BlitzCopy Version 2.0 A Diskette Duplication Program from Oliver Siebenhaar & Udo Steger BlitzWare English Version: Kirk L. Roybal KLR PC Service User's Handbook User's Handbook for BlitzCopy 2.0 1st English Revision, August 1994. Copyright 1994 Oliver Siebenhaar / Udo Steger English Text Copyright 1994 Kirk L. Roybal This Handbook and the described program are copyrighted works of the named Authors. No parts of this publication or accompanying program may be distributed, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into any human or computer language, or disclosed to third parties without the express written consent of the respective Author or Authors. Please support the Shareware concept of Fairness. Warning! This Program has been tested under strenuous circumstances and to the best of our knowledge contains no data-damaging errors. However, as with any program that works intimately with your hardware, we cannot guarantee that this program will behave as expected. We will therefore accept no responsibility of any kind beyond the purchase price of the program. You are, in essence, using this program at your own risk. Any named Programs or Trademarks in this Handbook are possessions of their respective copyright holders, and are herewith acknowledged. Technical Advice: This instruction manual is a text file. You can open, edit, and/or view it with any ASCII editor that runs under DOS. For readability, this file is divided into topics given a topic heading and a number. You may use this header or number to search for the desired topic within the body of text. Ideally, you should print this Table of Contents out and then search through the document for topics of interest. However, it would be a good idea to read this document at least once in its entirety for assurance. Should you want to read the topic "Abnormal DOS Formats" for example, you could search for the Title, or for the number "II.F." The search for text is discouraged, as certain terms are used extremely redundantly. It is very possible that your search could take minutes. In the following explanations, it is assumed that you are using an unmodified BlitzCopy program, including the unmodified BLITZCPY.INI and BLITZCPY.LNG files. Should you find that your copy has been tainted by a thoughtless shareware user, you may take the following steps: (no guarantee, and no nutritional value) 1. Curse the miscreant. 2. Take a good walk in the cold air. 3. Take a ride in the woods on your bike. There you will fall off the bike, scraping your knees, ruining your pants, and destroying your expensive Japanese gears. On the way home you can meditate on whatever it was that made you so mad. (This method has helped us at least once.) Alternatively, you could summon a lesser demon on the offender. Take the following steps . . . 1. Lay on your back on the ground. 2. Take the shareware diskette in your LEFT hand. 3. Made sure that the write-protection is OFF. 4. Toss the diskette nine (9) times in the air and yell the magic formula 'Humm-Bumm-Bulla'. 5. Leave the evildoer to his fate. 6. Go back to the computer and try to find out what that $@#^$ button does. If you have already been in the throes of this tantrum: Don't worry. We'll come visit you and bring cookies and lots of colored diskettes, which we can throw at the attendants together. Since we have followed the optical order of the buttons in this manual, from top to bottom, it shouldn't really be a problem to restore the defaults and find yourself. And if that still doesn't help, the correct .LNG file is certainly included in the registered version . . . Table of Contents Forward: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 I.Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 II. Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 II.A. Before you start the program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 II.B. Your System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 II.B.1 Bare Minimum Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 II.B.2 The Recommended System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 II.B.3 Help for less-than-optimal systems . . . . . . . . . . .16 II.B.4 Problem Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 II.B.4.a General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 II.B.4.b Incompatible Devices and Software . . . . . . . .19 II.B.4.b.(1) Mouse Drivers. . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 II.B.4.b.(2) 2.88 MB Disk Drives. . . . . . . . . . .20 II.B.4.b.(3) Microchannel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 II.B.4.b.(4) Graphic cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 II.B.4.c Abnormally formatted diskettes. . . . . . . . . .22 II.B.5 Configuring your System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 II.C Installation Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 II.C.1 The Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 II.C.1.a Installation by "Hand". . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 II.C.1.b The Installation Program. . . . . . . . . . . . .27 II.C.2 Defective Diskettes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 II.D Installation under Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 II.E Virus Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 II.F Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 III Starting the Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 III.A Executing the Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 III.B Command Line Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 IV. General Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 IV.A Mouse Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 IV.B Keyboard Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 V. The Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 V.A The Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 V.A.1 "Start" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 V.A.2 "End" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 V.A.3 "Format". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 V.A.4 "Directory" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 V.A.5 "DOS Shell" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 V.A.6 "Defaults". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 V.A.7 "Info". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 V.B. The Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 V.B.2 Choice of Source Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 V.B.3 Choice of Target Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 V.B.4 Choice of Target Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 V.C Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 V.C.1 Multiple Sources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 V.C.2 Multiple Targets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 V.C.3 Copy Data Only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 V.C.4 Diskette Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 V.C.5 Adjust Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 V.C.6 Buffer File Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 V.C.7 Run Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 V.C.8 Overwrite Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 V.C.9 Format Always . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 V.C.10 Sector Optimization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 V.C.11 Verify Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 VI. The Format Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 VI.A Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 VI.A.1 Choice of Format Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 VI.A.2 Choice of Formatting Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 VI.A.3 Choice of Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 VI.A.4 Choice of Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 VI.B Switches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 VI.B.1 Multiple Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 VI.B.2 Diskette Change. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 VI.B.3 Start Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 VI.B.4 Overwrite Warning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 VI.B.5 Sector Optimization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 VI.B.6 Verify Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 VI.B.7 Modify Serial Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 VI.B.8 Automatic Serial Number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 VI.C Text Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 VI.C.1 Diskette Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 VI.C.2 Serial Number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 VII. The Directory Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 VII.A Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 VII.B Display Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 VII.C Filters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 VII.D Sorting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 VII.E Buffer File Editing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 VII.F Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 VII.F.1 Delete. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 VII.F.2 Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 VII.F.3 Target. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 VII.F.4 Exit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 VII.F.5 Configurable Buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 VII.F.6 Configuring the Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 VII.G Other Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 VIII. The Defaults Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92 IX. Closing Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 X. The Authors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 A. Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 Forward: Dear User, You are now testing the fastest copying program on the market for DOS computers. This does not mean however, that we have quit researching or developing this Program. We are definitely interested in your ideas and comments, even when they appear "details" to you. The importance of this response from our users is visible if you compare the version 1.5 with the present version. Almost all these changes have come about from suggestions from our users. And your response is the only way that BlitzCopy can be the program that is specially built for your needs. In our eyes this is one of the greatest advantages of the Shareware concept in contrast to Commercial software. Also: No single person or team can be so creative as the Shareware users that test this program daily under all possible circumstances. For you, we are thankful. Eáfeld, Kirk L. Roybal September 20th, 1994 Oliver Siebenhaar Udo Steger I.Registration A list of addresses appears at the end of this document where the Registered version is available. Please fill out the registration form that was included on the diskette as REGISTER.TXT and mail it to any one of the given addresses. Only when we have received this card will we offer support, error correction, or new version updates. If we do not have your address, we cannot inform you of an update. We save this information in our customer database. The information is confidential, and will not be sold to any third party. It will be used only for our own internal purposes. II. Installation II.A. Before you start the program In the descriptions it will be assumed that you are using the unchanged English version of BLITZCPY.LNG and BLITZCPY.INI as they were distributed. You should not change the texts until you are sure you know how to operate the program. To avoid input mistakes you should read this documentation thoroughly, thoughtfully and carefully. You can very easily render a diskette useless with this program, so check carefully that: - you are writing to empty disks or, - you are writing to disks that contain nothing important - you have write-protected the source diskette(s). - You are not infringing the rights of anyone! This program has been tested to the best of our ability and resources. However, we cannot offer any help or assume any responsibility for incidental damages that occur. Especially damages occurring from unauthorized use. You are using this program at your own risk. II.B. Your System II.B.1 Bare Minimum Requirements This program requires a system with an 80286 processor, 512KB RAM, and a VGA card. For systems with less than 2 MB memory, this program also requires a hard disk drive. II.B.2 The Recommended System The optimal system is never fast enough, although BlitzCopy can run optimally already with a 80386(SX) processor or better and, if no 2.88 MB drive is present, about 1.6 MB free XMS. A fast 16 bit VGA card is also recommendable. The ground rules are: - The more XMS, the better - The faster the CPU, the better - The faster the hard disk, the better - The faster the graphics card, the better. The maximum speed can only be reached with plenty of XMS. The disadvantage of not having enough memory is that the speed gains accomplished by our fast reading routine are wasted by excessive reading and writing to the relatively slow hard disk. One further rule of thumb: He who can work with MS Windows relatively comfortably should also be able to use this program. Anyway, BlitzCopy will only write to the hard disk when absolutely necessary. II.B.3 Help for less-than-optimal systems For those of you who are not interested in installing more memory, there are a few actions that can be taken to improve the speed of BlitzCopy. Create a bootable diskette containing only the mouse driver and the Memory manager of your choice, along with BlitzCopy. Start your computer using this disk, and see if it does better. How to create a bootable diskette should be described in your DOS Handbook. If the program must use the hard disk, and you have two or more physical hard drives, set the environment variable TEMP to the fastest drive. Example: You have two drives configured as C: and D:. If the C: drive is the fastest, the environment variable in your autoexec.bat should look like this: SET TEMP=C:\ You may want to create a special directory for temporary files, i.e., TEMP. In the above example, the line would then read: SET TEMP=C:\TEMP If you notice that the program is forced to write to the hard drive because of memory needs, you might want to defragment your disk before you begin copying. II.B.4 Problem Sources II.B.4.a General The use of a software cache with write ahead on while using BlitzCopy is strongly discouraged and done at your own risk. BlitzCopy can use the memory more effectively anyway. We recommend in any case that buffering be turned off for the diskettes. Caching controllers are not usually a problem, as they tend to cache only the hard disk drive. Modern cache programs usually only allow for write caching when explicitly directed to do so on the command line. You should usually have no problems with the default settings. There are no known problems when using such hard disk compression software as Stacker, Doublespace, or the like. They do however, affect the speed of the program when writing to the hard disk. It is also not recommendable to run a Terminate and Stay Resident program (TSR) while using BlitzCopy that excessively reads or writes to the hard disk. The graphics should present no problem, however. You should also avoid deleting the temporary file that BlitzCopy is working with. There is a problem with data monitor type programs such as DATAMON, DPROTECT, and DELWATCH. These programs prevent BlitzCopy from deleting it's own temporary files, and the drive becomes more and more fragmented as you copy more diskettes. The simplest solution to this problem is to turn the monitoring program off in a batch file before starting BlitzCopy, and turn it back on when you are finished. You don't have to follow this procedure, but you will cause your drive to become extremely fragmented, and should perform very regular maintenance. II.B.4.b Incompatible Devices and Software The following section lists the typical problems that appear with certain Hard- and Software configurations. If you are having problems, you should check to see if it resembles the problems described here. II.B.4.b.(1) Mouse Drivers Countless users in the past have complained about mouse problems. The graphics are screwed up, the mouse pointer leaves "tracks," doesn't move right, etc. . . . You would almost think that the mouse is to the programmer as certain famous rats were to a certain city in a certain old myth. The general solution is to deactivate the mouse driver and try BlitzCopy without it. If it works, you should try to find a newer mouse driver. Most mice today are Microsoft compatible and function without any problems. The drivers from other larger producers like Logitech also present no difficulties. Many mouse problems come from an inability to work in 640*480 mode that BlitzCopy uses. It is even possible that BlitzCopy causes a "staticy" screen at program start, even if MS Windows does not when using it's own internal VGA drivers. New mouse drivers can be obtained from retailers or from BBS systems and networks like CompuServe. Many manufacturers have a BBS where you can get the latest version of their mouse driver. II.B.4.b.(2) 2.88 MB Disk Drives Yet another problem has been reported with diskette drives with a capacity of 2.88 MB, or so-called ED diskettes. Today, only few systems exist which support these drives at the BIOS level. Even when they do, a special controller is required which achieves a data throughput of 1Mb/s. The standard so far is 500Kb/s, thus, most systems need a controller which has it's own BIOS. Because of this requirement, controller cards meeting the speed requirements are beginning to appear on the market. Unfortunately, these cards are still very unstandardized. We have therefore taken the initiative by selecting the LONGSHINE controller with it's own BIOS. Using this controller we have experienced no problems. Anyway, all this is to say that we know BlitzCopy will work with 2.88 MB diskettes, but there may be certain constellations of equipment that present problems, and it is not possible to test the program with all possible configurations. If you are experiencing these problems, please call us. There is also a problem with 2.88 MB drives. Diskettes formatted with these drives to the standard 1.44 or 720 formats cannot be read reliably by normal drives. We stress that this is a drive problem related to hardware. There is nothing that we can do about it. If you are using a 2.88MB disk drive we recommend that you also have a normal 1.44MB diskette drive attached. You can attach up to four drives on most modern controllers with a BIOS, however, BlitzCopy will only support Unit#0 (drive A:) and Unit#1 (drive B:). II.B.4.b.(3) Microchannel-systems BlitzCopy does not support Systems using the Microchannel-bus architecture devices. If you have purchased our product and cannot use it otherwise, please call us. II.B.4.b.(4) Graphic cards There also is another source of headaches for us in TRIDENT graphic cards. We have had many reports that these controllers cause problems with graphics, but have not been able to reproduce the errors described. We are definitely not ignoring the problem, though. Please contact us if you are experiencing difficulties. In case of doubt, please try the program with another computer or graphic card. II.B.4.b.