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Peter Norton Computing Help
|
1991-08-05
|
358.5 KB
|
7,563 lines
PNCIBHDMK
Help on help
How to Use This Help System
Using the Mouse and Keyboard
Using Dialog Boxes
Using Pulldown Menus
Norton Utilities Command-line Options
About the Norton Utilities
The Quit! Menu
About Calibrate
Select Drive
Test for System Compatibility
System Integrity Testing
Seek Test
Data Encoding Test
Interleave Test
Pattern Test
The Calibrate Disk Map
Calibrate Report
About the Norton Disk Editor
Selecting an Object Alt+^bO^b
Selecting a Drive Alt+^bD^b, Alt+^bO D^b
Selecting a Directory Alt+^bR^b, Alt+^bO R^b
Selecting a File Alt+^bF^b, Alt+^bO F^b
Selecting Clusters Alt+^bC^b, Alt+^bO C^b
Selecting Sectors Alt+^bS^b, Alt+^bO S^b
Selecting Physical Sectors Alt+^bP^b, Alt+^bO P^b
Selecting the Partition Table Alt+^bA^b, Alt+^bO T^b
Selecting the Boot Record Alt+^bB^b, Alt+^bO B^b
Selecting the FAT Alt+^bF1^b, Alt+^bF2^b
Selecting the Clipboard Alt+^bO L^b
The Edit Menu Alt+^bE^b
Selecting Memory Alt+^bO M^b
Undo Edits Ctrl+^bU^b, Alt+^bE U^b
Mark a Block Ctrl+^bB^b, Alt+^bE M^b
Copy to the Clipboard Ctrl+^bC^b, Alt+^bE C^b
Paste from the Clipboard Ctrl+^bV^b, Alt+^bE P^b
Fill a Marked Area Alt+^bE F^b
Write Changes Back to Disk Ctrl+^bW^b, Alt+^bE W^b
Discard Changes Alt+^bE D^b
The Link Menu Alt+^bL^b
Link to Related File Data Ctrl+^bF^b, Alt+^bL F^b
Link to Related Directory Entry Ctrl+^bD^b, Alt+^bL D^b
Link to Related FAT Chain Ctrl+^bT^b, Alt+^bL T^b
Link to Related Partition Alt+^bL P^b
Toggle Dynamic Window Links Alt+^bL W^b
The View Menu Alt+^bV^b
View or Edit in Hexadecimal ^bF2^b, Alt+^bV H^b
View as Text F3, Alt+V T
View as a Directory ^bF3^b, Alt+^bV D^b
View as File Allocation Table ^bF5^b, Alt+^bV F^b
View as Partition Table ^bF6^b, Alt+^bV P^b
View as Boot Record ^bF7^b, Alt+^bV B^b
Split Window ^bShift+F5^b, Alt+^bV S^b
Unsplit Window ^bShift+F5^b, Alt+^bV U^b
Grow Window ^bShift+F6^b, Alt+^bV G^b
Shrink Window ^bShift+F7^b, Alt+^bV H^b
Switch to Other Window ^bShift+F8^b, Alt+^bV W^b
The Info Menu Alt+^bI^b
Object Information Alt+^bI O^b
Drive Information Alt+^bI D^b
Map of Object Alt+^bI M^b
The Tools Menu Alt+^bT^b
Search for Text or Data Ctrl+^bS^b, Alt+^bT F^b
Find Again Ctrl+^bG^b, Alt+^bT G^b
Write Object to File, Cluster,... Alt+^bW^b, Alt+^bT W^b
Print As... Ctrl+^bP^b, Alt+^bT P^b
Recalculate Partition Table Alt+^bT R^b
Compare Windows Alt+^bT C^b
Set File Attributes Alt+^bT T^b
Set File Date and Time Alt+^bT D^b
Hex/Decimal/ASCII Converter Alt+^bT H^b
ASCII Table Alt+^bT A^b
Configure Disk Editor Alt+^bT O^b
Quit Menu Alt+^bQ^b
Shell to DOS Alt+^bQ S^b
Quit Disk Editor Ctrl+^bQ^b, Alt+^bQ Q^b
Keyboard Usage Summary
Using the Editor Scroll Bar with a Mouse
Rescan After System Changes
Disk Edit in Read Only Mode
About Disk Monitor
Disk Protect Options
Disk Light
Disk Park
About Diskreet
Encrypt Files Alt+^bE^b, Alt+^bF E^b
Decrypt Files Alt+^bF D^b
File Encryption Options Alt+^bF O^b
Search Floppies Alt+^bS^b, Alt+^bD S^b
Close All Disks Alt+^bC^b, Alt+^bD C^b
Adjust Disk Size Alt+^bD A^b
Delete an NDisk Alt+^bD D^b
Change Disk Password Alt+^bD P^b
Diskreet System Settings Alt+^bO S^b
Define the Startup Disks Alt+^bO D^b
Set Up Auto-close Timeouts Alt+^bO A^b
Keyboard and Screen Lock Option Alt+^bO K^b
Security Options
Change Main Password Alt+^bO C^b
Quit Diskreet
About Disk Tools
Make a Disk Bootable
Recover from DOS's Recover
Revive a Defective Diskette
Mark Disk Clusters as Good or Bad
Create a Rescue Disk
Restore Rescue Information
Select Drive
About Directory Sort
Setting Sort Keys
Moving Files
Change Directories
Sorting the Directory
Saving the Sorted Directory
About File Find
FileFind Main Dialog Box
Select Drive Ctrl+^bD^b, Alt+^bF D^b
Select Directory Ctrl+^bR^b, Alt+^bF R^b
Select Drives to Search Alt+^bD^b, Alt+^bS D^b
Advanced Search Options ^bF4^b, Alt+^bS A^b
List Display Options Ctrl+^bF^b, Alt+^bL S^b
Print List Options Ctrl+^bP^b, Alt+^bL P^b
Create a Batch File Ctrl+^bB^b, Alt+^bL C^b
Set File Attributes Alt+^bC A^b
Set Date and Time Alt+^bC D^b
Check if Files Fit in Target Disk Alt+^bC T^b
View Previous Match (in Viewer) ^bF5^b, Alt+^bV P^b
View Next Match (in Viewer) ^bF6^b, Alt+^bV N^b
View Previous File (in Viewer) ^bF7^b, Alt+^bV R^b
View Next File (in Viewer) ^bF8^b, Alt+^bV E^b
Using the File Viewer
About Erase Protect
Select Drives to Protect
Select Protection Files and Options
Purging Deleted Files
Tag Files to Purge
About the Norton Control Center
Save Settings ^bF2^b, Alt+^bF S^b
Load Settings ^bF3^b, Alt+^bF L^b
Set Cursor Size
Select Screen Colors for DOS
Define Palette Colors
Set Video Screen Lines and Options
Set Keyboard Speed
Set Mouse Speed
Set Serial Port Characteristics
Using the watches
Set Country Information
Set Time and Date
About Norton Change Directory (NCD)
Navigating the NCD Tree
Change Disk ^bF3^b, Alt+^bD C^b
Rescan Disk ^bF2^b, Alt+^bD R^b
Set the Volume Label Alt+^bD V^b
Display the free disk space Alt+^bD F^b
Print Directory Tree Alt+^bP^b, Alt+^bR P^b
Rename Directory ^bF6^b, Alt+^bR R^b
Make Directory ^bF7^b, Alt+^bR M^b
Delete Directory ^bF8^b, Alt+^bR D^b
View Display Mode ^bAlt+^bV^b
Using Speed Search
Tree Size ^bAlt+^bR S^b
Copy Tree ^bAlt+^bF5^b, Alt+^bR Y^b
Remove Tree ^bAlt+^bF8^b, ^bAlt+^bR T^b
Prune and Graft ^bAlt+^bG^b, Alt+^bR G^b
Configuration ^bAlt+^bR C^b
About Norton Disk Doctor
Select the Drive to Diagnose
Monitor Drive Diagnosis
Summary Screen
NDD Report
Undo Changes
Disk Doctor Options
Surface Test Options
Surface Test Disk Map
Set Custom Message
Tests to Skip
Save NDD Settings
When the Doctor Finds a Problem
Found Undo File
Norton Main Screen
Sort by Name Alt+^bN^b, Alt+^bC N^b
Sort by Topic Alt+^bT^b, Alt+^bC T^b
Add Menu Item Alt+^bC A^b
Edit Menu Item Alt+^bC E^b
Delete Menu Item Alt+^bC D^b
Editing a Command Description
Configure Video and Mouse Options
Configure Norton Cache options
Set up CONFIG.SYS file
Set up AUTOEXEC.BAT file
Select alternate program names
Expand programs for faster loading
Set passwords for programs
Control editing of the Norton menu
Common Disk Problems Alt+^bA P^b
DOS Error Messages Alt+^bA D^b
CHKDSK Error Messages Alt+^bA C^b
Application Error Messages Alt+^bA A^b
Search for Error Message Alt+^bA S^b
User-Customized Command or Topic
Batch Enhancer
Norton Cache
Calibrate
Control Center
Directory Sort
Disk Editor
Disk Monitor
Diskreet
Disk Tools
Erase Protect
File Attributes
File Date
File Find
File Fix
File Locate
File Size
Image
Line Print
Norton Change Directory
Norton Utilities Configuration
Norton Disk Doctor
Speed Disk
Safe Format
System Info
Text Search
UnErase
UnFormat
Wipe Information
About Configuration
Hard Disk Formatting Alt+^bH^b, Alt+^bC H^b
Set Floppy Types Alt+^bC F^b
Save Settings Alt+^bC S^b
Set Formatting Options (Main Dialog)
Select drive to optimize Alt+^bB^b, Alt+^bO B^b
Optimization Method Alt+^bO M^b
Define Directory Order Alt+^bC D^b
Set File Sorting Criterion Alt+^bC F^b
Files to Place First Alt+^bC P^b
Set Unmovable Files Alt+^bC U^b
Other Configuration Options Alt+^bC O^b
Save Configuration Options Alt+^bC S^b
Disk Statistics Alt+^bI D^b
Disk Map Legend Alt+^bI M^b
Show Static Files Alt+^bI S^b
Walk Disk Map Alt+^bI W^b
Disk Fragmentation Report Alt+^bI F^b
Quit Speed Disk Alt+^bQ^b
Optimization Recommendation
System Summary Alt+^bS S^b
Video Summary Alt+^bS V^b
Hardware Interrupts Alt+^bS H^b
Software Interrupts Alt+^bS F^b
Network Information Alt+^bS N^b
CMOS Information Alt+^bS C^b
Disk Summary Alt+^bD D^b
Disk Characteristics Alt+^bD C^b
Partition Tables Alt+^bD P^b
Memory Summary Alt+^bM U^b
XMS Memory Summary Alt+^bM X^b
EMS Memory Summary Alt+^bM E^b
More About EMS and XMS
TSR Programs Alt+^bM T^b
DOS Memory Blocks Alt+^bM B^b
Device Driver List Alt+^bM D^b
CPU Speed Alt+^bB C^b
Hard Disk Speed Alt+^bB H^b
Performance Index Alt+^bB O^b
Network Speed Alt+^bB N^b
Autoexec.Bat File Alt+^bR A^b
Config.Sys file Alt+^bB C^b
Generating Reports Alt+^bR P^b
Print Current Information
Select Drive
Select Files Screen
View Erased Files/Current Directory Alt+^bC^b, Alt+^bF C^b
View All Erased Files on a Disk Alt+^bA^b, Alt+^bF A^b
Change Drive Alt+^bD^b, Alt+^bF D^b
Change Directory Alt+^bR^b, Alt+^bF R^b
Select/unSelect a File to UnErase ^bspacebar^b, Alt+^bF S^b
Select a Wildcard Group of Files ^bgray +^b, Alt+^bF G^b
Unselect a Wildcard Group ^bgray -^b, Alt+^bF U^b
Rename File or Directory Alt+^bF N^b
Unerase File To... Alt+^bF T^b
Append Data to a File Alt+^bF P^b
Unerase a File Manually Alt+^bM^b, Alt+^bF M^b
Create File to Store UnErased Data Alt+^bF F^b
Search for Data Types Alt+^bS D^b
Search for Text.... Alt+^bS T^b
Search for Lost File Names Alt+^bS L^b
Set Search Range... Alt+^bS R^b
Unerase Options Alt+^bO^b
About UnErase
Prompting for First Letter
Add Clusters (Manual Recovery)
About UnFormat
Select Drive
Previous use of IMAGE.EXE
Image Information Found
Full or Partial Restore
Partial Restore
Disk Map
About WipeInfo
Select Files to Wipe or Delete
Select Drives to Wipe
Wipe Configuration
The Wiping Files Dialog
About File Fix
Select File to Repair
dBASE File Repair Options
dBASE Header is OK
dBASE Header is Slightly Damaged
dBASE Header is Badly Damaged
View the Record Definition
Import or Edit dBASE Structure
Import Undamaged dBASE Structure
Determine start of dBASE Data
Determine size of dBASE Records
Edit dBASE Field Definitions
Review dBASE Record
Align dBASE Record
Change dBASE Repair Mode
dBASE Repair Complete
Spreadsheet File Repair Options
Spreadsheet Repair Complete
How to use the help system
Each of the interactive Norton Utilities provide
context-sensitive help, available at a touch of the ^rF1^r key.
Whenever you are using a dialog box, and you want instructions
on how to proceed, press ^rF1^r. When you've got a menu pulled
down, you can move the highlight to any item and press ^rF1^r for
help on that item.
^bWith the mouse^b, you may point to and ^rClick^r the
^r F1=Help ^r at the right side of the menu bar.
For help on a menu, click the menubar to drop it
down, then click the ^r F1=Help ^r.
When you are first getting familiar with a Utility, you will
find it helpful to select the ^b[Topics]^b button at the bottom of
any page of help. It displays a list of topics, at least
one of which provides background and introductory material.
^bThe Help Screen^b
Help
^bTitle of This Help Topic^b
Some useful help is in here.
^r^C18^r
^r^C18^r ^bOn short^b
^btopics that^b
It describes ^b[Buttons]^b and ^rKeys^r
^bcan't scroll,^b
and
^bDialog Control Groups^b
and
^bthe scrollbar^b
it has plenty of tips and hints.
^blooks like^b
$ ^r^C19^r
^r^C19^r ^bthis.^b
^b[^b ^uN^u^bext^b ^b]^b[ ^uP^urevious ][ ^uT^uopics ][ ^uC^uancel ]
^b^C1e^b
^b^C1e^b
^b^C1e^b
^b^C1e^b
^rEnter^r ^bwill
Press
^rEsc^r ^bis ALWAYS^b
^bactivate the^b
^r P ^r ^bor^b ^r T ^r
^bthe same as^b
^bhighlighted
or point^b
^bselecting^b ^b[Cancel]^b.
^bpushbutton.
and click.^b
^bNote:^b on a monochrome display, the highlighted pushbutton
will look like [^C10 Next ^C11]. The "Button arrows" can be chosen
for any display as a configuration option.
The ^b[Next]^b and ^b[Previous]^b buttons let you browse through the
topics sequentially. ^b[Topics]^b gets you to a screen like:
Help
^bHelp for This Utility^b
The First Topic
^r^C18^r
^bUse^b ^r^C18^r ^band^b ^r^C19^r
^r The Second Topic
^bto scroll the^b
And So Forth
^blist.^b
And So On
^r^C19^r
^b[^b ^uH^u^belp^b ^b]^b
[ ^uC^uancel ]
^b^C1e^b
^b^C1e^b
^r H ^r ^bor^b ^rEnter^r ^bexpand
^r C ^r ^bor^b ^rEsc^r ^bto get^b
^bthe highlighted topic.^b
^bback to the program^b.
^bOther Help^b
Keep an eye on the bottom line of each screen. This provides
the short-version description of each menu item or the summary
instructions for a dialog box.
Also, the bottom line often displays a set of shortcuts for
the most often-needed menu functions.
Most of the Norton Utilities provide a set of high-powered
command-line switches to get things done from a batch file or
to simplify life at the DOS prompt. For help with command-line
switches and options, you may use ^uUtiltyName /?^u. For instance,
^rFileFind /?^r^C11
If you're having problems, please check the manual first
(especially the Troubleshooting chapter in the Disk
Explorer). If you still have questions, Peter Norton
Computing, Inc. provides excellent telephone support.
The technical support numbers are listed in the manual.
The Norton Utilities are easy to operate with either the
keyboard or mouse.
In this online help, we'll use the following conventions:
^rkey^r
A single key such as ^r^C18^r or ^rHome^r or ^rspacebar^r.
Press it and release it.
^rshift^r+^rkey^r
A "keychord." Press ^rshift^r and while still
holding it down, press ^rkey^r. Release both.
^rAlt^r+^rkey1^r ^rkey2^r Press ^rAlt^r and while still holding it, press
^rkey1^r. Now you press ^rkey2^r (with or without
releasing ^rAlt^r first). Alt-shifted keys are
used to accelerate menu selections.
^rClick^r
Press and release either mouse button.
^rClick Right^r
^rClick^r a specific mouse button. Rarely used;
normally both buttons work the same.
^rDrag^r
Press a button and while keeping it pressed,
move the mouse. Release at desired position.
^rDouble Click^r ^rClick^r,release,^rClick^r,release. Either button.
Here are some general pointers. See the help topics,
^bAbout Dialog Boxes^b and ^bAbout Menus^b, for more details.
With the ^bKeyboard^b
With the ^bMouse^b
^bDrop a menu down:^b
Press ^rAlt^r or ^rF10^r.
^rClick^r in the menubar.
^bSelect From a Menu:^b
Press an ^bA^bccelerator key.
^rClick^r the menu item. It's
easiest to ^rDrag^r down from the
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight a
menubar and release on the
choice and press ^rEnter^r.
desired item.
^bScroll and Select from a List:^b
Use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r, ^rPgUp^r ^rPgDn^r, ^rHome^r ^rEnd^r. Use scroll bars or ^rDrag^r any
Press ^rEnter^r to select the
item. ^rDouble Click^r to select
item.
any item.
^bExit Any Utility:^b
Press ^rAlt^r+^rQ^r (or ^rEsc^r from the ^rClick^r the ^uQuit!^u menu.
main dialog box).
^bMove Around a Dialog:^b
Use ^rTab^r to move from group to Point and shoot at anything in
group. Use ^rCtrl^r+^rHome^r to get sight.
to the top group. Use
^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r within a group.
^bCancel any Dialog:^b
Press ^rEsc^r or pick the
^rClick^r the ^b[Cancel]^b button
^b[Cancel]^b button.
or ^rClick Both^r. On a 3-button
mouse, ^rClick Center^r.
A ^udialog box^u is any screen or panel the accepts some sort of
input. With the mouse, dialog boxes are a breeze to use; just
point to anything and ^rClick^r.
With the keyboard, there are a few things to learn, but the
only important idea is: ^bpress^b ^rTab^r ^bto move between groups^b.
There are several different types of ^ucontrols^u used in Norton
Utilities dialog boxes. They come in ^ugroups^u. One group is
always the ^ufocus^u (the area where the keyboard will have an
effect).
^bControl Types^b
^uPushButtons^u are the action controls. They
cause things to happen right away.
The pushbutton with the highlight is the
^b[^b ^bS^bave ^b]^b
^udefault action^u. Regardless of the cursor
position, that button will execute when you
^u[^u ^bR^b^ueview^u ^u]^u
press ^rEnter^r. All pushbuttons are always in
the same group; use ^rTab^r to get to any one of ^u[^u ^bC^b^uancel^u ^u]^u
them, then use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to highlight one and
press ^rEnter^r. OR once in the group, you can
use the first letter as an ^uAccelerator^u key.
On a monochrome display, the highlighted
pushbutton has "button arrows." These
[^C10 Next ^C11]
can also be chosen for any display as a
configuration option.
^bTip:^b Don't bother moving to the ^b[Cancel]^b button. Just
press ^rEsc^r; it's exactly the same.
^b Options ^b
^uRadio Buttons^u are like the buttons on
( ) First option
your car radio: you can punch in only one
(^C07) Second option
at a time and when you do, all the other
( ) Third option
buttons pop out. They always appear in
( ) Last option
groups. Use ^rTab^r to get to a group.
The blinking cursor shows your position in the group. Use
^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to move around within the group. Press ^rspacebar^r to
"toggle" that option.
^bTip^b: A simple way to use these is to simply press ^rspacebar^r
until the one you want is selected.
^uCheckboxes^u select one or more non-exclusive options. Each one
is either on ^b[
]^b or off ^b[ ]^b. Pick as many as you want.
^bSettings^b
] Cursor size
[ ] Keyboard speed
[ ] DOS colors
] Mouse speed
As with radio buttons, use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to move around and press
^rspacebar^r to toggle it on or off (or ^r x ^r, if you prefer).
^bFiles^b
^bDrives^b
^uLists^u let you choose a file
chapter1.doc ^r^C18^r
^r^C18^r or pick one of many choices.
chapter2.doc
^b^C11
When the list is longer than
^r outline.otl ^r
its box, the scroll bar has
appx_a.doc
^bE:^b
an "elevator" or "thumb" and
appx_b.doc
you can use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^rPgUp^r ^rPgDn ^r
edit.bat
^r^C19^r ^b
^r^C19^r ^rHome^r ^rEnd^r to scroll the list.
^bThe Elevator^b: This indicates both your position in the list
and the relative amount of the list that's visible (the
elevator is large when the list almost fits in the box.
^bWith the mouse^b, the list scrolls as you ^rDrag^r the elevator.
In some cases, as in this common "Pick-a-Drive" list, you can
just press one letter (say, ^r E ^r) to zoom to that item.
^uTextBoxes^u let you input text. They often start out with a
default value that you can edit. Use the arrows to move
around and edit. Press ^rTab^r to move to a different control.
^bFile Name:^b ^r*.*_
A ^umenubar^u is displayed at the top of each interactive screen.
All commands and options are available either from the main
dialog box or the menu.
^b This special menu does NOT drop down.^b^b
Click here
The program exits immediately. ^b^b
for help.
' ^b^b^C1f
^C1f^b
^r One ^r ^bTwo^b ^r tHree
Four
fiVe
Quit!
F1=Help ^r
^r ^bDrive
F7^b ^r
^r ^b^C11
." implies a dialog^b.
DiRectory
^r^b ^C11
A key name on the right^b
^bis an extra accelerator.^b
an On option
^r^b ^C11
One of several exclusive^b
an oFf option
^boptions is checked (active)^b
(a disabled command)
^r ^b^C11
While in certain contexts,^b
^bsome commands can't be used^b.
Norton engineers have made it easy to use the keyboard to get
to these commands. All menu titles have a unique ^uA^uccelerator
key. For instance, to drop-down the menu in the example
above, just press ^rAlt^r+^rT^r. Furthermore, each item within a menu
has its own accelerator. In the example, you can press ^r D ^r to
access the Drive dialog or ^r R ^r to access the Directory dialog.
In help, you'll see this two keystroke sequence referred to in
the form ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rR^r. If you want, you can keep the ^rAlt^r key
pressed while you type the second letter.
As an alternative, you can drop-down the leftmost menu by
simply pressing and releasing the ^rAlt^r key (or ^rF10^r, if you
prefer). Then use ^r^C1b^r and ^r^C1a^r to walk the menubar and ^r^C19^r to move
down to a command (or use the accelerator key). Press ^rEsc^r if
you change your mind.
As you walk the menu, the bottom line of the screen gives a
brief summary of the highlighted item. For in-depth help on
that item, just press ^rF1^r. Or press ^rF1^r at any time and then
press ^r T ^r to get to the ^bHelp Topics^b page.
^bWith the mouse^b, you may point to any name of the
menubar and ^rClick^r to ^udrop down^u its menu and ^rClick^r
on the desired command. OR you can be very Mac-like
and ^rDrag^r to ^upull down^u the menu then release the
button on the desired command.
All of the Norton Utilities support the following command-line
options:
^b?^b
Lists all command line options.
^b/G0^b
Disables the use of the graphical mouse and all
other EGA/VGA font character redefinition,
including the characters used to display fancy
radio buttons and checkboxes.
^b/G1^b
Disables use of the graphical mouse only. Radio
buttons and checkbox characters continue to be
redefined on EGA/VGA.
^b/G2^b
Disables use of the graphical icons in dialogs on
EGA/VGA.
^b/BW^b
Forces the use of the monochrome color set.
^b/LCD^b
Forces the use of the LCD color set.
^b/NOZOOM^b Disables the zoom effect used when dialog boxed are
opened. Use this on slow computers.
These settings are read automatically from the NORTON.INI
file but if that file gets lost (and NORTON.EXE is not
available to create a new one), you may need to use one or
more of these global options.
The Norton Utilities Version 6.01
was designed and developed by
^bBrad Kingsbury
Henri Isenberg
John McNamee^b
^bEd Carlin
Peter Dickinson
David Hertel^b
^bKaren Black, Jim Streater, Rex Conn and Tom Rawson^b
Copyright 1991 by Symantec Corporation
All Rights Reserved.
The online help text was written by Dan Rollins
with
assistance from M.R. Ritley, Robert Hoffman, Enrique Salem,
and all the good folks at Peter Norton Computing.
Quality Assurance Team: Jon Tyson, Clayton Lamm, Felix
Rabinovich, Gerry Brace, Kader Fazlul, and Bahram Navi.
For more help in using the Norton Utilities
understanding what the Utilities can do for you
Symantec
has produced an audio learning tool. In addition, Symantec's
professional consulting services can help your organization
recover destroyed or lost data and provide greater data
security. Call the Symantec Training Group for more
information: 415-898-1919.
To exit from this program, press ^rAlt^r+^rQ^r or select ^bQuit!^b from
the menubar.
You may also exit by pressing ^rEsc^r when in the topmost dialog
^bWith the mouse^b, just ^rClick^r the ^bQuit!^b menu. Or,
^rClick Both^r (or ^rClick Center^r, if you have a three-
button mouse) to generate an ^rEsc^r at the main
dialog box.
Welcome to Norton Calibrate!
Calibrate performs hard disk "interleave" optimization
(described below). It analyzes your hard disk to learn if
there is a low-level optimization of the disk format which can
speed up your disk access time. If so, it performs this
optimization for you. In many cases, Calibrate can increase
your disk's data transfer rate by 66% or more.
Calibrate can also "firm up" the data in your hard disk. As a
drive begins aging, the read/write heads may tend to drift a
little bit, putting your data at risk. Calibrate corrects
this problem and it can verify the surface of the disk with
exhaustive testing.
Calibrate operates automatically. It performs a comprehensive
series of tests before starting the actual optimization. All
you have to do is press ^rEnter^r at each screen. ^bYou can stop^b
^bCalibrate safely at any point^b, by pressing ^rEsc^r, even after the
optimization begins.
Cautions: For best results, don't have any ^udisk caching^u
^usoftware^u active when you run Calibrate. Also, don't pop
up any ^uTSR programs^u while it is running (it's best to boot
from a "clean" DOS diskette before running this program).
Finally, it is wise to ^urun the Norton Disk Doctor^u before
running Calibrate. This will verify the integrity of your
file structure and make sure bad parts of your drive are
marked as bad. Finally, if your computer has a
^u"turbo speed"^u control, it should be set at the speed at
which you will normally use your computer.
^bAbout Interleave Optimization^b
This diagram shows a typical physical layout of a hard disk
track and a read operation of an entire track:
^bOne Track, 3:1 Interleave^b
^b1^b
^b7^b
^b13^b
^b2^b
^b8^b
^b14^b
^b3^b
^b9^b
^b15^b
^b4^b
^b10^b
^b17^b
^b5^b
^b11^b
^b14^b
^b6^b
^b12^b
^C10^b1^b
^C10^b2^b
^C10^b3^b
^C10^b4^b
^C10^b5^b
^C10^b6^b
^C10^b7^b
^C10^b8^b
^C10^b9^b
^C10^b10^b
^C10^b11^b
^C10^b12^b
^C10^b13^b
^C10^b14^b
^C10^b15^b
^C10^b16^b
^C10^b17^b
^bDisk Travel to Read 17 Sectors^b
The sectors are not numbered sequentially. This is because it
takes a certain amount of time for the hard disk controller to
send a sector's worth of data to the CPU and by the time the
controller is ready to read the next sector, the sector has
rotated past the head.
The diagram shows a 3:1 interleave (a common setting). Note
that the disk needs to spin ^b3^b times to read all 17 sectors on
any track. If this seems inefficient, imagine that the
interleave had ^unot^u been used: the disk would need to spin ^b17^b
times to read 17 sectors!
^bOne Track, 2:1 Interleave^b
^b1^b
^b10^b
^b2^b
^b11^b
^b3^b
^b12^b
^b4^b
^b13^b
^b5^b
^b14^b
^b6^b
^b15^b
^b7^b
^b16^b
^b8^b
^b17^b
^b9^b
^C10^b1^b
^C10^b2^b
^C10^b3^b
^C10^b4^b
^C10^b5^b
^C10^b6^b
^C10^b7^b
^C10^b8^b
^C10^b9^b
^C10^b10^b
^C10^b11^b
^C10^b12^b
^C10^b13^b
^C10^b14^b
^C10^b15^b
^C10^b16^b
^C10^b17^b
^bDisk Travel to Read 17 Sectors^b
As you can see, a 2:1 interleave is better
if the controller
and CPU can talk fast enough. In fact, on many ATs and 386
machines, a 1:1 interleave will work. A 3:1 interleave is
standard because XTs and PCs need at least that much time.
Calibrate works by performing a non-destructive "low-level"
format of your hard disk. This reassigns the sector IDs
so that the next sector will arrive just as soon as the
controller is ready to read it.
This dialog lets you choose a drive to calibrate. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r
to scroll through the list. Press ^rEnter^r to select the drive.
Note: If you have two or more DOS-compatible partitions on
a disk, each partition is listed separately. You will want to
optimize all logical divisions of your hard disk.
This list shows only the hard drives physically attached to
your hard disk controller card. Calibrate does not work on
floppy disks, RAM disks, or network drives. Also, it will
not optimize ^uSCSI^u drives, but it will carry out its usual
tests and report on these drives.
This screen describes the testing steps that Calibrate will
take before it begins the physical optimization process.
Press ^rEnter^r to continue with the tests, or ^rEsc^r to cancel.
The operation is automatic; it will perform the first two
tests (^uSystem Integrity^u and ^uSeek^u) without user intervention.
However, you can press ^rEsc^r at any time to cancel.
This screen monitors the activities as Calibrate tests your
system. Press ^rEsc^r to cancel (note that certain tests must run
to completion, so a cancel request may be delayed a short
time). When all these tests are done, the next screen comes
up automatically.
^bMemory Tests ^b
tests your ^uSystem Memory^u to be sure that
errors won't come up during optimization (Calibrate must
maintain (briefly) one track's worth of data in RAM). The
^uController Memory^u test checks out the memory onboard your
hard disk controller.
^bDisk Tests ^b
tests reliability of a variety of disk
characteristics and features. It checks the logical
structure of your disk as well as its physical traits.
^bSystem Tests ^b
tests two important system features: ^uHigh^u
^uSpeed Timer Test ^uverifies the integrity of the precise
hardware clock in AT-compatible computers (on PC/XTs, a less
precise clock is used, but it is accurate enough for
correct operation of Calibrate).^uCMOS Disk Type Test^u is not
applicable to PC/XTs; it checks to see if the CMOS hard disk
configuration settings correctly reflect the type of disk.
Use the SysInfo utility for an analysis of your CMOS.
This screen monitors a series of disk "seek" operations. Let
the test run to completion and press ^rEnter^r to continue or
press ^rEsc^r (at any time) to cancel.
Four tests are performed and their times are listed in
^bms^b (milliseconds); one ^bms^b is equal to 1/1
0th of a
second. The tests are:
^uBIOS Seek Overhead^u is the amount of time your system spends
executing program code that talks to the controller. This
number affects how fast your system can tell the controller
to get the next sector; thus it affects the optimal
interleave setting.
^uTrack-to-Track^u is how long it takes the head to move from one
track to an adjacent track and to stop and settle down until
it's ready to read or write.
^uFull Stroke^u measures how long it takes the head to move all
the way across the disk being tested.
^uAverage Seek^u moves the head from random track to random track
numerous times, measuring the interval between each move and
averaging the travel time.
This screen monitors the tests which identify the data
encoding technology used on the disk and its related
characteristics. Let the tests run to completion and press
^rEnter^r to continue or press ^rEsc^r (at any time) to cancel.
^uDrive RPMs^u shows how fast the disk spins, in ^uR^uevolutions ^uP^uer
^uM^uinute. Most drives are around 3600 RPM, but some hi-
performance drives spin faster.
^uSector Angle^u refers to the fact that sectors on inner tracks
are physically smaller than those on the outer edge (thus
the sectors form a "wedge" with the given angle).
Multiplied by the number of sectors per track, this should
yield about 360
^uController Type^u identifies the interface between the hard disk
controller and the hard disk. This value will be either XT
or AT.
^uEncoding Type^u identifies the storage technology used in
placing data on the disk. MFM is the most common. RLL and
ARLL use compression techniques to store more data in the
same physical space (on drives certified for RLL operation).
This screen graphs the results of a test of potential
interleave settings for the disk (see the ^bAbout Calibrate^b help
topic for information on sector interleave).
The graph shows the number of disk revolutions that would be
required to read an entire track's worth of data for various
interleave settings.
The word ^bCurrent^b indicates the bar representing your current
interleave. ^bOptimal^b identifies the best setting and that bar
is boxed to indicate it as the current selection. The ^bSpeed^b
box shows the effect this setting would have on your disk data
transfer throughput.
If for some reason, you wish to pick a different interleave
setting, you may use ^r^C1b^r and ^r^C1a^r to select it. Press ^rEnter^r to
continue to the next screen or press ^rEsc^r (at any time) to
cancel.
This dialog lets you decide how extensively Calibrate should
test the surface of your disk. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r and press ^rspacebar^r
to select one option. Press ^rEnter^r to continue to the final
step or ^rEsc^r to cancel.
In the next, and final phase of operation, Calibrate will
perform non-destructive low-level formatting of the disk. It:
1) Pulls the data for a whole track into memory.
2) Reformats the track, setting down the sectors with the
new interleave.
3) Repeatedly writes various bit patterns to each sector and
verifies each write.
4) Finally, it writes the original data back to the track.
This whole process ^bmay take many hours^b, depending on how fast
your hard disk is and the testing level you choose in this
screen.
^bAbout Pattern Testing^b
The third (testing) step is designed to locate sectors which
contain weaknesses in the magnetic medium. The more testing
you perform, the more certain you can be about the security
of your data
. and the longer the process will take.
^bNote^b: If you have occasionally seen "Sector read error on
drive x:" for this drive, then you should ^udefinitely^u perform
at least some pattern testing.
^uNo Pattern Testing^u: Only the non-destructive formatting will
be performed (no special testing will be done). This is the
fastest option, and it will realign (refresh) the data, but
it won't shake loose any nearly-bad sectors.
^uMinimal Pattern Testing^u: This writes ^b5^b carefully-selected bit
patterns to each sector and verifies them.
^uStandard Pattern Testing^u: This makes ^b40^b passes at each sector,
writing different patterns each time. This is the
recommended testing level if you have any doubt as to the
dependability of the disk surface.
^uRigorous Pattern Testing^u: This makes ^b80^b passes at each sector.
This is for the belt-and-suspenders set. Even on a small
capacity, fast hard disk, ^bthis will take a very long time^b.
While Calibrate is testing your disk or optimizing its
interleave, it displays a representation of the data on the
disk (a Disk Map, similar to that used in Speed Disk), along
with information describing the progress of the operation.
Note: Since some of the deep surface testing options may take
many hours, you may want to ^bavoid "screen burn-in"^b of
the disk map display. At any time, you may press the
^rspacebar^r to blank the screen (leaving only a "floating"
status box). Press any key to switch back to the disk
map display.
Each character block in the disk map represents a certain
amount of the disk. The
^bLegend ^b
box in the lower right
identifies the characters you'll see in the disk map. As
Calibrate finishes each block, it sets the block to a bold
color for an at-a-glance indicator of current progress.
^bTime ^b
box tells the current time and a rough estimate
of when Calibrate will finish (the estimate gets more accurate
as time goes by).
This dialog provides a summary of information about the
current disk drive. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll through the text.
Select ^b[Print]^b (or press ^rP^r) to send the report to your printer
(the ^uPRN^u device). Select ^b[Save as
.]^b (or press ^rS^r) to save
the text to a disk file (you can examine the file at your
leisure by using the DOS TYPE or PRINT command or with any
text editor).
Select ^b[Done]^b or press ^rEsc^r to leave this dialog. If you have
other hard disks to calibrate, you will be presented with the
Select Drive dialog. Otherwise Calibrate will terminate.
