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Text File | 1989-02-16 | 17.5 KB | 397 lines

Digital Innovations File Transporter Shareware Version 1.0 Copyright (C) 1989 by Digital Innovations All rights reserved. DESCRIPTION ----------- This is a reliable, easy to use shareware file transfer utility that uses the serial communication adaptors (also known as "serial ports") in your PCs. Use it when you need to get files from one system to another, under circumstances such as: 1) The two systems have dissimilar disk drives (5.25" vs. 3.5", for example) and you can't or don't want to buy and install an additional drive in one of them. 2) The two systems both have 5.25" drives, but one is a high- density "AT" style and the other a low-density "XT" style, and you find that one of them won't read disks written on by the other. 3) You have different versions of DOS on the two systems, and have the same trouble as 2 above. 4) You have more files to transfer from the hard disk in one system to the hard disk in the other system than will fit on one floppy (or the one file is too big), and you hate to have to go through a slow backup/restore operation (which will also be derailed by the kinds of problems mentioned in 1, 2 and 3). Worse yet, you have to manually pick groups of files that will fit on one disk using the direct copy method. 5) The other file transfer utilities you've tried are just too expensive, unreliable, cumbersome to use, just plain don't work period, or all of the above. (All too common, I'm afraid.) 6) The commercial or shareware terminal programs are cumbersome, requiring a lot of technical set-up by the user. (Do you really care about or want to learn the difference between XMODEM and KERMIT protocols, or what "8 bits no parity one stop" means?) 7) You would just like a simple, inexpensive method of getting the files from one system into another with a minimum of fuss and as conveniently as possible. The Digital Innovations File Transporter is the solution to all of the above problems, and many others: * Don't want to spend around $80 to $150 for a commercial job that you might not like? We think you'll like this one, especially considering the price and the fact that you get to try it first. * Worried that a shareware utility isn't going to do the job as fast as the commercial ones? The Transporter runs as fast as they do; the speed depends on how fast your system can accept data coming to it via the serial port, not the top speed of the serial ports themselves (so don't believe the claims of certain companies Page 1 saying they are "the fastest with 115,200 per second"). It also depends on how fast your system can access the disks, and whether you've loaded the system down with memory-resident utilities (such as on-screen clocks, timed hard-disk parkers, timed anti burn-in screen blankers, etc.) that eat up processor time in the background. The Transporter automatically adjusts its sending rate to accommodate your machines. * Not sure about serial port parameters and how to set them? Forget it, the Transporter sets them up the way it needs them. * You've got two ports in your machine, but you're not sure which is "COM1" and which is "COM2"? Forget it, the Transporter automatically detects which port you've got the cable plugged into. (Just be ABSOLUTELY SURE that you really are plugging it into a serial port and that it is being recognized as COM1 or COM2 by your system. DO NOT accidentally plug a cable from an RS232 serial port on one machine into the printer or monitor port of another. Doing so will destroy the non-RS232 port. If you're not sure, seek competent technical help.) * Worried about serial cable wiring, control lines, etc? Forget it, you only need 3 wires. If both of your machines use 25 pin connectors, you would need a simple "null modem" cable with female connectors on both ends wired like this: Computer "A" Computer "B" 2---------------3 (25-pin) 3---------------2 (25-pin) 7---------------7 If one of the machines has a 9 pin connector, the cable should be wired like this: Computer "A" Computer "B" 2---------------2 (25-pin) 3---------------3 (9-pin) 7---------------5 On the other hand, if they are both 9 pin, then this would be the correct cable wiring: Computer "A" Computer "B" 2---------------3 (9-pin) 3---------------2 (9-pin) 5---------------5 Page 2 If there are other wires in the cable, that's OK; the Transporter ignores them. If you don't care to wire your own cable, or the cable you have on hand isn't wired correctly or doesn't fit, a quick visit to your local Radio Shack or computer retailer should provide you with the necessary cabling, gender changers, and null modem adaptors that you may need. * You say you don't care for utilities with confusing operator screens, or ones that throw a lot of technical jargon at you, or leaves you out in left field wondering what to do next? Try the Transporter - we put a lot of thought into making it easy to use, and think you'll be pleased. OPERATION --------- To start up the Transporter, type XPORT on both machines. The first screen that will appear is an advisory, letting you know that XPORT is waiting for a response from the other system. Assuming that you have properly installed a serial cable, and that your serial ports are in working order, the first advisory should be quickly followed by another that says "Testing serial link". The testing process may take several seconds depending on the speed of the slowest machine of the pair. If it seems to take an unusually long time, check to see if you have any memory-resident routines that may be robbing the processor of time (as described above). If so, temporarily disable them. If they are invoked via AUTOEXEC.BAT during the system reset process, temporarily rename AUTOEXEC.BAT, or edit AUTOEXEC.BAT to eliminate them, and reboot. Once the testing process is completed, you are presented with the main menu, offering you the choice of transferring files either to the remote system or from it. The "remote system" is the one you're not sitting in front of. If you are going to be sending files to the remote system, hit ENTER. You will then be asked to verify the destination path for the files, that is, where on the remote system the files will end up. The Transporter displays the current drive and path setting of the remote system, and offers you the choice of changing drives via F9, changing directories via F10, or acceptance of the current path via ENTER. Throughout the program, F9 is used to change drives, and F10 to change directories. If you selected "From remote system" at the main menu, you will be asked to verify/choose the destination path on the local system (the one you are typing on). Change the drive and/or directory to the path you want the files to appear in by following the screen prompts. If the desired subdirectory doesn't exist on the destination drive, you may create the subdirectory by pressing F5 while in the directory selection mode, and entering the subdirectory name. The directory selection screen with then include the newly-created