(5) Other headaches Many problems can be traced back to software drivers. If you are unsure of BlitzCopy's performance, you should start your computer with a diskette and replace your drivers one at a time until you find the culprit. There are also a few problems with MS Windows when running as a full-screen application. Please see the section "Installation under Windows" later in this manual. II.B.4.c Abnormally formatted diskettes Abnormally formatted diskettes are those disks formatted with a special program designed to increase their capacity. Known felons are the programs FDFORMAT and TFORMAT. These disks are no longer DOS compatible. DOS uses special programs to read these diskettes like HDREAD and FDREAD. However, BlitzCopy does not require the use of such programs. Raising the capacity is normally achieved by formatting the diskette with more sectors and/or tracks than is normally allowed by DOS. One 3.5 HD Diskette is formatted by DOS with 80 tracks and 18 sectors, which yield (using two sides and 512 bytes / sector) 80*18*2*512=1474560 bytes=1440KB. Formatting the same diskette with 84 tracks and 21 sectors (assuming your drive and diskette don't revolt) 84*21*2*512=1806336 bytes =1764KB. Generally we do not recommend this trick because the failure rate of diskettes is extremely high. Even when using high quality diskettes you should not put very important information on these things. Please note that in extreme circumstances you may also damage your disk drive. There are no such programs included in BlitzCopy. You may find these programs though at any PD or Shareware retailer. BlitzCopy will read these diskettes and dutifully write to the same, but we have no intention of including this questionable feature in the formatting section of BlitzCopy. While copying, you may still use the Sector Optimization option. However, the process will be slowed a little. BlitzCopy will also refuse to format to a higher sector count even if the data from the source disk will not fit on a normally formatted DOS disk. II.B.5 Configuring your System The following section clarifies the actions to be taken to maximize the speed of your system. It is recommendable to insert a line in your autoexec.bat to set the environment variable TEMP. This variable points to a drive or directory where temporary files can be created and deleted. Temporary files contain data needed only for a limited time, and are deleted as the program no longer needs them. You should use the fastest drive available for such files, with least attention to free data space. Example: SET TEMP=C:\DOS\TEMP This sets the variable TEMP to a subdirectory on the C: drive under DOS. How to create directories and define variables is described in your DOS handbook. BlitzCopy uses a temporary file only when there is not enough XMS memory available. This temporary file is not to be confused with the buffer files that BlitzCopy creates. The temporary file is always deleted as the program exits. If you are using a ramdisk that does not leave very much free XMS, or less XMS than area on the ramdisk, set the TEMP variable to use the ramdisk. TEMP was previously called TMP. If you have defined this variable, BlitzCopy will use it. If you have defined both variables, BlitzCopy prefers to use TEMP over TMP. A further optimization to undertake is to set the DMA buffer for data transfer. This is done by setting a parameter in your config.sys line for the memory manager. You should do this especially if you are using a 2.88 MB drive. This is explained more fully in your handbook for your memory manager. Examples: Device=c:\dos\emm386.exe d=64 Device=c:\qemm\qemm386.sys DMA=64 Further information about memory managers and autoexec.bat and config.sys is contained in your DOS handbook. II.C Installation Procedure II.C.1 The Installation The installation can be accomplished by "hand" or with the help of the Install program. II.C.1.a Installation by "Hand" If you do not want to use the installation program, you may copy the files directly into a directory of your choice using the XCOPY command or File Manager contained in your DOS. The required files are: BLITZCPY.EXE The program itself BLITZCPY.DAT The Graphic files BLITZCPY.LNG The program text BLITZCPY.INI The default settings The rest of the files are optional in the registered version, but required in the shareware version. Warning: Later versions of this program may change filenames slightly. Please do not mix the shareware versions and registered versions in one directory. The program may not function correctly. II.C.1.b The Installation Program The registered version includes an installation program which is further described in the full length handbook. II.C.2 Defective Diskettes It cannot be completely ruled out that the diskette that you receive is defective. It is also possible that your handbook be destroyed or damaged. We are, of course, overjoyed to send you a new diskette or handbook, provided you can at least tell us what your serial number was. You don't even have to send us the old diskette. We don't need it either. We hope to save you a little postage, and at the same time a fax or a call is a lot faster than a letter. II.D Installation under Windows You may only start BlitzCopy under Windows as a DOS application. You should also use a maximized window to improve speed and performance. There are no known problems with using Windows, but there are a few disadvantages. You will definitely notice a speed difference with slow Graphic controllers and the drive may even "stutter." If you absolutely cannot do without Windows, you should set up a PIF file including the following settings: Execution should be set to "exclusive" Provide enough XMS memory Please be sure that: The available DOS and XMS memory is "locked." That is, it should be in normal memory, not on the hard disk as virtual memory. That all of the boxes in the middle are crossed for "Monitor Ports." It is possible that you do not have enough XMS memory available that BlitzCopy needs. On many systems with only 4MB RAM this is often the case. In these cases it is normally better not to use XMS at all, which is done by putting a zero in the XMS box. BlitzCopy will then buffer to the hard disk itself, which is faster than using Windows virtual memory. It is possible that your picture color be slightly distorted after the first diskette is copied. We surmise that the problem is with Windows and/or the graphics card, not with BlitzCopy. Other programs also suffer from this malady. To correct it, you may press the DOS Shell button, type in EXIT, and the color should be corrected. II.E Virus Problems When the copying begins the question arises whether the system can be "infected" by the copying process. The simple answer is 'No'. Viruses are only active when their program code is run or executed. If you have a "clean" system to begin with, there isn't really anything that can happen. You can even copy an "infected" diskette without harm to your own system. The code will only be duplicated, not executed. If you are using a memory resident Virus protection system, you may have to disable a few features that interfere with the copying process. Some of these include bootblock write warnings, diskette write warnings, formatting warnings, or hard disk access warnings. All of the above must be turned off for BlitzCopy to function. Most of these programs attempt to give these warnings in a text mode. Since BlitzCopy runs in VGA mode, sometimes you may only hear a peep and not even know why. EXAMPLE: By VSAFE the third option "General Overwrite Warning" should be turned off in a batch file before BlitzCopy is run, and activated again when finished. @ECHO OFF C:\DOS\VSAFE /3- /7- C:\BLITZCPY\BLITZCPY.EXE C:\DOS\VSAFE /3+ /7+ This batch file turns the options off, and then on as described. Further information is to be found in your DOS Handbook. Virus protection that is installed in the BIOS protecting writes to the boot block of the hard disk should present no problem, as BlitzCopy does not write to the boot block of the hard disk. You should also avoid having more than one memory resident Virus detection program running. In any event, if your Virus program tells you there is a virus on the boot block of the diskette, it is not the fault of BlitzCopy. II.F Troubleshooting If you have read this entire passage and still do not know what to do, please call us on our hotline. The telephone number is on the back of that book. We have a requirement though. Please have your System information (type, manufacturer, BIOS, unusual hardware, autoexec.bat, config.sys, etc.) ready. For problems with graphics we require information on Graphic adapters, chipsets, VGABios versions, mousedrivers, etc. Most of this information is easily obtained using MSD. It is contained in DOS after version 6.0 and in Windows after 3.1. We can also use information gathered by SysInfo or Manifest that are a part of other packages. III Starting the Program III.A Executing the Program The program is started by typing in BLITZCPY and pressing ENTER. If the directory that BlitzCopy is installed in doesn't exist in the PATH environment variable, you must enter an explicit path, or first change to that directory. Ideally, you would write a batch file to do this. We do not recommend that you put BlitzCopy in the PATH variable as it simply extends the file access time for DOS programs. III.B Command Line Parameters As a rule, you should not need any command line parameters. Most of the important settings are included in the .INI files. Some command line parameters are supported however to allow you to use multiple configurations. Here are the recognized commands: /I=[drive:]filename This parameter will load the specified .INI file rather than the one that happens to reside in the default directory. This filename will also appear in the "Defaults" window as the default setting. EXAMPLE: By starting the program with the command line BlitzCpy /I=C:\BLITZCPY\PROFILE\MY.INI the .INI file "MY.INI" would be used instead of whatever was in the default directory. If this parameter is not set, BlitzCopy will search for the file named BLITZCPY.INI in the same directory where it is found itself. You may change settings any time using the "Defaults" button. The file extension of .INI is not a requirement, but we recommend that you keep it as an easy file distinguisher. You must specify an extension though as you enter this parameter. Use of more than one .INI file is logical when using menu shells. It would be useful to have one setup for copying diskettes, another for formatting, creating buffer files, etc. . . . /L=[drive]filename This parameter sets the specified language file. The text contained in the file will then be used to mark the buttons. The same rules and explanations apply as for "/I." Further