DOC 1.1 documentation file ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note - this is a plain ASCII text file but it contains multiple documents each separated by a title line beginning with two @ signs. You may find it most convenient to view or print this file using the DOC.EXE program supplied. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Title1:PC MAGAZINE Title2:Power Pack Volume 2 Copyright:(C)1993 Ziff-Davis UK Ltd @@Introduction Introduction PC Magazine Power Pack Volume 2 ------------------------------------------------------- Welcome! This disk is one of three making up the PC Magazine Power Pack, a collection of the top utilities from the PC Magazine utility library. Volume 2 brings together a comprehensive set of disk and file related utilities that cover a huge range of functions. Program Summary --------------- 2FILE & 2FLOPPY Floppy disk image copier BAC Simpy but handy backup program CHKFRAG Report on disk fragmentation CHKPATH Check DOS command search path CO Copies, moves and deletes files COMPARE Displays differences between files CONCEAL Hide sensitive files DIRCOMP Compare two directories DIRMATCH Directory comparison tool DIRNOTES Keep comments with filenames DOS-EDIT Innovative command-line editor DR Mini file manager DSCAN Check for bad sectors FFF Find files fast! FILECTRL Multi-format file browser FREE Check disk free space FSIZE Report space occupied by files PCPARK2 Generic hard disk hard park PCTODAY & PCCOPY Back-up today's files PCUNZIP Unpack ZIP format files PRUNE Directory tree manager RED Move a file from one dir to another RENDIR Rename a directory REPEATS List duplicate filenames RN Directory manager; links to DR SEARCH Find files by name or content SHOWDUPE Locate duplicate files SLICE Split file onto multiple floppies TOUCH Update time and date stamps WIPE Secure file delete XDIR Pop-up directory listing The PC Magazine Utility library ------------------------------- These programs are taken from the library of utility programs originally written for the US edition of PC Magazine. More information on these and the other programs in the library is available on-line in the ZiffNet forum on the CompuServe Information Service. Where do I go from here? ------------------------ For more information about installing and running these programs, see the 'Tech Notes' document. If you're reading this in the DOC documentation viewer provided, press the Left arrow key to go back to the document list on the left and then the down arrow key to highlight 'Tech Notes'. It is a good idea too to make sure that you read the instructions for each program fully before trying to use it. @@Tech Notes Technical Notes PC Magazine Power Pack ------------------------------------------------------- This document provides additional information on setting up and using these utilities and on using the documentation viewer program. Installing the programs ----------------------- To install these programs to a hard disk, use the install program provided (started by typing GO). Note that you can try out or use the programs directly from the floppy if you don't want to install them onto your hard disk straightaway. For example, to try the PRUNE program out, follow steps like these: * Insert the disk containing PRUNE (volume 2) * Enter A: (or B:) at the DOS prompt to log onto the disk * Enter PRUNE to run the PRUNE program Installing the programs from DOS -------------------------------- You can install all of the programs or just selected ones using the DOS COPY command in the normal way. For example, to install the FSIZE program, you might: * Insert volume 2, the disk with FSIZE on it * Enter A: (or B: if appropriate) to log onto the disk. * Enter COPY FSIZE.COM C:\UTILS to copy the FSIZE program to an existing UTILS directory on your hard disk drive C. Most of the programs use their own name for a filename (for example, the CHKFRAG program is in the file CHKFRAG.EXE). The programs will be either .COM or .EXE type files. Use the DOS DIR command to find out the filenames you need for your COPY command. Installing volumes 1, 2 and 3 together -------------------------------------- You can opt to install all three volumes in the Power Pack into a single directory on your hard disk so that all the programs are together. This is a convenient arrangement and saves disk space. To do this using the GO program, install each disk in turn but select the same directory, for example C:\PCMAG, each time. Some files, such as PACKING.LST and DOC.EXE, are installed by each volume. When you come to install volumes 2 and 3, GO will warn you that these files already exist as they will have been copied to your disk when you installed volume 1. You should choose the 'Skip this file' menu option to continue the installation. If you do install all three volumes to one directory, the DOC documentation program will present a menu of files when you start it with the command DOC. You can also switch between the manuals for the three disks by choosing 'Select document file' from the DOC menu. If you want the instructions for a particular program, you can still enter DOC followed by a space and the program name when you start it (for example, DOC ANSI). DOC will search all three manuals for the right document and open the correct file. If you know which file the document is in, you can reduce the search time by giving its name on the command line too, for example DOC MANUALS3 ANSI. Running the utilities --------------------- These utilities are all individual programs which should be started or loaded from the DOS prompt as needed by entering the relevant command (usually the program name followed by a space and any parameters that particular program needs). Read the documentation for a particular program before trying to use it. This will give a guide to the command format needed to use the program and in some cases a few examples to show you how it works. Please note that there is no overall menu or front- end for the utilities as this isn't really an appropriate way to use them. In general, the way to run a particular program is to change to the drive and directory where it is stored and then enter the relevant command. For example, if you want to run the DIRMATCH program, and you install these programs to a C:\HOTUTILS directory, you might enter: C: change to drive C CD \PCMAG2 change to the volume 2 directory DIRMATCH start DIRMATCH Putting the programs in your DOS command PATH --------------------------------------------- You can start DOS programs by either changing to the drive and directory they are in and then entering the relevant command or, if you have DOS 3.0 or later, giving the relevant drive and directory before the command name (e.g. enter C:\PCMAG2\PRUNE to start PRUNE from a PCMAG2 directory on drive C). However, it is most convenient if you place the programs in your DOS command search path... a directory that is mentioned in your current PATH command. You can do this by either: * Adding the directory the program is in to your normal PATH command in AUTOEXEC.BAT. For example, if the PATH command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file reads C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS and you have installed all the programs to a C:\PCMAG directory, you might change it to read C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\PCMAG You should be careful when making changes to AUTOEXEC.BAT not to disturb other commands already in it. See your DOS manual for full instructions. or * Copying those programs you use often to a directory already in your PATH command. Many PCs already have a directory called \BIN or \UTILS for small utility programs like these. For example, if you have a \BIN directory on drive C and use the HC program often, copy it across with a command like this: COPY C:\PCMAG1\HC.EXE C:\BIN Loading programs from AUTOEXEC.BAT ---------------------------------- Some of these utilities are designed to be loaded or run whenever your PC is working by placing the relevant command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT startup file. Please bear in mind: * The program file must be available for AUTOEXEC.BAT to load it. If it is not in a directory already named in a PATH command earlier in AUTOEXEC.BAT, you must give the drive and directory where it is stored (e.g. C:\PCMAG1\ADDIT) or copy the file to the root directory of the hard disk. * The order in which resident programs are loaded can be significant. If there appears to be a conflict, try re-ordering the lines in AUTOEXEC.BAT. * Always keep a startup floppy to hand and a back-up copy of your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that if problems arise you can restore things to normal. Using TSR (memory-resident) programs ------------------------------------ Some of these utilities are 'TSRs' or memory-resident programs. These load into memory when first started and remain there, either operating invisibly or waiting to be called up. TSR programs are very popular and those on this disk are carefully written and fully tested. However, the design of DOS means that there is always a chance of conflict between different TSR programs or between a TSR and your main software. To avoid problems, please note: 1. You should carefully test any new TSR program on your system before using it while doing your normal work. 2. Each TSR uses up memory. If you load too many at once, your normal software may not be able to run. 3. If you discover a conflict, loading the TSRs in a different order may resolve it. 4. You can sometimes change the 'hotkey' used to call up a TSR to avoid a conflict with keys used by your other programs. PACKING.LST file ---------------- A complete index of all the files on all three volumes is provided in a text file called PACKING.LST. This is arranged with details of one file per line so that it easy to search using a program such as the DOS FIND command. Use this file to help you locate particular programs or to identify the contents of various files. Viewing and printing the documentation -------------------------------------- A simple on-disk documentation viewer and printer is provided in the program file DOC.EXE. The documents for this are stored in the files MANUALS1.TXT, MANUALS2.TXT and MANUALS3.TXT, one for each volume. You can start DOC by changing to the disk and directory containing it and entering DOC. DOC command line ---------------- The easiest way to start DOC is just with the command DOC. However, you can add either the name of a particular documentation file or of a particular document to the command. For example, DOC MANUALS3 Starts DOC with MANUALS3.TXT loaded. This form is only needed if you have more than one document file in the current directory and want to load a particular one straightaway. DOC CALC Starts DOC with the instructions for CALC selected. It may take a moment or two for DOC to locate the relevant document. DOC MANUALS3 BROWSE Stars DOC with the MANUALS3 file, open at the instructions for BROWSE. Running DOC ----------- DOC displays a list of available documents down the left side of the screen and shows the text of the currently selected document on the right. To select documents, use the up and down arrow keys to move through the list on the left. Typing the initial letters of a document name will jump directly to the next matching document. Once you've found the document you want, press TAB or the right arrow key to move to the text of the document on the right. The cursor keys (Home, End, Up, Down, PgUp, PgDn) will now move through the text. Press the left arrow or TAB key again to go back to select other documents. The DOC menu ------------ To call up DOC's menu, press the ESC key. DOC presents various options which you can select with the cursor and Return keys or by pressing one of the highlighted letters. The options will vary depending on your PC's configuration and the document files available. Pressing ESC a second time cancels the menu. Quitting DOC ------------ Choose the Quit option from the menu to leave the DOC program and return to DOS. Colour display off ------------------ Choose Colour display