^bWelcome to the Norton Disk Editor!^b
DiskEdit is the offspring of the classic NU.EXE program. It's
an entirely new program; all of the UnErase functions have
been moved into UNERASE.EXE, and many new and more powerful
features have been added.
DiskEdit is an extremely flexible disk utility, designed for
serious use in ^umanual data recovery^u
when UnErase, UnFormat,
and the Norton Disk Doctor can't recover your data. It's
great for ^usystem sleuthing^u and digging into places where you
aren't normally allowed. Programmers will find that DiskEdit
is a dynamite ^udebugging aid^u for problems related to disk
file layouts.
Here's a little of what's new:
^bFile Allocation Table viewer with dynamic links^b: while
looking at the FAT, see in a secondary window:
^C07 Which file owns a particular cluster.
^C07 All the clusters in the same chain.
^C07 The contents of the cluster represented by the FAT
element.
^bWrite arbitrary data to a file or other object^b on a
different disk for leisurely recovery in a less difficult
environment. For instance, you can copy all of a 30
Megabyte partition from one disk to another
either as
a partition, or as a plain vanilla file.
^bView and edit a hard disk Partition Table^b. There's even a
tool that helps calculate the parts of an entry that are
hard to figure out manually.
^bHandy programmer tools^b: Hex converter, ASCII table.
^bPoint-and-shoot mark, copy, paste, and fill^b operations with
a handy clipboard to hold temporary chunks of data.
To get an overview of DiskEdit, you may wish to press ^r T ^r and
scan down the Topics list.
^bCommand-Line Options^b
Use DISKEDIT ? to see a list of command line options.
Using a filespec in the DiskEdit command line automatically
selects its drive and directory as the defaults and selects
the file itself as the current object.
If you use just a drive ID, the root directory is selected.
If you use a directory name (with no file name), that
directory comes up in the Directory Viewer.
With the Quick Links option (ON by default, see ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rO^r) you
can use this to quickly get to a file's directory entry, for
instance,
C:\>^rDISKEDIT \stuff\myfile.dat^r ^b^C11
will bring up the \stuff directory with the entry for
myfile.dat highlighted.
^b/M^b
is needed when some critical DOS part of the disk is
missing. It causes DiskEdit to bypass the directory
scan, FAT analysis and similar tasks. You can use
Physical Sector operation on the disk.
^b/X:^b^ud
.^u excludes drives ^ud^u (et al.) from the low-level
Partition Table scan that is normally performed.
The ^uObjects^u menu lists the types of things you can view and
modify with DiskEdit.
^r ^r^b Object ^b^r Edit
Link
View ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r
^r^b Drive
Alt-D ^b^r
^r^b
diRectory
Alt-R
^r^b
These bring up dialogs^b
File
Alt-F
^r^b
to let you choose which^b
Cluster
Alt-C
^r^b
of this type of object^b
Sector
Alt-S
^r^b
you wish to access.^b
Physical sector
. Alt-P
^r^b
partition Table
Alt-A
^r^b
Boot Record
Alt-B
^r^b
These automatically select^b
1st copy of FAT
Alt-F1
^r^b
the specific object for^b
2nd copy of FAT
Alt-F2
^r^b
the current drive.^b
Memory Dump
cLipboard
^r^b ^C11
Available if Mark & Copy^b
^bhave been used.^b
Notice that all objects have mnemonic accelerator keys; for
instance, ^rAlt^r+^rF^r instantly brings up the ^bSelect File^b dialog.
You can also walk the menu by pressing ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rF^r.
Some menu items (and their accelerator keys) get disabled when
you select a physical disk (rather than a DOS logical drive).
See help on ^bSelecting a Drive^b.
After you select an object, it is displayed in the current
window (the one with a scroll bar). By default, it comes up
in its "natural" display mode, but you may use ^rF2^r-^rF7^r or the
more easily-remembered menu commands (such as ^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rH^r to ^bV^biew
in ^bH^bex).
This menu command lets you select which disk you wish to
access and whether you want to treat it as a "logical" or
"physical" disk (see explanation below).
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the highlight and press ^rEnter^r to OK the
choice (or just press the drive ID letter). The active window
will show the root directory of the chosen drive.
To access a hard disk as a Physical disk, press ^rTab^r to get
into the
^bType^b
control group box and press ^rspacebar^r to
toggle the radio button. Use ^rTab^r or ^rCtrl^r+^rHome^r to get back to
the drive list, pick a drive, and OK your choice.
Note: While you access a drive as a physical disk, many of
the menu items are disabled. To re-enable them, press
^rAlt^r+^rD^r again and pick a logical disk.
When you pick a physical drive, the active window will use the
Partition Table viewer (since it defaults to the first
physical sector on the disk). Press ^rAlt^r+^rP^r to access arbitrary
sectors or press ^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rH^r and start scrolling to see raw data.
^bLogical vs. Physical Drives^b
A ^bphysical drive^b is a tangible piece of hardware. DiskEdit
accesses it at the BIOS level only, via head/cylinder/sector
addressing. These disks have names like ^uHard Disk 1^u and
^uHard Disk 2^u. A physical hard disk will have a Partition Table.
If there are any DOS partitions, it will contain one or
more DOS logical drives.
A ^blogical drive^b is one that's supported by DOS or a compatible
installed device driver and contains DOS-specific information
such as a File Allocation Table, root directory, and so forth.
All drives that have a DOS drive ID are listed and selectable
as logical drives. These may include:
^uFloppy disk^u drives of various sizes and types
^uHard disk^u drives recognized and supported by DOS, including
hard disk partitions (treated as separate drives)
^uDevice Driven^u, including ^uRAM disks^u or non-disk
hardware such as ^utape drives^u which use a
device driver to emulate a standard drive.
^uAssigned^u means the drive ID shown is an alias for a
different drive; it was renamed by DOS's ASSIGN
command.
^uSubstituted^u means the drive ID shown is an alias for some
directory on a different drive; it was created
logically by DOS's SUBST command.
^uPhantom^u drives are supported by device drivers. This is an
alias for another drive which is also show in the
list
possibly one with different physical format
parameters.
^uNetwork^u drives are accessed by network support software.
^uEncrypted^u indicates an ^uNDisk^u supported by the Norton
Diskreet utility. The data in this drive is in a
coded form that ensures privacy. Its data area is
located on some other logical DOS drive, but the
device driver makes DOS treat it as a separate drive.
A DOS hard disk is a logical division of a physical hard disk,
so you can access it both ways.
This menu command brings up the standard Norton directory tree
selector dialog. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move around OR type the first
part of a directory name to zip right to it. Press ^rEnter^r to
OK your choice.
The active window will use the directory viewer to display
your choice. See help on ^bDirectory View^b for details.
Note: To select a directory on a different drive, first use
^rAlt^r+^rD^r to select the drive.
^bAbout Directories^b
A directory is a disk data area that holds the bookkeeping
information about disk files. All DOS diskettes have at least
one directory, the ^uroot directory^u, which is stored at an easy-
to-find place at the start the disk.
For each file, DOS maintains a ^udirectory entry^u. It
contains the file's name, size, the date and time when it
was created or last modified, file attribute information,
and the disk address where the first part of the file data
is stored.
Besides standard file entries, a directory might contain two
other types of entries. First, the root directory may contain
a ^uvolume label^u. (It is displayed when you type DIR from
the DOS prompt, but serves merely as an identifier.)
The other type of entry is a ^usubdirectory entry^u. These are
critical to the operation of DOS. Instead of describing the
size and location of a file, each points to another directory.
That directory may, in turn, have other subdirectory entries.
These entries stand out because they have a Size of 0 and have
the "Dir" attribute displayed.
In all but the root directory, you will find two special
subdirectory entries listed right at the top, with the
filenames of "^b.^b" and "^b..^b" (dot and dot-dot, as they're called,
or sometimes, "self" and "parent"). When in the Directory
Viewer, you may notice that the Cluster number of ^b.^b is the
same as the cluster you are viewing. The ^b..^b entry points back
to the directory in which it is described. This system helps
DOS climb around the directory tree.
This menu command brings up ^bSelect File^b dialog box, which lets
you choose a drive, directory, and a file to browse or edit.
Note: You can bring up a file directly from the DOS command
line by using the command: DISKEDIT ^ufilespec^u.
This dialog is fast and flexible; you can cursor around the
^bDrives^b
^bDirs^b
, and
^bFiles^b
list boxes to locate
a file, or you can simply type the name and press ^rEnter^r.
In the
^bFiles^b
list, ^ujust press the first letter^u of a
filename to Speed search for a file (press it again if the
right file doesn't appear).
You can also type a wildcard filespec, such as ^r*.txt^r or
^rc:\dbase\*.dbf^r, to prune down the files in the list.
To move around in the dialog use ^rTab^r or the arrow keys.
Remember that ^rCtrl^r+^rHome^r gets you to the top item in any
dialog. Within a list box, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll and
highlight an item. ^rEnter^r OKs the item (selects the drive
or directory or finalizes the choice for the file).
In the
^bDirs^b
box, press ^rEnter^r on the ^b..^b entry to move
"up" one notch to the parent directory.
^bWith the mouse^b, use the scroll bars to reveal the
bottom of a list and ^rdouble click^r on anything to
select it. Click ^b[OK]^b when you have the filename
you want in the ^bFile name^b text box.
When you have OKed your selection, the active window will
display the file, using either the Hex Viewer or the Text
Viewer, depending upon what is judged to be the best choice.
This menu command activates the ^bSelect Cluster Range^b dialog
box. In this dialog, you choose a section of the disk to
browse or edit by specifying one or a range of "clusters,"
that is, groups of sectors in the ^udata area^u of a disk.
^bNote^b: To access the ^usystem areas^u of a disk, use the
^bSector
.^b command in the ^bObject^b menu (^rAlt^r+^rS^r).
The valid cluster numbers for the current disk are displayed
in the dialog. Input a starting cluster number and press
^rEnter^r to select only that cluster, or press ^rTab^r (or ^r^C19^r) and
then enter an ending number to identify a range. A specific
range set this way is used in operations such as searching
(^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rF^r) or copying the data elsewhere (^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rW^r) and it sets
the limits which the scroll bars obey.
Notice that the status line immediately tells you which file
owns that cluster (if any). You can link to its directory
entry or see its FAT chain via the ^bLink^b menu.
Upon exit from this dialog, the active window will display the
start of the range using an appropriate viewer.
^bAbout Clusters^b
In MS-DOS programming lingo, "cluster" means a group of
adjacent sectors (one or more) that define the minimum
^ufile allocation unit^u. The disk is allocated one cluster
at a time to files and directories.
Cluster number always refers to the ^udata area^u of a disk (space
reserved for files and subdirectories). Valid cluster numbers
always start at 2. They correspond to entries in the File
Allocation Table.
^bCluster Size^b
The size of a cluster depends on the disk size and how it was
organized when it was formatted. Cluster size can be
1K, 2K, 4K, or (sometimes) 8K. On RAM disks, it may be as
small as 128 bytes. The ^rAlt^r+^rI^r ^rD^r menu command will report
the cluster size of the current drive.
This menu command activates the ^bSelect Sector Range^b dialog
box. In this dialog, you choose a section of the disk to
browse or edit by specifying one or a range of disk sectors.
This menu command is unavailable if you have used ^rAlt^r+^rD^r to
access a disk as a Physical drive.
The valid sector numbers for the current disk are displayed in
the dialog. Input a starting sector number and press ^rEnter^r to
select just that sector, or press ^rTab^r and then enter an ending
number to identify a range. A specific range set this way is
used in operations such as searching (^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rF^r) or copying the
data elsewhere (^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rW^r) and it sets the limits which the
scroll bars obey.
^bSector Usage ^b
box is for information only; it may help
you decide which sector(s) you want to pick.
Upon exit from this dialog, the active window will display the
start of the range using an appropriate viewer (or the Hex
Viewer).
^bAbout Sectors^b
Everything read from or written to a disk comes in a minimum
chunk size called a "sector." When a disk is formatted, the
surface is divided up into these pieces where data can go.
Sectors are nearly always 512 bytes, but on virtual media,
such as a RAM disk, you may see sizes as low as 128 bytes.
^bSector Numbering^b
At the lowest level, sectors are identified by a three-part
(H,C,S) ^uPhysical^u coordinate system: ^bH^bead (or side),
^bC^bylinder (or track), and ^bS^bector. The first head is #0
and the first cylinder #0, but the first sector on any
cylinder is #1.
Thus, Logical sector numbers are just Physical coordinates.
You need to use^b ^uPhysical ^u^bnumbering to access any
non-DOS part of the disk^b, such as the Partition table itself,
or data between partitions.
This menu command activates the ^bSelect Physical Sector Range^b
dialog box. In this dialog, you choose a section of the disk
to browse or edit by specifying the physical disk coordinates
of a sector.
Input values into the ^bCylinder^b, ^bSide^b, and ^bSector^b fields; use
^rTab^r to move from field to field. Enter a value into the
^bNumber of sectors^b field to specify the size of the range. A
range set this way is used in operations such as searching
(^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rF^r) or copying the data elsewhere (^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rW^r) and it sets
the limits which the scroll bars obey.
See help for ^bSelecting Sectors^b for some background and a look
at differences between ^uLogical^u and ^uPhysical^u sector numbering.
By using this physical coordinate system, you can access parts
of the disk which are not controlled by DOS, including:
^b^C10^b The "master boot record" (the program code executed when a
hard disk is booted) and the
^b^C10^b Partition Table,
^b^C10^b Any gap between the Partition Table and the start of the
DOS partition,
^b^C10^b Areas which are not part of any partition, and
^b^C10^b Partitions in use by systems other than DOS.
This menu command immediately reads the first physical sector
of the current disk and activates the Partition Table Viewer
in the active window. This command is available only if
the current disk is a hard disk.
^bAbout Partitions^b
Before an operating system can be installed on a hard disk,
some partitioning software (often DOS's own FDISK utility)
prepares the first physical sector of the disk (Cylinder 0,
Side 0, Sector 1) with a data structure that describes the
disk as a set of one or more divisions called partitions.
This "Partition Table" makes it possible to have multiple
operating systems on the same hard disk, and to treat a
single hard disk as two or more separate drives.
The Partition Table is ^uthe single most important data
^ustructure on a hard disk^u. This table tells how many
logical divisions are on the disk, where each part starts
and stops, and which part (if any) contains the operating
system to run at startup. If it is damaged, the disk
won't boot and its contents can become inaccessible.
During the boot sequence, the BIOS reads the Partition
Table to see which operating system to load and where it's
stored. Only when valid information is in the Partition table
can the boot sequence proceed. Also, without valid
partition information, DOS won't be able to access the other
drives.
This menu command immediately reads the first DOS logical
sector of current disk and activates the Boot Record Viewer in
the active window.
^bAbout the Boot Record^b
The first sector of a floppy disk or a hard disk partition
always contains a data structure called the DOS Boot Record.
This contains critical information used by the system in
accessing the media correctly. See the ^bBoot Record Viewer^b help
topic for information about the contents of this structure.
A standard DOS Boot Record contains a short program that
is executed during system startup, which reads and executes
the hidden system file, Io.Sys (or IbmBio.Sys). If it can't
locate this file, it typically displays a message, "^uNon-System^u
^udisk or disk error. Replace and
These two menu commands immediately read the first or second
copy of the FAT (^bF^bile ^bA^bllocation ^bT^bable) and start up the FAT
Viewer in the active window.
There are two copies of the FAT on each hard disk. The
copies should match exactly (and you can check this via
^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rC^r), but if they aren't the same, the
Norton Disk Doctor can figure out which one is wrong and
can fix it. Or you can use Disk Edit to repair it yourself.
^bAbout the FAT^b
The File Allocation Table is the part of DOS's bookkeeping
system which maintains a record of where on the disk each file
is stored.
The technique is relatively simple. In the directory entry
for each file is a "Starting Cluster" value. That cluster
contains the first part of the file's data. If the file is
more than one cluster, the FAT tells DOS where to find the
next bit of the file's data.
Each FAT cell identifies the ^unext^u cluster occupied by the
file's data. It's usually easy to follow a chain: for
instance, FAT cell #25 contains a 26; #26 contains a 27, and
so forth. The cell at the end of the chain contains an <EOF>
(end of file) marker.
If any link of the chain is broken, DOS can't find the rest of
the file. Fortunately, there are two copies of the FAT. Also,
it is possible to analyze the rest of the FAT and make
intelligent repairs using DiskEdit.
This menu command immediately displays the contents of the
clipboard, using the viewer appropriate to the current
contents of the clipboard.
This menu item is enabled only ^uafter you have marked a block^u
(^rCtrl^r+^rB^r) and then ^ucopied it to the clipboard^u (^rCtrl^r+^rC^r). See
help on the ^bEdit Menu^b.
The ^bEdit^b menu provides convenient control over changes you
make while in a Viewer.
^r ^r^b Edit ^b^r Link
View
Info ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r
^r^b Undo
Ctrl-U ^b^r
^r^b ^C11
Undo up to 512 changes (in^b
^b current sector only)^b
Mark
Ctrl-B
^r^b ^C11
Start/stop marking Block^b
Copy
Ctrl-C
^r^b ^C11
Enabled while block is marked^b
Paste over
Ctrl-V
^r^b ^C11
Copy from clipboard to cursor^b
Fill
^r^b ^C11
Fill currently marked block^b
Write changes
. Ctrl-W
^r^b ^C11
After edits with viewer (also^b
prompted on crossing sector)^b
Discard changes
^r^b ^C11
Undo all unsaved edits to^b
current sector^b
Note: By default, DiskEdit starts out in Read-Only mode.
If you wish to make any changes to a disk, select
^bConfiguration
.^b from the ^bTools^b menu (^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rO^r).
The often-needed Edit menu items can be activated with a
mnemonic ^rCtrl^r key accelerator. To access commands such as
^bFill
.^b, walk the menu by pressing ^rAlt^r+^rE^r ^rF^r. Initially, most
items are disabled and become available only when a block is
marked or data exists in the clipboard.
^bThe Clipboard^b
The Copy command places the currently-marked block into the
clipboard which can hold about 4K of data.
Once something has be copied to the clipboard, it is a
selectable Object (use ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rL^r to view and edit it using any
Viewer) and you can save its contents to a file or other
physical object ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rW^r).
You can use the clipboard as:
^b^C10^b a way to move data from one place to another. For
instance, to move data from one copy of the FAT to
the other, mark the block of data, copy it to the
clipboard, select the other FAT, and then use Paste
Over (^rCtrl^r+^rV^r).
^b^C10^b a way to "insert" data into a file. For instance, press
^rCtrl^r+^rB^r and highlight the block to move forward. Copy it
to the clipboard. Unmark by pressing ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r again.
Overwrite the start of the copied block with the data to
be "inserted." Move to the end of the inserted material
and press ^rCtrl^r+^rV^r to paste the copied data into the new
position.
^b^C10^b a way to put together a file from separate pieces, in any
desired order. Mark the first part and copy it to the
clipboard. Press ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rL^r and ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rW^r to write the
clipboard to a file. Mark the next part and repeat as
often as needed, but always select ^b[Append]^b when prompted
by the ^bWrite to
.^b dialog. Hint: split the window to
simplify this sequence.
^b^C10^b a safety net for multiple-sector modifications. Copy up
to 8 sectors into the clipboard, make the changes and (if
needed), use ^rCtrl^r+^rV^r to paste the previous data back
into place.
This dumps memory.
This menu item is enabled only after you have made changes to
a sector. You may use this repeatedly to undo up to 512
edits
within the current sector only.
As you make changes, the modified values are shown in bold,
and as you undo them, they are returned to the normal color.
^bWarning!^b Once you have written changes to disk, you can no
longer use Undo to reverse the changes. Also, when
a marked block extends across a sector boundary,
^bFill
.^b and ^bPaste Over^b commands cannot be undone.
To undo all unsaved changes to a sector, use ^rAlt^r+^rE^r ^rD^r, or
simply move across a sector boundary and answer the "changes
made" dialog by selecting the ^b[Discard]^b button.
In any Viewer except Text View, you may mark (highlight) a
part of the data. Once marked, you can copy that data to the
clipboard or fill the block with a selected byte.
In Directory View, you can mark a block of entries and then
use the ^bTools^b menu to set their file attributes, time,
and date. Also, the Partition Table calculator requires a
marked block to operate upon.
^bTo mark a block:^b
Press ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r to start the block at the current cursor
location.
Use the cursor keys to move around, highlighting the block
as you go. The ^rGray +^r and ^rGray -^r move by sectors and
^rHome^r and ^rEnd^r go to the top and bottom of the object.
Now use ^rCtrl^r+^rC^r to copy the block to the clipboard or ^rCtrl^r+^rF^r
to fill the block with a desired byte.
Press ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r to stop marking. (Note: the block stays
highlighted until you move the cursor again.)
^bWith the mouse^b, just ^rDrag^r across the area to
^b mark. Then pick Copy or Fill.. from the Edit
^b menu. To mark a single byte, pick Mark from the
^b Edit menu. To enjoy the use of the scrollbar
^b for rapid motion, use ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r to start the mark.
^bHandy Hint^b: To change a byte into one of those hard-to-type
box-and-line characters (such as "^b
^b" or even "^b
^b"), mark
the single byte, then press ^rAlt^r+^rE^r ^rF^r (to Fill the one-byte
mark) and pick the character from the ASCII list.
When any data shown in a viewer is marked, you can copy that
data to the clipboard.
Press ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r to start marking. Press ^rCtrl^r+^rC^r to copy the
highlighted data to the clipboard.
See the ^bEdit Menu^b help topic for information and tips on using
the clipboard. Also refer to the ^bMark a Block^b topic for
related details.
In any viewer except Text View, you can copy the data from the
clipboard into the object displayed in the active window,
starting at the current cursor position.
^bWarning!^b ^rCtrl^r+^rV^r ^uoverwrites the current data, destroying it^u.
If a Paste operation spans across a sector division,
^uthe Undo command cannot undo the changes^u.
This command lets you move chunks of data from place to place
or even pick and splice pieces of files to create a new one.
See the ^bEdit Menu^b help topic for information and tips on using
the clipboard.
In any viewer except Text View, you can mark a block of
data and fill it with a selected byte.
^bWarning!^b ^rAlt^r+^rE^r ^rF^r overwrites the data in the marked block,
destroying it. If a Fill operation spans across a
sector division, ^uthe Undo command cannot undo the^u
^uchanges^u.
To mark a block, press ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r and use the arrows to extend the
highlight (with the mouse, simply drag across the data to
fill). Press ^rAlt^r+^rE^r ^rF^r (or pick ^bFill
.^b from the ^bEdit^b menu).
This brings up the Fill dialog.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r in the scrolling list to locate the desired fill
byte or type the character directly at the keyboard.
Press ^rEnter^r to OK the selection or ^rEsc^r to cancel.
^bHandy Hint^b: Fill can be used on a single byte to make it
easy to input hard-to-type box-and-line characters. Press
^rCtrl^r+^rB^r, ^rAlt^r+^rE^r ^rF^r, pick a byte, and press ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r again.
This menu command is enabled after you have changed one or
more bytes in the current sector. Note: DiskEdit must not be
in Read-Only mode if you want to modify a disk.
^bWarning!^b ^rCtrl^r+^rW^r overwrites all data in the current
sector ^b*^b^uPERMANENTLY^u^b*^b. No amount of Undo-ing will
bring it back.
You are given a chance to back out. When the ^bWrite Changes^b
dialog appears, select ^b[Write]^b to send the data to disk, or
select ^b[Review]^b (or press ^rEsc^r) to reconsider.
As a safety net, consider making a backup copy of the
original contents of the sector, either to the clipboard
or to a file.
This menu command is enabled after you have changed one or
more bytes in the current sector.
You can discard changes only for one sector at a time. If
you have already written the data, or used a Paste Over or
Fill command which spans a sector boundary, the changes
are permanent and cannot be discarded.
It's a "one-stop Undo" for the entire sector (use ^rCtrl^r+^rU^r to
undo individual edit changes). You will also get a chance to
discard changes whenever you attempt to leave a sector that
you have modified.
The ^bLink^b menu commands help you move directly from one type
of data to an associated object. You can also set up a
^udynamic link^u so that as you move the cursor in one window, the
other shows the related object.
^r ^r^b Link ^b^r View
Info
Tools
Quit ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r
^r^b File
Ctrl-F ^b^r
^r^b
These commands auto-^b
Directory
Ctrl-D
^r^b
matically show the^b
Cluster chain (FAT)
Ctrl-T
^r^b
object associated with^b
Partition
^r^b
the data at the cursor.^b
^r^b
Window
^r^b^C11
Establish a dynamic^b
link between windows^b
At any given time, some commands are not available
certain links make sense:
^bWhen the cursor is on
. ^b^bYou can link to
A filename
The data in the file.
The part of the FAT it occupies.
A directory name
The directory it names. For
instance, ^b..^b links to parent.
The part of the FAT it occupies.
A FAT entry
The data in that cluster.
The directory entry that owns it.
A Partition Table
The start of the partition. For
example, the DOS Boot Record.
File or Cluster Data
The directory entry of the file
that owns it.
The FAT chain that includes it.
^bDynamic Window Links^b: This feature lets you move the cursor
from item to item in one window and immediately see the
related object in the other. To use this feature, press
^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rW^r to split the window, then ^rAlt^r+^rL^r ^rW^r to place a ^b
^b on
the ^bWindow
.^b menu item.
^bQuick Links^b: Although you can quickly link to a specific
object by pressing one of ^rCtrl^r+^rF^r, ^rCtrl^r+^rD^r, or ^rCtrl^r+^rT^r,
DiskEdit also supports a "smart" auto-link feature. Just
press ^rEnter^r and DiskEdit picks the most sensible link and
displays that object. You can turn this feature off in
the Configuration dialog (^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rO^r).
When the cursor in the active window is positioned on a
^ufilename^u (in Directory View) or a ^uFAT entry^u (in FAT View),
then you may use this command (^rCtrl^r+^rF^r) to look up and display
the ^bdata of the related file or cluster^b.
When the Quick Links option is on (see the Configuration
dialog, ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rO^r), then you get this same action just by
pressing ^rEnter^r.
When the active window is showing a Hex View or Text View of
^uarbitrary data^u, you may use this command (^rCtrl^r+^rD^r) to look up
and display ^bthe directory entry^b of the file which owns the
data.
When the Quick Links option is on, you get this same
action just by pressing ^rEnter^r.
When the active window is showing a Hex View or Text View of
^uarbitrary data^u, you may use this command (^rCtrl^r+^rT^r) to look up
and display the ^bpart of the File Allocation Table^b in which
this data is allocated. The highlighted FAT elements are all
part of the same allocation chain.
Also, if the cursor is on a ^ufilename^u or ^usub-directory name^u (in
Directory View), ^rCtrl^r+^rT^r links to the related allocation chain
the FAT.
When the Quick Links option is on, you get this same action
just by pressing ^rEnter^r.
When the active window is showing a ^uPartition Table^u, you may
move the cursor to a partition entry and then use this menu
command to look up and display ^bthe first data in the related^b
^bhard disk partition^b. On DOS partitions, this always shows a
DOS Boot Record (except for EXTEND partitions which lead to a
secondary Partition Table).
When the Quick Links option is on, you get this same action
just by pressing ^rEnter^r on any line in the Partition Table.
This menu command turns on or off DiskEdit's ^udynamic window^u
^ulinking^u feature. See help on ^bThe Link Menu^b for info
on dynamic window links.
This feature is disabled when only one window is open (use
^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rS^r to split the window) and it is not available when the
active window is viewing a Boot Record or Physical sector.
The commands in the ^bView^b menu select a Viewer to display the
data in the active window.
^r ^r^b View ^b^r Info
Tools
Quit
^r ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r
^r^b as Hex
F2 ^b^r
^r^b
as Text
^r^b
Editors and display^b
as Directory
^r^b
engines, tailored for^b
as FAT
^r^b
system data objects^b
as Partition Table
^r^b
as Boot Record
^r^b
^b^u
^u^b indicates active viewer^b
Unsplit window Shift-F5
^r ^b^C11
or "^b^uS^u^bplit window"^b
Grow window
Shift-F6
^r^b
sHrink window
Shift-F7
^r^b
Resize active window^b
sWitch windows Shift-F8
^r^b ^C11
Activate other window^b
By default, DiskEdit automatically examines each sector as it
is displayed and selects the best viewer for the job (you can
turn off Auto View in the Configuration dialog ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rO^r).
Except for the text viewer, each "Viewer" is also a data
editor. But you must un-check ^bRead-Only^b in the
Configuration dialog before you can use the edit capabilities.
If you prefer another viewer, press one of the function keys,
^rF2^r-^rF7^r or use the mnemonic menu commands, such as ^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rT^r (to
^uV^uiew as ^uT^uext). When you switch viewers, your cursor position
gets mapped to the new view, and any edits you have made
remain highlighted.
The shifted function keys are used in window operations. See
the ^bDiskEdit Windows^b help topic and the individual menu
commands for help with the windows.
Use the Hex Viewer to display and edit generic data types.
Also, it is often handy to switch to Hex View from one of the
data-specific Viewers.
This is for
information ^bBold shows on both sides where^b
only
^bbytes have been changed
08030: ^b85 18 94^b 21 ^b36 04^b
4D ^b
^C18^C94^b!^b6^C04^b PATH=PROM ^r^C18^r
08040: 50 54 3D ^r43^r 4F 4D
4A PT=^rC^rOMSPEC=^C04[2.J
08050: 42 B8 16 4^b^C1e^b BD 2F
4C B
^b^C1e^b xE
G%ds H
08060: B4 ^b
Tx(.V5
08070: 16^b
^b^rTab^r^b moves blinking cursor
^b OT_^C07^C07z ^C08E
08080: 52^b
for input in Hex or ASCII.
^b EL# ^C04EXIS
08090: 54^b
^b DIR^C03^C04CALL
080A0: 02 98 0B 04 43 48
41 ^C01b
^C07e CHCP^C02^C03RENA ^r^C19^r
File
# Cluster 216 ^r
C:\command.com
Offset 32,816, hex 8030
^b^C1e Object ^C1e
Filename, data range, or description
"Close box" for mouse
^bCursor position within object^b
Use ^rGray +^r and ^rGray -^r to move by sectors. Use ^rHome^r and ^rEnd^r to
move directly to the start or end of the object (file or
range).
Press ^rCtrl^r+^rU^r to undo individual changes, one at a time. Or
use ^rAlt^r+^rE^r ^rD^r to discard all changes in the current sector.
^bCan't Change Anything?^b
If you are unable to make changes with the editor, you may
need to switch out of Read-Only mode. Use ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rO^r to get to
the Configuration dialog.
In the Text Viewer, the data is formatted with line breaks at
appropriate places, making it easier to recognize as text.
^r Object
Edit
Link
View
Info
Tools
Quit
prompt $p$g
, ^r^C18^r
path c:\dos;c:\norton;c:\bin;d:.;
nCache-f /EXP:1500 /DELAY=10.0 /QUICK=ON
REM buffers=100
buffers=10
^bCluster 226, Sector 1842^b
^b ^r^C19^r
File
$ Cluster 226 ^r
C:\autoexec.bat
^b^C1e Object ^C1e^b
Filename, data range, or description^b
"Close box" for the mouse (when window is split)^b
When the sector contains any non-text data, some of it may be
off to the right side of the screen. You may use ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r and
^rCtrl^r+^r^C1b^r ^rCtrl^r+^r^C1a^r to scroll left and right.
Editing is not allowed in Text View. Use ^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rH^r to switch to
Hex View if you want to make changes.
You can install a WordStar-style text filter to mask the high
bit of each byte. See the Configuration dialog.
Directory View comes up automatically when you select a
directory object (^rAlt^r+^rD^r) or whenever the current sector looks
to be formatted as a directory. Each line is one entry,
identifying either a file, a subdirectory, the volume label, a
deleted file, or an unused entry.
^uName
.Ext
Size Da^u\ \^ume Cluster
Attributes^u
SYS
/ /pm
R/O Sys Hid
^r^C18^r
MSDOS
SYS 37376 4-\ \pm
R/O Sys Hid
^rHARDDISK^r -1-
0 2-/ /am
0 Arc
0 2-\ \am
25 ^b
^bDir^b
CONFIG
264 6-/ /pm
2 ^b
COMMAND COM 37557 5-\ \am
68 ^b
Tab to column. Press
ONFIG
90 5-\ \pm
82 ^b
^b ^rspace^r ^bto toggle On/Off.
^b^C1e^b
Unused di ^b
^b^b (
means "deleted")^b
Unused directory entry
^r^C19^r
^r^r Root Directory
" Sector 17 ^C1e^r
^r^r C:\
% Offset 64, hex 40 ^C1f^r
It is easiest to use ^rTab^r and ^rShift^r+^rTab^r move horizontally.
^bLinking to files, directories, FAT^b
While in Directory View, you can quickly link to the data of
the file at the cursor. Just press ^rCtrl^r+^rF^r. This will also
take you to a child directory (link to the ^b..^b file to return
to the parent). With Quick Links on, just press ^rEnter^r. To see
the related FAT chain, press ^rCtrl^r+^rT^r.
^bBlocking and Changing Attributes and Timestamps^b
You can mark a block of entries and change their attributes or
date/time en masse. Use ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r to start marking. Extend the
mark with the cursor keys and then use the ^bSet Attributes^b
dialog (^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rT^r) or ^bSet Date/Time^b dialog (^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rD^r) to make the
changes. See help on ^bSet File Attributes^b for information on
each of the attribute flags.
^bCan't Change Anything?^b
If you are unable to make changes with the editor, you may
need to switch out of Read-Only mode. Use ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rO^r to get to
the Configuration dialog.
The FAT Viewer is active when the current sector is part of a
DOS File Allocation Table. You may view or edit either copy
of the FAT and use it as a starting point to link to related
data.
^u4^u
^u5^u
^u6^u
^u7^u
^u8^u ^r^C18^r
^u9^u
^u10^u ^u<EOF>^u
16
20 <EOF> <EOF> <EOF> <EOF>
<EOF> <EOF> <EOF> <EOF> <EOF>
32 <EOF>
36 <EOF>
40
47 ^b<BAD>^b ^b<BAD>^b
48
56
59 <EOF> <EOF>
72 ^r^C19^r
^r^r FAT (1st Copy)
Sector 1 ^C1e^r
^r^r C:\IO.SYS
Cluster 2, hex 2 ^C1f^r
^b^b
This file owns the cluster
The cursor is at ^b
represented by the entry.
this FAT entry.^b
In the FAT Viewer window, entries you have changed are
displayed in ^bBOLD^b (use ^rCtrl^r+^rU^r to undo an edit). Entries
displayed in ^ua different color^u (or flagged with ^b
^b) are links
of the same allocation chain as the entry at the cursor. In
the window, you may see:
^b0^b: This entry represents a disk cluster which is currently
not in use. It may have been part of an erased file.
You may see its contents by pressing ^rAlt^r+^rL^r ^rF^r.
^ba decimal number, 2 or greater^b: This entry represents a
cluster that contains data belonging to a file or
directory. The number in the entry is the ^unext^u link in
the cluster chain for that file.
^b<EOF>^b: This indicates the last cluster in a chain. At least
some part of the cluster it represents is in use. But
often, a lot of it is wasted (the "slack space" at the
end of a file). If you use ^rAlt^r+^rL^r ^rF^r to look at this data,
you might find something from an old file. You may use
the WipeInfo utility's /K option to clear out the debris.
^b<BAD>^b: This entry identifies an unusable cluster. Often
only one sector of the cluster is actually bad and it can
even happen that a bad cluster has gotten fixed (the
Calibrate Utility can make bad sectors good again
To try reading a "bad" cluster, press ^rAlt^r+^rL^r ^rF^r.
^b(empty)^b: The first two entries in the first sector of a FAT
are used for purposes other than file allocation. To see
these bytes (as well as the FAT) in "raw" format, press
^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rH^r.
^bChanging Information in the FAT^b
Virtually any change you care to make in the FAT can be
accomplished more safely by using one of the other Norton
Utilities. If you decide to make some changes manually, you
^bchange any number^b; this modifies an existing chain and the
owning file's data will be scrambled. Changing an unowned
cluster to give it a value will create a "lost chain" unless
you modify a file's directory entry to point to the cluster.
^bmark a cluster as <BAD>^b: Press ^r B ^r or press ^rDel^r. You should
do this only on unowned entries (which contain ^b0^b). To
safely make an entry contain 0, use ^rAlt^r+^rQ^r ^rS^r to shell to DOS
and delete the owning file, type EXIT to return. (Disk Tools
will do this AND move the data to a safe place).
^bmark a cluster as <EOF>^b: Press ^r E ^r. If you manually rebuild
a FAT chain, be sure to mark its terminating cluster with
this flag.