information on this file can be found later in this manual. /S+ Activate Beep This is designed to override the setting in the .INI file. Any message will now be accompanied by a beep. /S- Deactivate Beep Despite .INI file setting, the speaker will not beep for any reason. /AC AutoCopy Simulates pushing the "Start" button. BlitzCopy simply begins copying. For security reasons, a diskette that is already in the drive will not be read from or written to until it is changed or verified by pressing a key. This function is interesting if you have large quantities of diskettes to produce and are using it in combination with a custom .INI file specifying a buffer file to copy from. The program ends after copying and returns an ERRORLEVEL code that can be tested in a batch file. A list of codes is provided later in this manual. If the .INI file "Multiple Sources" and/or "Multiple Targets" fields are activated the program will continue copying until interrupted or an error condition occurs. You will immediately land back in DOS and an ERROR code will be produced which can be detected in a batch file. /AF AutoFormat This parameter functions exactly like "/AC" except that it starts the Format function rather than the copy function. As with "/AC," the diskette in the drive will be ignored until changed or verified. /+ High Speed Read and Write This parameter overrides the setting in the .INI file for reading and writing the diskette(s). BlitzCopy can then read and write the diskette(s) somewhat faster. The speed gain is about two seconds for a 1.44MB diskette. This is not a very reliable function as it seems to work only for about 15-20% of the computer types we've seen. Some computers just can't handle the speed and end up reading the same tracks twice. You may also get many error messages and a few data errors. Normally you should only use this parameter to test your drive, and then use the .INI setting to make your decision permanent. /0 Normal Speed Read and Write This is also designed for testing your system. It overrides the settings of the .INI file also. See above. /- Reduced Speed Read and Write This will reduce the speed of reading and writing diskette(s) if you think BlitzCopy is too fast for your computer. You may recognize this by the very slow copying compared to other computers, or by data errors on the diskettes. The speed loss is not great. This parameter is also designed only for testing. /? Help This will cause BlitzCopy to display all of the allowable parameters and in the last line the version number. The text of the help is English. IV. General Instructions IV.A Mouse Operation Operation with a mouse is unthinkable simple. Point at what you want and click the left button. No big deal. IV.B Keyboard Operation Buttons, switches and options are three groups between which you may jump clockwise by using the TAB key (or SHIFT-TAB for counterclockwise). The selected group will be highlighted with a frame. Within the group you may make your selections with the arrow keys and the spacebar. The active options will be lighted in green. The switches will show a small check mark. The same applies to the Buttons in the middle of the screen. They may be activated with the ENTER key or spacebar, but in contrast to the other groups, the active button will only be slightly highlighted. Editing of any field is accomplished using the ENTER key to confirm any input, BACKSPACE to erase the last character, DEL to erase the character in front of the cursor, and HOME/END to move to the front/end of a line. Entering one of these fields does not cause a frame to appear as a highlight. Only the cursor will appear. The buttons on a message can be navigated also with the cursor keys and activated with the spacebar or ENTER key. The program can be ended at any time by pressing the ESC key twice. A message asking you to confirm this action will appear only during the copy process. F1 activates a small window with some important information (REGISTER ! REGISTER ! REGISTER !). V. The Main Menu You can recognize the switches in the upper middle of the main menu. A switch that is set is marked with a green check, one that is not contains a black minus. Underneath that you can see a list of buttons. On the left and the right, there are groups of options in which the active option is highlighted in green. The inactive options are grayed out. V.A The Buttons Buttons are switches that immediately provoke actions, and are therefore very similar to commands. The current button will be highlighted in grey. V.A.1 "Start" Starts the copying process using the parameters you have selected. Remember to protect the rights of others! V.A.2 "End" Ends the program. You may also end the program any time by pressing ESC twice. V.A.3 "Format" This begins the formatting process. This function is further explained in it's own chapter. V.A.4 "Directory" With this button you enter the directory subprogram with which you may view directories and much more. This function has also been dedicated a chapter of it's own. V.A.5 "DOS Shell" You have the opportunity to exit BlitzCopy and go back to DOS without losing your selections. A part of BlitzCopy remains in memory and restores everything when you are finished with your DOS session. Typing EXIT will return you to the program. Our thanks to Ralf Brown for his routine SPAWNO, which we used to keep memory requirements as small as possible. V.A.6 "Defaults" The selection of this button allows you to set the files from which all default settings are loaded. It has also been dedicated it's own chapter later in this manual. V.A.7 "Info" Shows the serial and version number information, along with the credits. V.B. The Options Only one selection may be active within any group of options. This activated option will be filled with green, while the other nonselected options remain dark. The selection of some options can be mutually exclusive to other selections. This means that certain options cannot be selected at certain times. These nonselectable options are marked light grey. V.B.1 Choice of Source Type In choosing your source drive, you are offered two selections: "DOS-Automatic" and "CP-Backup." DOS-Automatic is used for all diskettes that can and will be read by DOS. This is usually the default setting. The type of diskette will be automatically recognized, even abnormally formatted disks with strange sector and track numbers. It makes no difference what capacity the disk physically has, as long as the drive will read it. When writing to or reading from a diskette, a few pertinent facts are shown on screen above and below the pictured disk drive. Above the picture is the name of the diskette. If it is a buffer file, the name of the buffer file will appear below it in parentheses. Below the picture is the serial number (if any) of the diskette, and the number of sectors and tracks to be read. With the option CP-Backup you may copy diskettes created with Central Point Software's "CP-Backup." This software is delivered as a package with many kinds of tape drives, but can also be individually bought. There is a version of this program for DOS and for Windows. Both use the same format for the diskettes. The CPS format cannot normally be read by conventional copying programs, or is at least very slow. This becomes noticeable very quickly. Often it would be nice to create a quick copy of a set of CPS diskettes, but the work of recreating the entire backup hinders the effort. Especially with large hard drives and complicated directory structures, it can take hours to rummage around and find those few files you would like to secure. With the CP-Backup option you may now copy these disks as easily as any other DOS diskettes. Warning! Be sure that this function is only used if the diskette is certainly a CPS formatted diskette. CPS can also format and use normal DOS diskettes, which must also further be used as such. The settings for the CPS formats are adjusted from within PC- Backup at menu point OPTIONS:DISKFORMAT. BlitzCopy was tested with diskettes created by the DOS version of CP-Backup versions 7.1,8.0,8.0a, 9.0, and CP-Backup for Windows 2.5. It is not known whether diskettes created with other versions of the software can be manipulated, but it is very possible. V.B.2 Choice of Source Drive You can select which drive should serve as the source of information for BlitzCopy. Since the program only supports two diskette drives, you may choose between A: and B:. If you do not have a drive B:, it will be grayed out and nonselectable. With a choice of "buffer file" you inform BlitzCopy that you wish to use a file created on the hard disk. The editing functions for this field are found in the section "operation with the Keyboard" earlier in this manual. A buffer file is the complete contents of a diskette compacted into a single file and stored on mass media. This makes a convenient way to store diskettes on a hard disk or tape streamer. A streamer is naturally a lot easier way to store information than a stack of floppies. The buffer file contains all of the files that are read during its creation. It represents an exact duplicate of the diskette, and is treated as such. You could even copy a 720Kb buffer file onto a 1.44Mb buffer file and thereby convert it to 1.44 Mb. (Which wouldn't make much sense, but it is possible.) While writing to or reading from a buffer file, the name of the diskette will be displayed along with the name of the buffer file. The buffer file is compressed. The compression method used is RLE, which does not allow maximal compression, but it is fast and causes minimal confusion while writing to the hard disk. The buffer files are in any case smaller than the actual diskette files. A further advantage is that there is still something to be gained from using hard disk "doublers". It is actually possible, when a file is already optimally compressed, that it requires more space to be stored on a compressed disk than an uncompressed disk. This effect is avoided by allowing for further compression. To select a buffer file as the source, you must enter the complete name and path. How to do this without having to type it in yourself is in the section entitled "Buttons" in the "Directory" Function. The buffer files of the previous versions are fully upward compatible to the buffer files of this version (2.0). Older versions of the program cannot read the buffer files from this version. If there is a change in the format of the buffer files, there will also be a utility program to convert them easily into the new format. Archive away! By selecting the text input field directly with the mouse, the option buffer file will automatically be highlighted. The default buffer file name can be set in the .INI file. See "Structure of the .INI File" in the Appendices. You must also enter a number and a wildcard character when copying multiple sources to allow the program to find the files. How to create multiple buffer files is described in "Multiple Sources." V.B.3 Choice of Target Type As long as Format adjustment is not turned on, the target diskette must have the same format as the source diskette. All other options will be unavailable. When the format adjustment is activated, you may select which format you wish to use. If you have selected CP-Backup, the only allowable choice is "from source." Be sure that the capacity of the target diskette is enough to hold the data from the source diskette. If the data does not fit, BlitzCopy will print an error message "Format adjustment is not possible." A list of other error messages is found in "Errors during Copying" later in the manual. 