received via U.S. Mail (at the
registration address) or EASYPLEX on CompuServe (I.D. number 73507,732). I
welcome your comments and suggestions for improving TwoDisks and I will be happy
to answer questions about its use and function. Although I have tested TwoDisks
within an inch of its life, I also welcome your comments regarding BUGS (yeach!)
you might come across.
Page 2
TwoDisks Documentation
Copying TwoDisks:
================
Although TwoDisks is copyrighted, you are encouraged to make a backup copy for
yourself and to copy and share TwoDisks with your friends and associates.
- Individuals copying TwoDisks cannot charge for the copies.
- Bona-fide users groups may charge reasonable media and distribution fees
(not to exceed $10.00) for the copies.
- Software distribution services (those in business to make a profit from
the distribution of SHAREWARE and public domain software) may charge a
reasonable fee (not to exceed $10.00) after obtaining written permission
from the author.
No one may make any changes to the program code. No one may make any changes to
the documentation. The documentation file (this file) MUST accompany any
distribution of TwoDisks.
Author's Promise:
================
The author, Barry L. Campbell, promises that the program, TwoDisks, will perform
in substantial conformity with the user documentation. The author makes no
warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including but not limited to implied
warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for any particular purpose. The
author shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special or
consequential arising from a failure of the program to operate in the manner
desired by the user. The author shall not be liable for any damage to data or
property which may be caused directly or indirectly by the use of the program.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY
LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS OR OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING
OUT OR YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER
PARTY.
Credits:
=======
TwoDisks is written in Turbo Pascal, Ver 5.0, from Borland International with
certain additional modules from Turbo Express by Robert Jourdain. All screen
displays were created using SAYWHAT?! from The Research Group and manipulated
using modules written by The Research Group.
My thanks to Rick Kooker, Chris Calligan, Colin Huddleston and Karl Will for
their help in beta testing TwoDisks.
Page 3
TwoDisks Documentation
Specifics on the use of TwoDisks:
=================================
1. COLOR CONFIGURATION.
TwoDisks will check to see which screen driver card is installed in your
computer and then configure itself for that card. If you have a monochrome card
installed, TwoDisks will configure itself for a monochrome monitor. If you have
a color card installed, TwoDisks will configure itself to show up in vibrant
colors on your color monitor.
If you have a color card installed but do not have a color monitor attached
(like many laptop computers these days) you must use the program TDMONO.EXE
which is included in the archive.
2. ENTERING DISK/DIRECTORY NAMES.
It is important to understand the use of path names when entering directory
names. Entering
A>TWODISKS A B
will compare the DEFAULT directories of the disks in drives A and B.
If you wish to specify a directory different from the DEFAULT directory you must
use the COMPLETE DOS PATH including the colon (:) after the drive letter and the
initial backslant (\) after the colon. For example
A>TWODISKS A:\ C:\TURBO\FILES1
will compare the ROOT directory of the disk in drive A with the subdirectory
FILES1 in the subdirectory TURBO in the root directory of the disk in drive C
(or hard disk if that is drive C).
The following are ALL INCORRECT:
=========
A>TWODISKS A:\ C:TURBO
^-------{ Backslant after the colon is missing }
A>TWODISKS A:\ \TURBO
^---------{ Drive letter and colon are missing }
A>TWODISKS A:\ C\TURBO
^--------{ Colon after drive letter C is missing }
Consult your MS-DOS manual for a complete discussion of the DOS subdirectory
structure system.
NOTE: As implied above, for convenience if you enter JUST A DRIVE LETTER,
TwoDisks will use the DEFAULT DIRECTORY of that drive.
Page 4
TwoDisks Documentation
3. ENTRY ON THE COMMAND LINE.
If you enter
A>TWODISKS
alone (without drive or directory specifications) you will be prompted to enter
them. The rules on correct entry of directory information described in
paragraph 2. (ENTERING DISK/DIRECTORY NAMES) above apply here.
If you enter
A>TWODISKS A:\
with only ONE disk or directory entry you will be prompted to enter the other
disk or directory.