^bCan't Change Anything? FAT Chains Not Highlighted?^b
If you are unable to make changes with the editor, you may
need to switch out of ^bRead-Only^b mode. If the filename does
not change and the FAT chains are not being colorized as you
move the cursor, you must be in ^bQuick Move^b mode. Use
^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rO^r to get to the Configuration dialog.
This Viewer interprets the current sector as a Partition
Table. It is used automatically when the object in the active
window is a Partition Table or Physical Sector 0 of a hard
disk.
^bUse ^b^rspacebar^r^b to^b
^bSpecial sector-^b
^bcycle choices.
numbering scheme^b
^b^b
Physical sector coordinates
Partition size,^b
^b^b
^b^C1f^b
^b^C1f^b
^b^C1f^b
^b^C1f^b
Starting
Ending
Relative
Number of
System
Side Cyl Sect
Side Cyl Sect
Sectors
Sectors
^r^C18^r
^rDOS-16^r
5 602 17
61489
EXTEND
0 603
5 818 17
61506
22032
unused
unused
^r^C19^r
^r^r Partition Table
Cyl 0, Side 0, Sector 1 ^C1e^r
^r^r Hard Disk 1
Offset 450, hex 1C2 ^C1f^r
See help on ^bSelecting the Partition Table^b for a discussion of
this object and a variety of strongly-worded cautions.
Changing your Partition Table could make your hard disk
unbootable, and make all the data on it inaccessible. So
do not make any changes here unless you know what you are
doing!!
^bSystem^b is used by system software to find partitions it
recognizes. Changing this field from a DOS-recognized
value, such as ^uDOS-12^u, ^uDOS-16^u, ^uEXTEND^u, or ^uBIGDOS^u, will cause
DOS to ignore the partition; it won't be assigned a drive ID
and DOS won't be able to access it. Note: If your DOS
partitions have other ^bSystem^b names, you may have an
installed device driver that tells DOS how to use the disk.
^uDOS-12^u and ^uDOS-16^u are standard DOS partitions (the -12 and
-16 describe how the FAT is laid out). ^uBIGDOS^u is used on
partitions greater than 32M and it signals DOS to use its
additional internal support to access the data. An ^uEXTEND^u
partition goes to a secondary partition table and DOS
treats that partition as a separate disk.
^bBoot^b determines which partition to boot at startup. On DOS
partitions, the one with a ^uYes^u will be called drive C:. It
MUST have a valid Boot Record in the sector named in the
^bStarting^b coordinates. Only one partition can be flagged for
booting.
^bStarting^b and ^bEnding^b give physical disk coordinates identifying
what part of the disk is included in the partition. In an
undamaged Partition Table, partitions do not overlap.
^bRelative Sectors^b repeats the information in the ^bStarting^b
column, but uses a different sector-numbering scheme.
Values in this column identify the start of a partition by
counting up all the sectors from the start of the disk.
^bNumber of Sectors^b is the size of the partition in sectors.
Since a sector is nearly always 512 bytes (
K), you can
quickly judge the size of each partition by dividing these
values by 2 and adding a "K" at the end.
You may see some "partition slack" at the start of a disk
and between the end of one partition and the start of the
next. This is normal and is used to align partitions so
they begin at the start of a cylinder.
^bMaking Changes to the Partition Table^b
Normally, a Partition Table is set in place by DOS's FDISK
utility (or the corresponding tool of another operating
system). Don't change it unless you intend to reformat
the DOS partition.
If you have two or more operating systems on the first hard
disk, you may change the ^bBoot^b column to activate the other
disk as the boot system. Press ^rspacebar^r to toggle this field.
Only one entry may have a ^uYes^u value.
DiskEdit's ^bRecalculate Partitions^b function (^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rR^r) will
automatically calculate relative sector and partition size
fields, based on information in the ^bStarting^b and ^bEnding^b
columns (or vice versa). Refer to help for that topic for
details.
This Viewer interprets the current sector as a DOS Boot
Record. It is activated automatically when the object in the
active window is logical sector 0 of a DOS drive.
Description
Boot Record Data DOS Reports^b
OEM ID: ^rMSDOS4.0^r
^r^C18^r
Bytes per sector: 512
Sectors per cluster: 8
Reserved sectors at beginning: 1
FAT Copies: 2
Root directory entries: 512
Total sectors on disk: 20757
20757
Media descriptor byte: F8 Hex
^r^C19^r
^r^r Boot Record
& Sector 0 ^C1e^r
^r^r Drive C:
" Offset 3, hex 3 ^C1f^r
This is a critical data structure. DOS uses the information
in this record to figure out where the FAT and root directory
are stored and the capacity of the disk.
The ^bDOS Reports^b column should match, item-for-item with the
^bBoot Record Data^b. This may help you diagnose certain types of
problems.
The Boot Record data starts at the fourth byte of the boot
sector. To see the rest of the boot sector, including some
recognizable text messages, press ^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rH^r).
This menu command opens up access to the richest features of
the Norton Disk Editor. It divides the screen into two
windows which you can access separately to view two different
objects or two parts of the same object OR link together
dynamically.
^r Object
Edit
Link
View
Info
Tools
Quit
20 <EOF> <EOF> <EOF> <EOF>
<EOF> <EOF> <EOF> <EOF> <EOF>
32 <EOF>
^r^r FAT (1st Copy)
Sector 1 ^C1e^r
^r^r C:\IO.SYS
^C1e
Cluster 2, hex 2 ^C1f^r
^b ^b^b^C1e
! ^r^C18^r
Close a window
Drag up and down to set size^b.
by clicking^b
the close box^b.
^bThis is the "active" window,
^C10^b
^b^C1f^b
^bsince it has a scroll bar^b.
^r^C19^r
^r^r File
& Cluster 216 ^r
^r^r C:\command.com
Offset 32,816, hex 8030
While the window is split, all menu commands and actions focus
on the "active" window (the active window is the one with a
scroll bar). For instance, if you use ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rF^r to get a new
file, it will be shown in here. And the window sizing
commands all apply to the active window.
However, if you have set up for ^udynamic window linking^u (via
the ^rAlt^r+^rL^r ^rW^r command), then when you move the cursor in one
window, the other window automatically displays a related
object. See help on ^bThe Link Menu^b for details.
The window must be split to perform data comparisons
(^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rC^r). It is also handy to have one window display the
clipboard, when you are doing any copy, and paste, operations.
^bWith the mouse^b, just ^rDrag^r the lower status bar
upward; that splits the lower window and shows
the same object in both window. Drag it some
more to resize the windows. ^rClick^r in either
window to make it the "active" window.
When the window is split, the menu accelerator keys change to
^rAlt^r+^rW^r ^rU^r (for Unsplit). With the mouse, just click the close
box of the window you don't need.
^bTip^b: If you have an EGA or VGA monitor, switch into
a higher resolution mode, such as 43- or 50-line mode,
before starting DiskEdit (use ^bNCC /43^b, for instance).
While the window is split, this menu command closes the
inactive window and zooms the active window to full size.
The active window in the one with a scroll bar.
^bWith the mouse^b, just ^rClick^r the small box in the
bottom left corner of the window you want to
close.
This menu command increases the size of the active window (the
window which has a scroll bar). It is enabled only when the
window has been split via ^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rS^r.
^bWith the mouse^b, just ^rDrag^r the dividing line up or
down to resize a window.
This menu command decreases the size of the active window (the
window which has a scroll bar). It is enabled only when the
window has been split via ^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rS^r.
^bWith the mouse^b, just ^rDrag^r the dividing line up or
down to resize a window.
This menu command switches the focus of commands to the other
window. It is enabled only when the window has been split via
^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rS^r.
This is handy when you have set up dynamic linking. For
instance, while browsing "unused" FAT entries, should you
happen across a directory, just pop to the other window and
that will be the master for the link; as you click or
cursor around this deleted directory, you will see the file
data in the other window.
^bWith the mouse^b, just ^rClick^r anywhere in the other
window to activate it.
The commands in the ^bInfo^b menu provide statistics and helpful
information about the object in the active window.
^r ^r^b Info ^b^r Tools
Quit ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r ^r
^r^b Object info
^b^r
^r^b ^C11
Information on current object^b
Drive info
^r^b ^C11
Summary info on current drive^b
Map of object
^r^b ^C11
Disk Map of DOS data area, with^b
current object identified^b
The ^bMap of object
.^b is based on a Speed Disk-style cluster
map, and thus is disabled while the current object is a FAT,
Partition Table, Boot Record, root directory, or any kind of
Physical disk object, that is, when the object is not mapped
by the FAT.
This menu command brings up a summary of handy information
about the current object in the active window.
Press ^rEnter^r after you have read the information.
Additional information is shown in the status bar of each
window.
This menu command displays a summary of information about the
current drive.
Press ^rEnter^r after you have read the information.
When the current object in the active window is a ^ufile^u or
^usubdirectory^u or a ^urange of clusters^u, this command presents a
SpeedDisk-style cluster map.
Use this to get a feel for the relative size and location of
the object and (on files) the extent of fragmentation it has
suffered.
Since the map is based on a cluster representation, this is
disabled while the current object is a FAT, Partition Table,
Boot Record, root directory, or any kind of Physical Disk
object.
^bTip:^b If you have an EGA or VGA, start DiskEdit while in 43-
or 50-line video mode (e.g., use ^bNCC /50^b). This
improves the diskmap "block" resolution so the map is
more detailed.
The commands in the ^bTools^b menu are the base of operations for
hard-core manual recovery procedures.
^r ^r Tools ^r
Quit
F1=Help ^r
^r^b Find
Ctrl-S ^b^r
Search current file or range^b
find aGain
Ctrl-G
^r^b
of clusters or sectors^b
Write to
^r^b ^C11
Copy current file or range^b
Print As
^r^b ^C11
Print current file or range^b
Recalculate partition
^r^b ^C11
While editing Partition Table^b
Compare windows
^r^b ^C11
Find mismatches, in FAT, etc.^b
set aTtributes
^r^b
On marked block while active^b
Set Date/time
^r^b
window is in Directory Viewer^b
Hex converter
^r^b
Handy conversion tables^b
ASCII Table
^r^b
cOnfiguration
^r^b ^C11
Turn off Read-Only, speed up^b
display, WordStar filter^b
The often-used Search menu items can be activated with
mnemonic ^rCtrl^r key accelerators. To access other commands such
as ^bWrite to
.^b, walk the menu by pressing ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rW^r.
Initially, many items are disabled and become available only
in certain contexts. All items in the center group require a
block of one type or another to be marked before they are
enabled.
Input some data in ASCII or binary, and this will search the
current object for a match.
For instance, to search an entire data area of a disk, use
^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rC^r and set the range to start at 2 and let the end
default to the "rest of the disk." Then press ^rCtrl^r+^rS^r and
input the text to find, or search a particular file or the
clipboard.
In the search dialog, you can input keystrokes or press ^rTab^r to
move into the hex input area. Deselect the ^bIgnore case^b
checkbox if you want to find an exact match or leave it
checked to let your input match with either lowercase or
uppercase versions on the disk.
Press ^rEnter^r to start the search. Press ^rEsc^r to interrupt the
search.
When a match is found, it is displayed in the active window,
highlighted, and the cursor is positioned at the beginning of
the matching string. You may continue the search from this
point by pressing ^rCtrl^r+^rG^r.
^bNote^b: If you have Auto-View selected in the ^bConfiguration^b
dialog, and the match should occur in a Partition Table or
Boot Sector, then you will need to use ^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rH^r to display
the part of the sector in which the match was found.
After starting a search via ^rCtrl^r+^rS^r, and then locating a match,
you may use this command to resume searching at the last
point.
This lets you find additional occurrences of the search string
in the original search range.
Use this command during a manual data recovery. It lets you
copy the current object (which may be as large as an entire
disk) to a file on the same or another disk, or to a specific
sector, cluster, or physical sector range.
The ^bWrite^b dialog first asks what type of object you want to
write. There is no constraint that the current object be sent
to an object of the same type
you can write anything to
anything else.
^bWarning^b! Be especially careful if you use a Cluster, Sector,
or Physical Sector as the destination; this
operation will overwrite portions of the target disk
and anything there will be permanently lost.
The most common usage is to write raw, recovered data into a
disk file where you can get a handle on it. For instance,
after a ^rCtrl^r+^rS^r search has turned up part of a missing
file, you can mark and copy it to the clipboard and then
write the clipboard to a file (or just select an object
with a range containing just the missing data).
You may continue the search for other parts of the file, and
write each part out to the same file
just choose ^b[Append]^b
when prompted by the ^bWrite^b dialog.
You will really find this command useful during manual data
recovery, because you can make a hard copy of the object that
you are working with.
Just as you can view an object in different formats, you can
also choose to print the object in different formats. The
default print format will be the same as the current view,
but the you can select any of the other formats via a set of
radio buttons.
If you are sending output to a printer, make sure that your
printer is ready.
This command is enabled only while you use the Partition Table
Viewer (^rAlt^r+^rV^r ^rP^r) and ^uonly while a block is marked^u. It helps
you make changes to a hard disk partition table by converting
between two different sector numbering systems.
^bThe Expected Warning^b: If you change a Partition Table, and
don't know ^uexactly^u what you're doing and how to recover if
it fails, your hard disk may become inaccessible to DOS.
An expert user might use this as one step in recovering from
the affects of a malicious virus or "Trojan horse."
Starting
Ending
Relative
Number of
System
Side Cyl Sect
Side Cyl Sect
Sectors
Sectors
^r^C18^r
unused
unused
For instance, you found that your master boot record and most
of your first partition has vanished. Zeros everywhere. Not a
pretty sight. As an expert, of course you first make sure
your CMOS drive-type codes are correct. You do a ^rCtrl^r+^rS^r
search of the entire physical disk for the string "MSDOS4.0"
and what luck! There's a DOS Boot Record at side 0,
cylinder 310, sector 1; the virus has overlooked your D: drive
partition.
zero out here
or here
Starting
Ending
Relative
Number of
System
Side Cyl Sect
Side Cyl Sect
Sectors
Sectors
^r^C18^r
^rDOS-12
0 310
5 909 17
unused
From the Boot record, you see its a 12-bit FAT, so you edit
that in. Then you enter the known values, in this case the
starting physical sector and last sector on the disk. You
must put 0s in the fields you wish to have recalculated. Now
mark the entry as a block (press ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r) and press ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rR^r.
It recalculates the missing values:
Starting
Ending
Relative
Number of
System
Side Cyl Sect
Side Cyl Sect
Sectors
Sectors
^r^C18^r
^rDOS-12
0 310
5 909 17
10540
20468^r
unused
The number in the last column jibes with what you know about
the missing partition (approximately 10K).
When the DiskEdit window is split, you can select different
objects for each window and then use this command to compare
them.
When a mismatch is found, the first byte is highlighted and
the cursor is placed at that position.
You can do the obvious and compare the copies of your FATs,
but this can be useful in many other ways. For instance, if
you are doing some sleuthing on some program's configuration
file, you can bring up a copy in one window. Then shell to
DOS (^rAlt^r+^rQ^r ^rS^r) change the configuration, come back to DiskEdit,
and bring up the modified version in the second window. Now
wherever the copies diverge
This command requires that a directory object be displayed in
the active window and that ^uone or more entries are highlighted^u
^uas a marked block^u.
Note: To change attributes for individual files, just ^rTab^r
over toward the right in the directory Viewer and
press ^rspacebar^r to toggle an attribute on and off.
To change a block of file attributes, mark the block by
pressing ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r, and using ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r to extend the highlight.
^bWith the mouse^b, just ^rClick^r and ^rDrag^r.
Then press ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rT^r, select the checkboxes for the attributes
you wish to change (if both ^bSet^b and ^bClear^b are unchecked, the
current attribute value stays the same).
^bArchive^b: when SET, this indicates that the file has NOT been
backed up (and thus, will be "tagged" for inclusion in an
XCOPY /M or BACKUP /M operation). When a new file is
created, the ^bArc^b attribute is set automatically.
^bRead-Only^b: when SET, the file cannot be modified or deleted.
This is a simple safety device to keep yourself or others
from changing "frozen" program source code files, word
processor style sheets, and so forth. It seems to have no
effect when applied to a subdirectory.
^bHidden^b: when SET, DOS will not list the file with the DIR
command nor find it in a wildcard COPY, etc. When a
subdirectory name is hidden, you can still use it in
pathnames and CHDIR to it, but it doesn't show in the DIR
list (also, Speed Disk will treat all files in it as
Unmovable).
^bSystem^b: used by the two system files, MsDos.Sys and Io.Sys.
^bVol^b: often one pseudo-file in the root directory has this
attribute. This file is the 11-character volume label.
It should have a 0 as both its file size and starting
cluster number.
^bDir^b: all files with this attribute are subdirectory entries.
They have a Size listed as 0, though each must be at least
one cluster in length (the actual size is derived from the
length of its FAT chain).
This dialog does not provide access to the ^bVol^b and ^bDir^b
attributes, but you can toggle them on individual entries in
the Directory Viewer (not something I'd recommend, though
Press ^rEnter^r and the result is displayed instantly in the
Directory Viewer. Press ^rAlt^r+^rE^r ^rW^r to flush the changes to disk.
This command requires that a directory object be displayed in
the active window and that ^uone or more entries are highlighted^u
^uas a marked block^u.
Mark the block by pressing ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r, and using ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r to extend the
highlight. ^bWith the mouse^b, just ^rClick^r and ^rDrag^r.
Then press ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rD^r, select the checkboxes to set either the
date or time or both. The default setting is the current time
and date. Press ^rTab^r to get into the textbox and edit a new
time and/or date in the standard formats.
Press ^rEnter^r and the result is displayed instantly in the
Directory Viewer. Press ^rCtrl^r+^rW^r to flush the changes to disk.
A handy, self-explanatory hex-to-decimal-to-ASCII converter
is a disk sleuth's best friend. If you type in a Hex value
(such as "4D"), the Decimal value ("77") and equivalent
character ("M") will show in the other windows. If you know
either of the other values, use the ^rTab^r key to move from
window to window, and type in the decimal or character
value. The Hex equivalent will show in the top window.
This simply displays a scrolling list of the 256 ASCII codes,
as displayed in the current screen font.
If the special Norton Utilities graphical mouse is active, you
will notice that certain codes in the low 200s are shown as
periods. The utilities redefine certain codes for use as
radio buttons and checkboxes. Other codes are changed
dynamically as the mouse moves.
This dialog lets you change certain facets of the way Norton
Disk Editor operates. Use ^rTab^r or ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to move between
controls. When finished, select ^b[Save]^b to record the settings
for later.
^bRead Only^b: This is ON by default; it will keep a novice
user out of trouble. In fact, it's not a bad idea for even
experts to leave this checked until it's really time to
modify a disk, then just uncheck it for the current session;
that is, leave this dialog by hitting the ^b[OK]^b button rather
than ^b[Save]^b.
The Hex and Directory Viewers don't allow data input
in Read Only mode, so the cursor motion is somewhat
different (it's slightly easier to move around when in
Read Only mode).
Warning! Even when Read Only mode is on, it is still
possible to use the ^rAlt^r+^rT^r ^rW^r command to write arbitrary data
into critical system areas. However, it issues several
severe warnings before letting you do it.
^bQuick Move^b: When you cursor around the FAT and certain other
actions on a slow PC, DiskEdit grinds nearly to a halt.
When Quick Move is ON, DiskEdit eliminates a lot of on-the-
fly lookups and calculations so the cursor goes faster. The
screen gets updated eventually, in any case.
^bAuto View^b: When Auto View is on, DiskEdit will choose which
Viewer to use in displaying the data (see help on ^bThe View^b
^bMenu^b). For instance, as you page through arbitrary data
clusters, and you come across an old directory, Auto View
causes the display to switch from Hex View to Directory
View.
There are cases where you may prefer to keep the screen in
Hex View; for instance, while you look at physical sectors.
The Partition Table and Boot Record Viewers don't show
everything in the sector.
^bQuick Links^b: You'll normally want this enabled so you can
press ^rEnter^r or ^rDouble Click^r on a file name to get to its
data. However, with dynamically-linked windows, you may
prefer to use the ^bLink^b menu commands exclusively to keep
tight reign on what gets displayed in each window.
^bCharacter filters^b
Pick ^uView WordStar files^u to mask off
the high bit of all characters displayed in the Text and Hex
Viewers. This makes WordStar files and some other types of
data a little bit easier to recognize.
Quit disk editor
^r ^r^b Quit ^b^r
F1=Help ^r
Quit Disk Editor Ctrl-Q
^r^b ^C11
When you're all finished^b
^r^b Shell to DOS
^b^r
^r^b ^C11
Temporary; EXIT to come back^b
Disk Edit provides a normal exit and a way to get out to DOS
and return without losing your work.
This menu command temporarily exits to DOS. Type ^bEXIT^b at the
DOS prompt to return to DiskEdit, with your windows, objects,
and the clipboard setup as you left them.
For instance, you might go to DOS to use another tool, such as
a text editor, as one step in a file recovery job.
Just a word of warning: it's not too hard to hit this by
mistake, when you actually intended to exit permanently. If
you suddenly find yourself inexplicably low on memory, try
typing EXIT at the DOS prompt.
This command exits from Disk Editor.
You may also exit by pressing ^rEsc^r in any Viewer (you'll get a
chance to change your mind, though).
Whenever you attempt to leave after making edits changes to a
sector, you will have a chance to write the changes or discard
them.
^r ^r^r^C18 ^r ^r ^C19 ^r
Move cursor up/down one line
^r ^r^r^C1b ^r ^r ^C1a ^r
Move cursor left/right ^uwithin edit field^u; at end
of field, move to previous/next field
^rTab^r ^rShift^r+^rTab^r Move cursor to next/previous edit field
^rCtrl^r+^r^C1b^r ^rCtrl^r+^r^C1a^r Move cursor to beginning/end of line (Text
Viewer)
^rPgUp^r ^rPgDn^r
Move up/down by screen-sized pages
^rGray-^r ^rGray+^r
Move to previous/next sector
(also ^rCtrl^r+^rPgUp^r and ^rCtrl^r+^rPgDn^r)
^rHome^r ^rEnd^r
Move to start/end of ^ua range^u of sectors,
clusters, physical sectors, or start of a file.
^rCtrl^r+^rHome^r
Move to start/end of ^ucurrent^u sector, cluster,
+^rEnd^r
physical sector, or start of a file.
^rClick Left^r here to
^C10 ^r^C18^r ^C11
^rClick Right^r here to
move up one line
move to start of sector
^C10
^rClick^r above or below the
^rDrag^r elevator to move
elevator to move up or
^C11
up and down and to get
down by one full screen
to top/bottom of object
^C10
^rClick Left^r here to
^rClick Right^r here to move
move down one line
^C10 ^r^C19^r ^C11
to end of current sector
The ^bRescan^b dialog appears when DiskEdit's checksum methodology
detects a change in the contents of the File Allocation Table,
Boot Record, or the root directory of the current disk.
You may see this prompt after using ^rAlt^r+^rQ^r ^rS^r to Shell to DOS
and delete some files, or after you manually make any changes
to one of these areas and write the changes to disk.
Since any changes in these system areas might have significant
impact on DiskEdit's internal tables, the directory tree shown
in ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rR^r, the disk map, and elsewhere, it may need to do a
directory scan of the disk to get itself up to date.
Furthermore, if some edit you have just performed has, for
instance, opened up a previously-deleted directory, you
probably want DiskEdit to know about it.
On some computers, the rescan can take a long time. So if you
know the change was insignificant, then skip the operation by
pressing ^rEsc^r.
This dialog appears at startup when DiskEdit's optional
Read Only mode is in effect.
In Read Only mode, the data Viewers will not accept input
other than cursor motions. That makes it difficult to
accidentally change some critical system area.
See help on ^bConfigure Disk Editor^b for related information.
Disk Monitor provides three types of disk protection. To
select an option, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight a button and
press ^rEnter^r to bring up its associated dialog screen.
^b[Disk Protect]^b installs a TSR (RAM-resident program) which
keeps an eye on all attempts to write to any of your disks.
It's like putting a "smart" write-protect tab on all of your
disks, including your hard disks. This tool provides ^usafety^u
^ufrom viruses^u and it can ^uavoid accidental deletion^u or
overwriting of specific types of files. When Disk Protect
is ON, you will be warned whenever the disk is about to be
modified
and you can choose to block the attempted write
or let it continue. You may use ^bDISKMON /PROTECT+^b to enable
this feature from the command line.
^b[Disk Light]^b also installs a TSR which keeps an eye on your
disk activity, but all it does is display a tiny flashing
light in the top right corner of your screen whenever any
disk is read or written. This is handy for monitoring RAM-
disk activities or to give you an indication of disk
activity if your system unit is on the floor and out of
sight. You may use ^bDISKMON /LIGHT+^b to enable this feature
from the DOS command line.
^b[Disk Park]^b is an important safety measure you should take
whenever you turn off your computer. It moves the read/
write heads of all your drives into a safe location.
This is especially important when you intend to move
your system unit. The DOS command-line usage is
^bDISKMON /PARK^b.
This screen lets you specify how much protection Disk Monitor
should provide for your system. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move between
options. Press ^rspacebar^r to select or deselect an option. Use
^rTab^r to move from option group to option group. When finished,
select one of ^b[ON]^b or ^b[OFF]^b, or press ^rEsc^r to leave the dialog
without change.
The protection installed here consists of both BIOS- and DOS-
level and monitoring of disk write operations. When a
protected area is about to be modified, you will see:
^b^b Disk Monitor
^b A write operation was attempted on (area). ^b
Do you wish to allow this operation?
^bY^bes
^bN^bo
^bD^bisable Protection
At that point, you can allow the write (press ^rY^r), prevent the
write (press ^rN^r), or disable subsequent protection (press ^rD^r).
In some cases you will need to press ^rY^r or ^rN^r several times for
each operation, since DISKMON monitors the disk at multiple
levels.
This dialog has the following options:
The ^bSystem Areas^b radio button specifies to protect against
direct low-level access to hard and floppy disks and to
protect all system files (such as COMMAND.COM and
MSDOS.SYS).
The ^bFiles^b radio button specifies to protect the files listed
in the
^bFiles^b
list, but to disregard writes to files
shown in the
^bExceptions^b
list.
The ^bSystem Areas and Files^b radio button requests protection
for both areas.
The ^bEntire Disk^b radio button effectively puts a write-protect
tab on all disks in your system. This is the "total
paranoia" option you might pick occasionally when loading a
program which might contain a virus.
Note: This option stops ^bALL writes to ALL disks^b (unless you
manually OK each operation). There is no way to
specify an individual disk drive.
The ^bAllow Floppy Access^b checkbox overrides one aspect of the
above settings. Put an ^bx^b here to allow diskette access
(drives A and B) while continuing protection of hard disks.
^bFiles^b
is used only when ^bFiles^b or ^bSystem Areas and Files^b
has been selected. This lets you specify a filename
extension of files you wish to protect. Use ^rTab^r to get to
this list and use ^r^C19^r to scroll to the bottom to add names.
^bExceptions^b
lets you override the items in the Files list
with specific filenames that you expect to get modified.
For instance, some .COM programs have been known to write
configuration information directly into their own code file.
You will probably add to this list as you isolate programs
which use this technique.
After setting your options, DiskMon remembers your settings
each time it is loaded. Therefore, next time you run this
utility, say in your Autoexec.Bat file, you may simply use
^bDISKMON /PROTECT+^b.
Select the ^b[ON]^b button to enable Disk Light. When you exit
from DiskMon, it will install a small TSR (RAM-resident
program) that watches your disk activity and displays a
small indicator whenever any disk is accessed. When disk C:
is accessed in a read operation, Disk Light blinks ^rC^C1a^r,
and flashes ^rC^C1b^r when data is written to the disk.
You may enable the Disk Light from a batch file or directly
from the DOS command line via ^bDISKMON /LIGHT+^b.
This moves the read/write heads of all of your hard disks over
a safe area of the disk. Use this feature when you are ready
to turn off your computer.
Unlike floppy drives, the read/write head of a hard disk is
intended to fly above the disk surface and never touch down.
If it does touch the surface, it will certainly destroy any
data stored anywhere near the area it touches.
Hard disks have a cylinder designated as a "landing zone," at
the far end of the platter. No data is ever written to this
area, so if the head actually does "crash" onto the surface,
no data will be lost.
It is wise to park your hard disks before you shut down your
computer, and especially when you intend to move the system
unit or ship it anywhere. You may park the heads from the DOS
command line by using ^bDISKMON /PARK^b.
^uPortions of this software are provided under license to
^uPeter Norton Computing Inc. by Maverick Software Inc.
Diskreet offers you two kinds of security: it will create a
secure disk, or "NDisk," which cannot be accessed except with
a password, or it can encrypt individual files, so that no one
else can view their contents. Choose ^b[Files]^b if you wish to
encrypt files; choose ^b[Disks]^b if you wish to create, open or
close a Diskreet NDisk.
Note: To use the ^b[Disk]^b options, the line, ^uDevice=^u
^uDiskreet.Sys^u must be included in your Config.Sys
file, but you may use the ^b[Files]^b options at any
time.
This option is selected by choosing ^b[Files]^b from the ^bDiskreet^b
dialog box, then pressing ^rE^r to select ^bEncrypt Files^b.
Select the file you wish to encrypt by typing its name in the
^bFile name^b box (wildcards may be used, such as ^b*.TXT^b, which
will encrypt all files in the current directory with a .TXT
extension).
After selecting the file(s) to encrypt, you must enter the
name of the output file where the encrypted data will be
written. The output file must be different than the file(s)
being encrypted (you can't encrypt "in place").
Finally, Diskreet will prompt you to enter the password for
the encrypted file(s). The password must be entered twice,
and both entries much match.
Refer to the help on ^bFile Encryption Options^b for additional
information. The options determine the encryption method,
whether the original files are deleted after encryption, and
the attributes of the output file.
This option is selected by choosing ^b[Files]^b from the ^bDiskreet^b
dialog box, then pressing ^rD^r to select ^bDecrypt Files^b.
Select the file you wish to decrypt by typing its name in the
^bFile name^b box, or by pressing ^rTab^r to go the ^bFiles^b list and
moving the scroll bar to highlight the file you want.
Wildcards may be used, such as *.SEC, which will decrypt all
files in the current directory with the extension of .SEC. You
may change drives and directories by tabbing to the ^bDirs^b or
^bDrives^b list and highlighting the drive and directory you want.
Refer to the help on ^bFile Encryption Options^b for additional
information. The options will effect the decryption process.
File Encryption options are accessed by choosing ^b[Files]^b from
the ^bDiskreet^b dialog, then pressing ^rF^r to select ^bFile Options^b.
You may select individual options by using the ^r^C18^r or ^r^C19^r keys,
then pressing the ^rspacebar^r to select or deselect a particular
option.
^bEncryption Method:^b There are two encryption methods
available
a proprietary method, and the DES method. DES is
the U.S. Government standard for encryption, and is somewhat
slower, but provides maximum security. The proprietary
method is faster, but less secure.
^bWipe/Delete original files after encryption:^b Checking this
option means the original file will not only be erased from
your disk after encryption, but the space used by it will be
overwritten with zeros to prevent its being unerased later.
Note: It is not possible for Diskreet to know if a word
processor or other program has made a ^udifferent-named^u
^ubackup^u for a file or has ^uwritten data to a swap file^u.
For complete security, you should use an NDisk or use
WipeInfo /E at the end of each day.
^bSet Encrypted file to Hidden:^b Checking this option means the
encrypted file will not show in your directory. Hidden
files will be ignored by DOS when performing copy, delete or
rename operations.
^bSet Encrypted file to Read-Only:^b Checking this option means
that the encrypted file cannot be edited, altered or deleted
from your disk.
^bUse same password for entire session:^b Checking this option
means that you will be asked to enter a password only once,
and the same password will be used for all of the files
encrypted and decrypted until you exit Diskreet.
You may select this option from the ^bDiskreet^b dialog box by
highlighting ^b[Disks]^b, then pressing either ^rAlt^r+^rS^r or ^rF9^r ^rD^r ^rS^r.
Note: Options in the ^bDisk ^bmenu are available only if the
^uDiskreet.Sys^u device driver has been installed in your
Config.Sys file.
Selecting this option will allow you to search a floppy disk
for NDisks. You may specify which drive to search by scrolling
through the drive list, and highlighting the drive you wish to
search.
Diskreet automatically shows all NDisks located on your hard
disk(s). However, you must select the ^bSearch Floppies^b option
if you wish to locate and open an NDisk created on a floppy
disk.
You may select this option from the ^bDiskreet^b dialog by
highlighting ^b[Disks]^b, then pressing either ^rAlt^r+^rC^r or ^rF9^r ^rD^r ^rC^r.
After you close an NDisk, nobody can access it until the
correct password has been used.
Selecting this option will close all open Ndisks, whether on
your hard disk or on floppies. However, if you are logged
onto an NDisk when you choose this option, that particular
NDisk will remain open.
This option allows you to either expand or shrink the size of
an NDisk. You may select it from the ^bDiskreet ^bdialog box by
highlighting ^b[Disks]^b, then pressing ^rAlt^r+^rS^r or ^rF9^r ^rD^r ^rA^r.
When the ^bAdjust NDisk Size Dialog Box^b appears, select either
^b[Expand]^b or ^b[Shrink]^b (or press ^rE^r or ^rS^r). Use the ^r^C18^r or ^r^C19^r key to
position the cursor on the new NDisk size, then press the
^rspacebar^r to select your choice. (If you choose ^bSpecific Size^b,
you will have to enter the new size in KBytes.)
This option allows you to delete an existing NDisk. You may
select it from the ^bDiskreet^b dialog box by highlighting
^b[Disks]^b, then pressing ^rF9^r ^rD^r ^rD^r.
When the ^bDelete NDisk Dialog Box^b appears, scroll to select the
NDisk you wish to delete. The NDisk will be deleted, and the
space used by it will be overwritten to prevent its being
unerased later.
^bNote:^b This operation ^ucannot be undone^u, so make sure that any
files you wish to keep have been backed up before you delete
your NDisk!
You may select this option from the opening dialog by
highlighting ^b[Disks]^b, then pressing ^rF9^r ^rD^r ^rP^r to select ^bChange^b
^bDisk Password^b.
The password is required to open an NDisk, edit its name or
defaults, change its size, or to change its password.
Warning!: If you lose or forget your NDisk password, there is
nothing you can do to access the information stored
on the NDisk!)
^bNote:^b Changing the NDisk Password does ^bnot^b change the
passwords for encrypted files, any other NDisks, or the Main
Password.
You may select this option from the opening dialog by
highlighting ^b[Disks]^b, then pressing either ^rAlt^r+^rS^r or ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rS^r.
Checking the ^bDo not load the NDisk Manager^b box will change
your Config.Sys file so the ^uDiskreet.Sys^u file does not load
when you boot up. This will save memory, but you will not be
able to use any NDisks until it is re-loaded (this will
require re-booting again). If you only wish to encrypt or
decrypt files, and not access NDisks, select this option by
pressing the ^rspacebar^r.
^bNumber of Drive Letters^b specifies how many drive letters you
wish to reserve for Diskreet. If you wish to have more than
one NDisk open at the same time, you must designate a drive
letter for each of them, since you can only have one open
NDisk per drive letter. Use the ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r keys to move the
cursor to your choice, then press ^rspacebar^r to select it.
You may select this option from the opening dialog by choosing
^b[Disks]^b, then pressing ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rD^r.
This option allows you to select NDisks which will
automatically be opened when you start up your computer. When
the ^bStartup NDisks Dialog Box^b appears, use the ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r keys to
highlight the Drive Letter of the NDisk, then press ^rE^r to Edit
your defaults. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to
choose whether you wish to be prompted for the NDisk password
as soon as the system starts up, or the first time you
actually select the Drive Letter. Use the ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r keys to move
the cursor to the option you wish to choose, then press
^rspacebar^r to select it.
You may select this option from the opening dialog by choosing
^b[Disks]^b, then pressing ^rF9^r ^rO^r ^rA^r.
^bAuto-closeout^b will automatically close all open NDisks if no
NDisk activity takes place for a specified length of time.
Press the ^rspacebar^r to select or deselect this option, and you
may enter the number of minutes you prefer. This feature is
particularly useful if you occasionally leave your computer
unattended for any length of time.
This dialog provides security for your entire system by
keeping people from reading the screen or typing at the
keyboard.
^bEnable Quick-Close^b: If you check this option, any time you
press the "hot key" combination, all open NDisks will
automatically be closed, and can only be re-opened by
accessing the Diskreet Disks menu.
^bEnable Locking^b: If you check this option, any time you press
the "hot key" combination, your screen will be blanked, and
the keyboard will be locked until the password is entered.