2.88Mb can only be selected if BlitzCopy detects that such a drive is present and functional. Please note also the problems listed in "2.88 Mb Drives." If you insert a target diskette that is not formatted to the proper capacity, BlitzCopy will proceed to format it. Should you wish, for example, to copy a 720Kb diskette onto a 1.44Mb formatted diskette, and set the capacity erroneously to 1.2Mb, the diskette will be formatted to 1.2Mb capacity. By correctly setting it to 1.4Mb, the diskette will not be reformatted. (The switch "Format Always" will override this and do exactly what it says -- Format the diskette anyway.) The physical capacity of the diskette will not be checked. That means that BlitzCopy will attempt to format a 360Kb diskette to 1.44Mb if you tell it to. It is very unlikely that it will succeed, though. You may use this function though to make a 1:1 copy of a 1.4Mb diskette onto a 1.2Mb diskette. There do not seem to be any other logical applications for this feature outside copying a 720Kb 3.5" diskette onto an exotic and seldom-seen 5.25" QD (Quad density) diskette. Anything else, such as formatting a 3.5" DD diskette to 1.2Mb, is not recommendable if you value your data. This option is available generally for people who wish to install a program from drive A: which is a 5.25" drive, but the diskettes were delivered in 3.5" format. Before you do this though, it is advisable to read the section on abnormally formatted diskettes, and certainly only high quality diskettes should be used. Abnormally formatted source diskettes will cause the target diskette to be formatted exactly as the source if the format adjustment switch is not turned on. Please note that the target diskette must withstand such a format. Otherwise, the whole thing will be broken off with an error message. If an error occurs during copying that cannot be solved by simply formatting the diskette, an error will occur and the process will be canceled. By today's low diskette prices there is really no excuse for using diskettes marked with bad sectors. BlitzCopy will simply give an error message and stop the process without marking the sectors as bad or bothering to finish the formatting. In summary: The capacity of the source diskette must be smaller or equal to the target diskette unless format adjustment is allowed, in which case there must be at least enough room on the target for the "Net" contents of the source. With "Adjust Format" turned off, the target will be formatted to whatever the source is. When "Adjust Format" is on, the target will be formatted to whatever you tell it to. If for any reason the target diskette cannot hold all of the information, an error occurs. Further information on Format Adjustment can be found in a later chapter. V.B.4 Choice of Target Drive Here you can choose the desired drive or buffer file to be copied into. The instructions outlined for the source drive apply here also. If the file or directory does not exist, you will be asked if you want to create it. V.C Switches Switches are either on (=green check) or off (=black minus). They set up the way in which certain functions are to be carried out. Some settings for these switches are mutually exclusive, and others are meaningless to some functions. For example, it is irrelevant how "Adjust Format" is set when copying CP-Backup diskettes. V.C.1 Multiple Sources With this switch you inform the program that you wish to copy several diskettes or buffer files at once. It is logical that when you have multiple sources, that you must also have multiple targets, so the "Multiple Target" switch will then turn itself on. BlitzCopy can now copy to either multiple diskettes, or to a set of buffer files that you specify. The diskettes are simply shoved into the drive in the proper order, but for buffer files you must explicitly state the filenames. Since the program now expects to create multiple buffer files, you must enter a valid buffer file name that can be incremented. These files will also end up in the same directory. BlitzCopy uses its own set of wildcard characters, one of which is designed to represent a counter incremented as new files are needed. It happens to be the same as the DOS wildcard "?". A number will replace the wildcard, and continue to increment until all of the files have been created. The counter normally starts at "1". The buffer file name of "DISK????.BUF" will create a file called DISK0001.BUF, and then DISK0002.BUF, etc. You may also enter a slash "/" at the end of the line and a number. BlitzCopy will then start at that number instead of 1 and begin incrementing. Thus, "DISK????.BUF/36" will create a file DISK0036.BUF and then DISK0037.BUF etc. BlitzCopy will now continue to copy until you run out of diskettes and/or cancel the process, or until an error occurs. V.C.2 Multiple Targets When you turn on this switch by itself, we assume you are trying to make several copies of a single diskette or buffer file. When you press the switch for multiple sources, we assume you want to make a single copy of several diskettes or buffer files. Enter the source information as a buffer file or from a diskette, which diskette drive you will be copying to. Start the copying process. The source will only be read once, and then BlitzCopy will begin to duplicate it ferociously until you cancel the operation or run out of disks. V.C.3 Copy Data Only Most diskettes are not used to their full capacity. Sometimes it is possible to save much time by reading only the sectors and tracks that contain data. The result is smaller buffer files, which also require less XMS memory -- a fact not to be understated. You should turn this switch off while making backup copies of original diskettes, as certain sectors may be intentionally "hidden" or some type of simple copy protection may be in effect. Please note though, that BlitzCopy is not meant to be a copy protection removal program or designed to copy copyprotected programs. For such needs we recommend COPYIIPC from Central Point Software. Any information that the target diskette may contain will not be overwritten as long as there is enough room for the new data. Diskettes that once contained confidential material should be formatted completely for security reasons. Simply overwriting the data is sometimes not secure enough. If a bad sector is encountered during copying, it will be formatted individually. If a second bad sector is found, the entire disk will be reformatted. V.C.4 Diskette Change This feature takes the drudgery out of pressing a key every time you change diskettes. These diskette changes will simply be automatically recognized and acted upon. Disk drives emit a signal when the diskette is changed. This signal is only emitted when the light is on and the disk is still turning. BlitzCopy is therefore one of the few programs in which you may safely remove the diskette (when prompted) while the lamp is still lit. Warning! Do not "rip" the diskette out of the drive. Simply push the eject button and pull it out normally as always, even if you are in a rush. Your computer will thank you for being careful. If for any reason you have not changed the diskette within five minutes, the drive will turn itself off. This is to prevent a drive from burning itself out. However, the next diskette change must be affirmed by pressing the OK button. If your drive does not support this feature, you may simply klick on OK with the mouse or press ENTER. The program will continue to function normally when manually operated. V.C.5 Adjust Format Normally BlitzCopy Professional formats the target diskette to the exact dimensions as the source diskette, creating a 1:1 copy. Since 1:1 copies are not always necessary these days, we offer you the possibility to format the diskette to whatever capacity you wish. The only requirement is that the target diskette has enough free space to hold all of the data from the source diskette. You may even copy to a diskette that is formatted to a lower capacity, provided the free data space is still sufficient for the information being copied. Since formatting the diskette to a different capacity means that you will no longer create a 1:1 copy, the switch "Copy Data Only" will also be activated, to save time and space. When the "Copy Data Only" switch is turned off, the "Adjust Format" switch will also turn itself off. Otherwise nothing changes much. Choose your source and target drives and/or files, the format of the target disk, and start the copying. When the free space of the target diskette no longer suffices, an error message will be displayed. You may also use "Adjust Format" for buffer files. This is useful for buffer file