off from the menu to ask DOC to work in black-and-white. You may wish to do this if you're using a laptop with an LCD screen that doesn't show colours well or with some greyscale or CGA composite video monitors. This menu option does not appear on PCs that do not have a colour capability. Extended screen on ------------------ Choosing this menu option switches the display to 43 or 50 lines so that you can see more text without scrolling. You can go back to the normal display by choosing Extended screen off subsequently. This menu option is only available on EGA or VGA equipped PCs. If you have a Super VGA display card and a program to set extended text modes, such as 60 lines deep, you might like to try setting an appropriate mode before starting DOC... the program will operate correctly with many non-standard Super VGA formats. Fast screen on -------------- This menu option only appears on PCs fitted with CGA or equivalent displays. Normally the DOC program deliberately slows down on this type of display to prevent the screen flicker or 'snow' that some CGA displays can suffer from. If your system does not suffer from snow, choose 'Fast screen on' for a faster screen display. There's no harm in trying this option either way on your PC... snow does no harm and you might prefer to have a fast display that flickers to a slow one that doesn't. Print Document -------------- Choose this menu option to print the currently selected document. A menu appears from where you can make four print settings, choose Go to start printing or Cancel to return to viewing documents. You may need to alter the settings to suit your system before choosing Go as follows: 1. Output port This is the printer interface that DOC should print the document to. By pressing O you can step through the ports fitted to your computer. The default LPT1, the first parallel printer port, is correct for most PCs. DOC can work with a serial printer (COM1 or COM2) if you have one but you must make sure that the port is correctly set up (e.g. with a command such as MODE COM1:9600,n,8,1,p) BEFORE running DOC. X-On/X-Off handshaking is automatically provided for serial printers. You can set the output port to "FILE". In this case, DOC will ask for the name of a disk file when you start printing and will then print to disk rather than to a printer. If the file you name already exists, DOC will append pages to it. DOC does not support PostScript printers. If you have one of these, you might like to use the print to FILE option and then use a PostScript conversion program or word processor to print the resulting file. 2. Lines per page This is the number of printable lines on each page on your printer. DOC will print with this set incorrectly but will not be able to put page breaks and headers in the right place. The default is 70 lines for A4 fan-fold paper at 6 lines per inch, typical of many dot-matrix printers. Other common values are 64, 66 and 72. If you have difficulty with this setting, a workaround is to set the form-length correctly on your printer, enter a small number of lines per page (e.g. 60) and then select the "Use form-feeds" option. 3. Use form-feeds Set this option to Yes if you're using a LaserJet- style printer or any printer with the form-length set correctly. DOC will work with this option set to No by counting output lines but this is slower. 4. Pause between pages Set this option to Yes if you're feeding single- sheets to the printer... DOC will pause for you to get the next sheet ready between each page. Select document file -------------------- This menu option only appears if you have more than one DOC documentation file in the current directory when you start DOC, for example if you install all three volumes to the same directory on your hard disk. Using this option, you can switch from one file to another without leaving DOC. Using document files without DOC -------------------------------- The DOC document files can be accessed by programs other than DOC though this may not be as convenient. They are plain ASCII text files, with a line-feed/carriage return pair at the end of every line so they can be viewed with normal DOS commands such as TYPE MANUALS1.TXT | MORE or COPY MANUALS1.TXT PRN, text editor programs or other file viewers and browsers. The only unusual aspect is that the file contains multiple documents separated by lines beginning with two @ signs and a title for that particular document. DOC uses these to provide its list of available documents. If you're using the files outside of DOC, you may wish to break them up at these lines. Customising the utilities ------------------------- Some of these utilities are compact assembly language .COM programs to make them small, fast and efficient. This means that some of the programs do not include built-in configuration options. However, if you're experienced with DEBUG, you can 'patch' the programs to customise their operation. The manual for each program will describe the ways in which it can be customised but typically you can do so to: * Customise the screen colours the program uses (if the display is hard to read on your screen). * Change the 'Hotkey' used by one of the TSR programs to avoid a conflict with your other software. * Change defaults such as sorting order, size of records and so on. To customise a utility, follow this general procedure in conjunction with the manual for the program. (You SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT this if you are not confident about using DEBUG as a mistake may stop the program from working or even crash your PC.) 1. Always MAKE A COPY of the .COM file for the program in question as a back-up. For example, assuming you were patching a program called POP-CAL.COM, you might enter: COPY POP-CAL.COM ORIGCAL.COM 2. Start DEBUG with the name of the program to modify. You must have the DOS DEBUG program available for this to work. For example, enter DEBUG POP-CAL.COM DEBUG loads the file and presents a - prompt. 3. Use the DEBUG E command to modify the areas of the program as described in its documentation. For example, assume the hotkey for POP-CAL can be changed by entering a new keyboard scan code at location 174. If we wanted to use Alt-P rather than Alt-C we can see from the scan code (SS) table below that we need to change this to code 19. This can then be entered in DEBUG with: E174 19 4. After making all the necessary changes, save the file back onto disk with the W command. Enter W 5. Now leave DEBUG. Enter Q 6. Now load and test out the new program. If it no longer works, delete it, restore your back-up copy (e.g. COPY ORIGCAL.COM POP-CAL.COM) and then try again. The tables below list the values necessary for customising colours and hotkeys. Keyboard scan codes for alternative hotkeys (Values for SS) ----------------------- Scan Scan Key Code (hex) Key Code (hex) -------- ---------- --------- ---------- Esc 01 Z 2C 1 ! 02 X 2D @ 2 03 C 2E # 3 04 V 2F $ 4 05 B 30 % 5 06 N 31 ^ 6 07 M 32 & 7 08 < , 33 * 8 09 > . 34 ( 9 0A ? / 35 ) 0 0B R Shift 36 _ - 0C PrtSc * 37 + = 0D Alt 38 Bkspace 0E Spacebar 39 Tab 0F CapsLk 3A Q 10 F1 3B W 11 F2 3C E 12 F3 3D R 13 F4 3E T 14 F5 3F Y 15 F6 40 U 16 F7 41 I 17 F8 42 O 18 F9 43 P 19 F10 44 { [ 1A NumLock 45 } ] 1B ScrlLk 46 Enter 1C 7 Home 47 Ctrl 1D 8 UpArr 48 A 1E 9 PgUp 49 S 1F - 4A D 20 4 LArrow 4B F 21 5 4C G 22 6 RArrow 4D H 23 + 4E J 24 1 End 4F K 25 2 DnArr 50 L 26 3 PgDn 51 : ; 27 0 Ins 52 " ' 28 . Del 53 ` 29 SysReq 54 L Shift 2A F11 57 | \ 2B F12 58 Shift Mask codes for alternative hotkeys (Values for MM) ----------------------- Value Alt Ctrl L-Shift R-Shift ----- --- ---- ------- ------- 0 1 X 2 X 3 X X 4 X 5 X X 6 X X 7 X X X 8 X 9 X X A X X B X X X C X X D X X X E X X X F X X X X X signifies that this key must pressed. For example, to use Left Shift and Right Shift for the hotkey, the value to use for MM would be 3. Colour values --------------- Black 0 Blue 1 Green 2 Cyan 3 Red 4 Magenta 5 Brown 6 Lt Gray 7 Dark Gray 8 Lt Blue 9 Lt Green A Lt Cyan B Orange C Violet D Yellow E White F A full colour value is two hex digits, the first for the background colour and the second for the foreground. For example, bright white on a dark blue background is 1F. Do not choose light colours (values larger than 7) for the background as it will produce a blinking display in most of the programs. @@2FILE & 2FLOPPY 2FILE & 2FLOPPY Steve Cooper Floppy disk image copying Version 1.1 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- 2FILE creates an exact, sector-by-sector copy of a floppy disk as a single hard disk file for modem transmission, multiple floppy duplication and so forth. 2FLOPPY provides the opposite capability, formatting and writing a new floppy disk from a file produced by 2FILE. 2FILE and 2FLOPPY support all 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch DOS diskette formats. Format ------ 2FILE d: [e:][\path\]filename[.ext] and 2FLOPPY d: [e:][\path\]filename[.ext] [/number] [/q] [/v] Using 2FILE ----------- The d: parameter is the drive containing the floppy disk to be copied, and filename is the name to be given to the 2FILE copy. A default .FLP extension will be supplied if none is specified, and the currently-logged hard drive and path will be used for storage unless otherwise specified with the optional e: and \path\ parameters. The hard disk must have enough space to hold the entire floppy plus a 13-byte header. Files created with 2FILE can be compressed before modem transmission with ARC, PKARC, PKZIP and similar utilities. Using 2FLOPPY ------------- The d: parameter is the drive containing the floppy disk to be formatted and written to. The filename is that of the 2FILE source file, which is assumed to be located on the currently-logged hard disk and directory unless the e: and/or \path\ parameters are supplied. The 2FILE source is presumed to have the default .FLP extension unless an .ext is specified. The optional /number parameter is used when a number of floppy diskettes are to be made from the same 2FILE source. Values for /number may range from 1 through 32,767 (default: 1). The user will be prompted with a message and a beep to insert new floppies, as needed. To silence the beep, use the /q parameter. Copies are verified unless the /v parameter is specified. The /q and /v switches may be entered in either upper- or lower-case. Notes ----- 1. Just like the DOS DISKCOPY command, 2FILE and 2FLOPPY produce exact copies of a disk, preserving any file fragmentation on the disk. If you're sending a .FLP file via modem to someone, you might want to ensure that your original disk is unfragmented before you use 2FILE on it. 2. 2FLOPPY formats and writes over the destination disk with the 2FILE-produced file. ANYTHING ALREADY ON THE DISK WILL BE LOST so make sure you only use it on a new or unwanted floppy. @@BAC BAC John Dickinson Backs-up files to multiple floppies Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Backs up all (or selected) files in a directory to hard or floppy disks, permitting disk changes when target disks become full. Format ------ BAC [d:][path]filename[.ext] [d:][path] Remarks ------- Unlike the DOS COPY command, BAC permits you to change (formatted) target disks when backing up files to disk. Furthermore, it only backs up files whose date stamp is later than those of identically named files on the target disk. Unlike BACKUP, BAC does not change the setting of the archive bit. Also, files copied with BAC are fully usable at all times; they do not need first to go through a RESTORE process. BAC supports the use of global (* and ?) characters in filenames and extensions. It does not, however, permit you to REName files during copying. Examples -------- You are working at a PC/AT with a hard disk drive (C:) on which you keep your copy of BAC, and you want to back up all the .DOC files stored on a 1.2-Mb floppy disk (drive A:) onto regular 360K disks (drive B:). Since these .DOC files will require approximately 600K, you must have two formatted blank floppy disks ready to use in drive B:. From the C> prompt you enter BAC A:*.DOC B: When the first target disk in drive B: is full, you will be prompted to change disks. Notes ----- 1. BAC compares the date stamps of identically named files and will not overwrite a newer version with an older one. This may cause files to be skipped if you omit to keep your date/time current. 