COPYRIGHT (C) 1985, 1986, 1987. All Rights Reserved.
Custom Design Systems, Inc. Provo, Utah USA.
Welcome to The Duplicator Toolkit!
To use this program, you only need to know about three special keys:
First, the F1 key, which you already found because this screen is displayed. At any point in the program, F1 will provide you with pertinent information relating to what you're doing.
Second, the Enter key, which selects a highlighted option. For example, to select an option from the Main Menu, use the arrow keys to highlight the option, then press Enter.
Third, the Escape key, which exits you from whatever screen is currently displayed and brings up the previous screen. For example, while copying diskettes, when the "Insert diskette" message is displayed, press Escape to return to the Main Menu.
It's that simple! (Now press PageDown, if you want help on the Load option.)
This option lets you load (or read) the data from a diskette.
The data will be stored in what The Duplicator refers to as an "image."
The image is usually a temporary file on your hard disk. You can change the place to store your image with the "Specify image" option in the Main Menu.
This option copies an image to one or more diskettes.
The image must already be known to The Duplicator. You must either select "Load a new diskette" from the Main Menu and read in a diskette, or choose an existing image file with the "Specify image" selection.
This option lets you exit The Duplicator.
You'll be asked to first confirm that this is what you really want.
You can also exit The Duplicator by pressing Escape at the Main Menu.
This option lets you configure The Duplicator to your environment.
You can change such items as the type of diskette and drive from which The Duplicator loads, copies and compares.
You can also change the default drive and path in which the image files are stored.
In addition, verification settings and a force format item can be changed according to your needs -- usually depending on the quality of diskettes you're using and your need for speedier operation.
Lastly, you can have The Duplicator skip the "Insert Diskette" message for two diskette drive operation (but you had better be on the ball!).
This option lets you to specify where you want the diskette data -- called an image -- stored when you load it from a diskette.
You can also specify an existing image file. This way, you can load an image once and access it at different times to copy to diskettes.
You'll be able to store the image either in memory or on a hard disk. The memory option is usually not used since it takes lots of memory (up to 640K).
When The Duplicator is invoked it will assume you want the image stored in a temporary file on your hard disk (unless you don't have a hard disk!). This option lets you change this specification.
This option displays a list of commonly asked questions and answers about The Duplicator.
Before you pick up the phone and call your dealer, be sure to look over these questions to see if the problem you're having has already been addressed.
Certainly, all The Duplicator options can be set in advance to work correctly for your specific setup. For example, if you have two diskette drives, you may always want to load from drive A: and copy to drive B:.
Two switches, /O and /I, are used to set any or all of the options as you like. These switches can be placed on the command line when you start the program, or you can create a small batch file with the required switch settings.
Alternately, you can place these switches in a DOS environment variable, DUPLICATOR. The command line that sets this variable can be placed in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, so The Duplicator will always come up in a consistent manner.
See the User's Manual for more details about these two switches.
The amount of space that an image file takes up on your hard disk can vary due for two reasons:
First, it will vary according to the type of diskette being loaded. For example, a 360K diskette takes less space than a 1.2M diskette.
Second, The Duplicator uses a data compression technique to minimize disk space usage. Thus, the disk space taken up by each diskette may vary considerably depending on how much and what type of data it contains.
The Duplicator is designed to work on a 256K machine. This assumes that the image is being stored in a file on your hard disk.
If you're storing the image in memory, you'll need 640K of memory. (Actually, you can probably get by with 580K or less.)
Of course, diskettes over 360K usually can't be stored in memory, unless it's a larger-capacity diskette only partially full of data. In this case, The Duplicator's compression scheme may allow the image to fit in a machine with 640K or memory.
The Duplicator allows you to copy 360K diskettes in drives designed for 1.2M diskettes. To do so, specify "1.2M" as the drive type and "360K" as the diskette type.
As long as these diskettes will only be used in 1.2M drives, you'll be safe. If you expect these diskettes to be read in using the "normal" 360K (or double-density) drives, you should use a "real" 360K drive instead!
This option stores the image loaded from a diskette in memory. It requires that you have enough memory available to hold the image.
Since The Duplicator uses a compression scheme to store the files, the amount of memory required is not known in advance. In the worst case, it will need as much memory as the size of the diskette.
For example, to duplicate a 360K diskette, you'll need about 560K available. This includes 200K for The Duplicator, and 360K for the diskette image.
This option tells Duplicator to use a temporary file on your hard disk to store the image. The file will be deleted when you exit The Duplicator.
The actual drive and directory that the temporary file is stored in is specified under "Options," selected from the Main Menu.
This option lets you to type in the name of a file that will store an image.
If the file already exists, it will be retrieved for copying to the diskettes.
You can view existing image files by pressing the Insert key.