format conversion. EXAMPLE: a 3.5" 1.44MB Diskette with 300KB of data can be copied onto a 5.25" 360KB diskette. Also a full 360KB Diskette can be copied onto a 3.5" 1.44MB diskette leaving about 1.1MB free. You may fill the rest of the disk with whatever you wish. You may want to use one of the configurable buttons in the directory function to call your favorite file manager. The biggest advantage of format adjustments is the simultaneous defragmentation of the files. You may defragment a diskette with this by simply copying it onto itself with this feature turned on. You can do this with an unlimited number of diskettes by turning on the multiple target and multiple source switches also. And if you really have some time to kill, you can turn on the "Format Always" switch and reformat all of your diskettes to freshen them. All of the above is also true for buffer files. You can convert your diskettes from 3.5" to 5.25" and back again if you want to. Used in connection with a wildcard character, you can copy and convert an entire set of original program diskettes and defragment them. CPS diskettes cannot be changed in format for technical reasons. When the "CP-Backup" option is selected, the "Adjust Format" switch will turn off. V.C.6 Buffer File Comment You can use this switch to add a comment to the buffer files that you create. This allows for very easy identification later. When this switch is turned on, a window will appear after the copying process displaying the file data. This includes the buffer file name, the diskette label, and the format type of the bufferfile. There are also two text fields to be seen. In one box you can see the buffer file name again, and in the other a short description. These two boxes are editable. If you change the name of the buffer file, it will be saved under that name. The comment can range up to 80 characters. The entries may be saved by pressing "save". Pressing ESC or "Cancel" will save the file, but without a comment. You can set up a standardized comment in the .INI file. There are a few variables available to automate this process. %I Copy Number BlitzCopy inserts the current buffer file number into this variable in the comment. EXAMPLE: The comment for a series of buffer files named DISK????.BUF, sharing the comment template "Diskette %i," would have the comment "Diskette 1," "Diskette 2," etc. %n Diskette Name The label of the source diskette will be inserted into the comment at this point. EXAMPLE: A diskette with the label "SHAREWARE" would imprint this name on any buffer file comments. "Diskette %n" would then produce "Diskette SHAREWARE." %t Todays Date and Time The time and date will be inserted into the comment with this variable. EXAMPLE: A diskette inserted and read on 09.20.1994 at 18:50 will produce a comment "Diskette from 09.20.1994 18:50" when using the format "Diskette from %t." All parameters can also be combined. The most useful combination is probably "Diskette %n, Nr. %i, Read on %t." Using the examples above, the comment would then look like "Diskette SHAREWARE, Nr. 1, Read on 09.20.1994 18:50." The comments can then be viewed and edited while in the directory function. More information on this subject is covered in the section "Buffer File Editing." V.C.7 Run Program This switch can be activated to run a program after each disk is successfully copied. This could be any one of five programs that are available in the Directory function. In the BLITZCPY.INI these five buttons are represented between 55 and 59. The entry number 111 indicates which of the five programs is to be run. It sounds complicated, but it's not. EXAMPLE: You have entered the text "C:\UTILS\SCAN\SCAN.EXE" for number 55 in the BlitzCpy.INI. For number 111 you have entered "55." Now each time a diskette is successfully copied, the program "Scan" will be run from the directory "C:\UTILS\SCAN." You may also use these sysmbols or wildcards as command line parameters. %d : Target Drive %f : Target Drive, Current Directory, Target Buffer File %w : Wait for Keypress %e : Error code EXAMPLE: You wish to run the program "PROTECT.EXE" in the directory "\TOOLS" on drive C:. In the BlitzCpy.INI the line would then look like this: "55=C:\TOOLS\PROTECT.EXE %d." You may also freely configure the buttons while BlitzCopy is running. You do not have to restart the program for the changes to take effect. More information can be found in the section "Structure of an INI File." One possible application of this feature, besides scanning for viruses, is serial number generators for diskettes. Since the program can also run batch files as a part of this feature, the possibilities are endless, including a DOS run diskette copying station. V.C.8 Overwrite Warning This function protects you from overwriting your valuable data accidentally. It checks the diskettes root directory for entries -- whether marked as deleted or not -- and produces an error message should any be found. This means you will also be warned even if the files have been deleted with "DEL." Once the disk has been formatted, even with a quick format, this message will no longer appear. V.C.9 Format Always This will cause BlitzCopy to format the target diskette regardless of its present status. You can then feel secure that the diskette is error free. You may also be certain that all data previously on the disk is permanently destroyed. If the switch "Copy Data only" is active, only the sectors that actually contain data are copied. Any sectors on the source diskette that did not contain data will not be copied to the target. For data security reasons, you may want to completely format the target diskette before copying. When copying to brand new unformatted diskettes, you should turn this on anyway. Otherwise BlitzCopy will waste time trying to write to the diskette before realizing that it should be formatted first. V.C.10 Sector Optimization Sector optimization writes the sectors optimally onto the tracks of the diskette, so that DOS can read them quickly. This optimization is completely transparent to DOS. The speed gain realized (especially in large files) is about 30-40%. This speed gain is, of course, only perceptible when the files are large enough to cover several tracks. If this switch is set, the diskettes will be reformatted as required. You only need to do this once for each diskette. Afterwards, the diskette will remain so until formatted with the DOS FORMAT command using the /U switch. Since the sector optimization is a part of the formatting process, the diskette will only be optimized if it is completely formatted. It is not necessary to format all of your diskettes to take advantage of this optimization. BlitzCopy can read a normal DOS diskette just as fast as an optimized diskette. Sometimes it is not logical to optimize the diskettes. For example, a set of installation diskettes is normally only read once, and then stored away as a backup indefinitely. There are no known problems with sector optimization. Under certain circumstances, a diskette formatted with optimization by a different program than BlitzCopy can take a little longer to read. Diskettes using the CP-Backup format cannot be optimized at all for technical reasons. V.C.11 Verify Data Sometimes you may wish to be absolutely certain that the target diskette was properly copied. To insure this, each and every sector will be read a second time to detect errors. "Weak" sectors can be detected very easily this way. The disadvantage is a great speed loss due to the doubled reading of the diskette. BlitzCopy is very security conscious with your data. However, when you are using cheap diskettes, or are formatting for the first time, it is recommendable to check for diskette errors. In most other cases you can ignore this option and copy worry-free. VI. The Format Function Caution! Formatting a diskette with BlitzCopy is an irreversible action. The method used by BlitzCopy to format diskettes is not comparable to the /Q "quick" method used by DOS FORMAT. The FAT tables from the old diskette will be overwritten, and a new root directory will be created. Think real hard whether or not you need that diskette before you begin to format it. We recommend that you use the "Directory" function to view the contents of the diskette before you destroy it. VI.A Options As with all other instances within BlitzCopy, a option button is simply selected with the mouse or by using the keyboard TAB key and the spacebar. VI.A.1 Choice of Format Type On the left side of the screen you may select which type of format you wish to perform. You may create either a regular DOS diskette, or a special diskette designed for use by the program CP-Backup from Central Point Software. Warning! Check to make sure that you have configured CP-Backup correctly to work with these disks. CP-Backup also has the ability to use regular DOS diskettes, and will reformat them if necessary. The selection of CPS Format implies that you are fully formatting the diskette. VI.A.2 Choice of Formatting Methods There are four options here to select from. "Safe" BlitzCopy reads each and every sector on the diskette. If an error is encountered, the diskette will be completely formatted from that point destroying all information stored on the diskette. If no error occurs, only the bootblock will be recreated, and the other information can be retrieved with special data recovery programs if needed. Sector optimization will also be performed if necessary. "Quick" The fastest method to format a diskette is simply to overwrite the directory information and FAT. Use this method only once you have formatted the diskette previously with "DOS," and are certain that there are no errors on the surface of the disk. "Full" The diskette will be treated in this case as if it were never formatted. All sectors and tracks will be newly formatted, and all previous information deleted. This method is also the safest way to find out if there is an error on the surface of the diskette. This process will also create a custom bootblock. A bootblock is designed to "kick-start" the operating system. Whatever is written at the beginning of the disk