subdirectory, which you may then select if you desire to transfer your files there. If you changed the destination drive or directory, you will again be presented with the destination path verification screen. When you have the machine pointing to the right place, then, hit ENTER. You will then be presented with the contents of the current directory of the source machine. Page 3 Select the files that you want to transfer by moving the cursor to each file individually and pressing the SPACE bar. The selected file's name will start to blink. Pressing the SPACE bar on a file that has already been selected will cancel the selection. If you would like to transfer all of the files in the current directory, press F1. Pressing F2 cancels all selections. Press F9 or F10 to change drives or subdirectories as needed. Only files in the current subdirectory can be chosen for transfer; if the drive or subdirectory is changed, all selections are cancelled. After selecting the files to be transferred, press ENTER. The Transporter will then proceed to send the files from the source system to the destination. If a file with the same name as the one being transferred exists at the destination, you will be notified and given the opportunity to either overwrite the file, or to cancel the transfer. If there is insufficient space at the destination for the file being transferred, you will be notified of that, as well. Pressing ESC on either system during transfers aborts the transfer procedure and takes you back to the main menu, as does pressing ESC at the file and directory selection screens. After the transfer process is completed, both systems present the file selection screen, displaying the contents of their respective current directories. You may then select more files for transfer, or press ESC to return to the main menu. Pressing ESC, then 'Y' at the main menu will return you to DOS. By the way, if you would like to hear the machines talking to each other, I have included a sound toggle function. This is activated by pressing F8 at the main menu. I originally installed it as a diagnostic aid during development, but thought I would leave it in for those of you that may like that feature. TECHNICAL POINTS ---------------- You will note that there are no facilities provided for deleting files and directories - and that's the way I like it. If you insist on messing up your disk, you'll have to do it with some other program. The Transporter only creates files and directories, and there is just one instance where a file can be overwritten - when you explicitly tell it to do so in the course of a transfer. XPORT uses "high-level" DOS function calls (via INT 21H) to perform accesses to the disks - NO "direct", "BIOS" or "low-level" disk access is EVER attempted, even when just reading the directories. When you exit the Transporter, it leaves the serial ports (and everything else) in the same state as before it was started (except for the screen, of course). Speaking of the screens, it was found that the screen handling routines provided by the BIOS were just too slow in some cases to be tolerable; I therefore chose to perform direct screen accesses. This could pose a problem for some users that may be running under a multitasking environment, preventing the use of the Transporter in a 'background' mode of operation. The problem is that the screens would 'bleed through' to the foreground. So, if that happens, don't say you weren't warned. Page 4 THE USUAL LEGALEZE ------------------ This program is offered "AS IS" with no warranty, express or implied, of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Ken Logsdon and Digital Innovations will not be liable for damages incurred as a result of the use or inability to use this program, nor will responsibility be accepted for any malfunction resulting in loss of any kind or nature whatsoever. By using this program, the user agrees to the above. Digital Innovations offers support and assistance to registered users only, and its sole liability shall be limited to a refund of the purchase price. Every effort has been made to ensure that this program will operate reliably when executed on an "IBM-compatible" personal computer running under DOS version 2.1 and later. Your particular brand of computer and/or DOS version may not be as well behaved; the only way that I can discover that is by way of user reports to that effect. Please report any anomalies in writing to the address provided below. This program has been tested and found to operate properly on the following systems: IBM PC/XT IBM PC/AT IBM PS/2 Model 60 Multitech Plus 700 "XT-compatible" Multitech Accel 900 "AT-compatible" Toshiba Laptop NEC Laptop Sharp Laptop Zenith Portable Epson Equity "XT-compatible" MMG "AT-compatible" ALR "AT-compatible" Wyse "XT-compatible" Compaq Deskpro Five-Star "AT-compatible" As with all shareware utilities, this program is being distributed under the 'try before you buy' shareware concept; this is not free software, nor is it 'public domain'. It is and shall remain the sole copyrighted property of Ken Logsdon and Digital Innovations. You are hereby granted a limited license to evaluate the software, make as many copies as you wish, and distribute such copies to anyone, as long as no fee is charged for distribution, and as long as this document and the program are not modified in any way. You are not authorized to use this program on an ongoing basis without registering. Shareware Distributors: contact me for written permission to distribute this package. For business users, site licensing terms are available, as well as quantity discount arrangements. Please call or write for further information. Many long hours over several months has been spent to develop this utility, (which is written entirely in Assembler) and it was done for one reason: to help support my family. I'm not asking for sympathy cards, the registration fee will do just fine. I'm hoping that most of you will feel that this program is worth the $24.95 that I am asking. If you find yourself using it on a regular basis, I would assume that you like it better than the other Page 5 utilities of the same nature. In any case, I hope that the reminder/registration form presented when XPORT is terminated will serve to motivate you to register. If you do, you will receive the latest version of the program (which will include additional features), minus the registration screen at the end. Please be sure to specify the media (5.25" high-density, 5.25" double-density or 3.5" disk) that you would like to receive. If you would like more than one, please add $1.00 for each additional disk to cover the costs of the additional disks, postage and handling. I would like to thank Dennis Deckmann, Elden DuRand, and Mike Weixler for their unflagging support and assistance towards making this utility the fine product that it is. Thank you for trying out the Transporter. It is my sincere hope that you will enjoy using it. Ken Logsdon Digital Innovations 4003 Northumberland Drive Louisville, KY 40223 (502) 423-9317 Page 6