If you enter
A>TWODISKS A:\ C:\TURBO
with TWO disks or directories specified you will see
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Enter DRIVE LETTER or COMPLETE Path: ║
║ ║
║ Drive 1- A:\ ║
║ Drive 2- C:\TURBO\ ║
╚══════════════════════════════╡ Reading and Comparing ╞════╝
and TwoDisks will be reading and comparing the ROOT directory of the disk in
drive A with the subdirectory called TURBO on the hard disk C.
4. OTHER OPTIONS ON THE FIRST SCREEN
The bottom of screen one looks like this:
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ F1=Help, F2=Pick From List, F3=Make New Directory, <ESC>=QUIT ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Page 5
TwoDisks Documentation
Pressing F1 while on this first screen will display the box below containing
help on commands to use while editing the directory name and some simple rules
on directory entry
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ DIRECTORY ENTRY ║
║ ║
║ If you press <RETURN> on a blank line you may choose a ║
║ subdirectory by picking from a TREE listing of a drive. ║
║ ║
║ You may enter a DRIVE LETTER (with or without a colon) ║
║ to pick the DEFAULT DIRECTORY of that drive. ║
║ ║
║ You may enter a COMPLETE PATH like C:\LANGUAGE\TURBO ║
║ to choose a particular subdirectory. ║
║ ║
╟───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ LINE EDITING ║
║ ║
║ <-,-> : Cursor Left/Right ^ : Move to 'Drive 1' line ║
║ HOME : Beginning of Line END : End of Line ║
║ BKSP : Delete Char Left DEL : Delete Character ║
║ INS : Toggle Insert/Overtype <─┘ : Enter Line ║
║ CTRL-BKSP : Delete Entire Line ║
║ ║
╚═══════════════════════╡ Any Key ╞═════════════════════════════╝
For editing a directory entry, for example, <CTRL-BKSP> (hold down the CONTROL
key and press the BACKSPACE key) erases the entire line so you can enter an
entirely new line.
You may press F2 or simply press <RETURN> on a blank line to pick the
subdirectory you want from a tree-type list of the subdirectories on a drive.
If the subdirectory you want does not yet exist on the drive you may press F3
and create a new subdirectory. You must enter the COMPLETE PATH for the new
directory.
Page 6
TwoDisks Documentation
5. THE MAIN TWODISKS SCREEN.
After the comparison is made you will be presented with a screen like this:
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ≡≡≡≡≡ TwoDisks ≡≡≡≡≡ │
│ Disk Comparison and Updating Utility Version 3.1 Compiled 01/01/89 │
│ Copyright (c) 1989 Barry L. Campbell. All rights reserved. │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
╔═══════════════╤════════════════╦═════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ FILES ON │ FILES ON ║ FILES ON BOTH DRIVES ║
║ Drive 1 │ Drive 2 ╟──────────────┬──────────────┬───────────────╢
║ NOT ON │ NOT ON ║ NEWER ON │ NEWER ON │ IDENTICAL ║
║ Drive 2: │ Drive 1: ║ Drive 1: │ Drive 2: │ ON BOTH: ║
║ 43 FILES │ 0 FILES ║ 3 FILES │ 5 FILES │ 11 FILES ║
║ 253559 bytes │ 0 bytes ║ 103301 bytes│ 32415 bytes │ 51177 bytes ║
╠═══════════════╪════════════════╬══════════════╪══════════════╪═══════════════╣
║ SHOW FILES │ SHOW FILES ║ SHOW FILES │ SHOW FILES │ SHOW FILES ║
║ DELETE FM 1 │ DELETE FM 2 ║ DELETE FM 2 │ DELETE FM 1 │ DELETE FM 1 ║
║ COPY TO 2 │ COPY TO 1 ║ COPY TO 2 │ COPY TO 1 │ DELETE FM 2 ║
║ MOVE TO 2 │ MOVE TO 1 ║ MOVE TO 2 │ MOVE TO 1 │ *CHG PATHS* ║
╚═══════════════╧════════════════╩══════════════╧══════════════╧═══════════════╝
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Drive 1- A:\ (37k Free) │
│ Drive 2- C:\TURBO\ (12138k Free) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ <─┘ to SHOW FILES in this Category, ARROWS to Select Action, Q to QUIT │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
At the top of the screen you will see the TwoDisks information and
copyright notice. The next large double box below contains the "DISPLAY" area
and the "ACTION" area outlined below. Immediately below this are the drive
assignments which show which two disks/directories are compared. At the bottom
of the screen you will find the help line.