^bQuick Close/Lock Hot Key^b: You may select the combination of
keys you want to use by pressing ^rTab^r to go to this list,
then using the ^r^C18^r or ^r^C19^r keys to move the cursor to your
choice. Pressing the ^rspacebar^r or clicking the mouse will
select it. This "hot key" combination will quick-close your
NDisks and/or clear your screen and lock your keyboard at
any time (even if you are in another application program or
at the DOS prompt).
You may select this option from the opening dialog by
highlighting ^b[Disks]^b, then pressing ^rF9^r ^rO^r and using the ^r^C19^r key
to highlight the ^bSecurity^b option.
In this dialog, you may specify what to do with the areas
of the disk that may still contain discarded NDisk data after
you have created, deleted, or adjusted the size of an NDisk.
Use the ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r keys to move the cursor to your
selection, then press ^rspacebar^r to select it.
^bQuick Clear^b: This option leaves the encrypted data on the disk
(though it is still encrypted).
^bOverwrite^b: Writes a data pattern over the area, so that the
encrypted data is overwritten.
^bSecurity Wipe^b: This overwrites the area multiple times, and
conforms to the Department of Defense requirements. It is
the most secure of the three options.
You may select this option from the opening dialog by
highlighting ^b[Disks]^b, then pressing ^rF9^r ^rO^r ^rC^r to select ^bChange^b
^bMain Password^b.
The main password is required to change your auto-close
settings, to disable the screen and keyboard lock keys, and to
change the main password itself. If you cannot remember your
main password, simply delete the file ^uDiskreet.ini^u from your
hard disk. Diskreet will then recognize the ^rEnter^r key as your
Main Password).
^bNote:^b Changing the Main Password does ^bnot^b affect the
passwords of encrypted files or NDisks.
From the opening dialog box, either selecting the ^b[Quit]^b
button, pressing ^rQ^r or pressing ^rEsc^r will return you to the DOS
prompt or to the program from which you entered Diskreet.
From any other Dialog Box, pressing ^rEsc^r repeatedly will quit
Diskreet.
When you quit Diskreet, all open NDisks will remain open, and
all Diskreet options which you have chosen will remain in
effect.
This utility provides a set of automated procedures which
protect disk data, simplify some technical operations, and
recover from certain types of data disasters.
These are safe, totally automated procedures, with plenty of
safeguards. These tools are designed for easy operation even
by novice users.
In the main ^bDisk Tools^b dialog, you may highlight the tool of
interest and press ^rF1^r for information. Or press ^r T ^r right now
to see a list of help topics.
This procedure takes all the necessary steps to make it
possible to use a disk as a DOS system or "boot" disk; that
is, after you use this tool, you can start your computer when
this diskette is in drive A:.
DOS's ^bSYS^b command is supposed to do this, but it often fails,
saying, "No room for system files." Disk Tools MAKES room
by physically moving the files that are causing the blockage.
Then it copies the system files correctly onto the disk
(including Command.Com). It can even adjust a hard disk
partition table, in case that got scrambled somehow.
^bNote^b: This procedure is 100% safe; it cannot harm a disk.
The first dialog asks which disk to make bootable. Use
^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r and press ^rEnter^r, or just press the drive
ID letter. The rest of the action is automatic.
DOS's RECOVER command is dangerous
its default operation
causes you to lose all of your subdirectories! The DOS
manual suggests using RECOVER after you see a "sector
read error," but we recommend using the ^uNorton Disk Doctor^u to
heal that problem.
After using DOS's RECOVER, your root directory contains
files with names like ^bFILE
0.REC^b, and there are no
subdirectories. In that case, use this Disk Tool to clean up
the mess.
There is one other reason to use this tool. In the ^uvery rare^u
case where your disk's directory gets scrambled, but the File
Allocation Table is intact, this can rebuild the directory
(albeit with arbitrary filenames).
A dialog prompts you to select a disk. After that you'll get
two strong warnings (remember, this tool is needed very
rarely) and ^byou can back out by pressing^b ^rEsc^r ^bat any time^b
^bwithout harm^b, even after the disk map is displayed, right up
until the entire disk map is in colored in bold.
The rest of the action is automatic. The disk is analyzed
while showing a visual map of the disk data. At the end, the
directory of the chosen diskette will still contain names like
"FILE
0," but it will also contain subdirectory names and
where possible, files will have their original filename
extensions.
When you see ^uBad sector reading drive A: Abort, Retry
.^u, the
problem is often related to the "sector ID" marks BETWEEN the
sectors.
This tool re-writes the sector ID marks, without wiping the
data. In the case of a physical problem, say a scratch on the
disk or if the disk came in contact with a magnet, this tool
will make a heroic effort to dig out whatever part of the
disk is readable.
Depending on the amount of un-revivable physical damage, you
should be able to see a directory on the disk and access it
normally.
This provides a simple way to tell DOS not to store data on
a particular part of a disk OR you can perform the reverse
operation
tell DOS to go ahead and use an area which is
currently marked as "bad."
The Norton Disk Doctor or some other source may describe a
"disk error at cluster ^u
n^u" or similar message. You may use
this tool to put a special code in the File Allocation Table
(FAT) so that DOS will no longer use the defective part of the
disk. Actually, the Disk Doctor will mark-and-move
automatically, but you may use this tool to mark some clusters
near the bad one manually; if one part of the disk is
physically damaged, nearby ones may eventually show
intermittent problems.
^bThis is a very safe operation^b; the tool will check to see if a
file currently owns that cluster and if so, it will move its
data to a different part of the disk. This is much safer and
easier than doing the work manually with Disk Edit. You
cannot lose any data with this tool.
Be sure to pick the right drive and (on floppy drives) put the
right diskette in place. The ^bMark Clusters^b dialog prompts for
a cluster number.
Note: Input a ^ucluster^u number, ^uNOT a sector^u number.
To change a "bad" cluster to be marked as "good", press ^rTab^r
and press the ^rspacebar^r to set the correct radio button. You
can use this option to reverse any previous input mistake. The
now "good" cluster will become available for use by files.
Here's a simple insurance policy for hard disk owners.
Three sets of information are critical to the well-being of
your hard disk. ^bWhen your system is healthy^b, use this tool to
make a record of the current settings. Then, if Something Bad
happens, you have a way to restore those known-to-be-good
settings.
^uCMOS Information^u: Includes the settings put in place when
you run "Setup" on your AT-compatible computer.
Especially critical are the "hard disk type" codes.
Wrong values keep the disk from booting (among other
problems).
^uPartition Information^u: Includes the "master boot record" (at
side 0, cylinder 0, sector 1) and Partition Table for all
hard disks. This is a description of the physical
characteristics of each disk, how it has been divided up
into DOS drives, and whether you have any other operating
systems on the same disk. Wrong information in here will
keep the disk from booting and/or make DOS unaware of its
existence.
^uBoot Information^u: This is the DOS Boot Record. DOS
depends on accurate information in this sector or it
can't find the FAT, root directory, that spreadsheet,
the payroll, or anything.
^bNote: ^bTo get a printed report of all the information
saved here, use the SysInfo report feature; it displays
and prints out this same information, but in a form
readable by people.
^bNote, too^b: You may wish to use the Norton Image program
as an added precaution; it saves additional DOS-specific
information that changes often, such as your directory
structures and so forth.
This tool is easy to use. Follow the prompts and when asked,
insert a formatted diskette into the floppy disk drive. Three
files are created on the drive. On the diskette label, write
something like "Norton Rescue disk for Dan's 386" and put the
disk away in a safe place.
^bNote:^b Repeat this procedure each time you make a major
configuration change, such as adding or removing a
hard disk, installing a new version of DOS, etc.
If a virus or "Trojan Horse" program does some nasty business
on your hard disk, if the battery goes dead on your AT, or
if in moving your computer, the hard disk gets a bump on the
head and the Doctor can't fix it
pull out the Rescue Disk,
and use the ^bRestore Rescue Diskette^b procedure in this Disk
Tools program.
Use this tool when you can't access a hard disk and the Norton
Disk Doctor is unable to fix the problem.
This restores all (or selected parts) of the information saved
in a previous use of the ^bCreate Rescue Diskette^b procedure.
In the ^bRestore System from Rescue Disk^b dialog, you can decide
which information to put back in place. In general, you will
want to restore all the information, so, by default, all the
options have checkmarks.
To uncheck an option, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the cursor and press
^rspacebar^r to toggle it off. When satisfied with your choices,
press ^rEnter^r to continue. Press ^rEsc^r at any time to back out.
^uPartition Tables^u: These can get messed up by unwise use of
DOS's FDISK program. Or perhaps when you added a second
hard disk, something happened to the partition
information in the first disk.
^uBoot Records^u: These might get modified accidentally by DOS's
SYS command. Uncheck this if you have installed a newer
version of DOS since you created your Rescue Disk.
^uCMOS Information^u: This gets lost if the battery dies or gets
removed for any length of time. The most common use of
this tool is to uncheck the other two options and restore
only the CMOS data.
Disk Tools needs to know which disk drive you wish to work
with.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the highlight and press ^rEnter^r -OR- as with
all similar "Pick-a-drive" dialogs in the Utilities, just
press a drive letter.
When performing an operation on a floppy disk drive, you will
get another prompt asking you to put the right diskette in the
drive. It's wise to look at the label on the diskette to make
sure it is the right one.
Tired of trying to make sense out of a jumbled directory list
every time you type ^uDIR^u
help is here.
Directory Sort first groups all directories together and then
all files. The files can be sorted by name, extension, time,
date, or size. You can combine any number of ^bsort keys^b, so
that files that are the same by one key can be arranged in
order by the next key.
A file can also be placed at any location in the sort order;
you can make finding frequently accessed files easier by
placing them first in their directories.
^bNDOS users:^b Even though your directory gets sorted as far
as DOS is concerned, when you get back to the NDOS prompt,
NDOS takes over and sorts ^uDIR^u output to its own lights.
Use the NDOS ^rDIR switches^r to format the output to your
taste.
The group of ^b
Sort Order
^b check boxes determines the sort
keys for the ^b[Re-sort]^b button. Numbers are displayed to left
of each check box in the order that you check them. If you
just want an alphabetic sort by filename, just check name and
you're done.
For a compound sort, make sure you check the boxes in the
proper order. For example, to group all files by extension
and then by name, check extension first (1 will appear) and
then check name (a 2 will appear). Use as many of the keys
as necessary.
When you check a box, a ^u+^u appears to right. This means
ascending sort order. Press ^r-^r to specify a descending sort
(or ^rClick^r on the ^u+^u sign). Press ^r+^r to switch back.
^bTip:^b The bottom of the ^b
Sort Order
^b dialog shows the
sort key as you build it. This is the sort key you would
from the command line.
If you want to also sort all directories beneath the current
one, check ^bSort subdirs^b.
When you're ready, ^b[Re-sort]^b. This only updates the display
for you approval and possible further changes.
See ^uMoving Files^u before you actually ^b[Write]^b the changes.
A file can also be placed at any location in the sort order;
you can make finding frequently accessed files easier by
placing them first in their directories.
Use the ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r keys to highlight a file for moving. Press
^rspacebar^r on the file you've chosen. Again, use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r to move
the file to its new location in the list and press ^rEnter^r when
your happy. Then your ready to ^b[Write]^b the change.
If you are going to ^b[Re-sort]^b according to keys specified
in the check boxes also, do that before you move any single
files or you'll have to move the file all over again.
The ^b[Change Dir
.]^b button lets you pick a different
directory to sort. Use the list boxes to change drives or
directories, or manually enter a new one in the text box
labeled ^u
Current Directory
Directory Sort will display an alert dialog box if you choose
^b[Change Dir
.]^b and something has been changed but not
saved.
After you've set your sort keys, the ^b[Re-sort]^b button will
display the directory in the new order
but this is still
only in memory. You can now move files individually, or back
out entirely, before the ^b[Write]^b makes things permanent
(at least until the next sort).
This is the moment you've been waiting for, the ^b[Write]^b
button at the right time. When satisified with the sort order,
press ^rW^r or hightlight ^b[Write]^b and press ^rEnter^r. The
in-memory copy of the directory is written to disk.
^bNote:^b Directory Sort will read directories of ^unetwork^u,
^uASSIGN^ued, or ^uSUBST^ued drives
but will not be able to
write any of these changes back to disk. Directory Sort
will warn you whenever it detects one of these types, or
when you press the ^b[Write]^b button.
^bWelcome To FileFind!^b
FileFind is a powerful high-level tool which combines features
from the classic Norton FF, FS, FA, and TS utilities.
It solves the common problem of locating a file which has been
misplaced somewhere among multiple drives and bottomless
directories.
But it goes WAY beyond that. It can search for files not only
by name, but by ^ucontents^u. If you forgot the name, but
remember a key phrase, FileFind will locate your file.
Furthermore, you can limit the search by criteria such as a
range of dates or a file size or file attributes.
FileFind lets you ^uset or clear file attributes^u of a file or
group of files (as with the classic FA) but it also lets you
^uset the time and date^u of the file(s).
It is also a ^ufile browser^u and you can look through found files
while FileFind continues to search for more matches. Finally,
FileFind provides a ^uflexible list printing service^u, including
a feature that lets you ^ucreate a batch file^u that runs a DOS
command for each file found.
And when you have located the specific file you needed so
desperately, FileFind can helpfully set you into its directory
when you exit.
^bInteractive vs. Batch Operation^b
Right now you're using FileFind's full-screen interactive
mode, but there are times you may wish to run FileFind without
needing user interaction. To force FileFind to do its task
and then exit to DOS, use the ^b/BATCH^b command-line option.
For instance, if you wish to hide a file from prying eyes,
you can set its file attribute to Hidden as follows:
C:\>^rFileFind C:\wp\ltrs\MySecret.Ltr /HID+ /BATCH^r^C11
and now DOS's DIR command won't list the file. The /BATCH
option made FileFind work without user interaction.
To emulate a commonly-needed feature of the classic FS, you
could write a batch file something like:
^rREM Check if files in this directory
^rREM will fit on drive A:
^rIF .%1.==..
FileFind *.* /C /TARGET:A: /BATCH ^r
^rIF NOT .%1.==.. FileFind %1 /C /TARGET:A: /BATCH ^r
^bCommand-line Syntax; Filespec Quirks^b
You only need to learn FileFind's command-line syntax if you
want to use /BATCH mode. The syntax looks pretty ordinary:
^bFileFind^b [^ufilespec^u] [^usearch text^u] [^uswitches^u]
But its "global" nature forces it to have some unconventional
quirks:
^b^C10^b Any ^ufilespec^u without a ^upath^u specifier assumes the meaning
"anywhere on the default (or selected) drive." To search
one directory, be sure to provide some sort of pathname; for
instance, use ^b.\*^b OR use ^ufilespec^u ^b/C^b to mean "just the
current directory" (add ^b/S^b to include its subdirectories and
their subdirectories
^b^C10^b You may use the nonstandard syntax, ^b*:^b^ufilespec^u, to make the
search extend through ^ball drives^b (even network drives).
^b^C10^b If ^ufilespec^u is omitted altogether, then FileFind goes
interactive (even with /BATCH) because it needs to know what
file to find!
^b^C10^b As with DOS's DIR command, ^b*^b by itself implies "*.*" (any
file name and any extension). Use ^b*.^b to find files which
have no extension.
^b^C10^b If ^usearch text^u contains any spaces, you must surround it
with double-quote marks; e.g., ^b"Dear Bob"^b. To find a string
containing a ^b"^b, surround with single quotes; eg, ^b'Dan ^b
^bsaid, "Hi"'^b. Add ^b/CS^b to make the search-matching be exact
with respect to character case (by default, ^babc^b matches ^bAbc^b
and ^bABC^b). If you need to search for something other than
simple text strings, try Norton Disk Edit.
If any part of this seems complicated, remember that anything
you can do from the command-line can also be done quickly and
easily in the interactive mode by using FileFind's simple and
friendly dialogs.
^bMore Help to Come
The following help screens describe keyboard and mouse usage
for the FileFind main screen and the various dialog boxes.
Just press ^r N ^r to sequence through the topics or press ^r T ^r to
get to the Topics list. Or press ^rF1^r at any time for context-
sensitive help.
Use ^rTab^r to move between the six groups of controls. Press
^rEnter^r at any time to activate the default push-button in group
^b(5)^b (the ^b[Start]^b button, initially). Press ^rEsc^r to pause the
action or to exit from FileFind. Press and release ^rAlt^r to
activate the menus.
^b(1) ^b File Name: ^r*.*
^b(2)^b Containing: ^r
^b (^C07) Entire disk
^b(3)^b( ) Current directory and below ^b
^b ( ) Current directory only
[x] Ignore case
^b(5)^b[ ^uS^u^btart^b ]
) ^r^C18^r ^b
io.sys
33,337 12-19-88 12:00a ARSH 1
msdos.sys
37,376 4-07-89 12:00a ARSH 2
^b [ ^uV^uiew ]
autoexec.bat
32 5-31-90 11:46a A
command.com 37,557 5-31-90 11:46a A
config.sys
13 5-31-90 11:46a A
^b [ ^uG^uo To ]
diskmon.exe 66,072 5-31-90 11:46a A
1 ^r^C19^r^b(6)^b
^b^C1e^b
299 Files Current directory: C:\
^battributes
^boccurrences of search string
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move within a control group. Press ^rspacebar^r to
toggle the ^bIgnore case^b checkbox ^b(4)^b or to select a radio
button in group ^b(3)^b.
When the cursor bar is inside the file list box ^b(6)^b, use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r
^rPgUp^r ^rPgDn^r ^rHome^r ^rEnd^r to move the highlight and scroll the list.
^bFind a File by Its Filename^b
In the ^bFile Name^b text box, type the filename you wish to
locate. If you're not certain of the exact name, use the
wildcard characters ^u*^u and ^u?^u; for instance to find a letter to
either Jack or John, try ^uj*.ltr^u.
Ignore the ^bContaining^b input box and the ^bIgnore case^b checkbox
(these are for searching file contents - see below).
Pick from the radio buttons to select where to search. By
default, FileFind searches all of the current drive. If you
pick either of the ^bCurrent directory^b radio buttons, look to
the bottom of the box to see which directory is current.
If you want to search more than one drive, press ^rAlt^r+^rD^r to
activate the Search Drives dialog. You may also use ^u*:^u in the
front of the File Name to specify "All drives" (e.g.,
^u*:j*.ltr^u).
Press ^rEnter^r to activate the ^b[Start]^b button. As FileFind
searches, it displays matching files in the file list box.
You may stop the search by pressing ^rEnter^r again but you don't
need to stop the search! You can browse files while the
search continues (see below).
Note: After finding a list of files, you may input some text
in the ^bContaining^b box and use the Viewer to find
specific text.
^bFind a File by Searching for Text^b
The filespec in the ^bFile Name^b text box will limit your search
and this is important on large-capacity drives. For instance,
if you are looking for a 1-2-3 spreadsheet, put ^u*.wk1^u in this
text box.
In the ^bContaining^b box, type a partial word or short phrase (or
any fragment of text) that you know to be contained in the
misplaced file. It's best to keep it short and avoid word
breaks (word processors may insert a "soft return" between
words). Leave the ^bIgnore Case^b checkbox checked (so that
^uprofits^u will also find files containing ^uProfits^u and ^uPROFITS^u).
Press ^rEnter^r to activate the ^b[Start]^b button. The search is
slower for text searching since the entire contents of each
file matching ^bFile Name^b must be searched for a match with the
^bContaining^b text. When a name appears in the file list, you
may press ^rTab^r and ^rEnter^r to view the file.
For each file found, the number of occurrences of the search
text is displayed on the rightmost side of the file list box.
^bLimiting the Scope: Advanced Options^b
Before starting a search-by-contents, you may wish to narrow
down the number of files to be read and searched. Press ^rF4^r or
pick ^bAdvanced search
.^b from the ^bSearch^b menu.
That lets you eliminate files outside of a specified date
range, or files which are too small or large to be the one you
want (it's especially wise to limit searching large files).
You can also limit the search by file attribute (for instance,
you can skip over all files that have ever been backed up).
^bBrowse files as the search continues^b
Press ^rTab^r to get into the file list and move the highlight to
one of the filenames. The focus changes to the ^b[View]^b button
so you can press ^rEnter^r to browse the file's contents (see the
^bUsing the File Viewer^b help topic).
^bNote^b: On 8088-based PC/XTs, the keyboard responds pretty
slowly, since the CPU has a lot to do as the search
continues in the background. So please be patient.
^bGo To a file's directory^b
With the cursor bar in the file list box, move the highlight
to a directory name. The default action changes to the
^b[Go To]^b button so you can press ^rEnter^r to quit from FileFind
while setting the DOS default drive and directory to that of
the highlighted name.
This menu command lets you pick a different drive to search.
Just press the letter of the drive ID, OR use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to
highlight the desired drive and then press ^rEnter^r.
If you want to search two or more drives one after another,
pick the ^bSearch drives
.^b command from the ^bSearch^b menu (or
press ^rAlt^r+^rD^r).
Any drive ID in the ^bFile Name^b input box of the main screen
(including the ^u*: ^uwildcard) will also be searched.
This menu command lets you pick a different drive and
directory to search.
Note: This dialog actually changes your DOS default drive
and directory and your selections here will be in
effect when you exit FileFind.
You may edit the
^bCurrent Directory^b
text box directly and
press ^rEnter^r.
Or use ^rTab^r to move into the
^bSub-Directories^b
list, select
a sub-directory and press ^rEnter^r (this sets the directory
without leaving the dialog). Move to the ^b[OK]^b button and
press ^rEnter^r when done.
^bDrive^b
list selects a new default drive.
If you want to search two or more drives, one after another,
pick the ^bSearch drives
.^b command from the ^bSearch^b menu (or
press ^rAlt^r+^rD^r).
Any drive ID in the ^bFile Name^b input box of the main screen
(including the ^u*: ^uwildcard) will also be searched.
This menu command lets you pick which drives to search.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move among the radio buttons and press ^rspacebar^r
to select one of the options and press ^rEnter^r to continue or
^rEsc^r to cancel.
You can select any combination of drives. Move the cursor to
the group checkboxes and use the ^rspacebar^r to select or
deselect. Press ^rEnter^r when satisfied.
Note: You can automatically select "All drives" by using a
filespec that starts with ^u*:^u, either at the DOS command
line or in the ^bFile Name^b box in the main screen.
This dialog lets you be extra selective about which files are
included in a FileFind search. It is especially important
when searching for text since you want to open, read, and
search as few large files as possible. It also makes it
possible to round up all files a certain age, size, or with a
certain file attribute.
Press ^rTab^r to move from field to field; press ^rspacebar^r to
toggle a checkbox; press ^rEnter^r when satisfied. The criteria
selected are used the next time you start a search. The
FileFind main screen shows "^bAdvanced Search is ON^b" to remind
you that you are filtering the files.
^bDate is after^b: Input a file date and (optionally) time
formatted as: ^umm^u-^udd^u-^uyy^u [^uhh^u:^umm^u] [AM | PM]]. For instance:
^r5-10-90^r or ^r15-1-89 7:0 am^r. Only files which have been
modified after that date and time will be included in the
search.
^bDate is before^b: Only files which were last modified before the
input date and time will be included in the search.
^bSize is greater than / less than^b: Input a range of sizes. You
may use ^bK^b or ^bM^b at the end; for instance, ^r2
0^r is about the
same as ^r2K^r.
^bOwner is^b: Input the file owner name (this is used on searching
network drives only).
The checkboxes let you include only files with a specific
combination of file attributes. For instance, check the
^bArchive bit is set^b control if the file you want has been
created/modified since you last backed up. The ^bInclude^b
^bDirectories^b option places directory names into the file list
where you may change their Date/Time (via ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rD^r) or their
file attribute; e.g., hide the directory (via ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rA^r).
^bHints^b: At spring cleaning time, it's handy to use a global
filespec such as ^u*:*.*^u and use ^rF4^r options to locate
large files (you may want to delete some of them).
Use a global filespec to flush out all hidden files.
Use the date-range options to find old versions of
documents, program source code files, etc.
Set ^bSize is less than^b to 1 to look for those pesky
0-length files.
Once you have collected a set of files, you can change their
file attributes or their time and date within FileFind. But
the real power-feature is that you can create a batch file to
perform some needed task for each file (command key ^rCtrl^r+^rB^r).
This dialog lets you sort the list of found files and decide
how much information you want displayed in the list.
Press ^rTab^r to move between groups of controls; press ^rspacebar^r
to select a radio button option; press ^rEnter^r when satisfied.
These settings are used in the file list display AND when the
list is printed (via ^rAlt^r+^rL^r ^rP^r or ^rAlt^r+^rL^r ^rC^r).
Note: All sorting options apply only to files within their
own directory.
This dialog sets print options and prints the currently-
displayed list. The output can go to your standard printer or
to a file or device of your choice.
To send the list to a file, be sure to select the ^b(^C07) File^b
button. Then press ^rTab^r and type in the name of the file.
Select one of the formatting options by pressing ^rspacebar^r at
the desired radio button.
^bNote^b: Before printing, you may wish to sort the list by
selecting options in the ^bList Display^b dialog (^rCtrl^r+^rF^r).
This feature is valuable in disk management operations and
it's a great tool for programmers. It generates a batch file
that will perform some selected operation on every file
currently in the file list.
For instance, if your file list was generated from the
filespec ^u*:*.bak^u, and you used ^rF4^r to limit the list to files
over one month old, you might want to delete the whole lot:
In ^bSave the list to^b, type a batch filename; e.g., ^rDELBAK.BAT^r.
In ^bText before filenames^b, type a DOS command; e.g., ^rDEL^r
Leave ^bText after^b empty.
In ^bText before directories^b, type ^r@REM^r (so DOS ignores these)
Press ^rEnter^r to generate the batch file. Exit FileFind and run
the batch named DELBAK to delete all the dead wood.
Here are some ideas and suggestions for using this feature:
^C10 Programmers: Search all source files of a project for a
function call or variable name which you need to change.
Generate a batch file to edit each of these files.
^C10 To perform more than one operation on each member of the
list, you can use ^rCALL subbatch^r as the ^bText before^b. OR,
generate the list twice, but on the second pass, select
^b[Append]^b when asked if you want to overwrite the file.
For instance, backup the file on the first pass and delete
the original on the second.
^C10 The ^bText after^b field can be used in COPY, BACKUP, XCOPY,
and RENAME operations and anytime an additional parameter
would be useful. For instance:
^uBefore^u
^bAfter^b
Example Output
XCOPY
D: /S
^uXCOPY^u C:\WP\LTRS\jones.ltr ^bD: /S^b
BACKUP
A: /A
^uBACKUP^u C:\WP\LTRS\jones.ltr ^bA: /A^b
*.OLD
^uRENAME^u C:\WP\LTRS\jones.ltr ^b*.OLD^b
EDIT
/43/NOSNO ^uEDIT^u C:\QC\NU\FF\ffmain.c ^b/43/NOSNO^b
COPY
^uCOPY^u C:\QC\NU\FF\ffmain.c ^bPRN^b
COPY book+ book.doc ^uCOPY book+^u C:\WP\chap1.doc ^bbook.doc^b
CALL BAT2
^uCALL BAT2^u C:\QC\NU\FF\ffmain.c
In this dialog, you can change the file attributes for the
currently-selected file or all files in the list.
Use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to move from option to option and press ^rspacebar^r
to toggle an option off or on. Press ^rEnter^r to go ahead and
change the selected attributes or press ^rEsc^r to cancel.
To change only the currently-selected file, be sure to choose
the topmost radio button.
^bArchive^b: when SET, this indicates that the file has NOT been
backed up (and thus, will be "tagged" for inclusion in an
XCOPY /M or BACKUP /M operation).
^bRead Only^b: when SET, the file cannot be modified or deleted.
This is a simple safety device to keep yourself or others
from changing "frozen" program source code files, word
processor style sheets, and so forth.
^bHidden^b: when SET, DOS will not list the file with the DIR
command nor find it in a wildcard COPY, etc.
^bSystem^b: used by the two system files, MsDos.Sys and Io.Sys.
Hint: To hide a directory name, select "Include directories"
in the Advanced Search dialog (^rF4^r). That way, you can
select it as a "file" in the main screen and change its
attributes here.
In this dialog, you can set the file creation date and time
for the currently-selected file or all files in the list.
This feature is handy for programmers who depend on the
timestamp of a set of files when using a "MAKE" utility to
build a project. It also lets developers finalize a project
with a uniform timestamp before files are copied to a
distribution disk.
Note: You can use this feature directly from DOS; e.g.,:
C:\>^rFILEFIND a:\*.* /D:6-15-90 /T:12:0:0 /BATCH ^C11
To change only the currently-selected file, be sure to choose
the topmost radio button.
The current date and time are filled-in the text fields as the
defaults. Select either or both checkboxes to use these
values, or move into the input fields and enter new values.
Press ^rEnter^r to go ahead and make the change.
This is a feature included from the classic Norton FS
utility.
It adds up the sizes of all files in the file list. Then,
taking cluster size and slack-space into consideration, it
checks to see if all of these files will fit in the free space
on a target drive.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to pick a drive to check and press ^rEnter^r (or just
press the letter of the drive ID).
Note: You can use this feature directly from DOS; e.g.,:
C:\>^rFILEFIND *.* /C /BATCH ^C11
Hint: Use the ^bCreate Batch File^b dialog (^rAlt^r+^rL^r ^rC^r) to generate a
batch file which will copy the files to the target.
This menu command is available while you are browsing a file's
contents and only when a search string exists in the
^bContaining^b box of the main screen.
Select this menu command (or press ^rF5^r) to search backwards
from the current viewer position, looking for the current
search string.
See the ^bUsing the File Viewer^b help topic for more information.
This menu command is available while you are browsing a file's
contents and only when a search string exists in the
^bContaining^b box of the main screen
Select this menu command (or press ^rF6^r) to search forward from
the current viewer position, looking for the current search
string.
See the ^bUsing the File Viewer^b help topic for more information.
This menu command is available while you are in the file
viewer, browsing a file's contents.
Select this menu command (or press ^rF7^r) to close the current
file and display the file listed directly before it in the
file list.
See the ^bUsing the File Viewer^b help topic for more information.
This menu command is available while you are in the file
viewer, browsing a file's contents.
Select this menu command (or press ^rF8^r) to close the current
file and display the file listed directly after it in the file
list.
See the ^bUsing the File Viewer^b help topic for more information.
After a search has started and at least one file has been
found, you can press ^rCtrl^r+^rEnd^r (or ^rTAB^r a couple of times) to
move into the file list and press ^rEnter^r to browse the
highlighted file. The search will continue in the background
as you browse.
If you are using the text-search feature (that is, if there is
any text in the ^bContaining^b field of the main screen), the
viewer automatically scrolls to the position of the first
match and displays the match in a ^bbold^b color.
While in the viewer, you may use:
^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r, ^rPgUp^r ^rPgDn^r
to scroll vertically
^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r, ^rCtrl^r+^r^C1b^r ^rCtrl^r+^r^C1a^r to scroll horizontally
^rHome^r ^rEnd^r
to go to the top/bottom of the file
^rF5^r ^rF6^r search backward/forward for match (text-search only)
^rF7^r ^rF8^r display the previous/next file in the file list
(highlight first match if text-search active)
^rEsc^r
leave the viewer and return to the main screen
Note: After the search is finished, you can change the
^bContaining^b text in the main screen and then use the
viewer to ^ulook for some other text^u in the current set of
files (without needing to start the search again).
Also, you can do a file-name only search and input the
^bContaining^b line after the search is over. Then use the
viewer's search capability on selected files that seem
most promising. This may be faster than doing a text
search on the entire file list.
EP is a TSR (memory-resident program). When activated,
it intercepts all commands which would ordinarily delete a
file and instead moves the file into a hidden directory named
^uTrashCan^u.
EP will automatically purge old files from the TrashCan
when it gets "full." You can specify both the size of the
trashcan and how long to keep old files. This strategy of
^bdelayed deletion^b is an excellent safeguard against
accidentally deleting a file. The UnErase utility can
reclaim Erase Protected files with 100% reliability.
The first time you run EP, use the interactive
dialogs to set up your desired options; EP will
remember your settings and will use them from then on.
The most common usage is to put ^bEP /ON^b in your
Autoexec.Bat file.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight a button and press
^rEnter^r to bring up its dialog. Press ^rEsc^r or select
^b[Quit]^b to exit.
^b[Choose drives]^b lets you specify which drives are to be
protected by EP. You can protect network drives as
well as any other DOS drive.
^b[File protection]^b lets you decide which types of files should
be made deletion-proof, specifies the amount of disk space
to use, and how long to keep old files.
^b[Purge files]^b shows a list of files currently in the TrashCan.
EP can purge files automatically, or you may use
this option to manually purge files, and thus reclaim
some disk space in use by deleted files.
Use this dialog to enable or disable Erase Protection and
to select which drives you wish to protect.
Use ^r^C1a^r and ^r^C1b^r to move the cursor and press ^rspacebar^r to place an
^bx^b in the checkbox for each drive you wish to protect. Press
^rTab^r and select ^b[ON]^b or ^b[OFF]^b to enable or disable EP
protection and return to the Main screen. Press ^rEsc^r or select
^b[Cancel]^b to leave the dialog without saving changes.
The IDs of the drives selected here, and the status (ON or
OFF) are saved and used as defaults the next time you start
Note: Most users choose to protect only hard disk drives,
since a TrashCan on a floppy disk can be a nuisance.
Pick a radio button by using ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move among them and
press ^rspacebar^r to select it.
If you select ^bOnly the files listed^b (or ^bAll files except those^b
^blisted^b) press ^rTab^r until you get to the
^bFiles^b
list and fill
in one or more lines with specific file extensions. Files
with these extensions will be protected (or exempted from
protection).
EP assumes that files that have been backed up are
safe to delete, so it provides no protection for them.
You can override this default by placing an ^bx^b in the
^bInclude archived files^b checkbox.
The bottom two items control EP's automatic purging
function. Use ^rTab^r to move into the input fields and set
comfortable limits. A large TrashCan size is a good idea; you
can purge manually if you ever run low on hard disk space (see
the ^bPurging Deleted Files^b help topic).
When you find yourself low on disk space, most users start
deleting files. However, with EP active, deleting
files might not free up any room on the disk!
EP eventually discards deleted-file data through its
automatic purging function; however, you may wish to purge
files at any time. (Note: Using DOS's DEL command to delete
files from the TrashCan doesn't clear the TrashCan. EP
will simply make another copy of the files you delete.)
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll thorough the deleted-files list.
Information about the highlighted file is shown below the
list. Press ^rspacebar^r to select a file for annihilation.
Select the ^b[Purge]^b button (or press ^r P ^r) to purge all selected
files. Note: Even after purging, the UnErase utility can often
recover a file.
For "gang" deletions, select the ^b[Tag
.]^b button. To clean
out the TrashCan on a different drive, select the ^b[Drive
button. Select ^b[Cancel]^b or press ^rEsc^r to terminate the dialog.
This dialog lets you quickly pick a set of files to manually
purge from the ^bPurge Deleted Files^b dialog. Type in a wildcard
file specification here and press ^rEnter^r. Use ^u*.*^u to
tag ALL files in the list. Or, for instance, use ^u*.BAK^u to
delete files with a specific extension.
All matching files in the list will be selected for purging.
However, you can deselect any particular tagged file by
highlighting it and pressing the ^rspacebar^r.
The Control Center allows you to change your system hardware
settings, such as cursor size, screen color, and keyboard
speed, quickly and easily. It also controls a set of timers
and provides the "TimeMark" function of the classic Norton
Utilities.
The secret to using the Control Center is to watch the window
titles.
^r Select Item ^r
DOS Colors
^bThis window is active.^b
^bThis window NOT active^b.
To get to the right side, press ^rEnter^r or one of the ^bH^botkeys
(to select which control to adjust).
Select Item
^r DOS Colors ^r
^bNot active.^b
^bThis window is active^b.
^uO^u^bK^b
] [ ^uC^uancel ]
While the right side is active, press ^rEnter^r to accept the
settings or ^rEsc^r to cancel (and reactivate the left side).
While on the right side, use standard dialog keys: ^rTab^r to move
from group to group, ^rCtrl^r+^rPgUp^r to get to the top group,
^rCtrl^r+^rPgDn^r to get to the bottom group and ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to move
around. Use ^rspacebar^r to toggle ^b[x] checkBoxes^b and select
^b(^b^b^C07) radio buttons^b.
^bWith the mouse^b: Just point at anything in sight!
Click and drag to your heart's content. Click
the ^b[OK]^b or ^b[Cancel]^b buttons when appropriate.
Pull down menus to save the settings. Hit the
^bQuit!^b menu to exit immediately.
