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SKIP'S COMPUTER MISCELLANEA #2 (C) Copyright 1988 by C. F. "Skip" Mowery, Jr. Colonel, USAF (Ret.) 406 Van Reed Manor Drive Brandon FL 33511 813-689-4212 "Skip's Computer Miscellanea" is copyrighted material and remains the property of the author, who reserves all rights to its publication, reproduction and distribution, with the following single exception: it may be freely copied and distributed electronically via computer for personal non-commercial use, provided that the content is not modified, that it is not copied to or distributed on any form of print media and that it is not copied or distributed by or for any type of business endeavor without the prior written permission of the author. ***** Your comments about this material and questions about any aspect of computing are welcome. This material originates on the Computer Archives BBS in Tampa, Florida, at 813-968-6220. ***** Part 2 of "Getting Organized With a Hard Disk" Hard Disk Organizational Tools and Terms In order to facilitate the organization of your hard disk, you should become familiar with a few tools and terms that will make this relatively easy job even easier. You don't have to be an expert -- all you'll need is the knowledge that these tools exist and a general idea of what they do. Some are equally significant for floppy-based systems and you may already be familiar with them. Here they are: AUTOEXEC.BAT -- This is a file that contains commands that you want the computer to execute every time you boot. I'll be giving you some ideas about what to put in it. PATH -- This is something you will put in the Autoexec.Bat file to tell the system where to look for files. It's just a list of drives and directories in the order that you want the system to search them when looking for a file. I'll tell you exactly how to do it. Whenever in this article I refer to PATH (in upper case), I'm referring to this command. We'll also discuss path (lower case in this article) as one of the elements in a command line: the element that tells the system the route to follow to get to a directory or file name referred to in the command. The distinction between PATH and a path will become clear as you read along. CONFIG.SYS -- As the name implies, this is a file that tells the system how to configure itself for your applications. I'll show you how to create it and what to put in it. Batch Files -- These are text files that you create, with the extension .BAT, that usually include several commands for the system to execute and that save you having to type in certain command combina- tions that you use frequently. I'll give you some specific examples. Directories -- You can read your DOS manual's description of these, but all you really need to know is that directories are like file dividers or category designators. Imagine setting up a paper filing system in one file drawer. You break down your files into general categories, each file divider has the name of a category, and you put all files related to one category behind that file divider. For example, you might have a category called "Correspondence" and another called "Bills". In the same way, your hard disk will have the files stored behind file dividers with category names -- except that we call the dividers/categories by the name "directories". (Depending on how well organized your floppies are, you could also consider a directory as the equivalent of a floppy disk, but without the storage limits of the floppy.) Subdirectory -- Continuing the comparison to a one-drawer filing system, once you have general categories established, you may want to divide some of them into smaller sub-categories, which on a disk we call subdirectories. For example, the "Correspondence" directory may have subdirectories named "Personal" and "Business". The "Business" subdirectory might then have its own subdirectories named according to the companies that the correspondence applies to. Root Directory -- This concept is easier to understand than it is to explain. I have compared directories to the dividers in a filing system. The root directory might be compared to the label on the front of the file drawer, or a list in the front of the drawer, that tells you what categories of files are included in that drawer. (You might even consider the root directory as the drawer itself.) Your DOS manual will compare directories and subdirectories to an inverted tree (hence the term "root"), and many directory-listing utilities will refer to the list as a "Tree". I prefer to think of the root directory as the top box on an organizational chart. At the top is the office of the chief executive; under that are the various divisions of the organization (directories); and under each division there may be subdivisions (subdirectories). If you want to think in terms of floppy disk organization, the root directory might be considered the equiva- lent of your system disk -- the one you boot from and that has other key programs on it. More about this later. MD -- This command (Make Directory) tells the