will be read first by the computer. This will in turn load DOS, UNIX, or whatever you may be running. If there is nothing legible in the bootblock, the system will report "non-system disk or drive error." We have relieved this problem by inserting a small program into the bootblock which transfers control to the first hard disk (usually C:.) You will then receive an error message only when there is no hard disk present. The net result is that when you forget to remove the diskette and press reset, you will not even notice that the diskette is in the drive. If your computer has some abnormal type of booting system, simply remove the diskette and boot however you wish. A diskette used to boot the computer can be created with the DOS command SYS. Please refer to your DOS handbook. "Label" This does not actually format the diskette at all. It simply writes the name you entered onto the diskette, and when appropriate, the serial number. You may do this with any type of diskette. VI.A.3 Choice of Capacity On the right side of the screen you can set the desired capacity of the target drive. You are allowed to make any setting that the diskette can physically handle. If the diskette cannot be formatted to that capacity, you will receive an error message and the process will be canceled. You will only be allowed to select 2.88 MB if BlitzCopy has discovered such a drive and controller in your system. CPS-Backup diskettes can only be formatted to the normal DOS standards of 360Kb, 720Kb, 1.2Mb, and 1.4Mb. Any other settings are not possible. VI.A.4 Choice of Drives Here you may choose in which drive the formatting will occur. VI.B Switches Please notice that the labels of the buttons here are very similar to the labels of the switches on the main menu. The settings however, are independent of one another. This is also to be seen in the BLITZCPY.INI where the settings for the Format Function are separated into an independent group. To make this difference clear, the switches have also been optically separated from one another slightly more than the main menu. VI.B.1 Multiple Formats This switch will set BlitzCopy so that the format process will continue until manually interrupted. You can use this to format many disks of the same type to the same capacity. VI.B.2 Diskette Change This switch activates the ability to BlitzCopy to recognize when the diskette has been changed without having to press a button or key. After five minutes of inactivity this switch will turn itself off to prevent damage to your hard disk. VI.B.3 Start Program You may start any program you wish once BlitzCopy has finished formatting the diskette. This may be useful for serial numbering your diskettes, or any number of other tasks. Exactly which program will be started is set in the BLITZCPY.INI file. In the BLITZCPY.INI these five buttons are represented between 55 and 59. The entry number 111 indicates which of the five programs is to be run. It sounds complicated, but it's not. EXAMPLE: You have entered the text "C:\UTILS\SCAN\SCAN.EXE" for number 55 in the BLITZCPY.INI. For number 111 you have entered "55." Now each time a diskette is successfully formatted, the program "Scan" will be run from the directory "C:\UTILS\SCAN." You may also use these symbols or wildcards as command line parameters. %d : Target Drive %f : Target Drive, Directory, Buffer File %w : Wait for Keypress %e : Error code EXAMPLE: You wish to run the program "PROTECT.EXE" in the directory "\TOOLS" on drive C:. In the BLITZCPY.INI the line would then look like this: "55=C:\TOOLS\PROTECT.EXE %d." You may also freely configure the buttons while BlitzCopy is running. You do not have to restart the program for the changes to take effect. More information can be found in the section "Structure of an INI File." One possible application of this feature, besides scanning for viruses, is serial number generators for diskettes. Since the program can also run batch files as a part of this feature, the possibilities are endless, including a DOS run diskette formatting station. VI.B.4 Overwrite Warning This function protects you from overwriting your valuable data accidentally. It checks the diskettes root directory for entries -- whether marked as deleted or not -- and produces an error message should any be found. This means you will also be warned even if the files have been deleted with "DEL." Once the disk has been formatted, even with a quick format, this message will no longer appear. VI.B.5 Sector Optimization Sector optimization writes the sectors optimally onto the tracks of the diskette, so that DOS can read them quickly. This optimization is completely transparent to DOS. The speed gain realized (especially in large files) is about 30-40%. This speed gain is of course only perceptible when the files are large enough to cover several tracks. If this switch is set, the diskettes will be reformatted as required. You only need to do this once for each diskette. Afterwards, the diskette will remain so until formatted with the DOS FORMAT command using the /U switch. Since the sector optimization is a part of the formatting process, the diskette will only be optimized if it is completely formatted. It is not neccessary to format all of your diskettes to take advantage of this optimization. BlitzCopy can read a normal DOS diskette just as fast as an optimized diskette. Sometimes it is not logical to optimize the diskettes. For example, a set of installation diskettes is normally only read once, and then stored away as a backup indefinitely. There are no known problems with sector optimization. Under certain circumstances, a diskette formatted with optimization by a different program than BlitzCopy can take a little longer to read. Diskettes using the CP-Backup format cannot be optimized at all for technical reasons. VI.B.6 Verify Format Sometimes you may wish to be absolutely certain that the target diskette was properly formatted. To insure this, each and every sector will be read a second time to detect errors. "Weak" sectors can be detected very easily this way. The disadvantage is a great speed loss due to the doubled reading of the diskette. BlitzCopy is very security conscious with your data. However, when you are using cheap diskettes, or are formatting for the first time, it is recommendable to check for diskette errors. In most other cases you can ignore this option and copy worry-free. VI.B.7 Modify Serial Number You may insert any number into this function as a starting value that you wish. It will be incremented by one for every diskette that is formatted if you enter a slash "/" at the end of the line. The serial number will then be written to the diskette. This is a handy function when you wish to create installation diskettes. You could even write a program that checks the diskette for a certain serial number, and refuse to install if it is not present. This form of copy protection is very simple, but for inexperienced users very effective. VI.B.8 Automatic Serial Number This switch causes the program to revert to the old Microsoft algorithm for generating serial numbers. This method will be used whether you format only one diskette or several. It is not possible to increment the counter or serial number. For this to take effect, the switch "Modify Serial Nr." must also be active. VI.C Text Input VI.C.1 Diskette Name These fields are modified in the same way as the fields listed in the main menu for path/filenames and buffer files. The name that you input here will be written to the diskette as the label. You may also use wildcards here, just like in the main menu. The diskette name of "EMPTY???" will create a disk called EMPTY001, and then EMPTY002, etc. You may also enter a slash "/" at the end of the line and a number. BlitzCopy will then start at that number instead of 1 and begin incrementing. Thus, "EMPTY???./36" will create a disk "EMPTY036" and continue from there. VI.C.2 Serial Number When you enter an number here and enable the serial number modification, BlitzCopy will use your numbering rather than the normal algorithm. You may also put a slash at the end of the line "/,". This will increment the counter by one for every diskette. Please note that the number is hexadecimal. If you wish to start with a decimal number, you must convert it to hexadecimal before it is entered. VII. The Directory Function By selecting the button "Directory" you will enter a completely different menu. There you will see a display window in the middle, installed drives on the left, and a few buttons and options on the right. In the upper middle is a text input field. On the bottom are a few user definable buttons. Attached to the display window on the right is a scroll bar. Attention! The directory function of BlitzCopy is not a hidden "File Manager." It is not intended to be used for such purposes, nor is it adequate to those tasks. VII.A Drives On the left side of the display you can see a list of drives that are installed on the computer. The little pictures next to them show what type of drive is installed. There are cases where the picture is not quite right for your drive, but that does not affect the function of the program. Choose the directory that you wish to have displayed with the mouse or the keyboard. That directory will be immediately read. If you wish to re-read the diskette, you can click on the drive with the mouse or select the drive with the spacebar or RETURN keys. If there is no diskette in the drive, it will rattle a little and a symbol will appear. Otherwise nothing happens. If you are using the program with only a keyboard, you will be forced to look at the contents of the diskette B: when switching from A: to C: or C: to A:. Since almost all of our users are in possession of a mouse, we have opted not to program around this inconvenience. VII.B Display Window The display window shows the names of the files, extensions, file sizes and attributes, dates, and times. When you click on the window with a mouse a yellow bar will appear indicating which file is selected. This bar can also be moved with the arrow keys. Set the bar on the directory you wish to view and