2. Requires DOS 2.0 or later. @@CHKFRAG CHKFRAG Bob Flanders and Michael Holmes Reports on extent of file fragmentation Version 1.7 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Reports on-screen the extent of file fragmentation on a hard disk and provides an ERRORLEVEL value usable within a batch file to call a defragmentation program. Format ------ CHKFRAG [d:] [/% | /N | /E] [/L] Remarks ------- Executed without any of its optional parameters, CHKFRAG produces a screen report indicating the number of files and directories, how many and what percentage of these are fragmented, and how many extra (non-contiguously stored) parts of files are contained on the currently-logged drive. An ERRORLEVEL code from 0-100, reflecting the percentage of fragmented files, (the /% parameter is the default) is also shown. An alternative drive (d:) to be analyzed may be specified, as may be ERRORLEVEL return codes that reflect the actual number of fragmented files (the /N parameter) or of extra sections (the /E parameter). The ERRORLEVEL return codes are not intended for strict accuracy: if any file is fragmented the minimum ERRORLEVEL returned by the /% parameter is 1%, and 254 is the maximum ERRORLEVEL returned by the /N and /E switch options. These return codes are intended to be used to trigger automatic loading and execution of the user's defragmenting utility from within a batch file. An ERRORLEVEL return code of 255 is used to indicate an error condition, which halts operation. If desired, a list of the names of fragmented files and directories can be produced by specifying the optional /L parameter. The normal screen output from CHKFRAG may be redirected to a file or to a printer, for easier analysis. The DOS CHKDSK command, specified with its /F switch, should be executed before running CHKFRAG; lost clusters or cross-linked files are interpreted by CHKFRAG as error conditions. Drives created with the DOS ASSIGN or SUBST commands, and directories created by JOIN are not checked by CHKFRAG. While analyzing large disks, the utility requires approximately 100KB of available RAM. CHKFRAG's on-screen recommendations are to consider using a defragmenting utility when file fragmentation is in the range from 11% to 75%, and definitely to defragment disks that show more than 75% fragmentation. Notes ----- 1. Version 1.7 of CHKFRAG is included on this disk. You should replace any older versions of CHKFRAG you have with this version. @@CHKPATH CHKPATH John Deurbrouck Lists available programs and checks PATH command Version 1.1 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Displays either all or same-named .COM, .EXE, and .BAT files on the user's path or in specified drive(s) or directories, showing which program will actually be executed; also warns of common problems in PATH syntax and usage. Format ------ CHKPATH [/a] [/d=drive(s)] [/s=dir1 ... dirn] [/e=var] [/n] [/p] Remarks ------- Entered without any of the optional / switches, CHKPATH presents a syntax help screen. The /a switch causes display of all rather than conflicting-name programs. The /n eliminates file size, date, and time information from the list. The /p/ switch pauses at each screenful. Using the /d= switch causes a search of all directories in the drive(s) named. No spaces between the drive letter colon and the next drive are allowed in this case, but sequential drives may be specified with a dash, as in /d=C:-F:H:. The /s= switch restricts the search to the directories specified, as in /s=C:\DOS D:\UTIL. Most frequently, CHKPATH will be used with the /e= switch, with PATH as the specified var. By specifying /e=var more than once on the same CHKPATH run, however, conflicts among different directory-specifying environment variables may be checked at once. Environment variables should be formatted as in the DOS PATH statement. CHKPATH will also alert the existence of empty, repeated, or relatively-specified (backslash omitted) directories on the DOS path. More than one specifying switch can be used at once to make multiple-selection comparisons. When both specified and non-specified directories are shown in the listing the latter will be prefixed by a minus sign. All CHKPATH output can be redirected to a printer or a file. @@CO CO Michael J. Mefford Convenient selective file copy, move or delete Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Copies, moves, or deletes files individually or in tagged groups from directory listings sorted by name, extension, size, or date. Format ------ CO [d:][\directory][/E][/S][/D][/T][/O] Remarks ------- Entered without any of its optional parameters and switches, CO presents an sorted listing of the current directory with a menu of Function Key commands on the right. The file attributes (Archive, Hidden, Read-Only, and System) are shown by the appropriate letters to the right of each listed file. The Up- and Down-Arrow keys move the file-selection highlight bar one line at a time. Ctrl-PgUp (^PgUp) and ^PgDn move to the top and bottom of the current display page (21 files), while PgUp and PgDn allow you to scroll through the entire directory listing. The Home and End keys go to the beginning and end of the listing, respectively. Pressing a letter moves the highlight bar to the first (then subsequent) filename(s) beginning with that letter. Multiple files are tagged for group copying, moving, or deleting by pressing the gray plus (+) key; the gray minus (-) key unmarks a mistagged file. The optional /E, /S, /D, /T, and /O command-line switches sort the initial directory listing by Extension, Size, DaTe (/D and /T operate identically), or by Original DOS order. Once on screen, function keys F7 (Name), F8 (Extension), F9 (Size), and F10 (Date) can be used for subsequent sorts. F1 initiates the Copy process for the highlighted (or marked) file(s). F6 toggles the Copy Verify option (comparable to DOS /V). F2 and F3 are used for Move and Delete. You are prompted for the appropriate destination for Copy and Move: different drives and paths are supported, as is the use of the DOS ? and * wildcards. Renaming while copying is permitted. When a marked (tagged) file is successfully copied, its marker arrow is replaced by an asterisk. If a floppy disk becomes filled, CO automatically attempts to find other marked files that will fit. Back-up will then halt with some file(s) remaining to be copied. Replace the full diskette with another, hit F1 again, re-enter the correct destination drive, and the remaining marked files will be copied. To divide the contents of a directory into two parts, mark and copy the first set of files, as above, so that all have the "copied" asterisk. Then press F5 to mark the previously-untagged files and repeat the copying process for the second group. Note ---- CO functions can alternately be performed by Ctrl-letter commands: ^C (Copy), ^D (Delete), ^M (Move), ^V (Verify), ^N (Name), ^E (Extension), ^S (Size), and ^T (Date). @@COMPARE COMPARE Michael J. Mefford Compare contents of two files Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Displays the differences between two text or two binary files. Files need not be the same length, and paragraph reformatting changes introduced by wordwrap are ignored. Format ------ COMPARE filespec filespec[/B][/W] Remarks ------- COMPARE's default assumption is that the filenames designated in filespec are to be compared as ASCII text files. Formatting commands embedded by word processing programs are reproduced on screen but are not acted upon. Files in which the "high bit" is set (such as those produced by WordStar's document mode) can be made displayable in ASCII by entering the optional /W on the command line. Files are displayed in two on-screen windows. Differences are shown in inverse video, and are preceded by several lines of matching text to provide a context. When the windows are filled, pressing any key continues to search for differences; pressing Esc returns the user to DOS. All character modes, but no graphics modes, are supported. Files with .COM or .EXE extensions are automatically displayed in COMPARE's binary mode, which is similar to that produced by DEBUG.COM. Unlike DEBUG, however, COMPARE uses the IBM/ASCII symbol set rather than periods to show non-alphanumeric characters, and its segment offset begins at zero rather than at 100h. Any file can be compared in binary mode by adding the optional /B switch on the command line. Note ---- When COMPARE finds a difference between files it searches ahead up to 400 bytes (the reach value) for a string of 10 (excluding spaces) successive matching characters (the sequence value). DEBUG.COM can be used to change the reach and search values on a copy of COMPARE.COM thus: DEBUG COMPARE.COM E 6ED cd ab E 6F5 cd ab E 6F9 gh ef W Q where abcd is the reach value, in hex (default 0190h) and efgh is the sequence value (default 000Ah). @@CONCEAL CONCEAL Michael J. Mefford Hide files and blank the screen for security Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Provides file security through password protection of selected files and a screen-blanking system activated either by a hotkey or by a period of keyboard inactivity. Most options explained below have ON and OFF states (default on) that may be entered with the parameters. Format ------ CONCEAL [/P password] [filespec] [options] Remarks ------- CONCEAL is normally loaded as a TSR requiring approximately 1K of RAM, via the AUTOEXEC.BAT line CONCEAL /S Files are then protected with the command CONCEAL filespec /S This applies the DOS System attribute to the filespec, making it invisible to DOS. CONCEAL then monitors and fails any attempts to remove the System attribute, and any DOS calls to open, delete, rename, or change the file attribute of protected files unless the proper password is supplied. Legitimate access is provided by the command CONCEAL /P password filespec /S OFF This turns off the filespec System attribute, which must later be reapplied. (The /F option allows password-access without removing the System attribute, but may not work with all applications.) The default password SHAZAM can be changed with the /N parameter option. Other file attributes (Archive, System, Hidden, Read-only) can be changed with the /A option: CONCEAL /A filespec [+|-A] [+|-S] [+|-H] [+|-R] Hardware screen blanking is provided by entering CONCEAL /B nn where nn is a number of minutes (0 - 60). The default is 3 minutes, and a value of 0 for nn turns blanking off. The /G option may be entered instead of /B to provide a bouncing ball instead of a blank screen display. Instant blanking is achieved with a hotkey (default Alt-Z), which may be changed to any Alt- or Ctrl- alphanumeric key with the /H option. From graphics mode, the /G option defaults to /B. To blank over graphics applications such as Windows, use the /O parameter. Adding the /T switch will require password entry rather than a simple keystroke to terminate screen blanking. The /U switch uninstalls CONCEAL. @@DIRCOMP DIRCOMP Charles Petzold Lists two directories side-by-side Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Permits comparison of the contents of two directories in alphabetical order, with the options of redirecting the screen display either to a file or to a printer. Format ------ DIRCOMP directory1 directory2 Remarks ------- The directories to be compared do not need to be on the same drive. Use the normal DOS backslash (\) character in specifying the path to a desired directory. The DOS "wildcard" characters (* and ?) may be used to limit the filenames displayed. Identically-named files are shown side-by-side to facilitate comparison of their size, date, and time. Other filenames are presented alphabetically in their respective directory columns. Press [Pause] to halt the display scrolling temporarily; striking any key thereafter causes scrolling to resume. In comparing large directories it is frequently desirable to redirect