system to create a new directory or subdirectory. [Every formatted disk, floppy or hard, already has a root directory (which is why I said above that you could compare it to the file drawer itself) and does not need to have one created via MD.] CD -- This command (Change Directory) tells the system to devote its attention to a different directory or subdirectory. Current Directory -- We usually refer to being "in" a directory. The current directory is the one you are currently in, the one the system is currently devoting its attention to. If you are in one directory and want to be in a different one, you use CD (see above) to move from one to the other. Default Directory -- The current directory is also referred to as the default directory, i.e. the one you're in. For example, if you enter a command to run a program and don't specify where the program file is, the system will look for it in the current directory (i.e. the program location will "default" to the current directory). RD -- This command (Remove Directory) tells the system to delete a directory or subdirectory. You can't delete a directory or subdirectory unless it's empty, i.e. has no files in it. RENDIR.COM -- This is a small program that can be downloaded from a BBS that will enable you to rename a directory or subdirecto- ry. It's not essential to have this, but it's a lot easier than the DOS procedure, which would be to create (CD) a new directory, copy all the files from the old directory to the new, and then remove (RD) the old directory name. For some reason, the authors of DOS did not include a rename-directory command in the system. (Some file-manager programs and other utilities also include directory-renaming as one of their functions.) \ (Reverse Slash) -- The reverse slash is the symbol the system uses to identify the root directory, to separate directories from subdirectories and/or to separate directory names from file names. Standing by itself in a command (e.g. CD \), the \ stands for the root directory. On my keyboard, the reverse slash is in the bottom row, between the Alt key and the space bar. (In other words, it's usually hidden under my left hand, which sometime makes it a pain in the tush to use.) A Brief Tutorial on Paths When you're organizing your hard disk with directories and subdi- rectories and copying files to them, you have to be able to tell the system where to find things. Suppose you want to copy a file named TEST.DAT from a directory named SOURCE on a floppy disk in drive A: to a subdirectory named TARGET on your hard disk, which we'll assume is drive C:, and that TARGET is a subdirectory under a directory named DATA. Drive A: Drive C: | | Root Directory Root Directory | | SOURCE Directory DATA Directory | | TEST.DAT File TARGET Subdirectory | (Destination of File) The COPY command requires two parameters: the source and the target. The source parameter tells the system the location of the file to be copied and what the file's name is, and the target tells where you want the file copied to and, optionally, what name you want the file to have when it's copied to that location. In order to avoid discussing defaults and wildcards at this point, we're going to assume also that you are currently in drive B: and that you want TEST.DAT renamed to WORKING.DAT when it is copied to the subdirectory named TARGET on your hard disk. Hence, we will have to tell the system about drive A: (the source) and drive C: (the target), and we will have to provide the full file names for both the source and the target. If we didn't have directories involved, our copy command (inclu- ding the renaming of the file) could look like this: COPY A:TEST.DAT C:WORKING.DAT But both the source and the target in our example have directories and, hence, we have to tell the system where to find the file to be copied and where to put the copy. That's the job of the path. A path specification will tell the system what route to follow to get to the source and another path specification will tell the route to the target. (When no path is included, the system will look for the source either in the current directory or, if you include a drive designation, in the root directory of the designated drive, and the same rule applies to the source.) Thus, in our example, both the source and the target specifica- tions must tell the system three things: the drive designation, the path and the file name. You already know about drive designations and file names. The reverse slash (\) will help us and the system to identify the path. COPY A:\SOURCE tells the system to go to drive A: and look in the directory named SOURCE. Then we use another \ to identify the file name: COPY A:\SOURCE\TEST.DAT. That takes care of the command and the source parameter for our copying example. (Hold your questions until later. I hope eventually to cover everything you have doubts about now.) For the target parameter in our example, things get a little more complicated because of the subdirectory, but you should already have a pretty good idea of what we need to do. Here's the full comand: COPY A:\SOURCE\TEST.DAT C:\DATA\TARGET\WORKING.DAT ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ command ---^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^-------- file name source drive --^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^-------- subdirectory path directory path -----^ ^ ^ ^----------------- directory path file name ------------------^ ^----------------------- target drive Note that we had to tell the system exactly what route to follow to get to the subdirectory in the target. One reason for this is that you may have two or more subdirectories with the same names but under directories with different names, and the system wouldn't know which of those subdirectories you were referring to if you didn't include its parent directory in the path. (The directory under which a subdirecto- ry is placed is called the parent of that subdirectory.) Now let's get to your questions. What if a subdirectory has its own subdirectories? Are they called sub-subdirectories? And if there are lower levels, are they called sub-sub-subdirectories, etc.? You can call them that if you want to, but my preference is either to refer to the major directories (the ones listed in the root directory) as directories and anything else as a subdirectory, or just to call all of them directories, whether they are at the top or bottom or in between. This possible confusion is one reason why you should avoid having too many levels of subdirectories. Another reason is that it takes the system longer to find sub-sub-sub-...directories. Next question: Why did we include the first \ in our copying example above -- wouldn't the system know that SOURCE is a directory name? In this case, the answer is yes, the system would know without the first \. However, in other cases, it depends on what directory your are in when you compose a command and the nature of the command. To avoid a lot of complications, let me suggest two things. First, understand the distinction between a full path and a relative path. A full path always begins with a \ and includes the entire path specification, beginning at the root directory. A relative path never begins with a \ and is used to refer to directories below the current directory (i.e. the one you're in). Second, I virtually always use the full path in order not to have to worry about where I am and whether I can use a relative path, and I suggest you do the same. Using the full path avoids a lot of confusion. Assume for example that you are in a directory named WORKING, and that it has a subdirec- tory named WORK3. How would you copy the file TEST.DAT from the WORKING directory to its WORK3 subdirectory? If you enter COPY TEST.DAT \WORK3, you will wind up with the TEST.DAT file renamed to be WORK3 and residing in your root directory! Thus, if the target is a subdirectory of the current directory, you have two choices: COPY TEST.DAT \WORKING\WORK3 or COPY TEST.DAT WORK3 The first example avoids all confusion by including the full path. In the second example, using a relative path, the system assumes that you know what you're doing and shows how smart it is, which brings up and answers another question (and explains the second example). Is it possible to have a file and a subdirectory with the same name in the same directory? No. In the command COPY TEST.DAT WORK3, you might have intended just to make a copy of TEST.DAT with a new name (WORK3) in the current directory. But that would require the system to issue an error because you can't have a file and a subdirectory with the same name in the same directory. So, the system tries to find a way to comply with the command without issuing an error message, and it does so by copying the file to the WORK3 subdirectory. In this and other commands, DOS is smart enough to make the distinction between directory and file names by reading all elements of the command in context and trying to find some way to make the command work before issuing an error message. In this regard, i.e. confusing file names with directory names, you will make more errors than DOS will. If the command were CD instead of COPY, the system wouldn't have to make a decision because the only parameter that CD accepts is a directory name and there can't be any confusion with file names. Thus, if you're in WORKING and want to change to WORK3, you can enter: CD WORK3 (relative path) or CD \WORKING\WORK3 (full path) Confused? I don't blame you -- and I haven't even mentioned the use of two dots to designate the parent directory of a subdirectory. I don't use the dots (CD ..). For any command, I always use a \ before a directory name and include the full path, rather than take the time to figure out what the command requires, where I am and whether I need the \ or not. And to change directories, I virtually always use my file manager program and thereby avoid having to type in slashes and directory names and, again, I suggest you do the same. In the command COPY \WORKING\TEST.DAT WORK3, how does DOS know if TEST.DAT is a directory or a file name? It's not because of the period and