^bInteractive^b vs. ^bCommand-line Options^b
You are now using NCC in interactive mode, which lets you pick
controls and set options at whim. But NCC may also be used
directly at the command line or in a batch file (for instance,
in your ^uAutoexec.Bat^u file).
^uQuick Switches^u: At the DOS command line or in a batch file,
you may use NCC command-line switches to change settings on
one or more controls. Use ^bNCC ?^b to list these. For
example:
C:\>^rNCC /FAST /43^r^C11
sets the keyboard to its fastest rate and sets the screen
into 43-line mode (EGA/VGA only). When any Quick Switch is
used, NCC does not go interactive.
^uNCC Configuration File(s)^u: You may use the interactive mode to
set one or more device controls, then save these settings in
a file (via ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rS^r or ^rF2^r). This gives you a QuickSwitch-
like capability for any of the devices. For instance,
C:\>^rNCC crsr_lg.ncc /SET^r^C11
C:\>^rNCC crsr_sm.ncc /SET^r^C11
These two commands let you quickly change the size of
your cursor without going interactive.
^uTimers and "TimeMark"^u: This feature lets you time the duration
of any computer operation (for instance, how long you spend
working in a word processor) AND it provides a way to
generate a nicely-formatted Date and Time message. These
features are very handy when used in batch files. Here are
two examples:
^rREM Time123.Bat - Starts Lotus 1-2-3 ^r
^rREM and tracks time spent working.
^rNCC /START:1
^r123 %1
^rNCC /STOP:1
^rREM TimePrnt.BAT - prints a text file ^r
^rREM with date on first line
^rNCC /L/C:"File: %1 Printed on:" >PRN ^r
^rECHO
>PRN ^r
^rCOPY %1 PRN
^rECHO
>PRN ^r
You may save the settings you have chosen during your session
to a file, so that each time you load that file, all the
settings you have chosen will take effect.
To save your settings, press ^rF2^r (or walk the menu by pressing
^rAlt^r-^rF^r, then ^rS^r). The ^bSave Settings^b dialog box will appear,
with checkboxes showing what settings have been changed from
the defaults. You may deselect any settings you do not want
to save to this file by using ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to move the cursor,
then press ^rspacebar^r).
In the ^bFile Name^b box, type the name of a file. Press ^rEnter^r to
save the settings.
You may later use the file to instantly activate all the
settings. For instance:
C:\>^rNCC myConfig /SET^r^C11
or use the ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rL^r menu command to bring up the settings for
interactive changes.
You may use this menu command to load the settings you have
previously saved to a file, so that all the settings in that
file will take effect.
At the prompt, input the name of the settings file and press
^rEnter^r.
The settings contained in the file will be displayed in each
interactive device control dialog box and will go into effect
when you exit from NCC. After modifying some settings, you
may save the changes via ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rS^r.
If you wish to activate a group of settings without going into
NCC's interactive mode, use the filename in the NCC command
line. For instance:
C:\>^rNCC myConfig /SET^r^C11
This dialog is used to control the size of the cursor, as it
will be displayed at the DOS prompt and in many programs.
^bNote:^b Many programs change the cursor size internally; thus,
NCC settings may not remain in effect when you use
these programs.
Press ^rEnter^r on the ^bCursor Size^b item or (press ^r C ^r) to get into
the settings dialog box. Press ^rTab^r to move around in the box.
When ^b
^C10^b or ^b^C11
^b are shown in reverse video (e.g., ^r
^C10^r) use
^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to change the cursor size. Select the ^b[Default]^b
button to set the size to its normal setting.
Press ^rEnter^r to OK the settings or press ^rEsc^r to cancel and get
back to the ^bSelect Item^b panel.
After picking a favorite cursor shape, use ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rS^r to save it
and later you may use ^rNCC mycrsr /SET^r to use it again.
^bIncidentally
.^b There is no way to stop that ceaseless
cursor blinking! It is built into the hardware.
^bSon of Incidentally,
.^b CGA and Monochrome adapters will
let you create a "broken" cursor. Set the End higher
than the start. Double your cursor control pleasure!
The screen at the DOS prompt is normally a bland black and
white. This device control lets you make the DOS prompt
environment more colorful and interesting.
Note: Colors selected here may be temporary. To make DOS
keep using these colors, you should have the line
^udevice=Ansi.Sys^u in your Config.Sys file.
Press ^rEnter^r on the ^bDOS Colors^b item (or press ^r D ^r) to get into
the settings dialog box.
Use ^rTab^r to move from group to group, then use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move
through the selections. Press ^rEnter^r to OK the settings or
press ^rEsc^r to cancel and get back to the ^bSelect Item^b panel.
^bText Color ^b
is a scrolling list of all 256 possible color
combinations. It is easiest to use ^rPgDn^r and ^rPgUp^r to move
rapidly, then use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to select one of the colors
displayed. The current selection is surrounded by ^r^C10^r and ^r^C11^r
and a sample is displayed.
Note: On Monochrome monitors, your actual choices are quite
limited (though all 256 options are shown), but you
can still pick any of the bold, underline, or reverse
video "colors."
^bBackground ^b
gives two options. Press ^rspacebar^r to alter
the setting. ^uBlink^u allows the characters to blink (it's set
by default, because most programs expect it that way).
^uBright^u lets you pick a bright background color (by default,
the final 128 colors have the same background shades as the
first 128; this gives you the full 16 foreground options and
16 background. On Monochrome monitors, these buttons have
no effect.
^bBorder Color ^b
controls the color used in the "overscan"
area around the outer edge of the screen. On some monitors,
selecting a non-black color here will have an odd effect.
On Monochrome monitors, this has no effect. Also, this
setting may go away later (even if Ansi.Sys is installed).
After picking pleasing colors, use ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rS^r to save them and
later you may use ^rNCC mycolors /SET^r to use these again.
This dialog is available for EGA and VGA display adapters and
monitors. It lets you redefine the colors used by virtually
all applications. For instance, you can ^upick a more pleasing^u
^ushade of blue^u to be used in your word processor. This feature
also lets you ^ucolorize^u applications which normally use only
black and white or some color combination you find stressful.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to pick which color you wish to redefine. Press
^rspacebar^r or (^rTab^r to the buttons on the bottom and pick the
^b[Change]^b button).
The ^bChange Colors ^bdialog showing available colors will now
appear, with ^b>^b and ^b<^b pointing to the current shade in use for
the selected color. Simply scroll through these colors until
the arrows are pointing to the color you want and press ^rEnter^r
to OK the selection and return to the ^bColor Palette^b dialog.
In both dialogs, there is a ^b[Default]^b button which lets you
get back to a standard setting.
Note: It is quite possible to make the screen entirely
unreadable if you have chosen certain combinations.
At any time, just press ^rEsc^r one or more times to back
out and restore default settings. Or, at DOS, use
^uNCC /co80^u to reset the entire video system.
^bWith the mouse^b: double-click on a color in the
^bColor Palette^b dialog. Then use the scroll bars
to move through the list in the ^bSelect Colors^b
dialog and double-click there to select the shade
(or use the push-button controls at the bottom).
^bCommand-line Settings^b
After carefully picking a palette that looks good in a
particular application, you should press ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rS^r to save the
settings. For instance, save a palette as Clrs_123.Ncc. Then
before starting that application, use:
C:\>^rNCC clrs123.Ncc /SET^r^C11
You can instantly change back to default colors by using:
C:\>^rNCC /co80^r^C11
The ^bVideo Mode^b dialog box will show you the available settings
for the particular type of video display you have on your
system.
If you have a CGA display, you will have only the two choices
^bBlack and White^b and ^bColor^b.
On an EGA/VGA system you will also have a choice of the number
of lines you wish the screen to display. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to
position the cursor by your choice, then press the ^rspacebar^r to
select it. Pressing ^rEnter^r will confirm your choice and return
you to the ^bSelect Item^b window.
^bCommand-line Options^b
NCC provides Quick Switches to set your video mode directly at
the DOS command line or in a batch file.
Use NCC ^u/25^u or ^u/35^u or ^u/43^u with ^bEGA^b screens.
Use NCC ^u/25^u or ^u/40^u or ^u/50^u with ^bVGA^b screens.
Use NCC ^u/co80^u to reset your mode and palette to defaults.
Use NCC ^u/mono^u or ^u/co80^u to toggle active video monitors (if
you have two monitors attached to your system).
Also, it is very convenient to save a file containing several
video mode settings and then use that file in an NCC line in a
batch file. See help on ^bSave Settings^b.
AT-style machines allow you to set the speed of the keyboard.
This determines how long the machine will delay before
repeating a character when you are holding down a key, and how
many characters it will repeat per second.
Note: This does not affect your typing speed. You have to
move your fingers faster if you want to type faster!
But it makes ^bediting^b go faster since a fast keyboard
lets you zip around the screen.
The ^bKeyboard Speed^b window contains two slidebars which show
your current keyboard settings and allow you to change them.
Use ^rTab^r or ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move from one part of the dialog
to another. Use ^r^C1b^r and ^r^C1a^r to adjust the control.
Type some keys to see the effect in the ^bKeyboard Test Pad^b
input line. Try holding down a single key, such as ^r X ^r, to
see how the settings will affect keyboard operation. Most
people prefer a speed around 20-25 repeats-per-second and the
minimum delay (.250 second).
At the very bottom of the ^bKeyboard Speed^b window are three
buttons: the ^b[OK]^b button accepts your new settings, and the
^b[Cancel]^b button cancels the operation and returns you to the
^bSelect Item^b window. The ^b[Fast]^b button automatically sets both
the speeds to their maximum position.
After picking a good speed, use ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rS^r to save it and later
you may use ^rNCC kbdspeed /SET^r to use it again. Or use
^rNCC /FAST^r to pick the fastest repeat rate (it's a little too
fast for my tastes).
If you have a (fully) Microsoft-compatible mouse attached to
your system, the Mouse Speed window will allow you to adjust
the sensitivity of the mouse.
Place the mouse cursor on the slide bar in the ^bMouse Speed^b
panel and drag the slide bar from 0 to 100.
Try a setting by moving the mouse around the screen. On a
Microsoft-compatible mouse, or any mouse supported by a device
driver which supports sensitivity and acceleration calls, you
will see a dramatic change in the speed and distance the
on-screen pointer moves.
When you have found the sensitivity setting you prefer, click
on the ^b[OK]^b button to return to the ^bSelect Item^b window.
Pressing the ^b[Cancel]^b button will return your mouse
sensitivity to the default setting.
The Control Center allows you to reconfigure your serial ports
at any time. Move the highlight bar to ^bSerial Ports^b in the
^bSelect Item^b window, and press ^rEnter^r (or just press ^r S ^r).
^bNote:^b Most programs which use a serial port also provide
configuration for it internally; any settings made here
are likely to be overridden by the first program you run.
The lone exception is DOS itself (DOS does come with the
MODE command, but it is a little hard to use). NCC lets
you set up for using a serial port from DOS (for instance,
so you can use DOS's PRINT command effectively with a
serial-port printer).
The top of the ^bSerial Ports^b panel shows you a list of all the
serial ports on your system. Move the highlight to select the
one you want to configure. There are four different settings
that can be changed for each one:
^bBaud^b
This is the communications speed. Normally, 4800
and 9600 baud are used for communicating with peripheral
devices such as serial printers, though some modems use
these faster settings. The 300, 1200 and 2400 baud settings
are the most common ones used by modems. Move the cursor
through the list using the ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r keys, then press the
^rspacebar^r to select the baud rate you want.
^bParity^b
This is an error-checking routine that some
applications use. "None" is the most common choice, which
indicates that no parity-check is required.
^bData Bits^b
When data is transferred via serial port, each
letter or symbol is represented by a fixed number of bits,
usually 7 or 8.
^bStop Bits^b
When the 7 or 8 databits that make up a
character or symbol have been transmitted, another signal is
transmitted to indicate the end of that group of bits. Most
often, only 1 stopbit is sent, but this too, will vary,
depending on the device you are communicating with.
Note: Before changing any of your settings, check the
documentation for the application you are using or the
device you are communicating with, to verify the
correct settings.
The Control Center allows you to set up to four timers, or
"watches." These can help you to track the amount of time you
spend working on various projects or aspects of a project.
Note: The most common way to use these watches is from the
command line, in a batch file that starts and stops a
watch as you begin and end (or pause) work. See the
examples below. The interactive screen is nice for a
quick view of accumulated time for multiple timers.
To start a timer, select ^bWatches^b from the ^bSelect Item^b list.
Use the ^rspacebar^r to select the watch you want, then use the ^r^C19^r
key to move to the buttons at the bottom of the window. The
^b[Start]^b button will start the timer running for the watch
which has the ^b(^C07) Pushbutton^b selected.
Once the selected timer is running, the ^b[Start]^b button is
replaced by the ^b[Pause]^b button. The ^b[Pause]^b button halts the
clock, keeping it from accumulating any more elapsed time.
Press ^b[Pause]^b again to resume timing with the selected watch.
The ^b[Reset]^b button sets the selected watch to 0 and stops it.
To use this as an interactive timer, say to see how long it
takes to tie your shoes, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r and press ^rspacebar^r to
pick a watch. Press ^rTab^r to get to the buttons on the bottom,
press ^r R ^r to reset it to 0:00:00.0 and press ^r S ^r to start
timing. Press ^rEnter^r when finished, and check the elapsed
time.
^bCommand-line Options^b
NCC command-line options help make these watches make sense
(use ^uNCC /?^u to see all options). Imagine three batch files:
^r@REM GoodMorn.Bat
^r@Echo Hi, Dan!
^r@Echo Thanks for punching in!
^rNCC /START:1 /L/C:"Dan started working at:"
^r@REM Lunch.Bat
^rNCC /STOP:1 /L/C:"Dan went to lunch at:"
^r@pause Press Enter when back from lunch
^rNCC /START:1 /L/C:"Dan got back from lunch at:"^r
^r@REM GoodNite.Bat
^r@Echo Good Night, Dan!
^r@Echo Thanks for punching Out!
^rNCC /STOP:1 /L/C:"Dan finished work at:"
^rDISKMON /PARK
At the end of the day, Dan can see his elapsed time from when
he typed "GoodMorn" until he typed "GoodNite" and no time
accumulated while he was at lunch.
Using I/O redirection, you can even create a log file. And
since NCC has multiple timers, you can switch from project
to project, and back again
accumulating time for each
project.
In order to change the Set Country Information, you must
either load the Country.Sys device driver from your Config.Sys
file, or type NLSFUNC COUNTRY.SYS at the DOS prompt.
This will allow you to change the defaults the system will use
for the format of the date and time, the currency symbol, and
so on. The ^bCountry Info^b window will show you the country
defaults currently selected. As you scroll through the list
of countries, the defaults used by that country will appear in
the windows above. When you have highlighted the country you
wish to select, press the ^r^C1a^r key to highlight the ^b[OK]^b button,
and press ^rEnter^r. This will return you to the ^bSelect Item^b
window.
The Time and Date Dialog Box shows your system's current time
and date. On AT-compatible computers, the changes made here
are set into your CMOS memory and will remain accurate even
after your turn off the computer.
You may change the time and date shown by pressing the ^rTab^r key
until the figure you want to change is highlighted (that is,
the month, year, hour, etc.) When this figure is highlighted,
pressing the ^r + ^r key will increase the number, while pressing
the ^r - ^r key will decrease it. (Note: You may use either the
grey plus and minus keys on your numeric keypad, or the keys
on the top row of the regular keyboard.) When you have
finished making your changes, simply press ^rEnter^r to return to
the ^bSelect Item^b window.
NCD provides a visual interactive way to select a new DOS
default directory (as opposed to DOS's CD or CHDIR command).
It also lets you create and ^urename directories^u and change a
disk's ^uvolume label^u, and provides a ^uPrint Tree^u function to
give you a printed map of your directories. You can also
move, remove, or copy entire branches of the directory tree.
But ^bthe real value of NCD^b is the time it saves at the
keyboard. For instance, rather than typing:
C:\>^rD:^r ^C11
$ ^u(change drive)^u
D:\>^rCD \wordproc\dan\ltrs\saved.89^r ^C11
^u(change directory)^u
D:\WORDPROC\DAN\LTRS\SAVED.89>_
you can simply type the first part of the endpoint name:
C:\>^rNCD D:SAV^r ^C11
^u(change drive & directory)^u
D:\WORDPROC\DAN\LTRS\SAVED.89>_
When an "endpoint name" in not unique, NCD will plant you in
the first match. Just type the same thing again to get to the
next match.
Note: In order for NCD to do its tricks so quickly, it needs
to scan your directory structure occasionally to look
for any new directories. When NCD can't find a
directory, use ^bNCD /R^b to force a rescan. Also, if you
use ^bNCD MD ^b^udirname^u and ^bNCD RD^b ^udirname^u, you can avoid
ever needing to rescan.
When NCD starts, it highlights the DOS default directory on
the default drive (or the drive specified in the NCD command
line).
Use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to move the highlight. Use ^rPgUp^r and ^rPgDn^r to
display a new screen of the tree. ^rHome^r and ^rEnd^r move to the
top and bottom. As you move, the full name of the highlighted
directory is displayed in the lower left corner.
An even faster way to move is to type the first part of any
directory name. See help on ^bUsing Speed Search^b.
Press ^rEnter^r to exit to DOS, accepting the highlighted
directory as the new DOS default. Or press ^rEsc^r to exit to the
original directory.
^bWith the mouse^b, use the scroll bars to reveal
parts of the tree (or just click near the top or
bottom). Double-click on a name to select it and
exit. Click the ^uQuit!^u menu item to exit without
change.
This menu command displays the tree for a different disk.
When started, NCD shows the DOS current default disk. Or you
can use a drive ID in the command line; for example,
^rNCD C:^r^C11
As with all similar "pick-a-disk" dialogs in the Norton
Utilities, you can use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight a drive and press
^rEnter^r to select it OR just press the drive ID letter.
This menu command forces NCD to read the disk and refresh its
directory list. You are prompted to make sure you want to do
this because it may take a few seconds.
NCD creates a directory list in the root directory of each
drive (the file is named ^uTreeInfo.Ncd^u). It then uses that
list for rapid action each time you run NCD.
When you use DOS's MD (MKDIR) and RD (RMDIR), the TreeInfo.Ncd
file ends up containing some out-of-date information. And NCD
will neither display the directory name nor go to it when used
in the command line. Thus you may need to Rescan from time to
time.
^bNotes^b:
^b^C07^b If you use NCD to create and remove directories, you won't
need to rescan. You can even do this from the command
line: ^rNCD MD dirname^r^C11
^b^C07^b You can force a Rescan from the command line: ^rNCD /R^r^C11
^b^C07 ^bWhen NCD comes to life and the current default directory is
not listed in its TreeInfo, it automatically does a Rescan.
Ditto if TreeInfo can't be found in the root directory.
^b^C07^b If you prefer NOT to have NCD create or update its TreeInfo
file (for instance on a diskette with a write-protect tab
or a DiskMon-protected Read-Only hard disk), you may start
NCD with ^rNCD /N^r^C11
This menu command changes the disk volume label. The disk
volume label is displayed when you use DOS's DIR command.
Input up to 11 characters. NCD lets you use lower case and
interesting "high bit" ASCII characters and it allows spaces,
delimiters, and other characters such as ^b,:;.<>[]+*?^b which
DOS's LABEL command disallows. For instance, you can set a
volume label to:
^b<< HD 40 >>^b or ^b
[WOW]
^b or even ^b) MOM (^b
Press ^rEnter^r to OK your input or press ^rEsc^r to cancel. Press
^rTab^r and select the ^b[Delete]^b button to remove the label from
the disk.
This menu command displays information about disk space.
The total disk size, amount of space used, and amount of
space free are all displayed.
This menu command is similar to the ^bFREE^b command in NDOS.
The same information is also available from the ^bCHKDSK^b
command in MSDOS (or ^bCHKVOL^b on Novell networks).
This menu command activates the ^bPrint Tree^b dialog which lets
you make a hardcopy printout of your directory structure. You
may also save the output to a file.
In this dialog, type in a file or device name for the output,
or use the default, ^uPRN^u, to send it to the standard printer
device.
Press ^rTab^r to move into the
^bTree Format^b
control group.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move among the radio buttons and press ^rspacebar^r
to select one. ^uTree, Graphic chars^u prints the tree using box-
and-line characters, suitable for framing, or you can laminate
it for your wallet. If your printer has a hard time with
graphic characters (say, it prints italic
Ms), select
^uTree, Non-graphic chars^u. Or pick the ^uList^u button to print
just a raw list of directories (you might use it in a batch
file or something).
This menu command lets you change the name of any directory.
First, position the highlight at the directory with the
substandard name. Press ^rF6^r or choose from the ^uDirectory^u menu.
Enter the new name using the 8+3 ^ufilename^u^b.^b^uext^u convention.
Most people prefer short directory names, without a period (to
save some typing time). But with NCD, you can happily use the
full descriptive power of the entire eleven characters!
NCD allows you to use spaces and normally-disallowed DOS
delimiters, but if you do so, you will not be able to use
standard DOS commands to access the directory. For instance,
a five-character name that ends with the ASCII 255 character
looks just like four-character name in a directory list, and
you wouldn't want that, would you?
^bPower User Tip^b: Use directory names which are as descriptive
as possible, but which are also ^uunique to the first two or^u
^uthree characters^u. This makes NCD utterly convenient for
rapid movement around a tree in the NCD Speed Search or when
used non-interactively at the command line.
For instance, rather than ^uDATASAVE.91^u, use ^u91DATA.SAV^u. That
way, you can later use ^rNCD 89D^r^C11
to zoom to the directory
and avoid collisions with names such as DATASAVE.87,
DATASAVE.88 and so forth.
This menu command lets you create a new empty directory.
First, position the highlight at the directory where you want
the new one to reside. Press ^rF7^r or choose ^uMake ^ufrom the
^uDirectory^u menu.
^bTo add a sibling to these,
put highlight here.
^b^C1f
^r \ ^r
SAVEDATA
DEC.90 ^b
^b^C1e^b
JAN.91 ^b
^C11
FEB.91 ^b
UTILS
^C1e^b
To add a directory to this column (the root),^b
put highlight here.^b
Type the new name using the standard 8+3 ^ufilename^u^b.^b^uext^u format.
Most people prefer short directory names, without a period, to
save some typing time. But with NCD, you can ^buse all eleven^b
^bcharacters^b, since you won't be typing them in too often. Names
containing oddball characters and DOS delimiters are allowed.
You may use the command-line option, ^rNCD MD dirname^r, which is
preferable to DOS's MD command since it updates NCD's TreeInfo
file so future uses of NCD avoid a time-consuming disk rescan.
^bPower User Tip^b: Use directory names which are as descriptive
as possible, but which are also ^uunique to the first two or^u
^uthree characters^u. This makes NCD very convenient for rapid
movement around a tree using Speed Search, but most
especially when using NCD non-interactively at the command
line.
This menu command lets you remove a directory. Yielding
typical Norton Utilities power, this command allows you to
delete all the files in a directory at the same time.
Position the highlight at the directory you want to nuke.
Press ^rF8^r or choose ^uDelete ^ufrom the ^uDirectory^u menu.
If the directory contains any files, you are warned about the
potential loss, and a scrolling list will show you the
filename. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll the list and press ^rEsc^r to
back out of the operation.
As a safety measure, NCD ^bwill not delete a directory which^b
^bcontains any subdirectories^b nor will it delete any read-only
files in a directory. You may use FileFind to remove the
Read-Only attribute of a file or files.
^bHint^b: If you want to delete a directory that contains
subdirectories, use ^uremove Tree^u.
You may use the command-line option, ^rNCD RD dirname^r, which is
preferable to DOS's RMDIR command since it updates NCD's
TreeInfo file. This will avoid a time-consuming disk rescan
next time you use NCD. For safety reasons, this option will
NOT delete files (use the DEL command first).
Options in this menu are only valid on EGA and VGA monitors.
By picking ^u40 lines^u or ^u50 Lines^u, you will be able to see
a lot more of your tree at one time.
To get to these options, press ^rAlt^r+^rV^r and use ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r to walk
the menu. Press ^rEnter^r to select the desired screen mode.
It can be tiresome climbing around a large directory tree
using the cursor keys. NCD offers a speedy alternative: just
type the first one or two characters of a directory name.
The highlight immediately zooms to the first match with the
characters. If there is more than one matching directory
name, you can type a few more characters OR press ^rCtrl^r+^rEnter^r
to zip to the next match.
The trick is to ^uwatch the lower left corner^u; type one
character. If the character does not appear, then no directory
matches. If the displayed name is what you want, press ^rEnter^r.
Otherwise, press ^rCtrl^r+^rEnter^r until the desired name appears.
Press ^rEnter^r to exit to that directory. Or press ^rbackspace^r to
delete and type some new characters.
^bHint^b: If Speed Search does not find a directory you just know
exists, then you need to Rescan the disk via ^rAlt^r+^rD^r ^rR^r.
This menu command lets you display the ^bactual^b total size of
all files in the selected directory tree and the total
allocated disk space for the files.
Position the highlight at a branch of the directory tree.
Press ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rS^r or choose ^utree Size^u from the ^uDirectory^u menu.
For a quick report, use ^rNCD SIZE pathname^r from the
command line.
This menu command lets you copy a directory tree to a new
location, with the option to delete the original files after
copying. The location can also be on another drive.
As a safety precaution, ^uCopy Tree^u comes turned off.
Use the ^uCONFIGURE^u command from the ^uDirectory^u menu
to enable and disable ^uCopy Tree^u.
First, position the highlight at the directory tree you want
to copy. This is called the ^bsource^b. Then press ^rAlt^r+^rF5^r or
^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rY^r. The ^uSelect Directory^u text box opens with the
current directory (the location when you loaded NCD) offered
as the ^bdestination^b
this is where the directory tree will be
copied to. If the location is what you want, just press ^rEnter^r
and you're done.
If not, type in the name of the desired directory or ^rTab^r to
^uSub-Directories^u
list box and choose using the
^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r keys. Press ^rEnter^r to make your selection. The ^b..^b
choice means change to the parent directory, one level higher
on the directory tree.
Select
^uDrives^u
to locate a directory on another disk
drive as the destination to receive the copy.
^bHint^b: To turn the copy operation into a ^bmove across drives^b,
^rTab^r to the ^uDelete original files^u checkbox and press the
^rspacebar^r before performing the copy. If you want to move
the tree on the same drive, ^uPrune and Graft^u is much easier
to use.
You may also use ^rNCD COPY source destination^r from the
command line.
This menu command lets you delete a directory and any
directories under it. ^bBe very careful.^b Once a directory and
its files and subdirectories are removed, it's very difficult
to recover all files and directories (especially on a network
drive).
As a saftey precaution, ^uRemove Tree^u comes turned off. Use
the ^uCONFIGURE^u command from the ^uDirectory^u menu to enable
and disable this feature.
To remove a tree, position the highlight at the undesired
directory tree
^bremember this includes all subdirectories
that branch from it. Then press ^rAlt^r+^rF8^r or ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rT^r. Press
^rEsc^r if you have a change of heart: you get one chance to
^u[Cancel]^u before the directory, any subdirectories, and the
files they contain are consigned to the ages.
Well, not really. The Norton engineers, in their ongoing
pursuit to protect your data will list the files in a box and
once again ask to you to confirm your intentions. This time
with ^b[Yes]^b or ^b[No]^b (and they mean it now). You can also
press ^rEsc^r to back out.
Use ^rNCD RMTREE pathname^r to remove branches of the directory
tree from the command line.
This menu command lets you move a directory and all its
subdirectories to another location on the directory tree.
^bBe careful.^b Prune and Graft may have the best interactive
visuals of all the Norton utilities, but it can quickly get
messy if you have to undo any changes you've made.
As a safety precaution, ^uPrune and Graft^u comes turned off.
Use the ^uCONFIGURE^u command from the ^uDirectory^u menu to
enable and disable this feature.
Press ^rAlt^r+^rG^r or ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rG^r to bring up the ^uPrune and Graft^u
display. Use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r to position the highlight at the directory
you want to move. ^bRemember, this will include all of its^b
^bsubdirectories^b. Press ^rEnter^r to ^b[Prune]^b the tree. (Watch the
button turn to ^b[Graft]^b.)
Use the ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r keys to move the highlighted branch to the new
location on the tree. Then press ^rEnter^r to ^b[Graft]^b. Press ^rEsc^r
at any time if you change your mind.
^bHint^b: Use ^uSpeed Search^u to quickly find a directory tree to
^bPrune^b and a tree location to ^bGraft^b to, without using the
cursor keys. Just type the first one or two characters of
a directory name, they appear in the
^uSpeed Search^u
box in the upper right of the screen. The highlight zooms
to the first match with the characters. If there is more
than one matching directory name, type more characters OR
press ^rCtrl^r+^rEnter^r to zip to the next match.
To ^bPrune and Graft across drives^b, use ^ucopy Tree^u with the
^uDelete original files^u option.
You can prune and graft from the command line with
^rNCD GRAFT source destination^r.
This menu choice allows you to disable or enable the powerful,
but dangerous if used carelessly, options of NCD: ^uCopy Tree^u,
^uRemove Tree^u, and ^uPrune and Graft^u.
Press ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rC^r to bring up the ^uConfigure^u control box. Use
^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move among the check boxes. Press ^rspacebar^r to
check (enable) or disable each feature.
The Norton Disk Doctor automatically diagnoses and repairs
damaged disks. It runs numerous tests to determine the
integrity of all parts of a disk. When it finds a problem, it
will tell you about it and fix it (at your option). It will
print a detailed report about your disk and all problems found
and all measures taken to correct them.
In this screen, you are given four options. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to
highlight an option and press ^rEnter^r to select it.
^bDiagnose Disk^b: Select this first. You will be prompted to
select one or more of your drives and then NDD will begin its
comprehensive diagnosis. If NDD finds an error, you can
choose to fix the problem or leave it alone.
^bUndo Changes^b: When NDD fixes a problem, it can save the
original data of anything it changes (it creates an "undo"
file, typically on a different disk). You will only use this
option if you want to change a disk back to its condition
before NDD changed it.
^bOptions^b: This button lets you pre-select surface-testing
options, skip certain tests (some take a long time or may not
be compatible with your system), and create a custom message
to be displayed when NDD finds a problem. See the ^bDisk^b
^bDoctor Options^b and ^bSet Custom Message^b Help topics for more
information.
^bQuit Disk Doctor^b: Select this when you are finished using NDD.
This dialog lets you pick which drives you want NDD to
diagnose and repair.
^uTo pick a single drive^u, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight the drive
name and then press ^rEnter^r. Testing will begin immediately.
^uTo pick two or more drives^u, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight a drive
and press ^rspacebar^r to mark it for diagnosis; a check mark (^b
is displayed by each drive you have selected. Press ^rEnter^r to
begin diagnosing the first disk that's tagged with a
checkmark. When NDD is finished with that disk, it will begin
on the next.
This screen displays the actions Norton Disk Doctor takes as
it diagnoses your disk. If all goes well, you need do nothing
while this screen is displayed.
If NDD discovers a problem, it describes that problem,
recommends an action, and lets you choose to have the problem
fixed or leave it in place. ^uIt is always best to let the^u
^uDoctor fix your disk.^u All changes can be undone, so even in
the rare case where the Doctor slips a stitch, you can easily
get back to the original state.
^bAnalyzing Boot Record^b tests the readability and contents of
the very first sector on the diskette (or hard disk
partition). This sector contains the DOS start-up program
and much important information about the disk.
^bAnalyzing File Allocation Tables^b tests the readability and
verifies the authenticity of both copies of the FAT.
^bAnalyzing Directory Structure^b looks at each directory on the
disk to make sure it is readable and is, in fact, a
directory. This also makes sure that the special directory
entries ^b.^b and ^b..^b really link to "self" and "parent."
^bAnalyzing File Structure^b checks each file entry in each
directory, looking for oddities and invalid entries.
^bAnalyzing Lost Clusters^b makes sure that each entry in each
directory correctly links into the FAT, that each FAT chain
is unbroken, and that each chain is owned by a single file.
This screen summarizes the test results and problems found for
the selected disk.
Select ^b[Report
.]^b (just press ^rEnter^r) for detailed information
on the disk and problems found. If any problems came up, it
is wise to print a report for future reference.
Select ^b[Done]^b (or just press ^rEsc^r) to skip the report and get
back to the opening screen. If you previously specified to
diagnose more than one disk, the analysis for the next disk
will begin immediately.
The Disk Doctor report is a scrolling list of text describing
the disk and documenting the test results.
Use ^r^C19^r and ^r^C18^r and ^rPgDn^r and ^rPgUp^r to examine the report on screen.
Select ^b[Done]^b or press ^rEsc^r when you are finished reviewing the
report.
Select ^b[Print]^b (press ^rP^r) to send the text directly to your
printer.
Select ^b[Save As
.]^b (press ^rS^r) if you wish to save the report
as a text file. You will be prompted for a filename and the
text is saved so you can review it or print it out later.
^bWarning:^b Don't save the report to a damaged disk!
This dialog lets you reverse any action taken by the Disk
Doctor in the most recent session.
^bYou should only use this option in the^b ^urare case^u ^bthat a^b
^bcorrection made by NDD did not provide satisfactory results^b
^band you wish to fix the disk manually.^b
When NDD is about to fix your disk, it will first ask if you
want to save an "^uUndo File^u." When you do, a file named
^uNddUndo.Dat^u is saved in the root directory of a drive you
choose.
When you later use the ^b[Undo Changes]^b button, the undo file is
located and its contents are used to restore any disk data
changed by the Doctor (have you ever heard of a reversible
tonsillectomy?).
Warning: The Doctor tries to ensure that the undo can be
applied correctly, but in any case, you should NOT
use undo if you have performed any file writing
operations on the target disk since the time the
undo file was created.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight a button and press ^rEnter^r to bring up
that dialog. Press ^rEsc^r to return to the NDD Main screen.
Each of these options is covered in subsequent pages of Help.
^b[Surface Test]^b lets you set options to shorten or prolong the
most time-consuming of the tests made by the Doctor. It also
lets you setup for weekly "deep" testing when you use NDD on
a daily basis.
^b[Custom Message]^b is designed for use by PC coordinators and
MIS personnel so novice users aren't intimidated by any of
the technical messages displayed when NDD discovers a
problem. When activated, a non-technical operator can't make
corrections to any disk.
^b[Tests to Skip]^b lets you customize some testing so that you
can benefit from NDD even if parts of your system are not
entirely compatible with existing standards.
^b[Save Settings]^b lets you save the settings of any options you
have selected. After saving, these settings will be the
defaults each time you run NDD.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move from option to option or use ^rTab^r to move
from group to group. Press ^rspacebar^r to select one option in
each group. Press ^rEnter^r to accept the settings or ^rEsc^r to
cancel.
These options pertain to the often time-consuming tests NDD
makes to verify the readability of disk sectors.
^bTest ^b
The ^uDisk Test^u verifies all parts of the
disk. The ^uFile Test^u is faster, but it verifies only those
parts of the disk which are currently in use by files or
directories.
^bTest Type ^b
The ^uDaily^u option selects a "quick scan" of
the disk which checks data on each track, but does not
actually verify each and every sector. ^uWeekly^u does perform
a comprehensive read of every sector; it takes two to three
times longer than Daily. ^uAuto Weekly^u is a great compromise.
When NDD is run on ^bany Friday^b, the full Weekly test is
performed, but on other days of the week, the quick-scan
Daily test is used.
^bPasses ^b
The input box next to ^uRepetitions^u lets you
specify how many times NDD should perform the surface test.
Move the cursor to the box and input a number from 0 to
^uContinuous^u keeps repeating the test until you stop it by
pressing ^rEsc^r. You might use these options to flush out an
intermittent bad sector, which might not show up without
repeated testing.
^bNote^b: The Calibrate utility can perform an even more
exhaustive "deep" surface test on hard disks.
^bRepair Setting ^b
NDD repairs surface problems by moving
whatever part of the data is readable to a good part of the
disk and marking that part as bad in the FAT. If you don't
want this action, select ^uDon't Repair^u. The normal setting
is ^uPrompt before Repairing^u, which lets you decide how to
proceed with each surface-testing error.
If you intend to let the surface test run unattended
continuously or with numerous repetitions, you can select
^uRepair Automatically^u. This lets NDD repair surface errors
as it finds them and resume immediately. The Disk Doctor
diagnosis report will list all errors.
While the Doctor is performing surface diagnosis, this screen
monitors the progress. Press ^rEsc^r at any time to pause the
test (and, optionally, cancel the rest of the test).
In the disk map, each block, such as "
" or "^C08" represents a
portion of the disk (a ^bLegend^b on the screen identifies the
different characters). The actual amount of data represented
by a block varies, depending upon the size of the disk. The
blocks in a ^bBold^b color (e.g, "^b
^b" or "^b^C08^b") have already been
tested.