the output of DIRCOMP either to a file (which you can then call up with your word processor) or to a printer. Example ------- To create a file called COMPARE.TMP in the root directory of drive C: (your currently active drive) that compares the listings in your \LETTERS subdirectory with the files contained on a floppy disk in drive B: you would enter: DIRCOMP \LETTERS B: > \COMPARE.TMP Example ------- To print out the same comparison without creating a file, you would enter: DIRCOMP \LETTERS B: >PRN @@DIRMATCH DIRMATCH Michael J. Mefford Compare two directories side-by-side Version 3.1 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- To display two scrollable, alphabetised, directory listings side-by-side, with the more recent of matching filenames highlighted; to provide mark, copy, and move facilities to update the target directory with one or more selected files from the source. Format ------ DIRMATCH source target [/D][/A] Remarks ------- The source and target may comprise any combination of drives, directories, or subdirectories (with optional * and ? wildcards) valid for the DOS DIR command. The user will be prompted for target and source directories if these items are incorrect. By default, DIRMATCH displays all files in the two directories. The optional /D and /A switches restrict the display to Different and Alike files, respectively. The on-screen display, together with the number-of-files counters, can be cycled through All, Different and Alike modes with F1; Shift-F1 cycles in reverse. Pressing Esc exits the utility. Crtl-C will abort the program operation. An inverse-video selector bar shows the current position in the listings, and may be moved with the UpArrow, DownArrow, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys. When the selector bar is on a filename, pressing the plus (+) key on the keypad or the equal (+=) key on the keyboard marks the file for further action. Pressing the minus (-) key on the keypad or the hyphen (-) key on the keyboard unmarks a marked file. F2 marks all files; F3 clears all marks. A file under the selector-bar or a group of marked files can be copied from source to target directories by pressing F4. A confirming prompt is provided. Similarly, pressing F5 moves a file or marked group, by first copying and then deleting file(s) from the source. While older files can be copied (F4) to the target directory, by default F5 will not move them. F6 will delete the marked files from the source directory after prompting for confirmation. F7 moves marked files only if there are not existing files in the target directory with the same name. F8 reverses the source and target directories on the screen making the current source the target and the current target the source. This allows the user to move and copy files in any direction and to delete any file. This is especially helpful when updating two directories that have been maintained independently (e.g. at the office and at home) so that they will both have the latest versions of the same file. Pressing F9 prints a list of All files, with more recent matching filenames identified with a greater-than (>) sign. F10 displays the amount of free space on the target disk drive. DIRMATCH supports any number of screen display lines, including 43-line (EGA) and 50-line (VGA) modes. It can display up to 1,423 filenames in its listings. Hidden and read-only files are not displayed. DIRMATCH requires 64K free RAM in order to run. New features in Version 2.0: F6 Delete file(s) F7 Moves file(s) (if not already on Target directory) F8 Swaps Target & Source directories F9 Pressing F9 prints a list of all files, with more recent matching filenames identified with a greater-than (>) sign F10 Checks amount of free disk space in Target directory Colour patch addresses: EE9 Heading EEE File listings EF3 Bottom menu EF8 Highlight bar EFD Directory names & F1 active mode toggle F02 Recent Files How to use DEBUG to patch colours: Dark colours Light colours ------------ ------------- Black 0 Dark Gray 8 Blue 1 Lt Blue 9 Green 2 Lt Green A Cyan 3 Lt Cyan B Red 4 Orange C Magenta 5 Violet D Brown 6 Yellow E Lt Gray 7 White F To change an area's default colours (background & foreground), simply choose from the list of available colours above and substitute the corresponding values at the appropriate location. When choosing a colour combination, remember that the first value represents the background colour and the second value represents the foreground colour. NOTE: using a light colour as the background colour will result in blinking characters. For example, if you wanted to change the heading from the default colours of blue on gray to white on red, you would change the value at location EDF from "71" to "4F." Here is the sequence of DEBUG commands to do this: DEBUG DIRMATCH.COM (Tell DEBUG to load DIRMATCH.COM) E EDF 4F (Edit location "EDF" & replace value with "4F") W (Write the modified DIRMATCH.COM file to disk) Q ( Quit DEBUG) @@DIRNOTES DIRNOTES Michael J. Mefford Lets you add notes to describe file contents Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Produces a dual-column directory listing with DOS-format, alphabetically-sorted filenames on the left and a coordinated, 38-character field on the right in which to enter descriptive comments about file comments, hotkey information, etc. Format ------ DIRNOTES [d:][path][directory] Remarks ------- The cursor Up- and Down-Arrow keys, are used to scroll the coordinated directory listings/notes line by line. PgUp and PgDn scroll by screenful, and Home and End go to the beginning and end of the listings. The DIRNOTES editor operates in overstrike mode and incorporates a backspace delete. The Left- and Right-Arrow keys can be used to move the cursor without deleting characters beneath it. Pressing the Esc key automatically saves user-entered notes in a file called DIRN-abc.DAT, where abc represent the first three letters of the directory name. The .DAT file created by DIRNOTES is in standard ASCII, and so may be TYPEd. A "U" immediately after the filename in the DIRNOTES directory listing indicates that that file has been changed since the last time the data file was updated. That file's descriptive comments may need to be changed. Note ---- The .DAT files created by DIRNOTES should not be edited with a word processor. The record field lengths are fixed, and any changes made other than by DIRNOTES itself may render the file unrecoverable. @@DOS-EDIT DOS-EDIT Charles Petzold DOS command line editing Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Permits moving to, editing, and reentering on-screen DOS commands without retyping. Format ------ DOS-EDIT (loads memory-resident program) then (enables DOS-Edit keys) (cursor left) (cursor right) (cursor up) (cursor down) (destructive backspace) (insert/overwrite toggle) (delete character) (delete to end of line) (cursor to column 1) (cursor to initial column #) (exit edit mode, no changes) (transfer text line right of cursor to end of original line) (like , plus execute command) Remarks ------- When loaded, normally through your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, an initial Up Arrow keypress activates the DOS-EDIT mode. (Thereafter, the Up Arrow functions as a normal cursor arrow key.) If you move the cursor down to the original line, you will leave the DOS-EDIT mode (e.g., the Left Arrow key will once again delete characters). Example ------- A typical use of DOS-EDIT is to correct a long command line in which you made a typing error. Simply move the cursor up to the mis- typed line, correct the mistake (using the appropriate keys listed under FORMAT), press Home (to position the cursor to pick up the whole of the line), then Enter. A less obvious example occurs if you have just done a DIR listing and want to run a program. Move the cursor up and just to the right of the program name. Press PgDn to delete the extension and the rest of the line, PgUp to position the cursor to pick up the whole command name, then Enter. Note ---- 1. DOS-EDIT is a memory-resident program, and so may cause conflicts with some other memory-resident software programs. Such problems can frequently be solved by changing the order in which the several memory-resident programs are loaded. DOS-EDIT should be loaded before ASSIGN.COM and before SideKick, for example. @@DR DR Michael J. Mefford File management utility Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- DR.COM provides an integrated set of file management facilities for sorting, viewing, renaming, deleting, and moving files to another directory. The command is entered at the DOS prompt, with the following syntax: Format ------ DR [d:][directory] The default filename display (21 per page, to a maximum of 721) is sorted alphabetically. Various switches, added to the command, may be added to sort by other criteria: /E (sort by Extension) /S (sort by Size) /D or /T (sort by DaTe) /O (sort by DOS DIR order) Thus, for example, DR \PROG /S sorts the initial display of the PROG directory of the default drive by size. When a DR listing is on screen, a menu is displayed showing further options. A highlight bar illuminates a single filename, and the Up and Down Arrow keys move the highlight bar a line at a time. The PgUp and PgDn keys move the bar a page at a time, and Ctrl-PgUp and Ctrl-PgDn move it to the top and bottom of the current page. Home and End move to the beginning and end of the directory listing. Pressing (and repressing) a letter moves the bar to the first (and successive) filename(s) beginning with that letter. The highlighted file may be brought on screen for viewing by pressing F1 (or Enter or Ctrl-V). The Up and Down Arrows, PgUp and PgDn, and Home and End work within the file, as well. Esc, Enter, or F1 return you to the menu and directory listing. When pressed at the menu level, Esc terminates the program. Within DR, the following function keys (and alternatively, the indicated Ctrl-letter) combinations are used: F1 Ctrl-V or Enter View file F2 Ctrl-D Delete file F3 Ctrl-R Rename file F4 Ctrl-M Move file F5 (none) Confirm Delete On/Off F6 Ctrl-W WordStar hi-bit ON/Off F7 Ctrl-N Sort files by Name F8 Ctrl-E Sort files by Extension F9 Ctrl-S Sort files by Size F10 Ctrl-T Sort files by Date Successive sorts can be used to arrange files, e.g. in order of size and then, additionally, by extension. Files can be renamed and may be moved from one directory to another within DR, but they cannot be renamed and moved in a single step. Files cannot be copied from within DR... use CO on this disk instead. @@DSCAN DSCAN Based on a program by Charles Petzold Scans for bad sectors on a disk Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Locates and identifies disk errors on hard and floppy disks. Format ------ DSCAN [d:] Remarks ------- Bad sectors on a disk can cause loss of data but, as standard, DOS provides no tools to check for them. The DOS FORMAT command detects bad sectors initially -- and flags them in the disk's FAT (file allocation table) so that they won't be used -- but bad sectors can develop long after formatting. The RECOVER command will lock out bad sectors but is only used after damage has been found. The CHKDSK program only checks a disk's directory structure and FAT for consistency... it does not read through file data. DSCAN simply reads every sector on a disk in turn checking for errors. Regular use can provide advance warning that a floppy has developed a faulty area or that a hard disk is beginning to go bad. DSCAN does not attempt any repairs (it only ever reads a disk and does not write to it) but it's enough to warn you of potential problems or to check that a floppy you have prepared for someone is readable. DSCAN messages -------------- DSCAN reads blocks of sectors on the disk. If a read fault occurs, it goes back and reads each sector in the block individually to determine the nature of the fault. Its messages include... Problems with scanning ---------------------- Unknown Media Disk format unrecognised Unknown Unit: DSCAN cannot identify the type of drive it has been asked to scan and can't work with it. These messages may