extension, since you could use that name for a directory. (We'll discuss that issue another time.) No, it's because DOS won't let you copy a directory, so DOS assumes that TEST.DAT is a file name. You can only create a directory using MD. Here's a side issue. I said that you can only create a directory with the MD command. But if you've ever used PKMOVE, a shareware utility by Phil Katz, you may know that his utility enables you to move a file to a directory that doesn't yet exist. PKMOVE creates the directory in this case, a very handy feature. Because of that feature, PKFIND does sometimes get confused about whether the last entry in the move command is a file or a directory name. In that case, the program asks you which it is. This is just one of many examples of astute programmers coming up with utilities with features that DOS should have had in the first place. Hard Disk Organizational Steps Up to this point, we've discussed a lot of preliminary considera- tions (and more why's than I had intended) prior to organizing your hard disk. Now let's get to the main event: organizing the hard disk. I'm going to make a real effort to avoid any why's that aren't abso- lutely necessary, stick to the how's, and avoid alternatives whenever possible. If you want alternatives, you'll have to find another article or read your DOS manual (ugh!). 1. A Single DOS Partition. When you configure and format your hard disk, make the entire disk a single DOS (bootable) partition. Just follow the instructions that come with the hard disk or in your DOS manual and, when the issue arises, set it up so that the whole disk is one DOS partition. Also, if you have a choice, configure your system so that, when you turn it on, it automatically boots from the hard disk. (This may require you to change a switch setting inside the computer itself -- check the computer manual.) On my Heath/Zenith HS-148, when I turn on the computer, it looks for a disk in drive A and tries to boot from there. If there is no disk in drive A, it boots from the hard disk. This procedure requires an extra moment or two for booting, but it makes it easy to boot from a floppy if I ever have a problem with the hard disk. 2. Create Directories It's important to limit the content of your root directory to your major directory names and certain key files. You shouldn't have more than 40-50 entries in your root directory. I have 35 in mine. Therefore, prior to creating any directories, it's a good idea to review your software collection and determine ahead of time some of the major directories you will create. You don't need to think of them all -- some will occur to you as you are copying files from your floppies, and also you will probably want to change some of them during file copying. If you aren't already in the root directory of your hard disk (which I'm going to assume is drive C:), enter CD C:\ and that will put you there. Then begin creating your major directories with the command MD <directoryname>. For example: MD BAT will create a directory named BAT. The following are some examples of major directories to be located in the root directory (you may want to give them different names): BAT -- This directory will hold all your batch (.BAT) files. More about batch files later. BIN -- This is the place for all your miscellaneous .COM and .EXE programs, including those from your DOS distribu- tion disks. (BIN stands for binary, but I think of it as a storage bin where I keep all executable files that don't apply to any other specific category/direc- tory.) Why this directory is a good idea will become clear when we discuss the PATH command in your Autoexec.Bat file. CODEWRKS -- This is an example of a specific major directory in my root directory. I've done some free-lance programming and writing for a small magazine called "CodeWorks". The CODEWRKS directory has 3 subdirectories: LETTERS, PROGRAMS and TXT-DOC. The content of the first two should be self-explanatory. The third contains articles and the documentation files for the programs. COMPILER -- I keep all programs related to the Basic Compiler in one directory, except LINK.EXE, which is in BIN. CORRESP -- All miscellaneous correspondence created on the computer could be kept in this directory and its subdirectories. I use subdirectories for past years' correspondence. Correspondence related to other, specific directories would be kept in those other directories, for example in a LETTERS subdirectory. DESKTOPS -- This is where you could keep desktop utilities, using subdirectories under this directory for each one (e.g. Sidekick, Perks-PC, RHM, etc.). GAMES -- This is the place for individual game programs. Major game systems that include more than one program and/or several data files could go in subdirectories or, if you use them regularly, in major directories. MODEMS -- This is where I keep my communications software. The program I use most often is in this directory and the others are in their own subdirectories. MY-PROGS -- This is where I keep the programs that I have written. Systems of programs (e.g. WIN$BIG) have