A. THE DISPLAY AREA.
The area at the top of the large double box is the DISPLAY AREA. It shows
the status of the comparison of the two directories. This example shows that
there are 43 files (253559 bytes) that are on the disk in drive A (which is
Drive 1 as shown in the box below) that are NOT on the subdirectory called TURBO
on the hard disk C (which is Drive 2 as shown in the box below). There are also
3 files (103301 bytes) that are NEWER on the disk in drive A that in the TURBO
subdirectory on the hard disk C. There are 5 file (32415 bytes) that are NEWER
in the TURBO subdirectory on the hard disk C than on the disk in drive A and
there are 11 files (51177 bytes) that are IDENTICAL on both disks.
┌────────────── IMPORTANT NOTE ─────────────┐
│ There is no attempt to actually compare │
│ the files byte for byte. "Identical" in │
│ TwoDisks simply means the files have the │
│ SAME NAME and were created on the SAME │
│ DAY at the SAME TIME.........That's all! │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘
Page 7
TwoDisks Documentation
When you copy a file using DOS COPY, the DATE and TIME information
for that file are copied along with the file. But when you CREATE
a file using your word processor or when you write a BASIC or
PASCAL program, the DATE and TIME information are placed on the
file using the DATE and TIME from your DOS system clock. If you
have a built-in battery clock which automatically updates your DOS
system clock, then this information will be correct.
If you don't have a built-in battery clock then you must SET the
DATE and TIME when you power up your computer. TwoDisks
depends on your DOS clock having the right DATE and TIME in its
comparison of files NEWER ON DRIVE 1, NEWER ON DRIVE 2 and
IDENTICAL as noted above. If you don't routinely ensure your DOS
system clock is correct, then TwoDisks can't help you determine
which is the newer version of files.
B. THE ACTION AREA.
The area on the bottom of the large box is the ACTION AREA. This is where
you will select what you want to do now that you know how many files and bytes
fall into the three categories.
At the bottom of the screen you will see these instructions
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ <─┘ to SHOW FILES in this Category, ARROWS to Select Action, Q to QUIT │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
You may select the different functions in the ACTION AREA using the arrow keys
then press the <RETURN> key to perform the function.
C. DRIVE ASSIGNMENTS.
Just below the ACTION AREA will be shown the drive assignments. In the
above example the root directory of the disk in drive A is assigned as DRIVE 1
and the TURBO subdirectory of the hard disk C is assigned as DRIVE 2. This area
also shows the free space on each disk in K-bytes.