be produced if the disk's boot sector is damaged but, if the disk appears to operate correctly, it is more likely that DSCAN is not compatible with the type or format of the disk in question. Can't Read FAT: DSCAN can't read the disk's FAT in order to check where faults are. This message may occur if there are bad sectors in the FAT area. DSCAN will continue to operate if it can but will not be able say if bad sectors are already flagged, are free or lie within files. Type of fault ------------- CRC Error: Data checksum as recalculated during read does not agree with checksum stored on disk when written. Sector Not Found: Sector boundary created during formatting is no longer readable. Read Fault General Failure: The sectors so designated are bad, but the errors reported don't fall into any of the above categories. Location of fault ----------------- File Alloc. Table: The bad sector is in the FAT which will prevent access to some files or directories. This is a serious problem, particularly if a large number of sectors are affected and should be investigated further. Boot Sector: The first sector of the disk is bad. Typically, if this is the case, neither DSCAN nor normal programs will be able to recognise the disk at all since it stores information about the format of the disk. A damaged boot sector on a hard disk can sometimes be repaired by running the SYS command from an original DOS master floppy, at least for long enough to copy valuable files off the disk. The drive may have to backed-up and reformatted or even repaired or replaced if the problem persists. Root Directory: Errors here could keep you from later being able to load a file or save updates to it. CHKDSK will probably indicate unallocated cluster chains or cross-linked files, and you may have to use CHKDSK/F to save what you can. Unallocated: A bad sector has been found in a currently unused area of the disk. An "Abort, Retry, Ignore?" will be produced if in future DOS tries to save a file to this area. DSCAN does not lock out the bad sector. Used by file: A bad sector has been found which is in one of your files. While DSCAN checks that the fault lies within a file, it does not determine the name of the file. You may be able to identify the file by using the COPY command to read through your files. For example, COPY *.* NUL When COPY encounters the file with the bad sector it will report "Abort, Retry, Ignore." Note the bad file and press "I" to continue. NUL is the name of DOS's NUL device so that the copied data is simply thrown away. Notes ----- 1. Requires DOS 2.0 or higher. 2. DSCAN is based on the original DISKSCAN program by Charles Petzold @@FFF FFF John Deurbrouck File finding utility Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- A file and directory-finding utility that can search all directories on any or all drives for one or more target filespecs. Extended wildcards, size and attribute information, and multiple report formats are supported. Format ------ FFF [/a] [drive(s):] [/d|do] [/h|ho|hro] [/s] [/l|t|w] name(s) Remarks ------- The name(s) parameter may consist of multiple entries (separated by spaces) on the same command line. Thus, FFF *.exe *.com *.bat will find all executable files on the current (default) drive. In FFF, * stands for 0 to n characters, ? for one and only one character; the period is treated specially as an ordinary character. Thus *.* and * both mean "all files" and *.?* restricts a listing to files that have at least a 1-character extension. Unlike normal DOS commands, combinations such as *C*T*.* are permitted, facilitating finding files with a basename that has, in this case, a C and a T in that order. All other parameters are optional and are not sensitive as to case or entry order. The /a switch causes FFF to search all system drives in alphabetic order. One or more drives may be specified, singly, in ranges, or intermixed, by entering a drive(s): parameter. This parameter must end with a colon, and included range(s) of drives (e.g. c-e:) must begin with the lowest letter drive in the group. By default, searches begin from the root directory of the drive(s) specified; the /s switch restricts the search to the current subdirectory and its children. The /d switch returns directories as well as files that match name(s); /do lists matching directories only. The /h switch adds hidden and system files; /ho restricts the listing to hidden and system files; and /hro reports hidden, system, and read-only files in addition to normal files. The default FFF report lists files and directories found under their parent directories and supplies file size, date and time, and attribute (archive, hidden, system, read-only) information on each. File size and allocation size totals are also supplied and a storage efficiency percentage is calculated. The /w (wide) switch reports entries individually, five across. The /l (limited) switch lists number of entries and total and allocated space. The /t (terse) switch reports fully-qualified names only. @@FILECTRL FILECTRL Michael J. Mefford Multi-format file viewer and browser version 1.1 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- A full-directory file-viewing and removal utility capable of displaying WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, Q&A Write, and WordStar documents as if they were in ASCII format. FILECTRL automatically supports normal 25-line, 43-line (EGA), 50-line (VGA) and UltraVision displays. Format ------ FILECTRL [filespec] [options] Remarks ------- Entered without any parameters, FILECTRL displays a filename list of the current directory in its left window and the first part of the text of the highlighted filename in its right window. The text is shown stripped of any header and formatting codes. Any drive and/or directory can be specified with filespec, and * and ? can be used to limit the file list. Pressing Esc exits the utility. The Tab key (a toggle) shifts between windows, as do the Left- and Right-Arrow keys. The display in the active window is shown in high-intensity colour, and scrolling within the active window uses the usual Up- and Down- Arrows, PgUp and PgDn, Home and End keys. From the file list window pressing a letter jumps the selection highlight to the first filename beginning with that letter and so continues with subsequent keypresses. F2 deletes a highlighted filename or empty subdirectory, and Ctrl-F2 deletes a group of marked filenames. Files can be marked with the + key and unmarked with the -; the spacebar toggles the mark on and off. All deletions are prompted for confirmation prior to execution. Pressing F5 successively (1) widens the file list to show full DOS directory information, (2) widens the text display to a full 80 columns, and (3) returns to the original display. Shift-F5 reverses the display sequence. Pressing Enter while a filename is highlighted toggles between the filelist display and the 80-column text display. Pressing Enter while a subdirectory (< >) or the parent (<..>) directory is highlighted loads the files from that directory. F3 permits entering a new filespec. By default FILECTRL sorts filenames in ascending alphabetical order. The F7, F8, F9, and F10 keys set the sort field to filename, extension, size, and date, respectively. Pressing F6 toggles between ascending and descending order. FILECTRL also permits entering a number of options as command-line switches. These are summarised below. /M+ = Include only files modified since last back-up /M- = Include only files NOT modified since last back-up /H = Include Hidden files /R = Include Read-only files /P date = Only include files ON or Prior date /A date = Only include files ON or After date (date format = mm/dd/yy) /W = WordStar files; remove high bit /N = Sort by Name /E = Sort by Extension /S = Sort by Size /D = Sort by Date /O = Sort by Original DOS DIR order (default is Sort by Name) /F = Sort in descending order For use with laptop computers it may be necessary to enter the DOS MODE BW80 command before executing FILECTRL. @@FREE FREE Based on a program by Art Merrill List disk free space version 1.0s ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- FREE.COM reports the amount of free space, the amount of space used and the total space on one or more disk drives. This information is also reported by the DIR and CHKDSK commands but where a large number of files are present, FREE is much faster. Format ------ FREE [d:] [d:]... or FREE dd... Remarks ------- FREE is in many respects a companion program to FSIZE: the latter tells you how much storage space you must have to make your copies, the former tells you how much you do have. Unlike most DOS commands, you do not have to include the : after drive letters or even separate them with spaces. FREE C: D: is equivalent to FREE C D or even FREE CD. If you give more than one drive letter, FREE prints totals for the drives listed; if you hard disk is divided into C D and E partitions, FREE CDE will list the space on each partition and then the drive as a whole. Notes ----- 1. Requires DOS 2.0 or later. 2. This version of FREE updates the original PC Magazine FREE.COM written by Art Merrill @@FSIZE FSIZE Based on a program by Art Merrill List file sizes and space occupied version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Calculates the storage requirements of a file or group of files based on the number of DOS clusters necessary to make floppy disk and hard disk copies. Format ------ FSIZE filespec or FSIZE filespec d: Remarks ------- DOS stores files in fixed-length 'allocation units' or 'clusters'. For floppy disks, the cluster size is usually 1024 bytes (two 512-byte sectors). A standard XT 10Mb hard disk has a cluster size of 4096 bytes (8 512-byte sectors). AT hard disks typically have a cluster size of 2K (4 512-byte sectors). The cluster size is determined when the disk is formatted; larger clusters may be used on some drives, particularly large capacity units. The cluster size dictates how much disk space a file takes up. DOS always stores files in a multiple of the cluster size, if necessary padding out the last sectors of the file with random data. For example, with a 2K cluster size, a one byte file will still take up 2K (2048 bytes); the same space as a 900 byte one or a 2048 byte one. A 3000 byte file would occupy two clusters, using a total of 4096 bytes. Entered with a file specification, FSIZE lists the total size of the files given and the space they actually occupy on the disk. It also notes how much space is 'lost' to padding data and what the cluster size is on the drive holding the files. Underneath, FSIZE lists how much space would be required for the files on different types of disk. For example, if the files are currently on a hard disk, you can see how much free space is needed to copy them onto a floppy disk. Similarly, if the files are on a floppy, you can see how much space they would take up if you coped them to a hard disk. If you give a drive letter after the filespec, FSIZE determines the cluster size on that drive and reports how much space would be taken up by the files if they were copied to it, rather than producing a table of various values. Examples -------- FSIZE *.* Lists how much space files in the current directory take up. FSIZE A:*.PCX Lists how much space the PCX files on drive A take up. FSIZE C:\JAN Lists how much space files in the \JAN directory on drive C take up. FSIZE ACCOUNTS.WK1 B: Lists how much space the file ACCOUNTS.WK1 takes up and how much free space would be needed to copy it onto a floppy in drive B. Note that drive B (or whatever) must be ready for this to work as FSIZE needs to read the cluster size from the disk. Notes ----- 1. Requires DOS 2.0 or later. 