The ^uEstimated^u time is a "best guess." It moves around a bit
at first, but settles down when it becomes possible to make an
even better guess.
This unique, and very useful feature lets MIS directors and
PC coordinators restrict non-technical users from making
corrections with NDD. You can disable all modifications to
critical system areas and you can have the Doctor display a
custom message instructing the user in how to proceed.
To enable this feature (and disable error corrections), place
in ^bx^b in the ^bPrompt with Custom Message^b checkbox. Press ^rTab^r to
move into the message box, and type your custom message. For
instance, you might type:
Press F2 to
change text
Contact Dan in
attribute.
PC Services Division
Extension ^u1233^u
Current attribute
is ^bBold^b.
^bDO NOT USE THIS COMPUTER^b
^buntil this problem has^b
^b(this changes as you press^b ^rF2^r^b)^b
^bbeen resolved!_^b
You can dress up your message with certain color attributes:
Normal, ^bBold^b, ^rReverse^r, and ^uUnderline^u. Just press ^rF2^r to cycle
through the choices before typing the text.
Finally, press ^rTab^r to move to the ^b[OK]^b button and press ^rEnter^r.
Remember to select ^bSave Settings^b in the Disk Doctor Options
dialog.
^bHint:^b If you want to see what your message will look like in
action, just diagnose a floppy disk in a diskette
drive, and open the drive door during the system
diagnosis.
This feature does not affect the action during the surface
scan testing, but you can disable corrections there via the
^bTests to Skip^b dialog (and save your setup).
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move from checkbox to checkbox. Press
^rspacebar^r to toggle an option on or off. Press ^rEnter^r to OK
your settings or ^rEsc^r to cancel.
^uSkip Partition Tests^u tells NDD not to perform its early test
on the hard disk partition table. NDD recognizes all
standard partitioning setups, but this lets you skip the
tests if you have an incompatible system.
^uSkip CMOS Tests^u tells NDD not to perform its early
verification of the CMOS configuration settings in this
computer. This is only needed if your computer uses a
non-standard format for its CMOS configuration record.
^uSkip Surface Tests^u causes NDD to skip the time-consuming
surface-testing portion of its diagnosis. With this box
checked, NDD only tests the system areas of any disk.
^uOnly 1 Hard Disk^u causes NDD to test only the first hard disk
on your system. This overrides the rare case where a system
reports two physical hard drives when only one is actually
installed. You can also exclude specific drives by using
the command-line option: ^bNDD /X:^b^ud
If you want these settings to become the defaults, remember to
^bSave Settings^b in the Disk Doctor Options dialog.
This option immediately saves all option settings you have
specified through the ^bDisk Doctor Options^b dialog and its
sub-dialogs.
All saved settings become the default for the current session
and subsequent sessions with the Doctor. Of course, you can
override default option settings for one session by selecting
options without saving them.
When NDD encounters a disk problem, it normally presents a
dialog such as:
^bError on Drive B:^b
Error reading a sector in the FAT
^bDescription^b
The File Allocation Table (FAT) has a
physical error. There are 2 copies of
the FAT, therefore you have a spare, BUT
if both go bad, you could lose files.
BACKUP OFTEN!
^bRecommendation^b
Correct this situation ONLY if you are
unable to access drive B: properly.
Do you wish to correct this problem?
^uY^u^bes^b
^uN^uo
] [ ^uC^uancel ]
Read the ^bDescription^b and ^bRecommendation^b carefully. In most
cases the correct action is to fix the problem (select ^b[Yes]^b),
but you can forego the correction by pressing ^r N ^r or cancel
the rest of the testing by pressing ^r C ^r or ^rEsc^r.
The Doctor may ask if you want to create an ^uUndo Information^u
file and where to save it. It is always best to hedge your
bets by creating the undo file. It is normally a wise move to
save the changes to a disk other than the one being tested.
^bNote^b: If a "Custom Message" has been enabled via the
^bNDD Options^b dialog, the message will be different and
the user will have only one choice
to "Cancel".
The Doctor has located an Undo File on the chosen disk.
Warning: Examine the ^bdate and time^b shown in the dialog. If
it does not match your expectations, do no proceed
with the undo.
The undo file contains ALL CORRECTIONS made to ALL DISKS
during the specified session. You cannot selectively undo a
single change or pick a single disk.
Select ^b[Yes]^b to proceed with the undo or press ^rEsc^r to cancel.
^bWelcome to the Norton Utilities!^b
This program, ^uNORTON^u, gives you easy access to all of the
Norton Utilities. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the highlight bar and
scroll the selections in the
^bCommands^b
list. The line
beneath this box shows the DOS command that will be executed
when you press ^rEnter^r (or ^rdouble-click^r with the mouse).
^bDescription^b
box describes the utility and shows some
or all of the options and switches (parameters) you can use.
To add parameters to a command, just type them in before you
press ^rEnter^r. (Note: Virtually ALL the utilities are
interactive; you rarely need command-line options except
when using a batch file.) For a list of options for any of the
Norton Utilities, use ^u/?^u as the only parameter. You can do
this from the DOS command line as well, for instance,
^uFILEFIND /?^u
NORTON is also a First Aid center for disk ailments and a
consultant with answers to many questions. The ^bAdvise^b menu
(^rAlt^r+^rA^r) provides general help for common computer problems
and will run the right utility to help fix them.
Finally, NORTON is an interactive "shell" or menu program.
You can execute any DOS command by typing it into the input
box near the bottom of the screen. And you can create custom
commands and descriptions, making it easy to execute often-
used application programs and DOS commands. In fact, you can
even customize the default commands and descriptions displayed
for the Norton Utilities. See the ^bAdd Menu Item^b and
^bEdit Menu Item^b help topics for more information on this
feature.
This menu command redisplays the items in the
^bCommands^b
list in alphabetical order. The Topics entries are hidden
from view.
Use ^rAlt^r+^rT^r to get back to the "Sort by Topics" display.
This menu command redisplays the items in the
^bCommands^b
list, grouped by Topic.
In this format, the menu items shown as ^r
TOPIC
^r have no
associated command displayed in the command input box; they
are subheadings for groups of commands.
Use ^rAlt^r+^rN^r to remove the TOPIC lines and display only the
command names, in alphabetical order.
This menu command lets you add a new command or topic to the
^bCommands^b
list. Use this feature to customize Norton,
and use it as a general-purpose menu utility for easy access
to applications and often-used DOS commands.
In the initial dialog, select the ^b[Command]^b button to add a
command or ^b[Topic]^b to create a new topic (topics are displayed
in the form, ^u
TOPIC
^u, in the Commands box; they are
passive headings and are not associated with a DOS command).
^bAdding a Topic^b
Type the name you want displayed. It will be centered
within double lines in the Commands box.
You may use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to set its position relative to the
other topics. Press ^rTab^r to access the controls on the right
side and select ^b[Description
.]^b to add some descriptive
text to be displayed in when the topic is highlighted.
Select ^b[OK]^b to save your work.
^bAdding a Command^b
Type the text you want displayed in the Commands list. For
instance,
Name in menu: ^rFormat B: 720K^r
and press ^rTab^r or ^r^C19^r.
Next, type in any command that DOS will execute
a program
name, batch file name or a DOS internal command, including
specific parameters if you want. Later, this command will
show up in the text area near the bottom of the main screen.
For instance,
DOS command: ^rSFORMAT B: /720 /A^r
and press ^rTab^r or ^r^C19^r.
In the
^bTopic^b
box, pick the topic under which you want
this command to be placed. For instance, move down to the
radio button next to TOOLS and press ^rspacebar^r.
Finally, press ^rTab^r to get to the control group at the bottom
and press ^r D ^r (or select the ^b[Description
.]^b button).
See help on ^bEditing a Command Description^b for information.
Upon return, select the ^b[OK]^b button to save your work and
return to the main screen.
This lets you modify any item in the
^bCommands^b
list as
well as change its associated DOS command line and description
text. It also lets you rearrange the order in which topic
groups are displayed.
This feature lets system administrators customize the text
shown by Norton. For instance, you can keep a novice user
out of hot water by adding special warnings to a command
description. Or you can delete an item altogether (^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rD^r).
The initial dialog varies, depending upon whether you are
changing a topic or a command.
^bEditing a Command^b
Type the text you want displayed in the Commands list.
Press ^rTab^r and modify the associated DOS command line.
From the
^bTopic^b
box, pick the heading you want this
command to be listed under. The command will be placed in
alphabetical order among other commands in this heading.
Press ^rTab^r to move to the controls at the bottom. Select
^b[Description
.]^b if you want to modify that. See the
^bEditing a Command Description^b help topic for help there.
Select the ^b[OK]^b button to save your work and return to the
main screen.
^bEditing a Topic^b
This operation lets you change the name and description of a
Topic and move its position in the Commands box. Note: This
option is available only when Topic names are visible in the
Commands box, that is, only when ^usort by Topic^u is checked in
the ^uConfigure^u menu.
^uTo change the name^u, just type in different text. The name
is automatically centered between double-line box characters
(for instance, ^r
TOPIC
^r). ^uTo change the position^u, use
^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move it in the list.
Press ^rTab^r to access the push-buttons on the right. Select
^b[Description
.]^b if you want to modify that. Select the
^b[OK]^b button to save your work and return to the main screen.
^bPower-User Note^b: All commands, topics, and descriptions get
saved into a standard ASCII text file named ^uNorton.Cmd^u in
the Norton directory. You may prefer to edit this file
with a text editor.
This menu command lets you delete a command or topic from the
^bCommands^b
list.
Note: You can delete a Topic only if no Commands are below it
and only when the topic names are listed (that is, only
when ^usort by Topic^u is checked in the ^uConfigure^u menu).
When you delete a menu item, its name, DOS command, and
description are permanently removed from the ^uNorton.Cmd^u file.
You may wish to make a backup of that file before doing any
deletions. If you accidentally delete items from the Norton
Utilities, you can start over with the default setup by
running the Install program.
This feature lets system administrators control the text shown
by Norton. For instance, you can delete some of the default
commands to keep novice users from trying things they
shouldn't.
Note: If you don't want anyone to delete or modify commands,
you may wish to make the file Norton.Cmd a read-only
file.
In this screen, you can create or modify the text displayed in
^bDescription^b
box for a command. You get here via the
^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rA^r or ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rE^r commands.
Use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to move around in the Description box.
^rHome^r goes to the start of a line and ^rEnd^r to the end.
Insert a line by pressing ^rEnter^r. Pull up a lower line by
moving to the end of a line and pressing ^rDel^r.
You can dress up your text by using display attributes. Press
^rF2^r to cycle between Normal, ^rReverse^r, ^bBold^b, and ^uUnderline^u.
Subsequently-typed text is displayed in that color.
Press ^rTab^r to move to the ^b[OK]^b box and press ^rEnter^r to select
^bPower-User Note^b: All commands, topics, and descriptions get
saved into a standard ASCII text file named ^uNorton.Cmd^u in
the Norton directory. You may prefer to edit this file
with a text editor.
This option lets you modify the configuration that was set up
when you installed the Norton Utilities.
^bNote:^b Changes made here affect colors and options for ^uALL^u
of the Norton Utilities.
From the NORTON program, you can use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rV^r.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move from selection to selection. Press
^rspacebar^r to select from ^b(^C07)^b radio buttons and to toggle
the settings in ^b[x]^b checkboxes. Press ^rTab^r to move from group
to group. And press ^rEnter^r when done or ^rEsc^r to leave this
screen without saving changes.
^bScreen Colors^b
Select from various aesthetically-
pleasing sets of screen colors. Choose the one that looks
best on your monitor. If you don't like any of the pre-set
color sets, choose ^b[Customize Colors]^b to change any
component of the screen.
^bWarning^b: With some combinations of settings and monitors,
you won't be able to see the cursor bar.
^bMouse Options^b
^uLeft-handed mouse^u reverses the common
usage of the mouse buttons. If you choose this option then
remember to ^rClick Right^r, even when the documentation says to
^rClick Left^r. ^uFast mouse reset^u cuts down on the delay
experienced on a full mouse reset, making the Utilities come
to life faster. Leave this checked unless you experience
trouble with the mouse.
^bGraphics Options^b
Select how radio buttons, checkboxes,
and the mouse pointer look on ^bEGA and VGA screens^b only. The
Norton Utilities redefines characters to get a graphical
look. Pick ^uGraphical dialogs^u to display flashy icons in
dialog boxes.
^bNote:^b On Monochrome and CGA screens, your choice here has
no effect (you will always have the "Standard" setup).
^bScreen Options^b
Accounts for personal taste.
^uZooming boxes^u (set by default) causes dialog boxes and
windows to "open up" from the center of the screen. On
slower PCs, you may prefer otherwise; just remove the
^bcheck^b from this option.
^uSolid background^u switches the desktop area behind screens
and dialog boxes between a speckled or a single solid color.
^uCtrl-Enter^u makes the ^rEnter^r key behave like the ^rTab^r key
in a dialog box: press ^rEnter^r to jump to the next control
group. Press ^rCtrl^r+^rEnter^r to accept the dialog. This is for
people who press ^rEnter^r expecting to move to the next line,
but wind up accepting the whole dialog.
^uButton arrows^u places arrowheads to help distinguish the
active command button in a dialog box. Use this if you
prefer ^u[^u^b^C10 Topics ^C11^b^u]^u to ^u[^u^b
Topics
^b^u]^u.
Most disk I/O time is spent waiting for data to come from the
disk. If you have recently read that same data, Norton Cache
eliminates the delay entirely. In fact, Norton Cache
anticipates your future data needs and has the data ready,
even before you ask for it. The speed increase is quite
dramatic.
From the NORTON program, you can use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rN^r.
Use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1A^r ^r^C1B^r to move from selection to selection. Press
^rspacebar^r to toggle the settings in ^b[x]^b checkboxes. And press
^rEnter^r when done or ^rEsc^r to leave this screen without saving
changes.
^bLoading^b
The Norton Cache is usually loaded from your
Config.Sys file. You can choose to run it from Autoexec.Bat
instead, or not load it at all.
^bCache Options^b
Two check boxes for cache operation.
The first option is caching for floppy drives. This is ^bnot^b
^brecommended^b; but if you do choose it, be sure to flush the
cache (the ^u/F switch^u) every time you change diskettes.
The second option is ^uIntelliWrites^u, to reduce the amount
of head movement necessary to complete a requested series of
disk writes and to increase the amount data that is written
during each rotation of the disk.
^bHigh Memory^b
Specify whether the cache will load in
conventional memory (below 640K) or in high DOS memory.
^bMemory Usage^b
Set expanded, extended, or conventional
DOS memory with this option. You can make adjustments as
necessary, for example, to run Windows. The maximum values
for your system are listed at the far right for each type.
^bAdvanced Options^n
Fine tune the Norton Cache with this dialog box.
^bBuffering^b
This group of options lets you precisely
define the behavior of the cache for maximum performance.
Set the maximum size of the ^uRead-Ahead buffer^u from 8 to
64K in 1K increments. A value of 0 disables the Read-Ahead
buffer.
Set the maximum size of the ^uWrite-Back^u buffer from 8 to
64K in 1K increments. A value of 0 disables the write-back
buffer.
Specify the ^ucache buffer block size^u: 512, 1024, 2048,
4096, or 8192 bytes.
Set the ^udelay^u before sectors are written to disk. The range
is 0 to 59 seconds, in the format ss:hh (seconds and
hundreths of a second). A checkbox choice with this option
determines whether the cache will wait for all writes to be
completed before returning the DOS prompt.
^bOptimize^b
Choose from a set of balanced,
pre-determined defaults to optimize the cache for ^uSpeed^u,
^uEfficiency^u, or ^uMemory^u. This option is particularly
handy if you need to change the behavior of the cache for
varying work situations.
Press ^rEnter^r when done to return to the first screen and
choose ^b[OK]^b to save. Press ^rEsc^r to leave the screens without
saving changes.
Config.Sys a special file found in the root directory of the
disk that was used to start your system. It is a "standard
ASCII" text file containing configuration commands read by DOS
at system startup.
This option lets you easily modify your Config.Sys file to
install or uninstall two of the Norton Utilities: Diskreet and
NDOS.
^bNote:^b Changes made to Config.Sys will not take effect
until you reboot your computer.
From the NORTON program, you can use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rC^r.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move from selection to selection. Press
^rspacebar^r to toggle the settings in ^b[x]^b checkboxes. And press
^rEnter^r when done or ^rEsc^r to leave this screen without saving
changes.
^bDISKREET^b
Load the driver to enable NDisks (encrypted
areas of your disk). If you are using a Compaq 386 and do
not have any other memory manager, you may use PCSHADOW.SYS
to load DISKREET into the Compaq Shadow Memory.
^bNDOS^b
Load the NDOS.COM command shell. If you are a
command line user, this is a highly recommended. The second
check box is for Keystack.Sys. This enables the NDOS
^uKEYSTACK^u command which lets you send keystrokes to another
program from a batch file, as if they were entered from the
keyboard.
After you've made your checkbox choices, press ^rEnter^r. Your
Config.Sys file will be displayed in a list box for review.
If you want to rearrange the lines, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the
highlight. Press ^rEnter^r to ^b[Move]^b. Again, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to
move the line to its new location and press ^rEnter^r to ^b[Drop]^b.
When done, press ^rS^r for ^b[Save]^b or ^rEsc^r to cancel. Don't
forget, ^byou must reboot^b before the changes take effect.
Autoexec.Bat is a special batch file placed in the root
directory of the disk which is used to start your system.
It is a "standard ASCII" text file, containing DOS commands
and program names.
When your system starts up, Command.Com (or NDOS if you've
chosen to install it) looks for the Autoexec.Bat file and
(if it finds it) executes each of the commands in that file.
This makes it possible for you to perform configuration tasks
such as loading TSR programs into memory, setting your
keyboard speed, and so forth automatically, each time you
start your computer.
Several of the Norton Utilities can, appropriately, be started
from Autoexec.Bat, as well as the setup of the DOS environment
for the Utilities.
^bNote:^b Changes made to Autoexec.Bat will not take effect
until you reboot your computer (or run Autoexec.Bat again).
From the NORTON program, you can use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rA^r.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move from selection to selection. Press
^rspacebar^r to toggle the settings in ^b[x]^b checkboxes. And press
^rEnter^r when done or ^rEsc^r to leave this screen without saving
changes.
^bSet environment^b
DOS keeps certain operational
information in an area of memory called the environment.
The ^uPATH^u is a list of directories for DOS to search for
executable files, if the program cannot be found in the
current directory. If the Norton Utilities directory is
added to path, the utilities will start whenever you enter
a utility name on the command line.
The NU environment variable also stores the location of the
Norton Utilities directory, so the utilities themselves
know where to look for certain support files.
^bInstall utilities^b
Two of the utilities, Disk Monitor
and Erase Protect, are memory resident programs. The choices
here can make sure they're installed for every computer
session.
^bRun utilities^b
Makes sure that the IMAGE utility (to
take a snapshot of your disk's system area) is run every
time you boot. NDD /QUICK is just that, a fast check to make
sure your disk is OK.
After you've made your checkbox choices, press ^rEnter^r. Your
Autoexec.Bat file will be displayed in a list box for review.
If you want to rearrange the lines, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to place the
highlight on a line. Press ^rEnter^r to ^b[Move]^b. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r
to move the line to its new location and press ^rEnter^r to
^b[Drop]^b.
When done, press ^rS^r for ^b[Save]^b or ^rEsc^r to cancel. Don't
forget, ^byou must reboot^b before the changes take effect.
This option lets you shorten the command line names for
several of the most frequently used utilities to save a few
keystrokes. You also can rename Safe Format to make sure it
always used instead of the DOS FORMAT command.
^bPower-User Tip:^b If you regularly type CD instead of CHDIR
at the DOS prompt, you're a candidate for this option.
From the NORTON program, you can use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rL^r.
Use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1A^r ^r^C1B^r to move from selection to selection. Press
^rspacebar^r to toggle the settings in ^b[x]^b checkboxes. And press
^rEnter^r when done or ^rEsc^r to leave this screen without saving
changes.
Many of the Norton Utilities are supplied in a special
compressed form to conserve disk space, and expand in memory
whenever they are loaded. Use this option to choose which of
the Norton Utility programs you wish to use in their
uncompressed form. You may gain a slight advantage in load
time, particularly on a slow PC
at a cost of some disk
space.
^bNote:^b This is not a reversible feature, the programs cannot
be compressed again (you will have to reload them from your
distribution disks).
From the NORTON program, you can use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rE^r.
Press ^rEnter^r to access the ^bExpand Program Files^b list box.
Use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r to move from selection to selection. Press ^rspacebar^r
to toggle the EXPAND settings. And press ^rEnter^r when done or
^rEsc^r to leave this screen without saving changes.
The Norton Utilities have the power to do great good, but
if not used properly, great harm. With this option, you can
prevent the utilities that could possibly do damage from being
used.
This may be of particular importance if other people will be
using your computer, or if you oversee other people's computer
^bNote:^b Only one password can be set for all protected
programs.
From the NORTON program, you can use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rP^r.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move from selection to selection. Press
^rspacebar^r to toggle the settings in ^b[x]^b checkboxes. And press
^rEnter^r when ready to ^b[Set Passwords]^b or ^rEsc^r to leave this
screen.
Enter the password in the ^bSet Password^b text box and press
^rEnter^r. It can be up to 15 characters long and contain numbers
and symbols. You will be prompted to enter the password a
second time for verification. Press ^rEnter^r when done or ^rEsc^r
to exit without setting the password.
This option allows you to control editing of the Norton
program menu.
A powerful capability of the Norton program is that the menu
can be edited to add new programs or delete ones that might
be dangerous for non-technical users. After you've set up
the menu to your liking, you can prevent any further changes.
From the NORTON program, you can use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rM^r.
There are only two options: ^bEnable^b or ^bDisable^b Editing.
Press the ^rspacebar^r to toggle the settings. And press ^rEnter^r
when done or ^rEsc^r to leave this screen with saving changes.
This dialog provides advice and solutions to common problems
with disks and diskettes.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll through the list. Press ^rEnter^r to see a
detailed explanation of the problem and a suggested solution.
Often, you'll have a direct route to the solution; just select
the highlighted push-button at the bottom of the dialog.
This dialog provides a useful summary of common DOS error
messages and offers advice on how to deal with the error.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll through the list. Press ^rEnter^r to see a
detailed explanation of the problem and a suggested solution.
Often, you'll have a direct route to the solution; just select
the highlighted push-button at the bottom of the dialog.
When you run the DOS CHKDSK command, it may display one or
more cryptic error messages. This menu command lets you
look up the message and see a clear explanation, interpreted
from technobabble into real English. It also provides a
recommended course of action.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll through the list. Press ^rEnter^r to see
the explanation and recommended action. Select ^b[Done]^b or
press ^rEsc^r to get back to the main screen.
This dialog provides a useful summary of common error messages
generated by ^uWordPerfect^u and ^uLotus 123^u, and offers advice on
how to deal with the error.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll through the list. Press ^rEnter^r to see
the explanation and recommended action to take when you see
the message.
If you don't remember the exact error message you received,
or forgot where it came from, this is for you. Type in any
part of the error message that you know
or any of the
words that appeared in the message. Check the box below what
you've typed if you want to include application error
messages as well.
The ^b[Start Search]^b button will bring up a list box with all
the possible messages. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll through the
list. Press ^rEnter^r to see the explanation and recommended
action to take when you see the message of interest.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bCustom Command^b
The Command or Topic at the highlighted cursor bar is a custom
menu item. It was added to the
^bCommands^b
list after the
Norton Utilities were installed.
It may be edited (via ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rE^r) or deleted (via ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rD^r)
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bBatch Enhancer (BE)^b
This is a toolkit of useful commands that you can use to make
batch files more flexible and more interesting.
Normally, BE commands are used only in batch files, but you
can experiment by typing them directly at the DOS command
prompt. For instance:
C:\>^rBE WINDOW 1 1 24 78 bright green ON red EXPLODE^r^C11
or you can execute a series of BE commands by placing them in
a text file and telling BE where to find them; for example:
C:\>^rBE MyBeFile.Txt^r^C11
will cause BE to read MyBeFile.Txt and execute each of its
lines as a BE command (Note: Don't start the lines with "BE").
To get a quick summary of BE command names, use ^uBE ?^u and to
see the syntax of a specific command use ^uBE command ?^u.
Note: BE's color-setting capabilities depend on having the
Ansi.Sys device driver installed.
Please refer to the printed documentation for details of each
BE command.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bNorton Cache^b
A disk cache (pronounced like "money") will save you time (and
in the computer business, time IS cash). The basic idea is to
use part of your system memory as a disk buffer, that is, as a
temporary holding pen for disk data.
Most disk I/O time is spent waiting for data to come from the
disk. If you have recently read that same data, Norton Cache
eliminates the delay entirely. In fact, Norton Cache
anticipates your future data needs and has the data ready,
even before you ask for it! The speed increase is quite
dramatic.
The Norton Cache is designed to be used each time you use
your computer. The only times you will want to disable the
cache are when you run out of memory, when you are running
a disk optimization program like Speed Disk, or when you
are running a disk repair program like Norton Disk Doctor.
^bNote:^b The following Norton Utilities programs disable
the Norton Cache automatically: Disk Doctor, Speed Disk,
and Calibrate. Norton Backup also disables the Norton
Cache automatically.
If you have ^bno extended or expanded memory^b, you probably
should not use a disk cache. Many applications require 500K
to run, while the minimum size for an effective cache is at
least 64K (the more, the better). Exceptions include per-
forming disk intensive activities or using a laptop with an
auto-power-down hard disk.
Norton Cache is installed as a device driver in your
Config.Sys file or as a TSR in your Autoexec.Bat file. The
Norton Utilities Install program has already set this up (if
you requested it), using parameters fitting your needs. To
install Norton Cache manually, please refer to the printed
documentation.
^bNote^b: Norton engineers have cleverly set up NCACHE.EXE to
be used as a ^bdevice driver^b (installed in Config.Sys), a
^bRAM-resident TSR^b (installed via Autoexec.Bat or at any
time), or a ^bstand-alone program^b (to show current status
and change parameters).
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bCalibrate^b
This utility provides three very useful hard disk functions:
^uCorrects (calibrates) interleave inefficiencies^u. Many hard
disks have been "low-level" formatted with an inefficient
interleave setting. This means that you must wait longer
for data to be read from the disk than is necessary.
Calibrate performs sophisticated tests to find out the best
interleave for your hard disk when attached to your
computer. It then fixes the interleave, often with a data
transfer rate increase of 66% or more.
Note: The online help for Calibrate provides details of
what disk interleave is and why it's important.
^uPerforms "deep" surface testing^u. This feature scans the disk
for surface defects which might go undetected in a less
thorough testing. It executes a scientifically accurate
analysis of the ability of the disk surface to accept
various magnetic flux combinations.
If you've ever thought that some part of your hard disk was
"a little shaky," use Calibrate's test to flush-out the bad
and nearly-bad parts.
^uFirms up sector ID marks^u. As a disk ages, the read/write
heads may tend to drift slightly from their original
positions. Calibrate's non-destructive low-level formatting
ensures that the head will be positioned exactly, directly
over each track, and that the low-level track-and-sector
markings are easily read by the hard disk controller.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bNorton Control Center (NCC)^b
This utility provides a potpourri of useful hardware
configuration services. It is an interactive program in which
you can configure system devices the way you like them, then
save the settings for quick setup later. The optional
command-line "Quick Switches" provide a convenient way to set
the screen mode or keyboard rate.
Note: Some NCC services are not available on some computers.
NCC provides a variety of ^bscreen control^b services. It can set
your ^ucursor size^u, customize the ^ucolors at the DOS prompt^u,
select a 25, 40, or 50-line ^uvideo mode^u, and lets you setup a
custom ^ucolor palette^u to force uncooperative programs to use
your favorite colors.
NCC can speed up your ^bkeyboard^b and make your ^bmouse^b more
responsive. It also provides an interactive way to set the
configuration of your ^bserial ports^b.
NCC also provides several ^btimer^b functions. It has up to four
timers which you can start and stop to help you track your
daily activities or to make a record of how long some
operation took. It can print a "^bTime Mark^b" to the standard
output device for later reference.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bDirectory Sort (DS)^b
This utility arranges the order in which files and directories
are listed. Directory Sort can be used either from the command
line or in full-screen mode.
Sort by ^uname^u, ^uextension^u, ^utime^u, ^udate^u, or ^usize^u. You can combine
any number of ^bsort keys^b, so that files that are the same by
one key can be arranged in order by the next key. When a
directory is sorted, all subdirectories are grouped first,
followed by all files.
In full-screen mode, a file can be placed at any location in
the sort order. You can make finding frequently accessed files
easier by placing them first in their directories.
Use ^rDS /?^r for help with the command line options.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bDisk Editor^b
This utility replaces many of the functions of the familiar
"NU" program and adds a wealth of high-powered new features.
It lets you see and modify any part of your disk, including
the highly-sensitive Partition Table, File Allocation Table,
and directories. It lets you examine any part of any file and
make changes.
The "manual unerase" functions of the old NU program have been
incorporated into ^bUnErase^b. In fact, all commonly needed low-
level disk operations (such as global text searching or
repairing a dBASE file) are now incorporated into other easy-
to-use Utilities such as ^bDisk Tools^b, ^bFileFix^b, and ^bFileFind^b.
Disk Edit is safe for even non-technical users. It starts out
in a "read-only" mode which lets you explore any disk without
fear of making a data-threatening mistake.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bDisk Monitor^b
This utility provides three types of disk protection:
^uDisk Protection^u installs a TSR (RAM-resident program) which
keeps an eye on all attempts to write to any of your disks.
It provides ^usafety from viruses^u and it can ^uavoid accidental^u
^udeletion^u or overwriting of specific types of files. When
Disk Protect is ON, you will be warned whenever the disk is
about to be modified
and you can choose to block the
attempted write or let it continue.
^uDisk Light^u also installs a TSR which keeps an eye on your disk
activity, but all it does is display a tiny flashing "light"
in the top right corner of your screen whenever any disk is
read or written to. This is handy for monitoring RAM-disk
activities or to give you indication of disk activity if
your system unit is on the floor and out of sight.
^uDisk Park^u is an important safety measure you should take
whenever you turn off your computer. It moves the read/write
heads of all your hard disk drives into a safe location. It
is especially important when you intend to move your system.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bDiskreet^b
This utility protects confidential files by encrypting them so
that only you can read them.
You can encrypt files individually or you can create something
called an ^uNDisk^u (it has a drive ID just like regular disks,
but it is actually a designated area on a physical disk).
The operation of an NDisk is transparent. Every file gets
encrypted as it put down on the disk. And it is decrypted
when it is read back into memory (or copied, etc.). Along the
way, you will be asked to input a password, so only you can
have "clear text" access to the file.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bDisk Tools^b
This utility provides a set of automated procedures which
protect disk data, simplify some technical operations, and
recover from certain types of data disasters. Since these are
safe, totally automated procedures, there is no need for an
novice user to use the complex and powerful DiskEdit utility
for these problems.
^uMake a Disk Bootable^u takes all the necessary steps to make it
possible to use a disk as a DOS system or "boot" disk. The
DOS SYS command is supposed to do this, but it often fails
with a message, "No room for system files." Well, Disk Tools
MAKES room, then copies the files correctly onto the disk
(including Command.Com). It can even adjust a hard disk
partition table, in case that got scrambled somehow.
^uRecover from DOS's RECOVER^u fixes the mess that the DOS RECOVER
utility makes of a disk. As a proud owner of the Norton
Utilities, you have no need for RECOVER and should never use
it. If someone does accidentally "recover" a disk, use
Disk Tools to put the disk back into a state where a real
utility can recover data from it.
^uRevive a Defective Diskette^u: When you see "Bad sector reading
drive A: Abort, Retry
.," the problem is often related to
the "sector ID" marks BETWEEN the sectors. This tool
rewrites the sector marks, without wiping the data.
^uMark a Cluster^u provides a simple way to tell DOS not to
allocate data on a particular part of a disk OR you can
perform the reverse operation (tell DOS to go ahead an use
an area which is currently marked as "bad").
^uCreate Rescue Disk^u and ^uRestore Rescue Disk^u provide an
insurance policy for your system. ^uCreate Rescue Disk^u reads
critical system information from a healthy system and copies
it to a diskette (your CMOS configuration settings, hard
disk partition tables, and so forth). ^uRestore Rescue Disk^u
can be used to reset your computer back to those known-to-
be-good settings.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bErase Protect^b
This is one of the smartest safety inventions since strings on
mittens. Erase Protect is a small TSR program which installs
into memory and watches for commands that delete files.
Instead of deleting a file, it moves it into a directory
named ^uTrashCan^u.
When the TrashCan gets full or a specified number of days have
passed, Erase Protect automatically purges files to make room
for other "delayed deletions." Use the UnErase utility to
recover (with 100% reliability) one or more of the deleted
files.
This is one of those very-low-cost safety nets; it's a great
addition to your Autoexec.Bat file.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bFile Attributes (FA)^b
This utility lets you display, set, or clear any of the four
file attributes: ^uhidden^u, ^usystem^u, ^uread-only^u, and ^uarchive^u.
You can protect a file from accidental erasure or overwriting,
or hide it from prying eyes. You can even hide a subdirectory.
Use ^rFA /?^r for help with the command line options.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bFile Date (FD)^b
This utility lets you change the date or time stamps on a file
or set of files.
File Date is useful if you use backup software that backs up
files based on their date and time, or the MAKE program that
comes with many compilers. You could also give a group of
files a "generic" look by giving them all the same date and
time
or removing it completely.
Use ^rFD /?^r for help with the command line options.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bFile Find^b
As hard disk capacities multiply, it can be a certifiable
nuisance to find a file lost in a spaghetti of directories.
FileFind uses a superfast technique to search ^uall directories^u
of ^uall drives^u to unearth a buried file.
But this versatile utility does a lot more than just look
for filenames. If you can't remember the filename, all you
need to know is ^usome text in the file^u. FileFind lists the
files which contain the text as it scans the disk AND you can
browse the contents of any file while FileFind continues
searching.
FileFind can output a list of the matching files (with all
kinds of options), and it can format that list into a batch
file. ^bProgrammers love this^b: you can easily create a batch
file which does something (edit, copy, delete, you name it)
with every file that contains any string of text, such as
"printf" or "itemCount" or "DosOpen(".
You can ^ulimit the search^u by file date, size, or attribute (for
instance, you can list all hidden files). Moreover, you can
^uset any file attribute^u, or ^uchange the date and time^u of the
matching files.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bFile Fix^b
This utility is handy for users of ^uLotus 1-2-3^u, ^uSymphony^u, and
^udBASE^u (and other programs which use identical file formats).
FileFix knows all about the file headers and data layout in
these types of files and can repair files which the
application is unable to use. For instance, if a single sector
is lost, FileFix performs a "smart" recovery, so that only the
missing data is lost (rather than losing the entire file).
FileFix also provides a convenient "UnZap" procedure to
restore data lost by an accidental use of the dBASE Zap
command.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bFile Locate (FL)^b
This utility is used from the command line to locate files or
directories quickly
and requires very little memory to run.
File Locate is ideal for those times when you can't find a
file or remember where it is. You can locate lost or missing
files, and even find buried directories, by searching through
all of the directories of one or more disks.
You can also search just the PATH, which is useful when you're
trying to find multiple filenames or programs that you know
are somewhere in the path.
Use ^rFL /?^r for help with the command line options.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bFile Size (FS)^b
This utility lists the size of a file or group of files,
reporting the total size of the group as well as the
percentage of slack space the files occupy (unused space
in the last disk cluster of a file).
File Size is very handy when copying files to another drive,
especially a floppy disk. It will determine if the group of
files will fit on the other disk drive
before you try to
copy them.
You can also determine the total size of files for a branch
of the directory tree.
Use ^rFS /?^r for help with the command line options.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bImage^b
How do you prevent the total disaster that occurs when a
novice user formats the hard disk? One way is to remove
DOS's FORMAT command and use Norton's Safe Format utility. But
even that doesn't ensure that someone won't later use FORMAT
(say, from a floppy disk) to wipeout the disk. Also, Norton's
UnFormat utility will usually recover most of the files
without any help. But how to be 100% sure?
Image takes a "snapshot" of the data that would get wiped
during a DOS FORMAT, including the Boot Record, File
Allocation Table, and root directory. Then, when the worst
happens, the UnFormat utility will provide a 100% recovery of
your data.
Image works quickly and without fanfare and uses up only a
small amount of disk space. It is an excellent addition to
your Autoexec.Bat file.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bLine Print (LP)^b
Print a text file directly from the DOS command line without
having to call up your word processor or editor. Use for a
quick print of Autoexec.Bat, Config.Sys, or any batch file.