their own subdirectories under this one and they may be further subdivided into BAS, EXE and DOC sub-subdirectories. TEXT -- I use this directory for all non-correspondence text files, except text files clearly applicable to other specific directories (such as program DOC files). WORKING -- I use this directory and its subdirectories, WORK1, WORK2, WORK3 and WORK4, for all types of work in progress, i.e. programming and writing projects. Those should be enough examples to give you an idea of the types of major directories you will want to have in the root directory of your hard disk. 3. Creating and Copying Files for the Directories You'll find yourself faced with decisions as to where some items should go. For example, does the FORD simulator go in a major directo- ry or in a subdirectory someplace? Base your decision on two princi- ples: limit the major directories to those you will access regularly and/or keep the number of major directories as small as possible. (FORD is currently a major directory on my hard disk, but it will soon be relocated to a subdirectory, probably under GAMES, when the novelty wears off.) If you find that you want to re-organize, before having copied files to the directories, remember: RD <directoryname> deletes (removes) a directory name, CD <directoryname> creates one, and RENDIR.COM and other utilities are available to rename a directory. Let's start with the root directory's essential files. You should have in your root directory: the COMMAND.COM file from the DOS distribution disk, an AUTOEXEC.BAT file, a CONFIG.SYS file, and any other files with the SYS extension, such as ANSI.SYS and VDISK.SYS, from your DOS distribution disks. (IO.SYS and MS-DOS.SYS should already be hidden in the root directory from when you formatted the hard disk.) It's not necessary to put in the root directory system files that you will never use, but I find it just as convenient, given the huge amount of space available, to have ALL my software on my hard disk. Therefore, all my SYS files are in the root directory. Here's what to do about Config.Sys and Autoexec.Bat: CONFIG.SYS This file can be created with a text editor or by simply entering COPY CON CONFIG.SYS and then entering the lines shown below. If you use the latter procedure, end the file by entering Ctrl-Z or by pressing the F6 key. Then use TYPE CONFIG.SYS to verify that it's the way you want it. If you use a text editor, make sure it saves the file in straight ASCII, with no special formatting codes. Here's what to put in the CONFIG.SYS file (see your DOS manual for an explanation of each item): BUFFERS=15 FILES=20 BREAK=ON If you want to have a 64K RAM disk, include also: DEVICE=VDISK.SYS (If you have the shareware RAMDISK program, which is more flexible and easy to use, include DEVICE=RAMDRV.COM instead of the above, and include the RAMDRV.COM file in the root directory and the RAMDISK.COM file in the BIN directory.) If you will be using ANSI.SYS regularly (not recommended unless a regularly-used application specifies it), include: DEVICE=ANSI.SYS If you have DOS version 3, you could also include: SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /P /E:20 That's an undocumented feature of DOS 3.x that will expand your environment to enable you to have more space for a longer PATH, a more complicated prompt, and other items included in the environ- ment strings. I'm told that it will not work under all types and versions of DOS (e.g. PC-DOS 3.0 on an IBM-AT), but it does work under Zenith MS-DOS version 3.10 -- provided that it is the LAST entry in the Config.Sys file. The 20 can be anything from 10 to 64. AUTOEXEC.BAT You create this the same way you created the CONFIG.SYS file, since both are simply ASCII text files. It will contain all the items that you want set up automatically each time you boot. Rather than try to explain all the possible items that you could include, I'm going to list some of the lines in my Autoexec.Bat file and explain each one briefly. ECHO OFF CLS ECHO Max. Environment size expanded to 320 bytes via SHELL ECHO in CONFIG.SYS file. For default size (160 bytes), delete ECHO `SHELL' line and reboot. To change size, edit last para- ECHO meter of `SHELL' (20) to be anything from 10 to 64. CLS The ECHO OFF command avoids having all the subsequent commands printed on the screen when they are executed. The second line clears the screen. The ECHO command may be used to print on the screen any comments that you want to see while this file is executing. In this case, I used ECHO for a note to remind myself how to change environment size. It only stays on the screen for a second because of the subse- quent CLS, but it's enough for the reminder that I want. PATH C:\;C:\BAT;C:\BIN;C:\COMPILER;C:\MACE;C:\SPEAK CLS This should be one of the first entries in your Autoexec.Bat file. The PATH command tells the system where to look for programs if you don't specify where they are when you enter the program name. This is very handy and is the reason why I said to put all your miscellaneous COM and EXE programs in one