Type in the name of an image file. The file must have a .IMG extension, although you don't actually need to type the extension.
You can also press Insert to see a list of existing image files.
The file you specified already exists on the disk.
The Duplicator wants to know if this file should be overwritten with the new image.
You are looking at a list of image files in the current directory.
Use the arrow keys to highlight the file you want, and press Enter.
If the file you want is in a different directory, highlight the new directory name, and press Enter to see the files in that directory.
You can also move to the parent directory by highlighting that choice.
If the file you want to select is on another drive, you'll need to return to the Main Menu and select Options. You'll then be able to change the drive.
Available options are displayed here.
Press Enter to see a list of drive specifiers. Then highlight the drive you want to load the image from, and press Enter.
Press Enter to see a list of drive types to copy or compare to. Then highlight the one you want, and press Enter.
If your system has an A: and B: drive, select the "Both A: and B:" option to copy or compare using both drives, alternating between the two.
Press Enter to see a list of drive types to load from. Then highlight the type you want, and press Enter.
Note that the drive type is not necessarily the same as the type of diskette you'll be loading from. For example, on the A: drive of an AT, you'd commonly set the drive type to 1.2M and the diskette type to 360K.
Press Enter to see a list of diskette types to copy or compare to. Then highlight the one you want, and press Enter.
Note that the drive type is not necessarily the same as the type of diskette you'll be copying or comparing to.
Press Enter to see a list of diskette types to load from. Then highlight the type you want, and press Enter.
Note that the diskette type will not necessarily be the same as the type of drive you'll be loading from.
Press Enter to see a list of diskette types to copy or compare to. Then highlight the type you want, and press Enter.
Note that the diskette type is not necessarily the same as the type of drive you'll be copying or comparing to.
Setting "Format verify" to "Yes" causes The Duplicator to re-read each formatted track or cylinder to ensure that it was indeed formatted correctly.
The copy (or write) operation, which always occurs after a format operation, also has a verification option. You may feel that setting "Format verify" to "Yes" would be overkill and decide to leave it set to "No".
If you set "Write verify" to "Yes," The Duplicator will re-read each piece of data it copies (or writes) to a diskette and compare the two pieces to make sure the data was written correctly.
If you're not using high-quality diskettes, or if time isn't as critical as a higher-quality copy, set this item to "Yes."
If you set "Read verify" to "Yes," The Duplicator will read from your diskettes twice. The data from these two reads will be compared to make sure they match. A match means that the data was read correctly.
This verification isn't normally needed since the diskette controller automatically performs a data integrity check (technically refered to as a checksum) to make sure that the data was read correctly.
Loading an image from a diskette or comparing an image to a diskette will take slightly longer with this item set to "Yes."
Press Enter to see a list of drives where you can store temporary or permanent image files.
Highlight the drive you want, and press Enter.
To specify the directory that will store temporary or permanent image files, press Enter, type in the new path, then press Enter again.
The Duplicator will format a diskette before writing to it if it determines that the diskette isn't formatted.
You can force The Duplicator to format each diskette whether or not it needs to be. This way, you'll always be assured of a "fresh" format.
If this item is set to "Yes," The Duplicator will ask you to change diskettes when it copies or compares the image to both the A: and B: drives.
Since you can change one diskette while the program is accessing the other drive, you may not want The Duplicator to ask you to change diskettes each time. In this case, set this item to "No."
The Duplicator starts up intially with the three verification options set to "No." If you're not using high-quality diskettes, or if you need the extra assurance that the copy is perfect, you cant set one or more of the verification options to "Yes." Keep in mind that each of these options requires the data to be re-read, so The Duplicator functions will take longer to run.
The write verification option is the type that most people think of. It reads what was written and compares it to what should have been written. This option is used while copying diskettes.
The read verification option causes the diskette data to be read twice. The two data buffers are then compared to each other for accuracy. This option is used while loading or comparing diskettes.
The format verification option may not be necessary since a format error will most likely be caught when the data is written. It is used for that last bit of protection. This option is used while copying diskettes.
The Duplicator reads from or writes to the hard disk on a cylinder-by-cylinder basis whenever it has valid data.
Under some circumstances, due to its data compaction scheme, The Duplicator doesn't need to read or write as often. This causes the hard disk light to flash irregularly.
When you start The Duplicator, it automatically configures itself according to your equipment needs.
You'll only be given the option to copy to more than one drive at a time if you have two or more drives.
You can use The Duplicator to quickly format diskettes! First, use DOS FORMAT to format one diskette. Then, load in that diskette as the image, and copy it to the diskettes you want formatted.
This formatting method only works on diskettes with no bad sectors.
Press "Y" to exit The Duplicator and return to DOS.
Press "N" to return to The Duplicator.