Line Print is a print formatter capable of printing text
files to a file, printer, or device (such as COM1:). It is
especially useful when you need files printed with line
numbers (such as program listings or legal references).
LP has flexible options to set up your output page with
headers and footers, margins, line spacing columns, and so
forth. You can even print a file to a PostScript printer.
^bTip:^b Set the height of the page to 60 lines (/H60) for
a laser printer, the default is 66 lines.
Use ^rLP /?^r for a list of the format options.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bNorton Change Directory (NCD)^b
One of the all-time favorite utilities, this will save you a
lot of wear-and-tear on the finger muscles. It's a
replacement for DOS's CD command, and a whole lot more.
The interactive program (when you just type ^bNCD^b) is a great
visual way to find your way around a complex directory
structure. It lets you create and ^urename directories^u and
change a disk's ^uvolume label^u. It also provides a ^uPrint Tree^u
function to give you a printed map of your directories.
But ^bthe real value of NCD^b is the time it saves at the
keyboard. For instance, rather than typing:
C:\>^uD: ^C11
(change drive)
D:\>^uCD \wordproc\dan\ltrs\saved_91 ^C11
^u (change directory)
D:\WORDPROC\DAN\LTRS\SAVED_91>_
you can simply type the first part of the endpoint name:
C:\>^uNCD D:SAV^u ^u^C11
(change default drive & directory)
D:\WORDPROC\DAN\LTRS\SAVED_91>_
to get to the same place. This example saves about 20
keystrokes. Multiply that by the thousands of times you'll
use NCD and you see just how handy it is.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bNorton Utilities Configuration^b
After you have the Norton Utilities up and running, there may
come a time when you want to change your configuration. This
utility is the tool to do it.
All in one program, you can
^u ^C07^u Set or remove passwords for the utilities that
can do damage if used carelessly or improperly.
^u ^C07^u Control editing of the Norton menu.
^u ^C07^u Remove utilities that can be dangerous for
non-technical users.
^u ^C07^u Set screen and graphics options.
^u ^C07^u Set mouse options.
^u ^C07^u Customize screen colors.
^u ^C07^u Install, remove, or configure the Norton Cache.
^u ^C07^u Install or remove device drivers from your
Config.Sys file.
^u ^C07^u Install or remove programs from your
Autoexec.Bat file.
^u ^C07^u Select alternate names for certain of the utilites.
^u ^C07^u Expand programs for faster loading.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bNorton Disk Doctor II^b
This utility performs a comprehensive analysis of the logical
structure of a diskette or hard disk.
The Doctor diagnoses disk problems and, with impeccable
bedside manner, tells you what's wrong and offers to correct
the problem immediately.
And unlike your neighborhood sawbones, the Doctor can ^bUndo^b any
operation. This keeps the malpractice insurance to a minimum
and lets you get plenty of untroubled bed rest.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bSpeed Disk^b
This utility optimizes the way data is arranged on a diskette
or hard disk. It eliminates file fragmentation which can
degrade disk performance. See the on-line help in Speed Disk
for a detailed explanation of fragmentation.
In this version of Norton Utilities, Speed Disk now gives you
finer control over how things are organized. For instance,
you can specify the physical ordering of directories, so
certain often-used directories are close together and near the
front of the disk (for fastest access).
As a bonus, Speed Disk can sort filenames as they are listed
in the directory (so you can more-easily find something when
you use DOS's DIR command).
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bNorton Safe Format^b
This utility is a fast-working replacement for DOS's FORMAT
command. In fact, when you installed the Norton Utilities,
you may have chosen to have SFormat substituted in place
of the DOS FORMAT command (which gets renamed as
XXFORMAT.COM).
The most important features of Safe Format are its all-around
^usafety^u and its reformatting ^uspeed^u.
Safe Format will never format a hard disk unless you expressly
ask it to (several times!). And when it does, it still saves
a copy of all the information it will need to restore the
disk entirely. Even on a diskette, Safe Format warns you
if the disk contains readable data (in case you put the wrong
disk in the drive by accident).
The speed increase is seen when you reformat a diskette which
was already formatted. Safe Format skips the time-consuming
part of a format and just clears out the system area (saving
recovery data, of course) and then tests to make sure that the
disk is fully usable. This is much faster than a standard
format. There is even a quicker version, ^b/Q^b, which just
cleans out the system area without checking the media.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bSystem Info^b
This utility is an exceptionally comprehensive source of
information about your computer's configuration and it
provides disk and system benchmarks that you can use in
comparing the performance of one computer to another.
In addition to the expected disk and CPU speed tests, you'll
get a current ^umemory-usage summary^u (including precise details
on TSRs, device drivers, and memory blocks), a complete up-to-
the-minute list of ^uinterrupt vectors^u and ^uIRQ^u values, a ^uCMOS^u
configuration settings and status report, ^unetwork^u information
and performance test. Your ^udisk partition table^u information
is listed and you can see the contents of your ^uAutoexec.Bat^u
and ^uConfig.Sys^u files.
SysInfo can generate printed reports (a full report can run to
15 pages) or it can send the report to a text file.
Don't overlook the ^bSysInfo /TSR^b Quick Switch. It's a
convenient way to get a list of currently-installed RAM-
resident software without leaving the comfort of the DOS
command line.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bText Search (TS)^b
This utility searches for text in one or more files anywhere
on the disk, including erased space.
Text Search is a lifesaver when you can't remember a file's
name, but do remember a unique word or some text from the
file. Use it also to locate that part of an erased file that
contains the text (if it hasn't been overwritten in the
meantime). You might even get lucky with ^uUnErase^u.
Use ^rTS /?^r for help with the command line for options.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bUnErase^b
This utility combines the most-often needed features of the
classic "NU" and "QU" programs. It makes it simple to quickly
recover a deleted file.
For quick recovery, just type ^rUnErase filename.ext^r as soon as
possible after the file gets deleted. Or type ^rUnErase^r
(without a filename) to use the interactive mode.
UnErase, by itself, is as reliable as is technically possible.
And when it's impossible to know where part of a deleted file
is, UnErase provides powerful tools to help you find and
recover the entire file or whatever parts have not been
overwritten.
With this release of the Norton Utilities, Unerase can now be
100% reliable. If you install the Erase Protect utility as a
memory-resident "safety net," UnErase will use information
provided by Erase Protect to achieve a flawless recovery,
even if you deleted the file several days ago!
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bUnFormat^b
When you use DOS's FORMAT to format a hard disk or use Norton
Safe Format to re-initialize a diskette, only the system area
(the bookkeeping information) gets wiped
the data areas of
the diskette remain intact.
Since the data is still there, UnFormat is able to recover
most or all of it by re-creating the bookkeeping information.
If you occasionally use the Image utility to save a snapshot
of your system area, UnFormat can recover everything from a
formatted hard disk.
Note: The DOS version of FORMAT, when used on a ^udiskette^u,
literally wipes everything off of the disk. That's
why we recommend the safer and faster utility, Safe
Format for all formatting operations.
If you need general help on how to use this program, please
press ^r T ^r (to get to help Topics) and read all about it.
^bWipeInfo^b
When a file gets deleted or a hard disk gets formatted, the
data on the disk is not actually erased. Anyone with UnErase
or a disk editor can snoop around and locate data which you
may prefer to keep from prying eyes. WipeInfo's job is to
cleanse data totally from a file or disk.
One place not to overlook is the "slack space" at the end of
each file. It may contain old information that you are not
even aware is there (some word processors, for instance,
create temporary files which never appear in the directory).
WipeInfo can carefully scrub this area without damaging the
file data.
^bWarning^b: Whatever data you wipe will BE LOST FOREVER. For
instance, be aware that wiping "unused" space will
eliminate any chance of ever recovering any erased file
data that's in there (except for Erase Protected
files which are currently in the "TrashCan").
After you have the Norton Utilities up and running, there may
come a time when you want to change your configuration. Use
this program to establish and change password protection for
certain Utilities, to activate menu editing, to modify video
and mouse settings, and to reconfigure other features of the
the Norton Utilities.
^bNote:^b Each of the options of NUCONFIG can also be set from
^bConfiguration^b
menu of the NORTON program.
If you wish to format a hard disk, press ^rF10^r to pull down
the ^bConfigure^b menu. Move the highlighted bar to select
^uHard Drives^u, to access the ^bHard Disk Formatting^b dialog.
If you wish to permit hard disk formatting, put a checkmark in
the ^bAllow Hard Disk Formatting^b by pressing the ^rspacebar^r or
by clicking the Mouse. Press ^rEnter^r to OK the choice.
The drive letters of your hard disk(s) will now appear in the
list of drives. Select the drive letter as you would select
any other drive.
This dialog tells Safe Format what types of diskette drives
you have. It already has a pretty good idea, but you can
override any misconceptions caused by hardware ambiguities.
Most users can simply leave the ^bAuto Detect^b radio button
selected.
Your choices in this dialog broaden or narrow the options
displayed in the
^bSize^b
list in the ^bSafe Format^b dialog.
For instance, if your 3
" drive is capable of formatting to a
1.4M capacity, you will want to specify that here; the
^bSize^b
list will then display both ^u1.4M^u and ^u720K^u options.
Conversely, if your drive is not capable of formatting at the
higher capacity, you should select the ^u720K^u option to avoid
confusion later.
To make a selection, first use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight a Drive
from the
^bFloppy Drives^b
list. Press ^rTab^r to move into the
option box on the right and press ^rspacebar^r until the desired
setting is marked. Press ^rTab^r and repeat for your other floppy
drives (if necessary) and press ^rEnter^r when done.
The ^bCheck and prompt for missing diskettes^b checkbox controls
how a "Disk Not In Drive" condition is detected. Safe Format
can perform two different tests for a disk not being in the
drive. One test is always performed, and is compatible with
all types of computers and disks. The other test works on the
vast majority of systems, but can be confused on some laptop
computers. If Safe Format reports that there is no disk in
the drive when in fact there is, uncheck this box to eliminate
the second test.
If you have made any changes to the configuration, such as
enabling or disabling hard disk formatting, or changing the
size and density of the floppy drives, these settings will
remain in effect until you change them again, or until
you exit the program.
If you wish to use those same settings as your permanent ones,
press ^rF10^r to pull down the ^bConfigure^b Menu. Select
^bSave Settings^b and press ^rEnter^r. The settings currently in
effect will now be remembered each time you start the program.
It also remembers some settings from the ^bSafe Format^b main
dialog; including the
^bFormat Mode^b
and ^b[]Save IMAGE info^b
options.
In the Safe Format main dialog, there are four boxes that
allow you to choose the options you wish to use. The ^rTab^r key
will move you from group to group. And the ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r keys will
move you up and down within a group.
^bDrive^b
lets you pick which drive to format. Move the
highlight bar to select one. Your hard disks will not be
listed unless hard disk formatting has been enabled (by
pressing ^rAlt^r+^rH^r).
^bSize^b
displays a list of available storage capacities for
the highlighted drive. If the size you want is not listed,
perhaps it has been removed by a faulty selection in the
^bFloppy Types^b dialog (^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rF^r).
We pause for the 17-second discourse on diskettes:
"^b: Pick 720K for cheap diskettes or for use on a laptop.
Pick 1.4M if the diskette box says "hi-capacity".
"^b: Pick 360K for cheap diskettes.
Pick 360K if you expect the disk to be readable on a
PC/XT which doesn't have a hi-capacity drive.
Pick 1.2M (on all AT-compatibles) if the disk box
says "hi-capacity".
Disregard the 160K, 180K, and 320K sizes. Altogether.
^bSystem Files^b
These options let you decide whether or not
to make the target disk into a system disk (also called a
"boot" disk). Pick ^uDon't put on disk^u for data-only disks.
Pick ^uPut on disk^u if you expect that you'll need to use it as
a boot disk to start your system. A plausible reason to
pick ^uLeave space^u is hard to imagine, but DOS gives you this
option so we had to as well.
^bFormat Mode^b
When DOS formats a floppy disk, it treats it
as a fresh-from-the box, never-been-formatted blank
diskette. It has to lay out the tracks and sectors, and
this takes a long time. The process also destroys any data
which might be on the disk.
Safe Format takes a faster and safer route. It checks to
see if the diskette is already formatted. If so, it can
bypass the slow part of the operation and quickly set down
new information in the disk's system area. At the same
time, it leaves the data intact so it can be recovered later
(via UnFormat) should the need arise.
^uSafe Mode^u: This is much faster than DOS on a reformatting
job. It resets the system information, so that the disk
appears to be empty, while leaving the data in a
recoverable state. It then does a check of the physical
media. In the case of a never-been-formatted diskette,
or a change of capacity (say 1.4M to 720K), Safe Format
performs a DOS Mode format.
^uQuick Mode^u: This requires only a few seconds, as it only
resets the "bookkeeping" information on the disk, so that
the Root Directory and File Allocation Table will appear
to be empty.
^uDOS Mode^u: This option performs an actual DOS low-level
format on the diskette, which will overwrite all the
information previously stored on the disk. This mode is
still somewhat faster than the DOS format command.
^bVolume Label:^b Though not required, you can ^rTab^r to this area
and input an 11-character "name" for the disk. The volume
label is displayed any time you use DOS's CHKDSK or DIR
commands.
^bSave IMAGE Info:^b Checking this box tells SafeFormat to run the
program IMAGE.EXE before beginning to format the disk. IMAGE
will take a "snapshot" of the system files on the disk, and
store it in a file called Image.Dat. If you have formatted a
disk accidentally, and wish to restore its data using the
UnFormat program, UnFormat will look for the Image.Dat file
and transfer the information from this snapshot back to the
system area of your disk, thus "undoing" the format. Check
this box to provide this safeguard.
(Note: Even if IMAGE information has previously been saved,
using the DOS format command will also overwrite the IMAGE
file, preventing UnErase from recovering this information.)
To select or deselect this option, press ^rTab^r until your
cursor shows in the Save IMAGE Info box, then press the
^rspacebar^r.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r, ^rHome^r and ^rEnd^r to move the selection bar in the
drive list. All your DOS-recognized drives, including
diskette drives and DOS partitions are listed. Network drives
are not listed
Speed Disk cannot optimize network drives.
Press ^rEnter^r to select the highlighted drive for optimization,
or press ^rEsc^r to back out of this dialog.
Before Speed Disk begins optimizing, it will analyze the drive
and make a recommendation as to the best optimization method.
At that time, you may choose to modify the various
configuration settings before optimizing.
Note: When you select a new drive, Speed Disk loads its
configuration file (SD.INI) from the root directory of
that drive. If you have just finished configuring a
set of options for a previous disk, ^uyou may wish to^u
^usave your option settings^u before you select another
drive (see ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rS^r).
This dialog lets you pick from among four optimization methods
and one directory convenience option. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the
cursor. Press the ^rspacebar^r to select the desired method.
Press ^rEnter^r when done, or ^rEsc^r to cancel.
^uFull Optimization^u: Best performance gain; takes the longest
amount of time to run.
Command line switch: ^bSD /C^b ("Complete optimization")
^C07 Moves directories to the front of the disk
^C07 Unfragments all files
^C07 Moves all gaps to the end of the disk
^uFull with Directories First^u: Clean up directory placement;
arrange for fastest access to directories.
Command line switch: ^bSD /D^b
^C07 Unfragments directories
^C07 Moves directories to the front of the disk
^C07 Does not optimize file space
^uFull with File reorder^u: Sorts filenames within each
directory.
Command line switches: ^bSD /SN /SE /SD /SS^b (^b/S^bx^b-^b)
^C07 Rearranges names for convenient viewing by DIR command
^bNote:^b The sort order is selected in the ^uFile sort
dialog of the ^uConfigure^u menu (^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rF^r). The default
setting is "Unsorted," unless you have previously saved
a preference for this disk via ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rS^r or if you used
^bSD /S^bx to start the program.
^uUnfragment Files Only^u: Very fast to run.
Command line switch: ^bSD /U^b
^C07 Does not optimize directory placement
^C07 Leaves unfilled gaps around the disk
^uUnfragment Free Space^u: Consolidate gaps into one large gap.
Command line switch: ^bSD /Q^b ("Quick compress")
^C07 Moves files toward the front of the disk
^C07 Leaves files fragmented
^C07 Use to prepare an unbroken area before copying a large
file to your disk
When using Full or Directory optimization (see ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rO^r),
Speed Disk will physically move the contents of your
directories toward the front of the disk. This dialog lets
you specify the order in which those directories are placed.
For instance, you may wish to put your most often-accessed
directories at the very front of the disk.
Select Directory Order
^bDirectory List^b
^bDirectory Order^b
^r^C18^r
C:\DOS
^r^C18^r
C:\QC\PROJECTS\PUZZLE
^rBIN
^r^C19^r
PROJECTS
FONTTOOL
PUZZLE
^r^C19^r [
^uA^u^bdd^b
] [ ^uM^uove ]
^uTo build the^u ^bDirectory Order^b ^ulist^u:
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight a name in the ^bDirectory List^b (or
"Speed search" by typing part of a directory name). Press
^rEnter^r to add the name to the list on the right.
^uTo rearrange the^u ^bDirectory Order^b ^ulist^u:
Press ^r^C1a^r or ^rTab^r to get to the right side, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to
highlight a name, press ^rspacebar^r to select it for movement,
use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the name, and press ^rspacebar^r again to fix
it in place. When you're on the right side, the ^b[Add]^b button
becomes a ^b[Delete]^b button and you can remove names from the
list by pressing ^r D ^r.
^bWith the mouse^b: ^rDouble Click^r in the ^bDirectory^b
^bList^b to add a name to the ^bDirectory Order^b list.
^rDouble Click^r on a name in the Directory Order
list to select it for movement and ^rDrag^r up or
down to change its position in the list.
^uTo use your settings^u:
The ^b[OK]^b button saves your Directory Order list and it will
be used when you optimize (^rAlt^r+^rB^r). This list will be
remembered the next time if you "Save options" via ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rS^r.
This dialog lets you choose a filename sorting order. When
you optimize with the Full Optimization Method or with the
File Sort option (see ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rM^r), all files in all directories
are sorted to this criterion.
Note: File sorting DOES NOT affect the physical positioning
of the file's data on the disk. If you want to
optimize your file positions, see ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rP^r.
To select a ^bSort Criterion^b, press one of the hotkeys ^rU^r,^rN^r,^rE^r,^rD^r,
or ^rS^r OR use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r and press ^rspacebar^r. Move down to the
^bSort Order^b box and choose Ascending or Descending. Press
^rEnter^r to OK your choices or ^rEsc^r to cancel.
Note: You can chose a sort order from the DOS command line:
SD ^b/SN^b by Name A-to-Z
^b/SN-^b by Name, Z-to-A
SD ^b/SE^b by Extension A-to-Z ^b/SE-^b by Extension, Z-to-A
SD ^b/SD^b oldest-to-newest
^b/SD-^b newest-to-oldest
SD ^b/SS^b smallest-to-largest ^b/SN-^b largest-to-smallest
Also, if you use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rS^r to save your settings, your
sort criterion is remembered and reused next time you
run Speed Disk and select this disk.
When using the Full Optimization method (see ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rO^r),
Speed Disk will physically move certain files to the front of
the disk, so that they can be accessed most quickly.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the highlight within the scrolling list.
Edit any filename or move to the bottom of the list and add a
file specification (you may use standard wildcards ^u*^u and ^u?^u).
Press ^rTab^r to get to the column of buttons on the right side.
Select ^b[OK]^b to keep your choices. ^rEsc^r at any time cancels any
changes you have made.
The ^b[Move]^b button (or the ^r M ^r key) selects the filename for
movement. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move it; press ^rTab^r ^r M ^r to fix it in
place.
If you later use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rS^r to save your options, this list will
be remembered the next time you run Speed Disk on this disk.
Certain copy-protected programs should not be moved from their
original positions. If you have any such files, be sure to
list them in this dialog so Speed Disk won't move them.
In any case, Speed Disk always leaves these files in their
original locations. Speed Disk will not move: hidden files
(such as the DOS hidden system files), read-only files, nor
any file in a directory which has the read-only attribute. To
see this list of files, pick ^uShow static Files
.^u from the
^uInformation^u menu.
If you later use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rS^r to save your options, this list will
be remembered the next time you run Speed Disk on this disk.
This dialog lets you select safety and security options.
You may choose more than one option. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the
cursor. Press ^rspacebar^r or ^r x ^r to enable or disable an option.
Press ^rEnter^r when you are satisfied with your choices.
^uRead-after-Write^u verification is the safest technique,
but takes longer to complete. The ^uClear unused space^u option
can also be accomplished by the Norton WipeInfo utility.
^uBeep when done^u is the default.
If you later use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rS^r to save your options, these choices
will be remembered the next time you run Speed Disk.
This menu item immediately saves the current set of Speed Disk
options to a disk file. After using this, each time you start
Speed Disk and ^ueach time you select a different disk^u, these
options will be put into effect.
The following settings are saved:
optimization method
^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rO^r
physical directory order ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rD^r
file sort criterion
^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rF^r
physical file placement ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rP^r
unmovable files
^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rU^r
verification method
^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rO^r
empty space wiping
^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rO^r
The options are stored in a hidden file, SD.INI, in the root
directory of the currently-selected disk. If this file is
missing, then standard, safe defaults are used.
This screen lists some interesting statistics about the
currently-selected disk. Press ^rEnter^r when you are finished
looking at it.
This screen identifies all of the characters which may appear
on the disk map. Press ^rEnter^r when you are finished looking at
This shows a list of all files on the disk which have been
tagged as "Hidden" or "System" or both. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll
the list. Press ^rEnter^r when you are finished looking at it.
This menu option lets you move the cursor around the disk map
to see which files occupy parts of the disk. Use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to
move the cursor. Watch the cluster numbers displayed in the
lower, left-hand corner.
Press ^rEnter^r when you've reached a part of the disk that seems
interesting. This brings up the ^bContents of Map Block^b dialog,
which shows the clusters represented by the map block and the
file(s) which occupy those clusters.
The dialog box shows all the clusters represented by one
character of the disk map. If needed, you can scroll the list
by using ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r. See the Legend in the lower, right-hand
corner of the screen for the block-to-cluster ratio. This
ratio varies, depending upon the size of the disk and the
screen resolution.
Under ^bFile^b is the name of the file or directory which
currently occupies the cluster (or the words "^uNot Used^u").
Under ^bStatus^b, you may see:
^uOptimized^u
Belongs to an unfragmented file or directory
^uFragmented^u Belongs to a fragmented file or directory
^uUnmovable^u
Belongs to a hidden or read-only file, or a file
in a hidden directory, or one which you have
listed as unmovable in the ^rAlt^r+^rC^r ^rU^r dialog
^uBad cluster^u Marked in the FAT as being unusable (these are
never examined or moved by Speed Disk)
You may wish to make a record of files which are near bad
clusters; these may be dangerous places. You can use Norton
Disk Tools to mark any arbitrary cluster as bad (thus
surrounding a known bad area with a safety zone).
Press ^rEnter^r to get back to the map walk, then press ^rEsc^r when
you've finished your stroll.
This dialog box lets you browse through a scrolling list of
the files on the disk.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to pick a directory from the tree on the left (or
type part of a directory name to "speed search" to it). Press
^rTab^r to get to the file list side and use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll the
list.
The list shows each file in the selected directory, reporting
on its percentage of fragmentation, number of fragments, and
total clusters occupied by the file.
Fragmented files are tagged with a bullet (^b^C07^b) and fragmented
directories are further highlighted with a colored bar (a
fragmented directory causes a major performance penalty).
Press ^rEnter^r when you are finished browsing the fragmentation
report.
Select the Quit! menu (or press ^rAlt^r+^rQ^r) when you are finished
using Speed Disk. As with all ^u
x!^u menus in the Norton
Utilities, this one has no drop-down menu items, so selecting
it forces an immediate action.
Note: If you wish to save any of the configuration options
you have set for the current disk, be sure to select
^uSave Options^u from the ^uConfigure^u menu before quitting.
After analyzing the currently-selected drive, Speed Disk
displays the recommended optimization method. If no
optimization is necessary, Speed Disk will indicate so.
If an optimization is necessary, it will be one of the
following:
^uFull Optimization^u: Best speed improvement; longest
amount of time to run:
Moves directories to the front
Unfragments all files
Moves all gaps to the end
^uUnfragment Files^u: Very fast to run; does not compress
empty space (leaves gaps).
You can pick a different method by pressing ^rEsc^r, then picking
^uOptimization Method
.^u from the ^uOptimize^u Menu (^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rO^r).
To immediately start optimizing with the suggested method,
highlight the ^b[Optimize]^b button and press ^rEnter^r.
The ^b[Configure]^b button (or press ^rEsc^r here) pulls down the
^uConfigure^u menu and lets you pick such options as sorting your
directories and files, putting certain files early in a
directory, and selecting a faster (but less trustworthy)
verification method. If you want to use any of these options,
highlight the ^b[Configure]^b button and press ^rEnter^r. Later, use
^rAlt^r+^rB^r to begin optimizing.
For detailed information about all parts of your system, just
press ^rEnter^r (selecting ^b[Next]^b) repeatedly.
At any time, you may go directly to a screen of information
via the menus; for instance, ^rAlt^r+^rD^r ^rD^r (or ^rF10^r ^rD^r ^rD^r) brings up a
screen describing your system's disk drives.
The ^b[Next]^b and ^b[Previous]^b buttons let you step through the
screens sequentially. You may also use ^rN^r and ^rP^r.
The ^b[Print]^b button generates a report of information from
the current screen only. For a complete report, select
^uPrint report
.^u from the ^uReport^u menu. ^b[Cancel]^b backs out
of the current screen or operation.
^bSystem Summary^b
This screen provides a quick overview of information about
your system:
^bComputer^b
shows whatever information can be gleaned from
reading your system ROM and various tests. For more
information on the CPU, try ^rAlt^r+^rB^r ^rC^r. For details of your
video system, use ^rAlt^r+^rS^r ^rV^r.
^bDisks^b
summarizes the physical disk drives known to the
system. A detailed list is available via ^rAlt^r+^rD^r ^rD^r.
Comprehensive disk information is available under the ^uDisks^u
and ^uBenchmarks^u menus.
^bMemory^b
summarizes system memory usage. ^bDOS Memory^b is
also called "conventional memory;" this is the total RAM
available for DOS, TSRs, and applications. ^bExtended Memory^b
is RAM above the 1-Megabyte boundary (always 0 on 8088-based
PC/XTs). ^bExpanded Memory^b is "paged" RAM within the 640K
limit (installed on an EMS memory card or emulated in
software) which can be used by programs designed to take
advantage of it. Memory details are available via ^rAlt^r+^rM^r ^rU^r.
^bOther^b
is miscellaneous information. The ^bBus Type^b
identifies the type of card connectors inside your system
unit. ^bSerial Ports^b are used for asynchronous communication
to a modem, printer, mouse, or another computer. ^bParallel^b
^bPorts^b are typically used only for attaching printers.
^bKeyboard Type^b classifies your keyboard, as the system sees
it (you may actually have more or fewer keys; count them if
you want!). ^bOperating System^b identifies which version of
DOS is currently active.
This screen describes your video display system.
^bDisplay^b
shows the Video Display Adapter type (MDA, CGA,
EGA, etc.) and the Monitor Type (EGA, Analog, Monochrome,
etc.). The Current Video Mode identifies the arbitrary
number used in low-level BIOS calls to set the display to
its current mode, as well as a people-style interpretation
of the meaning of that BIOS code.
^bCharacter^b
shows the height of the display in scan lines
(the screen's vertical resolution) and the character cell
size (width x height). CGA Cursor Emulation refers to a
capability of EGA and VGA adapters to respond to BIOS
cursor-sizing calls in the manner of a CGA card.
^bMemory^b
shows the amount of CPU-addressable video
memory that is installed on the adapter (VGA cards may
contain additional memory which gets paged into the video
address space). The Video Segment Address identifies the
start of the video regeneration buffer. The Video Page Size
refers to the number of bytes of the video buffer used to
contain one full screen in the current video mode.
Note: The Memory Summary screen (^rAlt^r+^rM^r ^rU^r) shows the
address space reserved for video memory (whether it
is in use or not).
This screen contains a list of hardware interrupts identified
for your system. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll through the list.
^bAbout Hardware Interrupts^b
A hardware interrupt is a mechanism by which a piece of
hardware, such as a keyboard or modem, can interrupt whatever
the computer is doing and force it to do something else
(service the interrupt).
The ^bNumber^b is one of the interrupt request lines (IRQs)
available to the CPU; PC/XTs have only seven lines available;
ATs and later models have 16 or more. This information can be
VERY handy to know before you install a new modem card or
other equipment which uses an IRQ
when two pieces of
equipment try to share the same IRQ, you will have a
"collision" and neither peripheral will work.
The ^bName^b identifies the standard usage for the IRQ.
The ^bAddress^b is where control is passed when an interrupt is
serviced. You will notice that these addresses match up with
some software interrupt addresses (see ^rAlt^r+^rS^r ^rS^r). This address
is also used to help identify the ^bOwner^b. If the owner is
something other than BIOS or DOS (or Unused), a service
routine has been installed by a device driver or TSR program.
This screen contains a list of the software interrupts as they
are currently set on your system. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r and ^rPgUp^r and
^rPgDn^r to scroll through and examine the list.
^bAbout Software Interrupts^b
A software interrupt is an address (or "vector") of a system-
level piece of programming or a table of information. For
instance, all DOS and BIOS services are executed by performing
an INT ^unn^u instruction, which executes code starting at the
address of interrupt ^unn^u.
Device drivers and TSR programs often install their own
routines to intercept certain interrupts, and this list
identifies (in the ^bOwner^b column) which program most recently
intercepted a particular vector. It is educational to get a
list of these vectors (via the ^b[Print]^b button) then remove or
rearrange the order of the TSR programs in your Autoexec.Bat
file, then reboot and compare the new list with the old.
TSRs have been known to fight over particular vectors,
attempting to usurp total control over some facet of your
computer's operation (the keyboard and timer interrupts are
very popular). See ^rAlt^r+^rM^r ^rT^r for more info on TSRs.
The ^b#^b column is the interrupt number, in hexadecimal (00-FF,
or 0-255). The ^bAddress^b column identifies where control passes
when and 'INT ^b#^b' instruction is executed by the CPU. This
address provides the clues used to determine what program, if
any, is the current ^bOwner^b. The ^bInterrupt Name^b describes
standard usage for the interrupt.
While most interrupt vectors point to executable code, some
are just used as pointers to system-defined information
tables. For instance, INT 1D points to a table of data used
by the BIOS as it programs the video controller.
This screen shows the current user and type of network which
is currently active.
Information is provided for Novell networks only.
For a test of the speed of your network, try ^rAlt^r+^rB^r ^rN^r.
This screen describes the current contents of your
non-volatile, battery-powered configuration memory. System
setup information is stored in this CMOS memory so it will be
preserved while power is turned off. 8088-based PC/XTs do not
have this feature.
Note: Since this information is so important to the health
of your system, it is wise to select the ^b[Print]^b
button to make a hardcopy. Have it on hand in case
your CMOS backup battery dies.
^bHard Disks^b
shows the "drive types" of your hard
disk drives. These are ^bvery important^b to know. If the
battery dies, you will need to use the correct type codes
when you reconfigure. Using a wrong code can make your
entire drive unreadable (until the correct code is used).
^bFloppy Disks^b
shows what type of diskette drives your
CMOS thinks are installed.
^bInstalled Memory^b
shows how much memory your CMOS thinks
you have installed.
^bCMOS Status^b
shows whether or not the CMOS is alive
and accurate. The ^bTime^b setting is significant, since the
CMOS is actually part of the clock chip which should keep
accurate time when the computer is without power. The
^bController^b, ^bMemory^b, and ^bEquipment^b values in the CMOS RAM are
verified against independent tests. If you see errors here,
you may correct them by running your "setup" program. SI
verifies the CMOS ^bChecksum^b. At system startup, the BIOS
recalculates the checksum and if the saved value doesn't
match, it assumes your battery has died overnight.
This screen lists your installed disk drives, using the
"logical" drive IDs, as known to DOS. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll
through the list.
The ^bType^b column describes the hardware OR displays one of:
^uAssigned^u:
The ASSIGN command has been used to change
the name of this drive.
^uAvailable^u:
This drive ID is unused.
^uDevice Driven^u: A device driver, installed via Config.Sys, is
using this drive ID. This ID may identify a
RAM disk or a Driver.Sys logical drive. For
a list of installed devices, try ^rAlt^r+^rM^r ^rD^r; use
^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rC^r for a peek at your Config.Sys file.
^uPhantom Drive^u: DOS lets you use this drive ID as an alias
for a different physical drive (DOS prompts
you to "Insert diskette for drive B:"). This
is seen on 1-floppy systems and it lets you
copy files between two diskettes. It is also
seen when Driver.Sys has been used to create
a logical drive having non-default formatting
and read/write parameters.
^uSubstituted^u:
The SUBST command has been used; this drive
ID actually refers to a directory. The
LASTDRIVE= command in Config.Sys determines
the highest drive that can be used with SUBST
(try ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rC^r to examine the contents of your
Config.Sys file).
The ^bSize^b column lists the capacity of the drive in ^bK^bs (1024-
byte units) or ^bM^bs (1,024K-byte units). The ^bDefault Directory^b
column shows which directory is currently set as DOS's default
for the drive.
This screen describes (quite exhaustively) each
of your disk drives. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to select a
^r^C18^r
drive from the scrolling list in the upper right
corner.
^r C: ^r
Note: You can check out a different diskette by
^r^C19^r
placing it in the drive and pressing ^r^C18^r then ^r^C19^r.
^bSize^b
shows the capacity of the selected drive in
^bK^bs (1024-byte units) or ^bM^bs (1,024K-byte units).
^bLogical Characteristics^b
describes the selected drive as
it is seen by DOS. DOS uses these numbers when it looks for
files on the disk. A ^bsector^b is the smallest unit readable
from the disk and it is (nearly) always 512 bytes (
K). A
^bcluster^b is a multiple of the sector size and identifies the
minimum allocation unit for the drive (a file will occupy at
least one cluster of disk space). The ^bFAT^b (File Allocation
Table) is a table of information telling what parts of the
disk are in use and (indirectly) which file owns that part
of the disk. The two ^bFAT types^b are ^u12-bit^u and ^u16-bit^u.
Diskettes and other small media use 12-bit FAT elements; a
16-bit FAT on a large medium lets DOS allocate space more
efficiently. The ^bMedia Descriptor Byte^b originally
identified the media type, but values such as F8h and F9h
have been reused for so many variations of media that the
byte has little meaning these days.
Use the FAT ^bSectors Occupied^b values to help tune up your
disk system; set BUFFERS=^unn^u in your Config.Sys file, where
^unn^u is at least as large as the number of sectors in the FAT
of your hard disk. That way, DOS can keep the FAT in memory
as long as possible (try ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rC^r to see your Config.Sys).
^bPhysical Characteristics^b
describes the selected drive as
it is seen by the BIOS (DOS uses "logical" numbering to find
data, rather than sector/track/side specifications). A ^bSide^b
is a physical surface upon which data is written. The drive
has one read/write head for each side. A ^bTrack^b is a
concentric circle of data on the disk. A ^bSector^b a division
of a track, and it matches the size of a "logical" sector.
Track and sector information is set down when the disk is
formatted. The ^bDrive number^b is the value used in BIOS calls
to specify the drive in a read/write/format operation.
Each hard disk contains a Partition Table on side 0, track 0,
sector 1. It describes how the drive has been divided (or
"partitioned") for access by one or more disk operating
systems.
This screen lists the partition information for all of your
hard disks. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll through the list.
^bAbout Partitions^b
When the computer boots up, the BIOS reads CMOS memory
(^rAlt^r+^rS^r ^rC^r) to figure out how to read the hard disk. Then it
reads into memory the partition table of the first hard disk.
It searches the table for an element which has a "Yes" in the
^bBoot^b indicator. Then it reads into memory the first sector of
that partition (identified as the ^bStarting^b side/track/sector).
The BIOS assumes that this sector contains a valid boot
continuation program and it transfers control to the first
byte in the sector.
At this point, a non-DOS operating system such as XENIX or
CP/M may be in charge. However, if the boot partition is a
DOS partition, DOS takes over and continues the boot
process. It reads the partition table of each disk and looks
in the ^bSystem^b column for codes it recognizes and provides
support for accessing the data.
^bSystem^b codes may be:
^uDOS-12^u:
A DOS partition using 12-bit FAT (File
Allocation Table) elements (DOS 3.0, or hard
disks less than 10M).
^uDOS-16^u:
A DOS partition using 16-bit FAT elements.