Page 8
TwoDisks Documentation
6. WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH TWODISKS.
The first thing you can do with TwoDisks is see which files fall into each
of the categories mentioned above. You do this by selecting "SHOW FILES" under
the category you wish to see. As an example, if you select "SHOW FILES" under
the first category (FILES ON DRIVE 1 NOT ON DRIVE 2) a block like this will
appear
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ FileName Size Date Time ║
╟───────────────────────────────────────────╢
║ BLOCK.PAS 614 10-24-87 6:20pm ║
║ CONSTANT.INC 18136 12-13-87 11:33am ║
║ CRIT.PAS 415 12-28-87 4:20pm ║
║ DO-SHOW.PAS 6599 12-13-87 4:20pm ║
║ DRAWBOX.PAS 607 12-13-87 2:27pm ║
║ EDITLINE.PAS 1716 11-16-87 5:20pm ║
║ ENVIRON.COM 11788 12-21-87 9:20pm ║
║ ENVIRON.PAS 1227 1-02-80 10:19am ║
║ FIRST.PAS 533 11-28-87 2:24pm ║
║ FN.PAS 220 11-28-87 6:20pm ║
║ GETDRIVE 3219 11-25-87 4:20pm ║
║ GRAPH.BIN 5134 3-01-85 3:33am ║
║ GRAPH.P 3328 3-01-85 3:38am ║
║ HELPSCRN.PAS 425 11-28-87 4:20pm ║
║ HELPSCRN.TXT 451 11-28-87 4:20pm ║
║ HORIZSCR.PAS 13967 1-15-87 6:20pm ║
║ INT24.PAS 1608 12-28-87 4:20pm ║
║ INTEREST.PAS 388 10-27-87 8:34am ║
║ LABELS.FIL 106 11-29-87 4:20pm ║
║ LISTDIRS 2870 11-28-87 5:21pm ║
║ NEXTFILE.PAS 10254 2-03-86 10:49am ║
╚═════════════════╡ More ╞══════════════════╝
which shows the first 21 files (in alphabetical order) that are on the disk in
drive A and not in the TURBO subdirectory of the hard disk C. The word "More"
in the bottom border of the SHOW FILES box indicates there are more files to
see...just hit any key to show the next 21 (or fewer if there aren't 21 left to
see) files in this category. The word "More" is replaced by the words "Any Key"
when the last of the files is displayed. By pressing any key at this time you
will return to the ACTION AREA and the SHOW FILES box will disappear.
NOTE: When you are SHOWING FILES you may NOT ACT on the files, just see the
names, sizes and date/time info on the files in that category.
You can DO principally THREE things to the files on your disks with
TwoDisks -
1 - DELETE files from a disk or directory
2 - COPY files to the other disk or directory
3 - MOVE files from one disk or directory to the other
The choices presented in the ACTION AREA of the main menu represent all the
logical choices that one might want to do with the files in that particular
category. For example, for FILES ON DRIVE 1 NOT ON DRIVE 2 you may want to
delete the file from drive 1 (since it is not on drive 2 you can't delete from
Page 9
TwoDisks Documentation
there) or you may want to COPY or MOVE a file from drive 1 to drive 2. If the
file falls into the NEWER ON DRIVE 2 (than on drive 1) category you may want to
DELETE the older version from drive 1, or COPY or MOVE the newer version from
drive 2 to drive 1 but you would not likely want to delete the newer version
from drive 2 nor replace the newer version with the older version that is on
drive 1 so those choices aren't available.
A. DELETING FILES
To DELETE all or some of the files in a category, use the arrow keys to
highlight the "DELETE FROM " selection under that category then press
<RETURN>. You will see a box called the "ALL OR TAG BOX" that looks like this
╔═════════════════════════════════════╗
║ DELETE Files From Drive 1 ║
╟───────────────────┬─────────────────╢
║ Total in Category │ ║
║ 43 Files │ ║
║ 253559 Bytes │ ║
╟───────────────────┴─────────────────╢
║ ║
╟─────────────────────────────────────╢
║ All Files, Tag Files, Quit ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════╝
The "A" in "All Files", the "T" in "Tag Files" and the "Q" in "Quit" will be
highlighted.
(1) ALL FILES.
If you press "A" you will be asked if you are sure you really want to
DELETE all the files in that category...press "Y" if you are sure or "N" if you
are not (or if you are sure you DON'T want to delete all the files in that
category). NOTE: This is the ONLY "IC" (idiot check) in TwoDisks. For the
remainder of the choices you are asked to make TwoDisks assumes you really want
it to do what you told it to do and will set out to do it. TwoDisks will now
proceed to delete all the files in the category, one file at a time in
alphabetical order (as they were shown in the SHOW FILES box).
┌──────────────────────────── ABORTING ───────────────────────────┐
│ You may ABORT the deletion process at any time by pressing │
│ the <ESC> key. TwoDisks will continue with the deletion of │
│ the file that is currently in progress then halt all further │
│ deletions. The disks/directories will be re-read and compared │
│ and the new comparison will be shown in the DISPLAY AREA. │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Page 10
TwoDisks Documentation
(2) TAG FILES.