This option compares an image to one or more diskettes.
The image must already be known to The Duplicator. You must either select "Load a new diskette" from the Main Menu and read in a diskette, or choose an existing image file with the "Specify image" selection.
When loading a new image from diskette, The Duplicator makes sure that the correct diskette is in the drive. After inserting the diskette, you'll see the "Waiting for new diskettte" message, and then the diskette should be registered. If you get the "Insert diskette" message again, you probably have one or more of the options set incorrectly.
First, press Escape to quit trying to register this diskette. Then, select "Options" from the Main Menu, and check that your configuration, especially the diskette and drive type, are set correctly.
For the A: drive of an AT, a common error is to have the drive type set to 1.2M instead of 360K while trying to load or copy 360K diskettes.
If The Duplicator is loading, copying or comparing diskettes, and the machine stops operating or seems to "die", try the following:
First press Escape to see if that will exit you from a stuck operation. If that doesn't work, try CNTL-ALT-DEL to reboot your system. If that fails, try turning your machine off and restarting it.
Under rare circumstances, The Duplicator will not work on some machines because of hardware compatibility problems. In this case, you can avoid the hardware problem by storing your images in memory. Alternately, you can fix the "DMA controller" problem -- a hardware problem.
The file, $$$$$$$$.IMG, is created by The Duplicator for holding images that are stored temporarily on your hard disk. The Duplicator removes this file automatically when you exit from the program.
If you see this file, you probably turned off your system without exiting The Duplicator.
You can safely delete this file since it was only meant to be temporary in the first place.
The Duplicator is waiting for you to insert a diskette. Insert a diskette into the drive, and press Enter.
If you change your mind and want to exit from this operation, press Escape to return to the Main Menu (after pressing Escape to remove this help screen).
If The Duplicator refuses to register a diskette that is in the drive, select "Options" from the Main Menu to see if the diskette and drive types are correct.
The Duplicator is copying the data from your master diskette to an image.
Press Escape to prematurely stop this load operation (after pressing Escape to remove this help screen).
The Duplicator is copying an image to a diskette.
Press Escape twice to prematurely stop the copy (once to remove this help screen, and once to stop the copy operation).
The Duplicator is comparing an image to a diskette.
Press Escape twice to prematurely end the compare process (once to remove this help screen, and once to exit the compare operation).
You've pressed the Escape key while performing an operation.
You can return to the operation by selecting "No."
Otherwise, select "Yes," and The Duplicator will stop work on this diskette and return to the "Insert Diskette" message.
Sorry, no help available
The Duplicator normally sounds the bell when you need to insert a diskette.
If you don't want the bell sounded, set "Sound bell" to "No."
Set "Sound Bell" to "Yes" if you want The Duplicator to sound a bell when you need to insert a new diskette.
Your monitor has that faded, washed-out appearance because The Duplicator can't identify your monitor type.
This can occur with non-standard configurations. For example, you may have a color adapter card with a monochrome monitor.
In such a case, re-install the program from the original distribution diskette. During the installation, the INSTALL program will ask you to specify the monitor setup.
This option copies an image to one or more diskettes. At the same time, for each diskette you copy, The Duplicator will print one label according to your specifications.
The label design is stored in the image file, so if you're using a named image file, The Duplicator will remember the design.
When you select this option, the next screen will let you design your label. When the label is to your liking, press Enter to begin copying diskettes.
The image must already be known to The Duplicator. You must either select "Load a new diskette" from the Main Menu and read in a diskette, or choose an existing image file with the "Specify image" selection.
This screen lets you design a label to be printed while your disk is being duplicated.
Press Enter to accept the label as it is currently designed.
You can use the arrow keys to move to different fields and change them.
As noted at the bottom of the screen, some fields let you to press F2 to view a list of possible choices.
Pressing Enter will print a sample of your label to see if it looks like you want it to.
Here, you can assign a serial number. This number can be printed on each label and will automatically increment itself, giving each disk a unique serial number.
The serial number is a numeric value starting at any number you want. If you want the serial number printed with leading zeros, just type in leading zeros when you enter the starting number.
In addition to specifying the serial number in this field, you must tell The Duplicator where to print the number on the label. To do so, move the cursor to the correct column, press Insert, and select the "Serial Number" choice. Your serial number will be printed beginning at this column.
Specify the number of lines each label will have. Labels can have from one to eight lines.
Anything beyond this number will be ignored and will not be printed.
Specify the number of columns from the left of the printer's platten that the label is placed.
Some printers don't allow you to position the labels at the very edge of the platten. This selection allows you to inform The Duplicator of this fact.
Specify a series of characters that you want sent to the printer before the labels begin printing. This sets up the printer to print labels exactly as you want.