2. From DOS 4 on, you can determine the cluster size on a particular drive with CHKDSK. You can do this with FSIZE and any version of DOS by running it with the name of any file on the disk 3. If you are copying files into sub-directories, remember that the directory entries themselves require disk space; DOS may fit the files into the existing directory on the disk or it may need to extend the directory by a cluster or two to cope. 4. FSIZE combines and updates the PC Magazine SIZE and ATSIZE utilities written by Art Merrill @@PCPARK2 PCPARK2 Robert L. Hummel Generic hard disk park Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Parks the heads on a hard disk Format ------ PCPARK2 Remarks ------- This is a small but useful "universal" program to park the heads of your hard disk drive. These days most hard disks automatically park the read/write heads in a safe place but some don't. If yours doesn't, you should park the heads on the disk whenever you switch off. If you do not have an official parking program for your particular drive, run this program just before you switch off... PCPARK2 moves the heads to the last cylinder available where you normally do not have much, if any, data stored. If you have more than one disk drive, the program will loop through them all and park all of their heads. Notes ----- 1. Some very early PCs will not support PCPARK2 because of limitations in their BIOS software. PCPARK2 may also report that it is not able to park the disk on some current models of PC. 2. There is no harm running PCPARK2 on a drive that automatically parks itself anyway when it is powered down... if you're not sure about your drive, run PCPARK2 anyway. @@PCTODAY & PCCOPY PCTODAY & PCCOPY Ethan Winer Handy aids to daily back-up Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- PCTODAY & PCCOPY make backing up your day's work quick and convenient. PCTODAY scans all the files on your hard disk and makes a list of all the files bearing the date specified. PCCOPY then uses the list to copy those files to your designated destination. Format ------ PCTODAY [d:] [/d mm-dd-yyyy] [> filename.ext] and PCCOPY Source [Destination] [/x filespec] or PCCOPY @Responsefile [Destination] Entered without any command line arguments, PCTODAY displays the drive, directory, filename, and date of all files modified on the current date. Files with read-only, hidden, and system attributes are included. The listing pauses at the end of each screen page (if more than one is needed) and serves as a reminder of which files may need to be backed up. By adding the optional /d switch, followed by any legal DOS date in standard mm-dd-yyyy format, you can force PCTODAY to include earlier-dated files. To limit the drives in the search path or to include network and floppy disks drives, just specify them individually on the PCTODAY command line. (It's important that you remember to include the colon after each drive letter.) For example, to see a list of the files on drives C: and D: (only) with file dates on or after November 25, you would enter the line PCTODAY C: D: /D 11-25-1991 Any number of drives can be similarly specified. Spacing is not crucial in any of the command line arguments, and drive letters and the date can be listed in any order or even intermixed. To send the list to a file (for use by PCCOPY) instead of to the display, use the standard DOS redirection symbol (>) followed by any legal filename. You can put such a FILENAME.EXT on another drive, if desired. Thus, given the command PCTODAY > D:LOGFILE.B25 PCTODAY will create LOGFILE.B25 as a filename (which is also known as a response file; see the syntax for PCCOPY) in the default directory of drive D:. LOGFILE.B25 contains the names of each file to be backed up in the same order as they would appear on-screen; however, it omits the file dates, the blank lines between directories, and the sign-on message. Restricting the listing to filenames only makes it easier for PCCOPY to process the list. In addition to using a PCTODAY list file as a source for PCCOPY, you can use it with PKWARE's popular PKZIP file compression utility. PKZIP lets you specify that the filenames to be processed are to be found in a response file rather than entered on the DOS command line. Thus, the three-line batch file PCTODAY > PCTODAY.RSP PKZIP PCTODAY.ZIP @PCTODAY.RSP COPY PCTODAY.ZIP A: will back up the day's work for your entire system into a compressed .ZIP file stored on drive A:. Note, however, that in this case you must be sure that after compression the .ZIP file will fit on a single floppy disk. Using PCCOPY ------------ Used as a standalone utility, PCCOPY works in much the same way as the DOS COPY command, except that it restricts its processing specifically to those files that need to be copied. If the destination drive or directory has an identical or newer file of the same name, PCCOPY will not overwrite it. That can save you a substantial amount of time when many large files are involved. To copy all unduplicated files from your current directory to the \WORK directory on network drive H:, you would enter: PCCOPY *.* H:\WORK As with COPY, you can omit the destination argument if you wish to copy to your current drive and directory. And if a source or destination drive is given but a path is not, the current directory for that drive will be used. The final--and potentially most powerful--feature of PCCOPY when used as a standalone utility is its ability to exclude one or more groups of files. Files to be excluded are identified with the /x command line argument, followed by an identifying filespec, as shown in the following line: PCCOPY *.* H:\MYDIR /X *.BAK In this example, the DOS wildcard * is used as part of the exclude specification to prevent the copying of any files that have a .BAK extension. The ? and * wildcards can be applied to any common parts of a group of filenames, of course -- not simply to an extension -- and PCCOPY supports the use of up to ten different exclude specifications. The placement of the /x specifications is not important; they can even be intermixed with the source and response file (@responsefile) parameters. Note, however, that the /x switch is recognised only when PCCOPY is working with a source filespec. As explained below, filenames contained in a response file are copied un- conditionally; any /x commands are simply ignored. To use PCCOPY with PCTODAY, you begin by having the latter create a response file (arbitrarily named LOGFILE.B25 previously). Then, instead of supplying PCCOPY with a filespec, you tell it to copy the files listed in this response file by preceding it with an at sign (@), as follows: PCCOPY @LOGFILE.B25 A: Although you will presumably use PCTODAY to create the response file most of the time, any group of files can be put into a response file. Remember, however, that when a response file is used with PCCOPY, the copying is unconditional: All the files in a response file will be copied, whether or not they are newer than the same-named files on the target drive and directory. If at any time you forget the syntax for either PCTODAY or PCCOPY, entering the command with the /? switch will display the syntax. @@PCUNZIP PCUNZIP Michael Mefford ZIP archive file expander Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- PCUNZIP provides a smaller, no-cost alternative to the shareware utility PKUNZIP for decompressing .ZIP files downloaded from services such as PC Magazine's ZEUS or PCMAGNET and other sources. Format ------ PCUNZIP filename [\path] [/V] [/E] [/O] [/?] Remarks ------- Entered simply with a filename (adding the .ZIP extension is unnecessary), PCUNZIP uncompresses all files within a .ZIP file into the current directory. A path to an existing subdirectory can be supplied if it is desired to store the decompressed file(s) elsewhere. The optional /V (view) switch can be supplied to display a listing of the files contained in a given .ZIP filename. The /E (extract) switch, followed by the name of one of these contained files, will extract and decompress only the named file. By default, PCUNZIP issues a confirming prompt before overwriting a same-named file in the target subdirectory. This warning can be overridden by executing PCUNZIP with the /O switch. PCUNZIP and its /V and /E options support the use of the DOS * and ? wildcards. This enables viewing or extracting all or only the similarly named files for a C program, for example. Unlike the full PKUNZIP utility, however, PCUNZIP does not support the decompression of encrypted files. PCUNZIP occupies just 5K of disk space and requires only 100K of working memory while active. @@PRUNE PRUNE Michael J. Mefford Sub-directory manager Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- To organise a hard disk by renaming, removing, copying, and moving entire directories, together with their files and subdirectories. Directories may be put into other locations on their current or on another drive's directory tree. PRUNE also reports directory or branch size and permits directly calling up PC Magazine's DR and DIRMATCH utilities to inspect files or update directories with current file versions. Format ------ PRUNE [d:] [d:] Remarks ------- Entered at the DOS prompt without either of its two optional (d:) drive arguments, PRUNE displays a graphic directory tree of the current drive in both of its side-by-side windows. The d: arguments permit initial display of any one or two directory trees on the system. The active window, which has the highlight bar, can be toggled with the Tab key or with the Left- or Right-Arrow keys. The directory tree can be traversed with the Up-/Down-Arrow, PgUp/PgDn, and Home/End keys. Esc exits the utility. The operations PRUNE can perform on the highlighted directory are executed with the Function Keys. Note that except for the Rename Directory command (F3), "directory" here includes all directory and subdirectory files. Prompts and confirmatory warnings are provided as needed. F1 copies the highlighted directory to another location on the current tree or to one highlighted in the alternate window. F2 removes a directory, and should be used with special care. F4 moves (copies, then removes the original) a directory. F5 gives the size of a directory branch, including subdirectories, in terms of the bytes allocated to the clusters required. Although PRUNE will not copy or move directories where insufficient space exists, this information may be useful in deciding which directories to work on. F6 displays the same information for the directory files without including any subdirectories. F7 permits loading and displaying the tree of a new drive. F8 calls up the DR utility to permit reading the files in a directory, and F9 calls up DIRMATCH to permit updating a target directory with file versions from a more recent directory. Note that for F8 and F9 to work, these utilities must be on the DOS path. If using a floppy drive, COMMAND.COM must also be on it. Black and white display ----------------------- Some systems, especially laptops, do not display colour contrasts very well. If you find PRUNE hard to read, you can force it to use black and white attributes by entering the command MODE BW80 before running the program. The best way to do this is from a batch file containing the lines MODE BW80 PRUNE %1 %2 If you have a colour system and PRUNE is using black and white attributes, some other application may have changed the video mode. To encourage PRUNE to use colour, issue the DOS command MODE CO80 before running the program. Customising PRUNE ----------------- The following instructions will enable you to customise the colours used by PRUNE and to change the program run by pressing F7 DR. Start by making a back-up copy of PRUNE.COM and then enter: DEBUG PRUNE.COM You are now ready to modify the utility. If at any time you make a mistake, simply abort the editing process by entering Q. The last two commands that you enter after entering any modifications are W Q for Write to disk and to Quit DEBUG. Colour scheme: Enter the following DEBUG instructions, replacing the xx with a hexadecimal colour value. The default colour values and their descriptions are shown as comments to the right of the semicolons. Do not type in the comments. E 17B xx ; 71 Blue on light gray Menu colour E 17C xx ; 17 Light gray on blue Inactive tree E 17D xx ; 31 Blue on cyan Menu bar E 17E xx ; 1F White on blue Active tree E 17F xx ; 17 Light gray on blue DR colour Alternate colours may be selected from the following list. The background colour number is entered for the first