If you press "T" you will be shown the "TAG FILES" menu which looks
like this
╔═════════════════════════════════════╗
║ DELETE Files From Drive 1 ║
╟───────────────────┬─────────────────╢
║ Total in Category │ Total Tagged ║
║ 43 Files │ 0 Files ║
║ 253559 Bytes │ 0 Bytes ║
╟───────────────────┴─────────────────╢
║ BLOCK.PAS 614 bytes ║
╟─────────────────────────────────────╢
║ Select^| Tag/Untag<Space> <─┘Go ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════╝
and the first file in the category (in alphabetical order) will appear in the
"FILE" line. You may "step" down (and up) the list of files using the
down-arrow and up-arrow keys. When you come to a file you wish to delete simply
press the <SPACE BAR> and the "»»" symbol will appear next to the file name
indicating that this file is "TAGGED" for deletion. The <SPACE BAR> is a TOGGLE
and will UNTAG a previously TAGGED file if you change your mind. When you
are finished tagging the files you wish to delete just press the <RETURN> key
and the process will begin. As above, you may abort at any time by pressing the
<ESC> key.
(3) QUIT.
If you selected DELETE FILES by mistake or just change your mind about
deleting files right now just press "Q" and you will be returned to the main
menu ACTION AREA. (I put this in because I got here a couple times with no way
to gracefully leave.)
B. COPYING FILES.
To COPY files from one disk/directory to the other, select the "COPY TO
DRIVE " choice in the ACTION AREA with the arrow keys and press <RETURN>. You
will see essentially the same "ALL OR TAG BOX" as you would if you chose to
delete files except the box will say "COPY Files From Drive 1 to Drive 2" (for
example). The ALL, TAG or QUIT choices work the same way as in the delete box
and you may abort the selected operation in progress by pressing the <ESC> key.
You will not be asked if you are sure when you choose ALL (as promised). As
files are tagged the number of files tagged and the total size (in bytes) that
have been tagged are shown. This will give you an idea of how many bytes you
will be copying to the other disk. This is only a convenience, however, as the
exact space required by a file on your disk is not just the same as the size of
the file in bytes due to the cluster size of the particular disk in question.
Also if the file already exists on the target disk (in an older version, of
course) you may actually gain space instead of using it if the newer version is
smaller than the older one.
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(1) CHECKING FREE SPACE BEFORE COPY.
TwoDisks won't let you do anything bad. It will actually check the
free space remaining on the target disk to ensure there will be enough room to
complete the copy process before it starts the copy. In most cases this works
just fine, but there is the (slight) chance that even though there are just
enough bytes free on the target disk, the cluster size precludes copying the
entire file onto the disk. If you get a "disk full" error on a copy operation
you may have to delete something before you can copy that file to that disk.
C. MOVING FILES.
This is essentially the same as copying files except only one copy of the
file exists after the process is complete. When MOVING from one disk to
another, the file is successfully copied FIRST to the target disk THEN the file
is deleted from the source disk.
When moving from one subdirectory to another on the same drive (the hard
disk C:, for example) and if the file doesn't already exist in the target
subdirectory, a DOS function call is used to move the directory information for
the file to the target subdirectory rather than moving the actual contents of
the file to another location on the disk. This is much faster...and much
safer. If the file does already exist in the target subdirectory (in an older
version, of course) then the older version is first deleted from that
subdirectory and the DOS function call is used to move the newer file's
directory information. This, too, is much faster than first copying and then
deleting.
D. VIEW FILES
While you are tagging files to DELETE, COPY or MOVE you may view the
contents of the file by pressing the F1 (Function 1) key. You can view any
ASCII (text) file in this manner to see if this is really the one you want to
DELETE (for example). If the file is NOT a text file, you may see some
gibberish when viewing the file but you may still be able to tell something
about the file if there is any ASCII text in the code.
NOTE: When you view a file in any of the "FILE ON BOTH DRIVES" categories you
will see the file the action is about to be done on. For example, if you select
"DELETE FROM DISK 1" and then press F1 to view a file, you will be viewing the
copy of the file that is on DISK 1 (even though there is another copy of the
file on DISK 2).
