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                             º  HELP.TXT  ³
                             ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ;

                       Sat  05-07-1994  12:32:21

     This batch file set contains the files:

          1.   A.BAT
          2.   B.BAT
          3.   EDIT2.EXE
          4.   HELP.TXT
          5.   HELP2.BAT
          6.   READ.COM
          7.   START.BAT
          8.   STEP.BAT

     ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
     ³START.BAT³
     ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
     Should allow you to install files on a floppy to -any- directory on
     -any- drive. Admittedly you have to modify the batch file to tell
     START.BAT what directory and drive you want, but that's about it.

     ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
     ³XCOPY.EXE³
     ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
     The DOS file XCOPY.EXE is used to copy the files so that MS-DOS
     file -must- be in your PATH for this to work. XCOPY.EXE normally
     displays the files that it "reads" to the screen, but I redirected
     this output to a new file called FILE(S).TXT. The contents of
     FILE(S).TXT is displayed at the end of the batch file to tell you
     what files were copied from the floppy.

     ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
     ³IF ERRORLEVEL³
     ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
     XCOPY.EXE runs and if successful returns an Exit Code of zero (0).
     We check for that Exit Code and report it using the batch file
     command "IF ERRORLEVEL" as part of START.BAT. If you want to copy
     from one floppy in one drive to a floppy in another drive which is
     Write-Protected, the Exit Code will pick that up and tell you that
     you made an error and to try again. Not too bad for a batch file,
     eh?

     If you are unfamilar with the coding of IF ERRORLEVEL, don't feel
     too simple. This batch command has tripped up many a professional
     programmer.... including the editor and staff of the magazine
     "Inside Microsoft BASIC."

     ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
     ³HELP2.BAT³
     ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
     The batch file HELP2.BAT, runs START.BAT to display this help file
     HELP.TXT. You can make HELP.TXT your very own by changing the text
     in it. HELP2.BAT is very simple. What it does is pass two (2)
     variables to START.BAT. Any second (2nd) variable letter or number
     then tells START.BAT to GOTO the LABEL ":HelpText."

     At that LABEL, HELP.TXT is loaded by my ASCII file loader READ.COM.
     You read HELP.TXT then exit the file by pressing {Esc}. The next
     command begins START.BAT but this time with -no- variables on the
     command line.

     START.BAT then runs, display instructions on what to type into the
     edit box. The edit box is displayed by EDIT2.EXE, a little program
     I wrote that allows you to enter commands -inside- a batch file!

     EDIT2.EXE waits for you to type a letter "A" or "B" to designate
     what drive you have the floppy in, stuffs that letter into the
     keyboard buffer and -restarts- START.BAT with that letter as the
     first (1st) variable.

     So you will understand what a "variable" is, the following is a
     representation of the command inside of HELP2.BAT:

     START          c                   b
                                      
     batch file   1st variable        2nd variable


     ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
     ³A.BAT and B.BAT³
     ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

     These two (2) batch files are absolutely necessary. They are the
     ones that run after you type the "A" or "B" inside START.BAT. All
     they do is -restart- START.BAT with a first (1st) variable of
     either "A" or "B." Now START.BAT "sees" either an "A" or a "B" and
     goes to that LABEL, "tells" MS-DOS what floppy drive the files are
     in and runs the rest of the program.

     Having watched computer novices type commands on the command line
     now for Oh... a long time, I can tell you that the simplier the
     typing is for this Windows generation, the better. If you don't
     believe me, you can modify the instructions in START.BAT to say:

     "TYPE: START A -or- START B to continue..."
     "PRESS: {Enter}"

     Betcha more than a few mess it up. I have seen them put quotes
     around the command, forget the space between the two words,...
     forget to press {Enter}, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.... But
     that command does away with the two batch files A.BAT and B.BAT.

     If you don't think this is all necessary, try copying all the files
     from a floppy to a directory on a hard drive from a batch file,
     checking for IF ERRORLEVEL, making a new text file called
     FILE(S).TEXT, etc...  without telling MS-DOS carefully and
     specifically -where- the files are and -what- the files are to be
     copied. START.BAT does all that.

     ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
     ³STEP.BAT³
     ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
     I included STEP.BAT with this file set, not because it is necessary
     to run START.BAT or any of the other files but because it is a
     "debugger" for batch files.

     If you type:

     STEP HELP

     you will be able to follow -step by step- (command by command) how
     each command in all the batch files used works! I included STEP.BAT
     for those few of you who want to see what's really happening when
     you run these otherwise invisible batch files.

                 ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
                 ³  IF YOU MAKE THIS BETTER... TELL ME! ³
                 ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

      Please let me know if you make this file set better. I am using
     this file set to set up diskettes to be used by -anyone- to install
     files on any computer.

     START.BAT has to work for "anyone" because that's who use most of
     the computers now-a-days....

     John De Palma on CompuServe 76076,571