x and the foreground colour for the second x. Do not use a light colour for the background or the display will blink. Dark colours Light colours ------------ ------------- Black 0 Dark Gray 8 Blue 1 Lt Blue 9 Green 2 Lt Green A Cyan 3 Lt Cyan B Red 4 Orange C Magenta 5 Violet D Brown 6 Yellow E Lt Gray 7 White F For example, to change the bar colour from blue on cyan (31) to blue on light gray (17) you would enter E 57A 17 PRUNE turns on the border, and some monitors can't handle that. To disable the border, enter E 185 1 g Replace the 1 with a 0 to re-enable the border. Reprogramming F7: Pressing F7 in PRUNE will run the DR.COM utility if it is found on your DOS PATH. To substitute a different utility for DR, enter E 192 "12345678" where 12345678 is the eight-character name of the utility you want to use instead. Make sure to include the quotes shown above, but do NOT add either the period or the extension (.COM or .EXE) of the alternative utility. Append spaces if the utility name is less than eight characters. For example, if you have a program named DirMagic you could enter E 192 "DIRMAGIC" The DR next to the F7 in the menu will not change, but DirMagic will be executed all the same. Remember that the new utility has to be in the DOS PATH. To change the F7 utility back to DR, enter E 192 "DR " Finish the DEBUG session with W Q @@RED RED John Dickinson Quickly moves files from one directory to another Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Transfers one (or more) file(s) from one subdirectory to another without requiring the use of COPY and ERASE. Format ------ RED [d:][path]filename[.ext] [d:][path] Remarks ------- Like the DOS COPY command, RED.COM supports the use of the global characters ? and * in specifying the desired source files. Unlike COPY, however, RED.COM does not permit renaming a file during the transfer process. (This is why it is unnecessary to supply a target filename.) Furthermore, RED requires that the source and target drives be the same. You cannot, therefore, remove a set of files from drive C: by trying to REDirect them to drive A:. Example -------- Before submitting your income tax you calculated it under several different methods, contained in files named ROUGH1.DAT through ROUGH6.WKS. These are all in the subdirectory \TAX on drive C:, and you want to move them all to a sub-subdirectory (which you have created) called \1992TAX\DRAFTS. From the C> prompt enter RED \TAX\ROUGH?.* \1992TAX\DRAFTS and all six files will be moved out of \TAX and into \1992\DRAFTS. Notes ----- 1. Requires DOS 2.0 or later. @@RENDIR RENDIR John Dickinson Renames a directory Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Permits renaming subdirectories directly, without creating a new directory, moving the contents of the old one into it, and then removing the old directory. Format ------ RENDIR [d:][path]oldname[.ext] newname[.ext] Remarks ------- DOS has always provided a REName command for filenames, but not for directories. A bug in DOS 3.0 permits you to use the immediate mode of BASIC to NAME olddir AS newdir but this bug has been removed from subsequent DOS versions. RENDIR.COM permits renaming directories in DOS 3.0 and later. While RENDIR allows you to change the name of a directory on another drive than your current one, it does not permit you to transfer a directory to another drive by RENDIRing it. Thus, for example, if you are on drive C: and have a directory on drive D: named \TAXES, from the C> prompt you can RENDIR D:\TAXES \TAXES92 You cannot, however RENDIR D:\TAXES C:\TAXES92 Furthermore, you should not use RENDIR to try to change the name of the subdirectory you are currently in. Notes ----- 1. Unlike RENAME, RENDIR does not support use of the ? and * wildcard characters. 2. Requires DOS 3.0 or higher. @@REPEATS REPEATS Michael J. Mefford Helps locate duplicate files Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Checks all directories on a drive and reports all duplicate filenames. Format ------ REPEATS [d:][/P] Remarks ------- While not all duplicate files on a disk are unnecessary, most are. If a hard disk has been in use for some time it is astonishing how many outdated versions or outright copies of the same file are currently wasting space. REPEATS lists all identical filenames, together with their directory, size, date, and time information, so you can decide which files to delete. The optional /P switch directs the program output simultaneously to the screen and to a printer. As an alternative, you could redirect output to a file, DUPES.FND, by using the DOS redirection command, thus: REPEATS > DUPES.FND Notes ----- 1. During the time it operates, REPEATS requires 128K of available memory. The program can be terminated prematurely by pressing Ctrl-Break. @@RN RN Michael J. Mefford Directory manager (links to DR) Version 3.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Simplifies creating, removing, renaming, hiding, unhiding, and changing to directories. Also sets/resets the read-only and archive bits of all files within a directory, and reports filecount and space allocated. Allows immediate call-up of DR.COM for handling individual files. Format ------ RN [d:][/I] Remarks ------- RN can be entered either as an immediate command at the DOS prompt, or it can be installed on a hard drive (using the /I option) with a memory-resident database of directory information that speeds up its subsequent operations. If no drive (d:) is specified, the current drive is assumed. If installed, RN should be loaded before SideKick and any other uninstallable memory-resident programs. (RN cannot be deinstalled without rebooting.) The program requires 128K RAM operating room; the database, if used, occupies approximately 14K. RN cannot be called up from within an application with a 'hotkey'; it can be accessed only from the DOS prompt. Pressing Esc terminates RN's operations. When issued, RN.COM brings up an sorted directory tree with the current listing highlighted and a menu listing the function keys used for its various directory services. The directory highlight bar is moved one entry at a time by the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys, and in larger increments by the Ctrl-PgUp and Ctrl-PgDn, PgUp and PgDn, and Home and End keys. The highlight bar should be placed on the directory to be affected by the subsequent function key. When renaming (F2) and creating (F3) directories, do not enter the backslash (\) character but include it in figuring the maximum path length (63 characters). RmDir (F4), if you confirm at its warning prompt, deletes all files within the directory (unless they are marked read-only) before removing it. Hide/Unhide (F5) affects the directory name only, not the individual files. F6 and F7 (mark/unmark as read-only and set/reset the archive bit) toggle these bits on all files within the directory. F8 updates the directory database if changes are made outside RN, and F9 gives a file count together with the space allocated to a directory's files. F10 calls DR.COM. Note ---- 1. The F2 key (Rename Directory) requires DOS 3.x. @@SEARCH SEARCH Michael J. Mefford Searches for files by name or content Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Searches all or specified directories on a disk for either designated filenames or the first occurrence of character strings within files. Format ------ SEARCH [filespec] [string][/P][/C][/B] Remarks ------- SEARCH defaults to a disk-wide search of all subdirectories on the current disk. You can specify a different drive and/or a pathname as part of the optional filespec parameter. Filename searches support the DOS * and ? wildcards. Character strings within files are identified by putting them in quotation marks. (The strings may themselves include a pair of quotation marks.) Pressing either Ctrl-Break or Ctrl-C terminates SEARCH manually. To redirect the output of the SEARCH command to a printer, add /P to the command line, as shown in the first example below. Adding a similar /C switch will make the search for a character string case-sensitive. When searching for a character string, SEARCH normally ignores .COM and .EXE files. While this saves time, there may be occasions when you want to find copyright notices, error messages, et al. in an executable file. To include binary files in the search, add the /B parameter on the command line. Example ------- To print out a list all the .COM files in the \PROG subdirectory of your current drive, you would enter SEARCH \PROG\*.COM/P Example -------- To find which of the file(s) in your \LETTERS subdirectory contained the salutation, Dear Miss Jones, enter SEARCH \LETTERS "Dear Miss Jones" Notes ----- 1. SEARCH returns a line number, based on the number of previous carriage returns in the file, when it finds a string. It reports only the first occurrence of the string in each file. @@SHOWDUPE SHOWDUPE Richard Hale Shaw Duplicate file finder Version 1.1 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- SHOWDUPE helps with disk housekeeping by locating all the files with the same name on one or more hard disks, displaying them as a scrolling list and allowing you to easily view, compare or delete them. Format ------ SHOWDUPE d:\path [d:\path]... where d: is the drive and \path is the path to the directory in which SHOWDUPE should begin to search. Using SHOWDUPE -------------- Enter a command such as SHOWDUPE C:\ SHOWDUPE will recursively search the directory you specify and all of its subdirectories. If you don't specify at least a drive on the command line, SHOWDUPE will default to the Search Directories entry in SHOWDUPE.INI, its configuration file. As the syntax indicates, you can specify more than one search drive and path on the command line. For example, SHOWDUPE C:\DOS D:\OLDDOS There's no limit to the number of drives or directories you can specify on the command line. The total number of files SHOWDUPE can scan is limited only by the amount of conventional memory you have available; SHOWDUPE, for example, will comfortably scan over 7,000 files on a 200MB hard drive. Before you run SHOWDUPE, make sure SHOWDUPE.EXE and SHOWDUPE.INI are both in the current directory, or in a directory that is on your path. Once you execute the program, SHOWDUPE displays a window that lists all the files in the designated directories as it scans them. It then displays a window that lists your duplicate files. After it has found all the duplicate files, SHOWDUPE builds two tables, DUPES.IDX and DUPES.DAT, which it puts in the same directory as SHOWDUPE.EXE and SHOWDUPE.INI. Once it has created these files, the program won't attempt to create them again unless you delete them. DUPES.IDX contains a sorted list of the filenames; DUPES.DAT contains date, time, size, and directory pathname information. All this information could have been stored in a single file, but then when the filenames were sorted, SHOWDUPE would have to load all this information into memory when, in fact, it only needs the filenames. The menu bar at the bottom of the screen lists the various commands for operating SHOWDUPE. In addition to using the arrow keys to navigate the listing of duplicate filenames, you can use Home and End go to the top and bottom, and PgUp and PgDn to jump through a screenful of filenames at a time. As you move the highlight bar through the list, the full path for the highlighted file appears in the Path window near the top of the screen. When you are ready to delete a duplicate file, scroll to that filename and press the Del key. SHOWDUPE will delete the file and gray its entry in the list box. You can tag multiple files by moving the highlight bar to each filename and pressing the Spacebar. SHOWDUPE will change the colour of every entry that is tagged for deletion. If you change your mind and wish to untag a file, move the highlight bar to that entry and hit the Spacebar again; it will act as a toggle, and the colour of the entry will return to normal. Once you have tagged all the files you want to delete, press F7 (Purge) to delete all the tagged files simultaneously. Files can be viewed with a separate file viewing utility. SHOWDUPE