For example, printers can commonly print lines closer or further apart. If your printer has this capability, and you're using narrow labels, you might take advantage of this fact. Sending the Escape character followed by a "1" causes many printers to print at 7/72" spacing, or about 10 lines per inch. You can use these characters --- Escape and 1 --- to tell your printer to space the lines more closely together.
Remember that the particular series of characters you send to your printer depends on that printer's characteristics. Consult your printer's users manual for the exact series of characters required.
Specify the string of characters you want sent to the printer after all copies have been made. This lets you return the printer to the configuration it had before you used The Duplicator.
For example, you could send a series of characters to tell the printer to return to a normal line spacing. On many printers, the Escape character followed by "0" will set the printer to 1/8" inch line spacing, or 8 lines per inch. This way, the next print job you have is sure to print as expected.
Specify the style this line should be printed in. You can print each line in normal type, compressed, double, or bold.
Type in each line you want printed. The number of lines of text to print is set by the "Number of lines" field on the left part of the screen.
To enter text on the next line, press Enter.
Press F2 at any time to insert a special "expansion" character in the text. This symbol specifies a non-printable character, such as a "Bell" character. In addition, this character specifies the starting position of a particular series of characters. For example, it may indicate that you want today's date printed starting at the symbol.
These characters or character strings can be inserted into your label starting at the cursor position.
Here's the real question: If you loaded a diskette into an image file some time ago, how can you be sure that some flaw on your hard disk system hasn't caused your image file to have invalid data?
The Duplicator constantly monitors the integrity of your image file as it reads from it. Every time the program reads your data from the image file, it performs a test to make sure the data is exactly as expected.
For example, when the program reads in a cylinder of data from the image file, it calculates a circular redundancy check and compares this "number" to what it was when the data was first written. The Duplicator will proceed only if they match exactly.
All this is going on constantly while you make your copies. The Duplicator provides this level of reliability without sacrificing any speed because it can do more than one activity at a time!
A printer error occured while The Duplictor was attempting to print a label.
Check to see that your printer is powered up and on-line, and that the cables are securely fastened.
The Formfeed character tell the printer to advance to the top of a new form.
For example, if the printer is positioned in the middle of the page, and the formfeed character is sent, the printer will advance the paper to the top of the next page.
For printing labels, the formfeed character will not generally be used, but it's included just in case.
The Escape character is a very special character for printers. Generally, it "introduces" one or more additional characters. The purpose of this series of characters is to tell the printer what to do.
For example, on some printers, if you send them an Escape character followed by a ":" character, the printer will begin printing 12 characters per inch.
The Carriage Return character tells the printer to move the print head to the left-most position on the current line.
Some printers are configured to perform a Line Feed whenever a Carriage Return is requested. In this case, the print head will move to the left-most position on the next line.
The Line Feed character advances the print head to the next line.
Some printers are configured so that whenever a Line Feed character is received, the print head automatically moves to the beginning of that line. One might say that the printer is performing a Carriage Return for each Line Feed.
The Tab character is similar to the tab key on a typewriter. It causes the printer to move the print head to the right until the next tab stop.
Tab stops are usually set every eight characters, but this could be different depending on your printer. In addition, you can probably use the Initial characters field to change the tab stops on your printer as you like.
If you're using wide labels, and you find that the 40 characters allowed for each line aren't enough, you might try using tabs here and there instead of spaces. This allows you to print further than 40 characters to the right.
The bell character causes the printer to sound its bell.
Some printers don't have a bell (or have had their bells disabled), so this character may have no affect on your printer.
This expansion character will print the date in numeric format wherever the character is placed.
The date will be in numeric format, like 7/5/55. The order of the month/day/year may differ depending on your country.
This expansion character will print today's date wherever the character is placed.
The date is printed in the same format as the one at the top of the screen.
You can use any of the ports -- LPT1:, LPT2: or LPT3: -- to print your labels.
By default, The Duplicator will print labels using LPT1:. The following switches can be used to tell the program to use a particular port: /Ox for LPT1:, /Oy for LPT2: or /Oz for LPT3:.
The Time expansion character prints the time you began making copies, starting wherever the character is positioned.
This expansion character inserts a serial number wherever the character is placed. The serial number is specified in a field in the left part of the screen.
The serial number will automatically increment as each label is printed.
If you want to print labels without copying disks, here's how to do it:
Load a diskette into a file, calling it JUSTLABS.IMG, for example. This file will be used by The Duplicator as a place holder.
Next, start up The Duplicator by typing DUPLICAT JUSTLABS.
Now, you can select the "print labels" option to design or change a label. To print the label, press the "test label" button.
It's that easy!
This choice allows you to quickly format diskettes.
The Duplicator is formatting a diskette.
Press Escape twice to prematurely end the format process (once to remove this help screen, and once to exit the compare operation).
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