directory, which I named BIN, and all your batch files in a directory named BAT, etc. Once you have all your files where you want them and then set up the PATH command proper- ly, you can forget where you put everything and the system will find things for you. All you have to remember is the program name. Proper use of PATH will make your computing easier and faster. The PATH line is easy to compose. All you have to do is enter each drive and/or directory in the order that you want the system to search them, and separate each entry with a semicolon (;). My path, as shown above, starts with the root directory of the hard disk (C:\), followed by the BAT, BIN, COMPILER, MACE and SPEAK directories. I included the drive designation before each directory name (e.g. C:\BIN) so that the PATH will be effective even when I'm in drive A: or B:. A good example of how this works is when I am writing a Basic program and I want to compile it. Regardless of which drive or directory I am in, I can simply enter COMPILE <program- name> to begin compiling. (I renamed my compiler to COMPILE for convenience.) The system then searches for COMPILE in each of the locations specified by PATH and finds it, together with all other compiler-related files in the COMPILER directory (the fourth entry in the PATH command line). Note that I use CLS after each new command in the Autoexec.- Bat file to clear the screen of anything displayed by the command being executed. It also makes the Autoexec.Bat file easier to read when you want to edit it. MODE ,L CLS The MODE command moves my display one column to the left. I've never been able to figure out why virtually all PC- compatible displays are skewed to the right of the screen. In any case, this solves that problem. SETCLOCK C CLS This sets the system clock from a battery-driven clock on one of my expansion boards. SNIPPER CLS This is a memory-resident program that permits me to save or print any part or all of the screen display at any time. The best way to handle all of your memory-resident programs is to toss them in the BIN, call them in your Autoexec.Bat file like this, and let PATH figure out where they are. SCRDIM 5 CLS This memory-resident program clears the screen after 5 minutes with no activity. OLIVETTI CLS This is the graphics driver for my not-compatible-with- anything printer. The driver is for the Shift-PrtSc function. TIMEPARK 5 CLS This memory-resident utility parks the head of my hard disk in a safe place after 5 minutes without activity. BLINKER CLS This memory-resident utility shows an asterisk in the upper right corner of the monitor screen whenever the hard disk is accessed. It's the only way I have of knowing when disk access occurs because the hard disk is on a board buried inside the computer. PROMPT $_$t $d$_$sDirectory $p$_$_$sCommand --$g $ CLS This sets up my customized prompt. Here's what the prompt looks like: 8:20:46.05 Mon 3-07-1988 Directory C:\WORKING Command --> Your DOS manual will explain how to use the PROMPT command, but feel free to use mine if you like it. (By the way, it only took me a few seconds, using SNIPPER, to capture the prompt display at the DOS level, save it in a file and insert it (via the text editor) above this paragraph. COPYSAFE CLS This memory-resident utility warns me if I try to copy a file to a location that already has a file with the same name. CACHE 128 /c /t CLS This is one of the MACE Utilities. It establishes a 128K disk cache that speeds up hard disk access significantly. M This last entry in my Autoexec.Bat file calls a batch file that I created named M.BAT that prints a menu of commands on the screen. That completes my suggestions for what to keep in the root directory of your hard disk and what goes in the Autoexec.Bat and Config.Sys files. Some of your application programs will require that you have additional files in your root directory. That's fine, but keep the number of files in the root directory as small as possible. In some cases, you will be able to use the SET command (preferably in the Autoexec.Bat file) to direct an application program to some location other than your root directory for the files needed. Usually, the application program will suggest this when it's possible. (See SET in your DOS manual.) As for copying files from your floppies to other directories, the procedure is already familiar to you. In most cases, you should be able to use wildcards (? and *). Here's a hint: use CD to go to the directory to which you are about to copy files. Then, if you're going to copy all the files from a disk in drive A:, you can just enter: COPY A:*.* Note that you don't have to specify the target drive or directory because the current drive and directory are the defaults for the COPY command. (Ain't DOS grand?!) 