press ENTER or click with the mouse twice. To back up one directory, you can double-click on the two dots "..". In very long directories you can scroll up and down with the pageup and pagedown keys. The display window has a bar on the right called a scroll bar. It is also used to move up and down in long directories. Click on the upper arrow with the mouse to move up, and on the lower arrow to move down. You can also click on the bar in the middle with the mouse, hold the mouse button down, and push and pull the bar in the direction you wish to display. If you put the bar onto an executable file with the ending .EXE .COM. BAT and then press RETURN, a window will appear in which you can configure the bottom buttons to execute that file. If you select a buffer file and press ENTER, you will be able to change the comment and the filename. VII.C Filters You may also define which files are to be displayed at all. In the middle of the screen is a text field in which to make that entry. For example, an entry of "*.BUF" would display only buffer files. You may define multiple filters by separating them with a comma. "*.BUF,*.TMP,*.DSK". You may also change this value in the BLITZCPY.INI to make it permanent. It would be logical for example to include only .EXE, .COM, .BAT, and .BUF files, since they are the only ones you can configure anyway. However, since not all buffer files are forced to end with ".BUF," we have left you the option of filtering as you wish. VII.D Sorting The listed files can be sorted by various criteria. The possible methods are alphabetical by file name, or extension, numeric by time, date, size in bytes, or no sorting at all. Click on the option you wish on the right hand side of the display window. This option may also be set in the BLITZCPY.INI file. VII.E Buffer File Editing It is possible to attach a comment to the bufferfiles to help you describe it despite the eight character limitation imposed by DOS. To view or change this buffer comment, set the yellow bar on the file and press ENTER or klick twice with the mouse. A window will appear with two entry fields in which you may make entries pertaining to the diskette in the buffer file. You may change the name of the file, or edit the comment in these fields. You may switch between fields with the TAB key, and finish your editing by pressing ENTER. In the comment field you can only see 35 characters at a time. The complete comment however, can actually reach 80 characters. Using the arrow keys, the rest of the comment can be seen. The two buttons are self-explanatory. By pressing "Save," the edited fields will be written to disk. "Cancel" aborts the editing and returns you to the Directory menu. VII.F Buttons In the Directory function there are two types of buttons. The first set is located on the right and it's functions are determined by BlitzCopy. The second set is on the bottom, and their functionality can be determined by you. VII.F.1 Delete You may erase the file from the disk that is currently marked by pressing this button. After asking a second time for security reasons, the file will be deleted. You cannot delete multiple files at once, nor can you delete entire directories. This button is only there to delete buffer files that are unused or were created in error. VII.F.2 Source With this button you can determine which bufferfile will be used as a source for copying. It is also possible to select a directory. The filename must then be typed in by hand at the Main menu. This method is interesting for people who use wildcards or counters when creating buffer files. VII.F.3 Target For the most part, this button functions exactly like the source button, but it sets the file as a target. VII.F.4 Exit This button will return you to the main menu. The settings that you have made are retained until you leave the program or reset them. You could also press the ESC key, which has the same effect as this button. Be careful not to press it twice, or you will find yourself back in DOS. VII.F.5 Configurable Buttons These buttons can be configured to run any DOS program. You can also use the wildcard characters recognized by BlitzCopy. Possible applications for this function include running a compression program, a virus scanner, or updating a tape streamer. You can set BlitzCopy to run any one of these five programs after copying or formatting a disk. Which program will be run is indicated in the .INI file by a "pointer." If you choose to run one of these programs after copying, and one after formatting, you would then still have three configurable buttons left to do with as you please. VII.F.6 Configuring the Buttons Before you can run the programs, you must configure the buttons. Set the yellow bar on the file you wish to run, and press ENTER. A small window will appear to allow you to configure your program. In the prepared field you can also manually enter the name and path of the external file which will be run. Since you have just pressed ENTER on an executable file, that filename will be displayed. At the end of this line you may enter some of the wildcards that BlitzCopy recognizes. %d Target Drive The program will be informed of the drive letter of the target drive. When the button is pressed within the Directory function, the drive letter of the displayed directory will be imparted to your program. %p Target Drive and Path This will inform your program not only of the drive that was written to, but also the path. It cannot be used in conjunction with a program that is called after copying or formatting a diskette. %f Target Drive, Path and Filename This wildcard will be replaced with the explicit drive:path\filename of the target. %w Wait This tells BlitzCopy that you would like to wait for a keypress after the program has finished executing. In contrast to the DOS command PAUSE, no text will be displayed. You can then enter an up to eight character label for the button, and then which button it should appear on. You will then see the message "Buttons have been saved." The text of the button will then change to reflect what you have entered. You can abort this operation by pressing ESC or "Cancel." The changes you have made are not permanent until you use the "Defaults" Function to save them to disk. The program names are stored in the BLITZCPY.INI file, and the texts of the buttons are stored in the BLITZCPY.LNG file. Both files can be edited with any text editor. VII.G Other Information The directory function displays more information than just the file names of the current directory. In the upper middle you will also see the label of the current drive, under that the capacity of the drive, and the free space on the drive. All information is given in Kilobytes. Please notice that one kilobyte is actually 1024 bytes. That means that a drive which has 75,395,072 bytes free will display 73628 free kilobytes. Some manufacturers simply multiply by 1000. A hard disk could then well have 200,000,000 bytes, but still not 200 Megabytes. A number will also be displayed indicating how many files are currently seen in the display window. This number is also affected by the filter, and counts only those files displayed, including subdirectories. In the upper left corner there is a serial number displayed when available. under the text input fields for the filter you can see the path that is currently displayed. VIII. The Defaults Function If you klick on this button with the mouse, or move to it with TAB and select it with the ENTER key, a small window will appear in which you can enter two filenames. There are also three buttons. Load Load the settings saved in the displayed files. This button will load the settings you have saved previously in the displayed files. If the files are successfully loaded, the screen will flicker black. Then you will see the main menu, and your settings are loaded. Save Save the present settings into the displayed files. All of the switch settings, configurable buttons, and other configurations will be saved into the displayed files. Any old values that were present in the files will be overwritten. For safety's sake you should make a copy of the original files before changing them. There are a few settings that must be done by hand. For example the speaker beep must be turned on and off by editing the BLITZCPY.INI file directly with a text editor. Since these settings rarely change, there is no way to set them from within the program. Cancel Abort the current operation This aborts the operation, and returns you to the main menu without changing any of the current settings. IX. Closing Notes This version of BlitzCopy is the registered version of a shareware program. You have paid for your software and helped to support the shareware concept. We ask you to further help us by encouraging people you know to register their software when they use it regularly. That helps us to produce better programs of this kind. We encourage you to copy this program privately for your friends. The shareware concept can only be furthered by you. And we implore you to contact us if you have an idea or have found an error in our software. We need your feedback to improve our product. Only then will it become exactly what you want it to be. X. The Authors BlitzCopy was produced by: Oliver Siebenhaar Programmer Udo Steger Graphics, Documentation Katja Model for Animations Kirk Roybal Translation, Marketing We also wish to thank the following beta testers and users for their active support in error correction, ideas, and new options: Johann Eilers Cologne Kai Fabian Dettum Rdiger Franke Xanten Klaus Hopp Solingen J.M. Kaltenrieder Savigny,Switzerland Klaus Koch Hamburg Heiko Rhlemann Hamburg Thorsten Wolf Frankfurt / Main Klaus de Zwaan St. Christophen, Switzerland List in alphabetical order. A. Hotline Do you have any ideas, gripes, criticisms? Please send them to: KLR PC Service Kirk L. Roybal Mozartstr. 1 97232 Essfeld Germany CIS: 100022,1400 Internet: @100022.1400@compuserve.com Or call our distribution site in NY. PIK A Program Bill Shor 13 Saint Mark's Place 10003 NY NY 212-598-4939 Tel. 212-228-5879 Fax. 1-800-867-3447 Orders only, please.