comes with, and is initially configured for, the PC Magazine SMOOTH.COM program. To view a file, simply place the highlight over the file's name and press Enter. In the case of SMOOTH, pressing ESC will return you to SHOWDUPE. Note that SMOOTH can display any type of file but that you will see odd characters if you use it to examine binary or encoded files such as graphics files, saved spreadsheets, program files and so forth. SMOOTH is included on volume 3 of the Power Pack. While SHOWDUPE's list box may indicate that two files have the same name, date, time and size, they still might not be identical. How can you be sure they're really the same? SHOWDUPE lets you perform a simple byte-by-byte comparison. Highlight the first filename, press F10, highlight the second filename, and press F10 again. SHOWDUPE will compare the contents of the two files and display a message telling you whether they are identical or not. When you delete a file with SHOWDUPE, it does not disappear from the list box but simply appears grayed out. Therefore, after you've deleted a large number of duplicate files, you may wish to rebuild the .IDX and .DAT tables. Searching through a long list of files that have already been deleted isn't efficient. Select F9 (Build) and SHOWDUPE will rebuild the tables and update the list box. The Build command can also come in handy if you started deleting files with SHOWDUPE but didn't finish the task. When you run SHOWDUPE at a later date, it will redisplay the listing of duplicates exactly as you left it. However, it will not account for any new files you've created, new program files you may have loaded that may have created duplicates, or files you've deleted since the last time you ran SHOWDUPE. Hit F9 and SHOWDUPE will rebuild the tables, finding any new duplicates. To abort the table-building process, press any key. At any time, you can press Ctrl-Enter to shell out to DOS from SHOWDUPE. Simply type EXIT to return. Configuring SHOWDUPE -------------------- SHOWDUPE uses an initialisation file to store your own choice of program settings. The file is called SHOWDUPE.INI and is similar to .INI type files used by other programs... perhaps the most well known now being the WIN.INI file used by Microsoft Windows 3. The SHOWDUPE.INI file is designed to be easy to use... it's just a plain ASCII text file, which you can create or modify using a text editor, and uses plain English words for each setting. SHOWDUPE.INI lets you configure SHOWDUPE's screen colours, desktop colours, and window colours. You can also specify whether the program runs in 43- or 50-line mode on an EGA or VGA system, or uses the default screen mode. You can specify an alternate file viewer as well as name default search directories. Each entry in SHOWDUPE.INI consists of a name followed by an equals sign and the relevant value on a single line. For example the line: DeskTopBackGround=LIGHTGRAY specifies that the Desktop background in the program should be light gray in colour. The colour settings ------------------- For the following colour items, you can specify BLACK, BLUE, GREEN, CYAN, RED, MAGENTA, BROWN, or LIGHTGRAY for foreground and background colours. You can also use DARKGRAY, LIGHTBLUE, LIGHTGREEN, LIGHTCYAN, LIGHTRED, LIGHTMAGENTA, LIGHTYELLOW, and WHITE for any foreground setting (theoretically, you can also use these colours for background settings, but they cause the background to blink). The eight colour settings are: ScreenBackGround= ScreenForeGround= DeskTopBackGround= DeskTopForeGround= WindowBackGround= WindowForeGround= ScreenBackGround= ScreenForeGround= The latter two items control the colour of the title bar and status lines at the top and bottom of the screen. The DeskTop settings control the colours of the desktop that appears under the windows, and the Window settings control the window colours. Other settings -------------- The ScreenMode setting specifies whether the program runs in 43- or 50-line mode on an EGA or VGA system. If you don't have such a system, or just want SHOWDUPE to use the default video mode, set ScreenMode to DEFAULT: ScreenMode=DEFAULT To force SHOWDUPE into EGA or VGA mode on such a system, set ScreenMode to EGAVGA as follows (the setting is ignored on other systems): ScreenMode=EGAVGA Another setting, Viewer=, lets you override the default file viewer, SMOOTH.COM, if you don't have SMOOTH.COM or prefer another file viewer. For example, to use an editor called TED, you might include the line: Viewer=TED.COM You don't need to specify the directory that the program resides in, as long as the program is in a directory in your PATH. Finally, the SearchDirectories setting lets you specify the default search directories for building duplicate file tables. Internally, SHOWDUPE defines this setting as NULL. You can override it by specifying one or more search directories. For example SearchDirectories=C:\ D:\ E:\ If you specify search directories on the command line, they will override the settings found in SHOWDUPE.INI. This lets you maintain a set of default search directories in SHOWDUPE.INI, but you can change them at any time via command line arguments. @@SLICE SLICE Bob Flanders and Michael Holmes Split a large file over multiple floppies Version 1.3 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Spreads a DOS file too large to be copied onto a single floppy disk across multiple diskettes, enabling the file to be restored onto a second machine. Format ------ SLICE [d:][path]filename[.ext] d: Remarks ------- The filename of the file to be divided may be preceded with a drive and/or path, if needed. The target drive may be any drive that DOS recognises as a removable medium. Diskettes from 160KB to 1.44MB capacity may be used, as may disk cartridges whose device driver identifies them as employing a removable medium. As each target diskette is filled, the user is prompted to insert a fresh one; up to 99 formatted target disks may be accommodated. On the first of these, SLICE also creates a short (approximately 1KB) program, SPLICE.COM, which is subsequently used to reassemble the separate sections into which filename has been broken. The syntax for SPLICE.COM is: Format ------ d:\SPLICE s: [t:][path] [/R] Remarks ------- The d: parameter designates the drive on which SPLICE.COM has been written, and s: designates the source drive. Normally, these are the same. The optional t: and path identify the hard disk/path onto which the file is to be reassembled as single entity. If these latter parameters are unspecified, the default drive and directory will be used for restoration. The original filename cannot be changed in either the SLICE or SPLICE operations, each of which requires approximately 34KB of available memory. The optional /R parameter tells the program to disable the check for removable media. If you receive an error message saying, "Must be removable media," you can try running SPLICE with the /R parameter. This is useful when the device driver for a drive does not support the IOCTL requesting removable status. Note ---- The DOS BACKUP and RESTORE utilities also permit a large file to be divided among multiple disks. However, they are not as easy to use and require that the same version of DOS be present on both the originating and the receiving machines. @@TOUCH TOUCH Michael J. Mefford Set time and date stamp on files Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Changes the DOS date and/or time designation of a file or group of files either to the current system values or to user-designated values. Format ------ TOUCH filespec [/D date] [/T time] Remarks ------- Entered without any arguments, TOUCH displays a help screen showing its syntax. If given a filespec but neither of the optional switches (/D or /T), TOUCH updates the designated file to the current system date and time. Note that the standard DOS filename wild cards (* and ?) are supported, so TOUCH can operate on groups of files. The optional /D date switch permits entry a user-selected date in the customary DOS mm-dd-yy format. If desired, the hyphen delimiters may be replaced by forward slashes (/), and the year may be entered either in full form (e.g. 1988) or in abbreviated (88) form. TOUCH checks that each of the three fields is filled with a non-zero value, but does not check the validity of a date (e.g. 2/31/88). Legal DOS years are from 1980 to 2099. The optional /T time switch permits the user to specify times in hours:minutes:seconds. If the minutes and/or seconds parameters are omitted, TOUCH will set them to 0. Hours should be entered in military (24-hour) format. @@WIPE WIPE Based on a program by Steven Holzner Secure file delete utility Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- Provides security by deleting files permanently so that their contents cannot be recovered. Format ------ WIPE filespec [filespec]... [/N] Remarks ------- The DOS DEL command does not physically erase data when it deletes a file... it simply removes the file's details from the directory and marks the disk space where the file's data is stored as free for future use. This is an advantage in that, in the case of accidents, it is often possible to recover a deleted file. It's a weakness, however, in that the DEL command alone is not enough to stop a determined person from recovering sensitive information that you thought you'd deleted. WIPE provides extra security when you need it... it first overwrites the data in the file and only then deletes it. In fact, it overwrites the existing data three times with different values and obscures the file's original directory details to the point where most automated undelete programs will not even attempt to recover the file's data. WIPE asks for confirmation before wiping each file specified (you can use wildcards or give several filenames separated by spaces). Press Y to go ahead or N to leave the files as is. If you want to wipe a group of files and are sure you know what you are doing, add /N to the WIPE command. The program will then ask for confirmation only once before wiping each selected file in turn. Notes ----- 1. Requires DOS 2.0 or later 2. WIPE replaces the original DELZ program by Steven Holzner @@XDIR XDIR Jeff Prosise Pop-up directory display Version 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ------- XDIR is a memory-resident utility that allows you to display the filenames in any drive/directory even when you are running another applications program. Format ------ XDIR Remarks ------- Once loaded (normally as an entry in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file), pressing the Alt-. (the Alt and the period key combination) causes a blank window to pop up on the screen. Pressing Enter then displays the first 40 filenames of your current directory in the window. Pressing Esc once clears the display, and pressing it a second time returns you to your previous application. To view other directories, simply enter their appropriate path designation (including drive, if different) before pressing Enter when the window is blank. The PgUp and PgDn keys are used to display files beyond the initial 40 shown in the window. Up to 360 files in any one directory may be displayed. Notes ----- 1. If you are experienced in using DEBUG, you may wish to change some of the XDIR defaults. Remember always to make changes to a copy of the program, not to your original. After entering DEBUG XDIR.COM, the following addresses and initial values may be of interest: Offset Value Parameter ------ ----- ----------- 013C 4F Border colour attribute 013D 0F Text colour attribute 014D 00 File type (see Note 2) 0186 34 Period key scan code 018E 08 Alt-key shift code 2. By default, XDIR displays only normal filenames (00 at :014D). To show hidden files, the value here should be 02. System files are 04, and subdirectories are 10h. These values are additive. To display subdirectories and files marked both hidden and system (e.g. IBMBIO.COM) you would enter the value 16h at offset :014D in place of the default 00. 3. While no TSR program can be guaranteed compatible with all other memory residents, XDIR should coexist with most other TSRs.