4. Items for the BAT Directory Batch files can be a tremendous help, especially when they're all together in one directory where they can be found by the system via the PATH established in the Autoexec.Bat file. Batch files save a whole lot of typing (not to mention thinking and remembering). For programs that you use regularly, it's a simple matter to rename them to something easier to remember. For example, I renamed my text editor so that all I have to enter is E. (It's in the BIN and PATH tells the system to look for it there.) But some programs can't be renamed for a variety of reasons and others may be located in a directory that's not part of your PATH. (Skipping the why's here, Boss.) You can still rename such programs, and/or avoid having to enter the path along with the program name, by creating a batch file, giving it the name you want to give the program, and including in the batch file the path and name of the program. Batch files are simply ASCII text files with the .BAT extension. They are created the same way that I described above for the Autoexec.Bat and Config.Sys files. For example, suppose that you have a game named FUN$-6PQ.EXE in the WEIRD subdirectory of your GAMES directory, and assume that GAMES is not listed in the PATH command in your Autoexec.Bat file. If you play that game often, you could make your life simpler by creating a batch file named FUN.BAT with the following lines: ECHO OFF CLS \GAMES\WEIRD\FUN$-6PQ.EXE Then you could play the game from any directory by just entering FUN. To give you some ideas, the following are some of the batch files and their contents from my BAT directory. M.BAT ECHO OFF CLS CD \ TYPE MENU ------------------------------------------------------------ Note: M is the last entry in my Autoexec.Bat file and the result is that, when the system finishes, I have a command menu on the screen. Here's what the MENU text file contains: Custom Commands Purposes (Enter M for this Menu) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ B Load GW-BASIC Interpreter E Load PTP Text Editor CB Split-screen Comm. for CIS CB @ 1200 baud EQ Run Schwab Equalizer stock portfolio program FM Run File Manager Program FY Run Fontasy fonts and graphics program MK Load Masterkey Utilities (includes Unerase) COMM Load Access Modem Communications Program GAMES Display Games Menu CLOCK Display World-Time Clock BACKDAY Backup New/Updated Files to Drive B DIRNOTES Display or write comments about each file WHEREIS fname Find Named File SPELL <filename> Run Spelling-Checker on named file CIS300 or CIS1200 Connect to CompuServe at 300 or 1200 Baud This is also a good example of using one batch file to call another batch file. For example, I end many of my batch files with M, with the result that everything ends in the root directory with the menu displayed. ------------------------------------------------------------ BACKALL.BAT ECHO OFF CLS CD \ ECHO Hard Disk Full-Backup Routine to Drive A: ECHO ... BACKUP *.* A:/E:IO.SYS+MSDOS.SYS+COMMAND.COM/G/N/R CLS ------------------------------------------------------------ BACKDAY.BAT ECHO OFF CLS C: CD \ ECHO DAILY Hard Disk Backup Routine ECHO Copying to Drive B all files dated today ... BACKUP C:*.* B:/A/G/N/R/T/Q ECHO Copying to Drive B all files changed since last backup ... BACKUP C:*.* B:/A/G/N/R/W/Q M ------------------------------------------------------------ LINK.BAT C:\BIN\LINK %1,,NUL.MAP,C:\COMPILER\BRUN20G.LIB; ------------------------------------------------------------ TAMPABBS.BAT ECHO OFF CLS CD \MODEMS ACCESS2 TAMPABBS CD \ CLS M ------------------------------------------------------------ CLOSE.BAT ECHO OFF CLS ECHO Squeezing directories (eliminating deleted files space) ... SQZD C: CLS CD \ ECHO Enter PARK and press Return ... ------------------------------------------------------------ Note: This is the batch file I call when I finish for the day, after having performed the daily backup. SQZD is one of the MACE utilities. ------------------------------------------------------------ 5. Backing Up the Hard Disk Once you've completed the organization of your hard disk with directories and subdirectories full of files, the final step is to make a full backup copy on floppies. DOS has a BACKUP program for that purpose and there are several shareware programs that will do the job and may do it better. Before doing the backup, however, consider this: it takes a long time and, the more files you have, the longer it takes. Why not reduce that time by reducing the number of files and, at the same time, providing more free space on the hard disk? How? Use an archive utility (PKX35A35.ARC is available on most BBS's) to compress and combine files that you seldom if ever use. For example, DOS has 12 KEYBxxx.COM files that you will rarely use. Archive them into KEYB.ARC with a space savings of 32% and a reduction of 11 in the number of files that have to be backed up. I'm sure you can find other examples for this type of time and space savings. That's about all I have to say on the subject of getting organized with a hard disk. I hope you found it useful. For some ideas as to what types of programs and utilities it might be convenient to have on your hard disk, in addition to those mentioned above, read my software reviews in other issues of "Skip's Computer Miscellanea" and in "Skip's Download Reviews" available on this and other BBS's. *****-30-*****