Description Text File for WASTEDIR.EXE

   Programmed by John Everson --- November 1991 --- Turbo Pascal 6.0
                   Copyright 1991 --- Free Software

I wrote the WASTEDIR program to remove directories and sub- directories,
as well as the files that reside in them. Often times I am cleaning or
upgrading software on different machines and got very tired of trying to
erase a directory, finding out that it was a parent directory, having to
change directories, trying to erase 4 sub-directories, only to find out
that half of them contained hidden or read-only files! Then you have to
use the ATTRIB command, or the FLAG command, or some utility that deletes
or changes the attributes of files/directories. Finally, when you do get
the subdirectories deleted, as well as all their files, you can erase the
parent directory (the one you started with), and it's only taken 5
minutes (but your fingers are killing you from trying to type as fast as
you could). I figured there should be an easier way, so I wrote a small
batch file, which of course wasn't very strong, but it lessened the
amount of typing. I went from there to writing a small pascal program,
which grew and grew and grew. Now it's 10 some-odd K-bytes, and will
probably get larger when some bugs are found!

Anyhow, enough of the origin, here's what the program does:

WASTEDIR removes directories, and anything that may be in those
directories. If there should be a read-only (or any ATTRIBed file)
wastedir will catch it, and ask if you wish to delete it and continue. If
you do not want to be asked this question, just add the switch /P which
is no-Prompting. The only other switch is /V for non-Verbose deletion,
which just means you will not get the play by play information about what
the program is currently doing.

If you just type in WASTEDIR, and you are at the root drive, it will not
do anything but tell you the switches. If you are in a directory, it will
tell you the switches, AND ask if you wish to delete the current
directory structure (you can respond y or n). If you are in
C:\TEMP\JOHN\EVERSON, and type in WASTEDIR it will ask if you want to
delete the directory structure of C:\TEMP\JOHN\EVERSON. If you say Yes,
then you will be left at C:\TEMP\JOHN, and EVERSON will be gone. If you
say No, you'll be left at C:\TEMP\JOHN\EVERSON. If you should have typed
WASTEDIR C:\TEMP, it would ask if that's what you want to do, then it
would erase the entire tree of C:\TEMP, and leave you at the C:\> prompt.
This program will also work on any drive; local, network, mapped,
assigned, etc.

The last thing I want to say is that this is my first attempt at a public
software, and I hope this program is useful. Since I have written it, and
gave it to my friends and co-workers, they tell me they wouldn't be
without it. The program probably has some bugs in it, however, I believe
I got the big, bad, ugly ones. Let me know if any problems should appear,
and I will fix them faster than it would take to download it! Should
anyone like to donate some cash my way, it would make me very happy, and
would really freak out my roommate!

            My address is:   192 Woodstock Estates
                             Columbia, MO 65201

Thanks, be careful, and enjoy!   -John