You can view the entire contents of a text file, one screen at a time, by
pressing any key (except "Q") when prompted, or you can view a screen or two and
the press "Q" to return to the tagging operation.
D. CHANGE PATHS
The selection on the bottom-right of the ACTION AREA called *CHG PATHS* is
used when you wish to change one or both of the disks/directories you are
comparing. You may select this choice using the arrow keys or you may use the
<END> key to move immediately from any other choice to this one. Pressing the
<RETURN> key will clear the screen and you will be presented with the opening
screen (to select drives). The previous choice for DRIVE 1 will be displayed
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TwoDisks Documentation
with the cursor at the end of that disk/directory specification. If you do not
wish to change this drive then press <RETURN> and it will be selected as DRIVE
1. The same action would be required if you do not wish to change your
selection for DRIVE 2. This feature is especially useful when you will be
comparing many different disks in (say) drives A: and B:. Put two disks in the
drives, perform the comparison and any deletes, copies or moves you wish then
change one or both of the disks and select *CHG PATHS*. Accept the two defaults
(A: and B:) from before and you are off and running in the comparison of the two
new disks.
E. <HOME> KEY
The <HOME> key will take you immediately to the SHOW FILES choice under the
first category from any other choice in the ACTION AREA.
F. TO EXIT FROM TWODISKS
Anytime you are moving around in the ACTION AREA you may exit from TwoDisks
by pressing "Q". This only works when you have NOT selected the DELETE, COPY or
MOVE files options. The bottom line on the screen which says
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ <─┘ to SHOW FILES in this Category, ARROWS to Select Action, Q to QUIT │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
will be ON when you may exit from TwoDisks. If a line saying "Q to QUIT" is not
on the screen you may not quit using the "Q" key. You must leave the action you
have chosen and return to the ACTION AREA of the main menu in order to quit.
G. NOTES ON THE OPERATION OF TWODISKS.
(1) TwoDisks always uses the DOS "verify" option when copying files.
This is a simple read-after-write check to verify the copy operation proceeded
correctly. The state of the DOS verify flag is checked on entry into TwoDisks
and that state restored upon exiting. The DOS verify flag defaults to OFF and
may be set ON by the user at the DOS prompt by typing "VERIFY ON" and may be
turned back off by typing "VERIFY OFF" at the DOS prompt. The verify option
slows the copy process somewhat (not so you can notice) but ensures your copy
operations are valid.
(2) TwoDisks reports only on files on your disks that are "normal",
that is, NOT on System files (like MSDOS.SYS and IO.SYS) and NOT on hidden
files.
(3) TwoDisks writes directly to the screen memory in order to provide
the fastest and smoothest screen displays. Care was taken to guard against
"snow" or "flicker" in your color display.
(4) TwoDisks is limited to no more than 500 files on a single
subdirectory. If a subdirectory has more than 500 files, results are
unpredictable except to say that TwoDisks won't work right!
(5) TwoDisks requires about 180k of memory to operate.
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TwoDisks Documentation
The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) was formed in April 1987 to
strengthen the future of shareware (user supported software) as an alternative
to commercial software. Its members, all of whom are programmers who subscribe
to a code of ethics, are committed to the concept of shareware as a method of
marketing.
Some of the goals of ASP are:
- to inform users about shareware programs and about shareware as a method
of distributing and marketing software
- to encourage broader distribution of shareware through user groups and
disk dealers who agree to identify and explain the nature of shareware
- to foster a high degree of professionalism among shareware authors by
setting programming, marketing and support standards for ASP members to
follow.
For more information about the Association of Shareware Professionals please
contact the author:
Barry L. Campbell
P.O. Box 1592
Pearl City, HI 96782-8592
===============================================================================
UPDATE NOTES:
2/11/89 VER 3.11 Fixed BUG!!! reported by Peter Dyke (thanks) in copying
very large (over 300k) files.
Removed "infuriating" (actually OBNOXIOUS!) noise on load
and unload. --bc
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