^uEXTEND^u:
An "extended" DOS partition. It uses 16-bit
FAT elements. Such a partition will be
listed as a separate drive in the ^rAlt^r+^rD^r ^rD^r and
^rAlt^r+^rD^r ^rC^r screens.
^uBIGDOS^u:
A DOS 4.0 "large" partition (larger than
32M). It uses 16-bit FAT elements.
^u?^u:
Unknown system or unused partition table
element.
^uXENIX^u, ^uCP/M^u, ^uPCIX^u, etc.:
In use by a non-DOS operating system.
The ^bStarting^b and ^bEnding Side,Track,Sector^b describe the
partition in BIOS (physical disk) terms (see ^rAlt^r+^rD^r ^rC^r). The
^bRelative Sectors^b column is another way to state the starting
point for the partition; it identifies the starting sector as
a count of the sectors from the start of the disk. ^bNumber of^b
^bSectors^b is the size of the partition, in sectors.
This screen summarizes your system memory usage. All memory
amounts are listed in ^bK-bytes^b (1024-byte units).
Note: If SysInfo locks up when you start it, the problem may
be related to its attempt to scan certain memory
addresses. On some computers this causes a "Parity
Error." To avoid this lockup, start the program using
^uSysInfo /N^u, which skips the memory scan.
^bDOS Usage^b
shows the amount of memory usable by DOS
for loading and running programs (also called "conventional"
memory), the amount currently in use by DOS and resident
programs (see ^rAlt^r+^rM^r ^rT^r for details), and the amount available
for application programs.
^bOverall^b
describes memory found both inside and
outside of the conventional memory area. Address ranges
listed on the right side are in 24-bit "absolute" format.
^bMain memory^b is conventional, DOS-usable memory. ^bDisplay^b
^bmemory^b is memory residing on your video display adapter (see
^rAlt^r+^rS^r ^rV^r). Some video memory may not be addressable directly
and will not be listed here. ^bExtended memory^b is memory
above 1 Megabyte (always 0K on 8088-based PC/XTs). ^bExpanded^b
^bMemory^b is "paged" memory which conforms to the LIM/EMS
standard. Any ^bExtra memory^b listed identifies additional
read/write memory above the lower 640K and below 1M. This
typically describes the paging area for EMS.
^bBIOS Extensions^b
Video adapter cards and hard disk
controller cards often contain on-board control programs in
ROM (Read-Only Memory). The BIOS looks for and executes
these programs upon power up. Other programs may also be
present in ROM. All such ROM code blocks are listed here.
This screen details the current setup of your eXtended Memory
Manager (XMM). Microsoft took the lead in developing the
^beXtended Memory^b ^bSpecification^b (XMS), and as a result,
its HIMEM.SYS driver is the most popular XMS driver, or XMM,
around.
Extended memory is RAM above the 1-Megabyte boundary, and is
available only on machines that have a 286 or greater CPU.
In order for most applications to be able to use extended
memory, an XMS driver must be installed to manage it.
^bXMS Memory Blocks^b
Allocating a block of extended memory
is not the same as allocating a block of DOS memory. When
you allocate a block of DOS memory, you receive the actual
address of the block. When you allocate extended memory,
you receive a ^bhandle^b to the block, and you use the handle in
all operations with the block. This makes it easy to use
XMS memory without having to keep track of all of the
details about a memory block.
System Information, however, can display some of the details
about each block that is currently allocated. This includes
the ^bsize^b and the ^block count^b of each block. You
usually won't see any locks (a zero lock count means the
block is "unlocked") unless you are running under a multi-
tasking environment such as Windows or DesqView.
^bUpper Memory Blocks^b
System Information can also display
information on the ^bUpper Memory Blocks^b (UMB) used on your
system. Upper Memory Blocks are "holes" in the area above
the lower 640K and below 1M which are filled in with memory
by a memory manager. These blocks can be used for loading
memory resident programs and device drivers into ^bhigh^b
^bmemory^b.
UMBs are only available on 386 and greater machines, and
must be managed by a 386-specific memory manager such as
QEMM/386. Beginning with DOS 5.0, DOS itself has taken an
active role in managing UMBs. Check the ^bUMB Server^b to
see if DOS or your XMS driver is managing the Upper Memory
Blocks on your system. If UMB support is not present, or
UMBs are not supported on your machine, the UMB Server is
set to ^bNone^b.
This screen details the current setup of your ^bExpanded Memory^b
^bManager^b (EMM). The EMM is a device driver designed according
to the Expanded Memory Specification (EMS) developed jointly
by Lotus, Intel, and Microsoft (^bLIM^b). In order to use
expanded memory you must have an EMM installed.
^bExpanded Memory^b is "paged" RAM within the 1MB limit (installed
on an EMS memory card or emulated in software) which can be
used by programs designed to take advantage of it. The best
way to understand how expanded memory works is to think of it
as being a book. In a book there may be 500 pages, each of
which can be randomly selected, but you can only read one page
at a time.
Much like a book, expanded memory is a series of pages of
memory, each of which can be randomly selected. With EMS,
however, up to four pages at a time can be selected into an
area known as the ^bpage frame^b.
^bEMS Memory Blocks^b
Allocating a block of expanded memory
is not the same as allocating a block of DOS memory. When
you allocate a block of DOS memory, you specify the size of
the block in bytes, and you receive the actual address of
the block. When you allocate expanded memory, you request
the number of ^bpages^b that you need, and then you receive
a ^bhandle^b to the block. You then use the handle in all
operations with the block.
System Information can display some of the details about
each EMS block that is currently allocated. It can also
show the number of ^bpages^b "owned" by a handle, as well as
the total size in bytes of the block.
If the EMM follows the ^bLIM 4.0^b specification, handles
can be associated with names that describe the block, or
identify the owner of the block. System Information can
display these names, but since it is not a requirement under
EMS, not all handles will have names.
The first block in any EMS system is allocated by and for
the EMS driver itself.
^bEMS Pages^b
System Information can also display information
on the number of EMS pages available. All LIM versions have
^bstandard pages^b, which are 16K in size, and LIM 4.0 added
^braw pages^b, which are a multiple or sub-multiple of 16K.
If the number of raw pages is the same as the number of
standard pages, then raw pages are not supported on your
system.
The latest versions of some popular ^b386-specific memory^b
managers such as QEMM are both ^bXMS^b and ^bEMS^b drivers. This
means that whatever kind of memory a program or a device
driver asks for, it will get it. You'll certainly get the
best of both worlds if you are using one of these drivers.
One curious effect of having a combined EMS/XMS driver is
that you will always have exactly the same amount of free
XMS and EMS memory. And in fact, if you look at the
available memory on both the EMS and XMS screens, they
will be the same. Only the memory manager knows the true
difference.
With an EMS/XMS driver installed, System Information may
report 512K of XMS free and 512K of EMS free. Does this
mean that you have a total of 1024K free? No, it just
means that you have up to 512K available of any combination
of EMS and XMS.
This screen lists the memory-resident programs which are
currently occupying system memory.
^bNote^b: For a quick report on TSRs, use ^rSysInfo /TSR^r from the
DOS command line.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll through the list. As you move the
selection bar, additional information about each item is
displayed (if available) in the lower window. ^bPath^b is the
directory from which the program was loaded. ^bCommand Line^b is
the DOS command which was used to start the program, including
any option switches used. ^bMemory Allocation Blocks^b identifies
how many blocks of memory are used by the program.
The ^bAddress^b column is the segment address of the start of the
block, in hexadecimal. The ^bSize^b column lists the sum of the
sizes of all memory blocks allocated by the program. ^bOwner^b
identifies the program if that name is available, or specifies
one of ^uDOS System Area^u, ^uUnknown owner^u, or ^uFree memory^u. ^bHooked^b
^bInterrupt Vectors^b lists the interrupt vectors which currently
point into memory owned by this program (see ^rAlt^r+^rS^r ^rS^r for names
of these vectors).
Note: Often a TSR with a lower address will have access to
interrupts not listed here, but some other TSR has
seized primary control of that interrupt. Most TSRs
are careful to pass control to the previous owner;
that gives everybody a chance to check for a keystroke
(INT 09h or 16h) or to get a timeslice (INT 08H).
^bAbout TSRs^b
TSR stands for ^bT^berminate and ^bS^btay ^bR^besident. This type of
program leaves all or part of itself in memory when it returns
control to DOS, thus using up memory which would otherwise be
available to application programs.
A TSR typically watches for a "hot key" or other event and
"pops up" to provide an interactive service. Other TSRs
remain behind the scenes (such as the ^uNorton Cache^u) or do
their work without user interaction (such as the ^uNorton Disk^u
^uMonitor^u).
TSRs are often installed automatically at system startup via a
command in your Autoexec.Bat file (see ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rA^r) or, with
DOS 4.0, they may be put in place via an INSTALL= command in
your Config.Sys file (see ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rC^r). And of course, you can
install a TSR in an ad-hoc sort of way by typing its name at
the DOS prompt.
^bCommon Problems with TSRs^b:
^uHotkey Collision^u: Two or more TSRs may watch for the same
keystroke as a popup trigger. Only the last-loaded TSR will
see the key. The solution is to change the hot key for one
of the TSRs (assuming the TSR provides a way to do so
^uInterrupt Hogging^u: Some older TSRs assume that they are the
only one and do not pass control to previously-loaded TSRs.
The best solution is to throw away such programs; as an
alternative, you may try loading them FIRST.
^uMemory Holes^u: If a TSR can remove itself from RAM, it often
leaves a large block of unused memory in low RAM (see
^rAlt^r+^rM^r ^rB^r to see if you have any large "Free memory" blocks
with low addresses). That memory might be used by a smaller
program, but it is not available for a larger program. The
solution is to load such a TSR last, and remove it before
loading any other TSR.
This screen shows current DOS memory allocations on your
system. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll through the list.
Note: For clarity, all memory allocations for SysInfo itself
are not shown on any screens or reports.
The ^bAddress^b column is the start of the block, in hexadecimal
paragraphs (16-byte units). The ^bOwner^b identifies the program
using the block (if known) and the ^bType^b is one of ^uProgram^u (a
program and its local data), ^uEnvironment^u (the strings of text
stored by the SET, PATH, PROMPT, and other DOS commands), or
^uData^u (typically a FAR data area allocated by a program after
first shrinking its initial Program allocation.
^bAbout DOS Memory Blocks^b
DOS allocates blocks of memory by storing a 16-byte "memory
control block" (MCB) structure for each separate piece of
memory.
An MCB describes the size of
^r (root MCB) ^r
the block and its owner.
DOS system area
Somewhere in low memory is the
"root MCB" and it identifies
^r TSR 1 ^r
the start of the next MCB,
^uEnvironment^u
which identifies the start of
^r TSR 1 ^r
the next, and so forth.
^uProgram^u
When DOS starts a program, it
first allocates a block for a
DOS environment, then
^r TSR 2 ^r
allocates the rest of memory
^uEnvironment^u
for the program itself. A
^r TSR 2 ^r
standard program runs for a
^uProgram^u
while, then when it exits, DOS
frees up both of its blocks.
But when a TSR quits, its
^r (unused) ^r
environment and the first part
^uFree memory^u
of its program block remain
allocated. By examining the
standard programs
^bDOS Memory Blocks^b screen, you
| will run in here |
can tell which programs have
allocated memory, and how
much.
^r End of RAM; 640K ^r
When a TSR program is asked to "uninstall" itself, it may
leave a large gap in memory:
^renv^r
^renv^r
^renv^r^b
^b(useless gap)^b
Command.Com
Command.Com
^renv^r
^renv^r
Application
(free memory)
A gap also develops when you 1) "shell to DOS" from an
application program, 2) install a TSR, 3) return to the
original program, and 4) later exit to DOS:
^renv^r
Command.Com
^renv^r^b
Command.Com
^renv^r
Application
^b(useless gap)^b
^b^renv^r
^renv^r
(free memory)
(free memory)
In most cases, DOS will not be able to reuse the memory in the
gap; so watch for ^uFree memory^u blocks which exist anywhere in
the middle of the list. You may also notice an ^uEnvironment^u
block which is much lower in memory than its program. This
happens when a TSR politely frees up its environment before
going resident; that block can be reused for the environment
of the next program which runs.
This screen shows information about the device drivers
currently installed on your system. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll
through the list.
^bAbout Device Drivers^b
Device drivers provide support for peripherals (devices)
attached to your computer. For instance, the ^uLPT1^u driver
provides the low-level interface between programs and your
printer.
Note: Many programs, such as word processors, use custom
device drivers which provide specific support for the
application; SysInfo shows only the low-level DOS
device drivers.
Device drivers are arranged in memory as a linked list, or
"chain" of programs. Each driver identifies the next driver
in the list. DOS ^uinternal drivers^u are for standard devices
whose support is built into DOS. They are listed last on
the screen (last in the chain), though their ^bAddress^b (in
segment:offset format) are low in memory.
^uInstalled drivers^u are earlier in the list, though they reside
higher in memory. These device drivers are installed via a
DEVICE= command in your Config.Sys file (see ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rC^r). Since
installed drivers get placed early in the list, it is possible
to override a standard internal driver with a custom installed
drive (you may even find two devices with the same ^bName^b; only
the earlier one has any effect).
Device drivers come in two flavors. ^uBlock devices^u have names
such as A: or F:
they identify devices such as disk drives
or tape drives which always read or write in blocks (usually
512-byte chunks). ^uCharacter devices^u can be written to or read
from one character at a time. The CON device, COM1, and NUL
are examples. You can use these ^bName^bs as filenames in
programs, DOS commands or batch files (for instance, the
command ^uCOPY Autoexec.Bat CON^u will copy a file to the console
(thus displaying it on the screen).
Note that both AUX and COM1 refer to the same physical device
(the first serial port). Also, PRN and LPT1 both service the
first parallel printer. These are DOS aliases that have been
around since the dawn of time.
The NUL device is a "bit bucket." Characters written to it
are simply thrown away (you can use this to advantage; for
instance, the DOS command ^uCOPY A:*.* B: >NUL^u will throw away
the "nn Files copied" message, thus cleaning up the operation
of a batch file). If you try to read anything from the NUL
device, it immediately indicates "End of File."
The CPU Speed screen shows the results of a test of the speed
of your Central Processing Unit (8088, '286, '386, or '486).
The lower center of this screen identifies the CPU. In the
graph, the topmost bar illustrates the speed at which your CPU
is currently running. This bar is updated constantly, so if
your CPU has a "turbo" mode, you may try switching it on and
off to compare the speed difference. Be aware that background
interrupts, such as mouse movement or concurrent serial
communications, can affect the rating.
The ^bComputing Index^b obtained is scaled against a standard
IBM XT, running at 4.77 Mhz (Megahertz, or millions of cycles
per second). For instance, a CI of 2.0 indicates twice as
fast as the original XT. The CI numbers are somewhat lower
than those given by previous versions of Norton SI, but they
now provide a better means for comparison.
The Disk Speed screen shows the results of a test of the speed
of your hard disk. If your system has more than one hard
disk, select one from the initial dialog. Use ^rAlt^r+^rB^r ^rH^r to
check your other hard drive when you're done with the first.
SI tests only your "physical" hard drives (not any "logical"
divisions of any disk). This is a low-level test and
optimizations such as those performed by Norton Speed Disk or
the presence of a disk cache (such as Norton Disk Cache) will
not affect this benchmark. However, correcting a disk's
interleave (as performed by Norton Calibrate) ^ucan^u improve your
disk's data transfer rate.
In the graph, the topmost bar illustrates the speed of your
hard disk, as a ^bDisk Index^b, compared to the disk speed of the
original IBM XT (a DI of 2.0 indicates twice as fast as an XT,
etc.). The graph also shows the disk speed of other popular
systems, for comparison. Your mileage may vary.
Below the graph are the results of three generic tests:
^bAverage Seek^b: The time it takes to move the read/write
head across the disk, in milliseconds
(1/1
0ths of a second). The head is
moved all over the place, and the average
interval is computed.
^bTrack-to-Track Seek^b: The time it takes to move the head from
one track to the adjacent one.
^bData Transfer Rate^b: The speed at which data is transferred
from the disk to the computer, given in
K-bytes per second (the Norton Calibrate
Utility can increase this number).
The Overall Performance Index screen combines the results of
Computing Index (CI) and Disk Index (DI). If your system has
more than one hard disk, you are asked to select one of them
from the initial dialog.
If you have already benchmarked the hard disk (^rAlt^r+^rB^r ^rH^r),
the PI screen comes up immediately; otherwise, the Disk Index
has to be determined first. This takes a few moments.
In the graph, the topmost bar illustrates the overall
performance rating for your system, as a ^bPerformance Index^b,
compared to the performance of the original IBM XT (a PI of
2.0 indicates twice the performance of an XT, etc.). The
graph also shows the PI of other popular systems for
comparison.
The Network Speed screen shows the results of a test of the
speed of your network. If your system is connected to more
than one network disk, select a disk from the initial dialog.
Use ^rAlt^r+^rB^r ^rN^r to check other network disk drives when you're
done with the first.
SysInfo performs a read and write test and shows the results
in the form of a bar graph. All performance values are given
in K/Sec (Kilobytes per Second).
This screen shows the contents of your Autoexec.Bat file. To
scroll the text, use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r. ^rCtrl^r+^r^C1b^r and ^rCtrl^r+^r^C1a^r will scroll
horizontally (^bwith a mouse^b: hold down the left button and ^rDrag^r
the mouse up, down, left, or right).
Note: This screen is not an editor. If you wish to change
the contents of your Autoexec.Bat file, you'll need to
use a word processor or a text editor.
^bThe Autoexec.Bat File^b
Autoexec.Bat is a file found in the root directory of the disk
which was used to start your system. It is a "standard ASCII"
text file, containing DOS commands and program names.
When your system starts up, Command.Com looks for the
Autoexec.Bat file and (if it finds it) executes each of the
commands in that file. This makes it possible for you to
perform configuration tasks such as loading TSR programs into
memory, setting your keyboard speed, and so forth
automatically, each time you start your computer.
Common commands found in Autoexec.Bat include:
^uPROMPT $p$g^u
Set your DOS prompt to look like:
C:\CURDIR>_
^uPATH^u dir;dir;dir
Help DOS locate programs and batch files
^uNCC^u /FAST /43
Speed up keyboard, use 43-line screen mode
^uNCACHE^u /EXP=256
Install disk cache TSR
^uEP^u /ON
Install erase protection TSR
^uDiskMon^u /LIGHT+
Install disk activity monitoring TSR
You might wish to compare items in the TSR list (^rAlt^r+^rM^r ^rT^r) with
commands in your Autoexec.Bat file; this will tell you which
programs are made resident in memory by Autoexec.Bat and it
will show you which ones are taking up the most RAM.
This screen shows the contents of your Config.Sys file (if you
have one). Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to scroll the list. ^rCtrl^r+^r^C1b^r and ^rCtrl^r+^r^C1a^r
will scroll horizontally (^bwith a mouse^b: hold down the left
button and drag the mouse up, down, left, or right).
Note: This screen is not an editor. If you wish to change
the contents of your Config.Sys file, you'll need to
use a word processor or text editor.
^bThe Config.Sys File^b
Config.Sys is a file found in the root directory of the disk
which was used to start your system. It is a "standard ASCII"
text file, containing DOS configuration commands.
When your system starts up, DOS reads the Config.Sys file and
interprets each line as an instruction. Common instructions
include:
^uDEVICE=^ud:\path\filename.exe parms
Install a device driver.
& See ^rAlt^r-^rM^r ^rD^r for a list
& of installed drivers.
^uBUFFERS^u=nn
Setup DOS sector caching
^uFILES^u=nn
Increase max open files
^uLASTDRIVE^u=z
Provide some elbow room
& for the SUBST command
^uSHELL^u=d:\command.com /E=
Provide a larger DOS
& environment
^uINSTALL^u=d:\path\tsrProg.ext /parms (DOS 4.0 only) install a
& TSR in lowest memory,
& without locking-in the
& size of the environment
You might wish to compare items in the device driver list
(^rAlt^r+^rM^r ^rD^r) and your TSR list (^rAlt^r+^rM^r ^rT^r) with commands in your
Config.Sys file; this will tell you which devices and TSR are
using the most memory.
If you modify you Config.Sys file, any changes you make will
not be noticed until the next time you boot your computer.
This screen lets you create a comprehensive report itemizing
all of the information shown in all of the SysInfo screens,
along with a custom report header and any additional notes you
wish to append. You can send the report to your printer
(select the ^b[Print]^b button) or save it to a disk file (select
the ^b[File]^b button) for later perusal or printing.
Use ^r^C18^r, ^r^C19^r, ^r^C1b^r, and ^r^C1a^r to move the blinking cursor from checkbox
to checkbox. Press the ^rspacebar^r or ^rx^r to toggle a selection
off or back on. When the report is printed, all items marked
with an [^bx^b] will be included in the report.
Press ^rEnd^r to get to the action buttons at the bottom of the
screen. Press ^rEnter^r to generate the report. To send the
report to a file, use ^r^C1a^r to highlight the ^b[File]^b button before
pressing ^rEnter^r.
^bNote^b: This is a ^bcomprehensive^b report and it
typically runs to around 15 pages. Uncheck the
^uSoftware Interrupts^u box to save some paper. For
topical summaries, you may prefer to go to the desired
screen and select the ^b[Print]^b button to print only
that information.
In the ^bUser Text^b part of the screen are two checkboxes which
let you customize the report a bit:
^uReport Header^u: If box is checked, you will be prompted to
input one line of text which will be output
at the top of the report.
The current date and time are printed for
you, so use this for a custom note, such as,
"Dan's 386 Clone in Turbo mode."
^uNotes at end^u: If this is checked, you will be prompted to
input up to 10 lines of text which will be
added to the end of the report. This is a
good place to add hardware serial numbers,
warranty information and the like.
Type the text, and use ^r^C19^r or ^rTab^r to move from
line to line (^rEnter^r signals the end of
input).
You may select the ^b[Print]^b button on any SysInfo screen. This
will generate a report on only the information currently
displayed. If you want a full report or a report containing
information from several screens, press ^rAlt^r+^rR^r ^rP^r.
The ^b[Print]^b button brings up a dialog asking where you want
the report to be sent. When you select ^b[Printer]^b, the output
is sent directly to the ^uPRN^u device. If you wish to have the
report sent to a different printer, say ^uLPT2^u or ^uCOM1^u, then
send the report to a "file" and use that device name as the
filename.
When you select ^b[File]^b, the output goes to a disk file or DOS
device. You are prompted for the name of the file
just type
a filename or press ^rEnter^r to accept the default.
If that file already exists, you are given a choice of
^b[Overwrite]^b (delete the old file and create a new one with
that name) or ^b[Append]^b (add the new text to the end of the
file). To choose a different filename, press ^rEsc^r and pick
^b[File]^b again.
Before SysInfo begins any hard disk benchmark (including the
^uPerformance Index^u, which includes a disk test), it may ask you
which hard disk to use.
Note that this prompt refers to your physical hard drives,
rather than any logical partitions you may have established.
Just select ^b[Hard Disk 1]^b (usually drive C:) or ^b[Hard Disk 2]^b
(usually some drive letter higher than C:).
The UnErase main dialog screen lets you choose which
file or files to recover. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the highlight
bar up and down. Press ^r U ^r (or select the ^b[UnErase]^b button)
to recover the file.
Press ^r I ^r (^b[Info]^b) for details about the highlighted file and
your chances of recovering it. Press ^r V ^r (^b[View]^b) to examine
the contents of the file. You can also tag multiple files for
recovery (see below).
^bErased files in C:\^b
^bName^b
^bSize^b
^bDate^b
^bTime^b
^bPrognosis^b
DIR 11-07-89 10:12 am SUB-DIR
^r^C18^r
NORTON
DIR 11-07-89 10:13 am SUB-DIR
chap10
32,502 6-15-90
2:40 pm excellent
^r?uarter2 wks
6,072 6-10-90
4:51 pm good
?utoexec bat
306 6-15-90 12:40 am poor
The ^bName^b column gives the file name and extension. Four
formats exist:
^bfilename ext^b indicates a file that has been preserved by
Erase Protect. You can always recover this file with
100% reliability.
^b?ilename ext^b (with a leading ^b?^b) indicates an unprotected
file that has been deleted. DOS overwrites the first
character of the name when it deletes the file, so you
will be prompted to supply a character to replace the ?.
^bDIRNAME^b (in all caps) indicates a directory that is not
deleted. You can press ^rEnter^r on this line to go into
that directory, or use ^rAlt^r+^rR^r to bring up a directory tree
and pick a directory.
^b?IRNAME^b (all caps with leading ^b?^b) indicates a deleted
directory. Recover this directory before attempting to
recover any deleted files in it.
The ^bSize^b, ^bDate^b and ^bTime^b help to identify the file. Date and
Time show the file's creation or modification timestamp and
have nothing to do with when the file was deleted.
The ^bPrognosis^b column provides an educated guess as to the
likelihood of being able to recover a file. Erase Protected
files always show as ^uexcellent^u. Other files show prognoses
ranging from ^ugood^u down to ^upoor^u, depending upon several
factors (select ^b[Info]^b for details). This column says
^uRECOVERED^u on files you have already UnErased and it will
show ^unon-erased^u on some files if you have included them
via the ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rI^r menu command.
^bMultiple Files and File Groups^b
Press the ^rspacebar^r (or ^rClick Right^r) to tag or untag a file.
The file is tagged when it is bracketed by ^b^C10^b and ^b^C11^b.
^b^C10^b ?uarter2 wks
6,072 6-10-90
4:51 pm good
^b^C11^b
When you select ^b[UnErase]^b (or press ^r U ^r), all tagged files are
UnErased, one at a time. Likewise, the ^b[Info]^b and ^b[View]^b
buttons operate on the set of currently-tagged files.
You can also tag and untag a group of files that match a
desired wildcard filespec. Use the menu command ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rG^r, or
press ^rGray +^r to input a wildcard and tag all matches. You may
then use ^rspacebar^r to untag single files, or press ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rU^r or
^rGray -^r to untag a wildcard group.
Select this menu command to return to the default setting for
the UnErase main screen (for instance after a Search
operation). When this menu item is checked (
), only files in
the current directory are listed.
If you can't find a particular file in this mode, try ^rAlt^r+^rA^r to
list erased files in all directories, and try sorting the
files by date or size (^rAlt^r+^rO^r) or try looking for lost
filenames in deleted directories (^rAlt^r+^rS^r ^rL^r).
Select this menu command to display a list of all erased files
in all directories on the current disk.
This viewing mode is handy for locating an erased file when
you are not sure what directory it was in. All erased files
are sorted by name, date, or whatever criteria you set in the
^uOptions^u menu.
If a filename still does not appear, perhaps the deleted file
is in a deleted directory. Try UnErasing some deleted
directories and look again. Or better yet, press ^rAlt^r+^rS^r ^rL^r to
Search for Lost names from among the deleted files area of
the disk.
This dialog lets you specify a different drive for UnErase to
display in the Select Files screen. You can change drives at
any time by pressing ^rAlt^r+^rD^r.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight the drive ID and then press ^rEnter^r
just press the letter for the desired drive.
^bNetworks^b
UnErase can recover files deleted from network drives only
if Erase Protection has been installed for that drive.
Use the directory tree in this dialog to specify a different
directory for UnErase to display. You may change directories
at any time by pressing ^rAlt^r+^rR^r.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to highlight a directory name (or just type the
first part of any directory name to Speed Search to that part
of the tree) and then press ^rEnter^r.
Note: This screen does NOT show deleted directories. But if
you first unerase a directory, it will later be shown
here. Also, you can press ^rAlt^r+^rS^r ^rL^r to Search the disk
for Lost filenames.
This menu command is available whenever the selection bar is
highlighting an erased file or directory.
Use this command to tag the highlighted file (or just press
the ^rspacebar^r). If the item at the selection bar is already
tagged, this command untags it.
^bWith the mouse^b, ^rClick Right^r to tag or untag. Use ^rDrag Right^r
to tag a series of files.
Tagged files are treated as a group when you use the ^b[Info]^b,
^b[View]^b or ^b[UnErase]^b buttons.
This command lets you quickly select a group of files which
match a wildcard filename and extension.
Type a wildcard filename and extension into the input box and
press ^rEnter^r. All files that match the wildcard will be
selected (tagged) for recovery.
You may use: ^b*.*^b
(any filename and any extension)
^b*^b
(any filename and no extension)
^b*.^bEXE
(any filename with an extension of .EXE)
AB^b*.*^b
(for example; any file beginning with AB)
ab^b?^bd^b.*^b (for example; any file starting with AB,
then any character, then D, and any
extension)
After selecting a group of files (via ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rG^r or by tagging
with the ^rspacebar^r or mouse), you can quickly unselect all or
some of them with this command.
Type a wildcard filename and extension into the input box and
press ^rEnter^r. All files that match the wildcard will be
unselected (untagged).
This menu command (^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rN^r) is available when the selection
bar is highlighting a ^unon-erased^u or ^uRECOVERED^u file or
directory. To display non-erased files, press ^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rI^r.
Use this to change the name of an existing file so that you
can unerase another file, giving it that name.
Type the desired new name (filename.ext) and press ^rEnter^r or
press ^rEsc^r to cancel.
This menu command (^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rT^r) is available when the selection
bar is highlighting an erased file. It lets you recover the
file and store the result on a different drive and give it any
desired filename.
First, the ^bUnErase To^b dialog prompts for the target drive.
The current drive is omitted from the list. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r and
press ^rEnter^r (or just press the letter of the drive).
Next, you are prompted to input the new name. Type your
changes if you're not happy with the default. Press ^rEnter^r to
accept the name and proceed with the recovery.
This menu command lets you use a recovered or pre-existing
file as a starting place for a manual unerase sequence. You
can use the ^bManual UnErase^b dialog to attach more data to
the file, or even to remove parts of the file (see the Manual
UnErase help topic for more information).
Select this menu command to manually unerase the file
highlighted at the selection bar. This leads you to the
^bManual UnErase^b dialog. Note: to unerase to a new filename,
pick ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rT^r instead.
^bAbout Manual Recovery^b
You should try this procedure only if a standard recovery
operation yields a file having incorrect contents. Also, this
is considered an expert-level procedure and is not recommended
for inexperienced users.
^bFile Information^b
The ^bManual UnErase^b dialog lets you
pick and choose pieces of the disk
Name: xritical.dat
(called "clusters"), attempting to
Attr: arc
put a scattered file back together
Date: 1-11-90
or at least recover some of it.
Time: 3:15 pm
First, notice the ^uClusters needed^u
Size: 8,405 bytes
value in the ^bFile Information^b box.
First cluster: 521
When you are finished, the ^bAdded^b
^uClusters needed^u: 4
^bClusters^b list will have this many
Clusters found: 0
items and ^uClusters Found^u should
match this value.
0 ^bAdded^b
Select the ^b[Add cluster
.]^b button. This
^bClusters^b
brings up several options that let you
pick a cluster or clusters. Upon return
521 ^r^C18^r
from that dialog, the ^bAdded Clusters^b list
522 ^r
will contain one or more items. Next,
^b617^b
press ^r F ^r or select ^b[view File]^b to see the
current contents. If part of the data
looks wrong, press ^rTab^r to move into the
cluster list and press ^rDel^r to delete the
cluster from the list.
^r^C19^r
You may also reorganize the list by moving clusters around.
Press ^rspacebar^r to ^b^C10^btag^b^C11^b a cluster, use the arrows to move it,
then press ^rspacebar^r again to fix it in the new position.
Also, the ^b[Add cluster
.]^b button actually ^uinserts^u clusters
directly after the cluster number shown in bold.
The ^b[view Map
.]^b button shows a disk map which illustrates
the relative positions of the clusters you have chosen. It
may help you visualize the file's physical layout.
Use ^b[Save]^b to save your work. Exit from UnErase and try your
recovered file using its intended application.
This menu command lets you input a filename to be used as a
gathering place for data recovered in a manual unerase
sequence.
After typing the name, press ^rEnter^r to go immediately to the
^bManual UnErase^b dialog (see that help topic for more
information).
This menu command begins an exhaustive search of the disk's
erased data area. It recognizes certain data types and
can often piece together remnants of files, even when their
directory information has long been overwritten.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move among the checkboxes. Press ^rspacebar^r to ^bx^b
the data types you wish to find or to un-check the boxes you
wish to exclude from the search. Press ^rEnter^r to begin the
search.
While searching, the screen displays a list of ^bData Fragments^b,
having names like ^ufile
01^u in the selection window. (If a
more likely name for the file can be determined, that is
displayed instead.) At any time, you can press ^rEsc^r to stop
searching, then select a data fragment and select ^b[View]^b to
examine it. If it looks like it contains data worth
recovering, select ^b[UnErase]^b.
Note: If a 1-2-3 or dBASE file is not recovered intact, you
may need to repair it with ^uFileFix^u.
Use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r to change the window back to the standard UnErase
file list.
This menu command lets you search the erased area of the disk
for a particular string of characters.
Note: You may wish to use ^rAlt^r+^rS^r ^rR^r first, to narrow the
search range.
Type the desired text. Press ^r^C19^r to get to the ^bIgnore Case^b
checkbox. Press ^rspacebar^r to toggle this on or off. When this
is ^bx^b-ed, then text such as ^uaugust^u will match with ^uAugust^u and
^uAUGUST^u.
Press ^rEnter^r to begin searching. While searching, the screen
will display a list of file fragments having names like
^ufile
01^u. (If a more likely name for the file can be
determined, that is displayed instead.) At any time, you can
press ^rEsc^r to stop searching, then select a data fragment and
select ^b[View]^b to examine it. If it looks like it contains data
worth recovering, select ^b[UnErase]^b.
Use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r to change the window back to the standard UnErase
file list.
Use this menu command if you can't seem to locate even the
filename of the file you wish to recover. This happens when
^uthe original directory has been deleted^u.
Search for Lost names looks through the entire disk for erased
data in the easily-recognizable format of a directory, and
presents all its findings in the central window.
While searching, if you see the name you want, you can press
^rEsc^r to stop searching, move the selection bar to the file,
then press ^r U ^r to select ^b[UnErase]^b and recover the file.
Use ^rAlt^r+^rC^r to change the window back to the standard UnErase
file list.
You may wish to use this menu command before performing a text
or other search. It lets you limit the search to a specified
portion of the disk.
Note: In any case, all searching takes place only in the
erased (unallocated) portions of the disk.
By default, the range is set to cover the entire disk. To
change this, type different numbers into the text-input boxes.
Use ^rTab^r or ^r^C19^r to move between fields. Press ^rEnter^r to save the
settings for subsequent searches, or press ^rEsc^r to cancel.
This lets you sort the filenames in the main window. You may
choose any of the criterion which are currently enabled in the
menu. The item with a checkmark (
) is currently active. Use
the accelerator keys:
^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rN^r sort by fileName (default)
^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rE^r sort by file Extension
^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rT^r sort by date and Time file was created or modified
^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rS^r sort by file Size
^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rD^r sort by Directories
^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rP^r sort by recovery Prognosis
The ^bInclude non-erased files^b command (^rAlt^r+^rO^r ^rI^r) toggles the
option to list non-erased files among the erased items. When
checked, these files are listed.
UnErase automatically searches for and recovers erased
(deleted) files. You are now in UnErase's full-screen mode
which lets you select and recover files interactively.
In many cases, you may wish to use the command-line version:
^bUNERASE^b ^ufilename.ext^u
to quickly recover a file that you have just deleted. Or you
can pre-select a group of files by using a wildcard filespec.
For instance,
^bUNERASE C:\*.bat^b
selects all the batch files in the root of drive C: (for
instance, after you accidentally type DEL *.BAT). This
simplifies your recovery steps.
^bHow It Works^b
When DOS deletes a file, it doesn't wipe out the data. It
simply makes a special mark in the directory and then frees up
the file's disk space, making that space available for use by
other files.
UnErase can figure out most of a deleted file's filename and
it knows where the file formerly started and how big it was.
From this alone, it can often recover the file immediately.
In some cases, that's not enough information to go on, so
UnErase provides a "manual" method which lets you search for
parts of the file and put it back together again, piece by
piece.
If you have installed ^uErase Protect^u, then UnErase's job
becomes very easy and 100% reliable. UnErase simply looks in
your "TrashCan" directory and pulls out the safeguarded copy
of the erased file.
^bNetworks^b
UnErase can recover files deleted from network drives only
if Erase Protection has been installed for that drive.
When a file gets erased, DOS overwrites the first letter with
a special character (it's ^b
^b, in case you're curious). UnErase
has no idea what this lost character might be.
Therefore, there are several places that you are prompted
to provide a letter to use as the start of a filename you are
about to unerase. ^uThis need not be the original first letter^u.
The ^bUnavailable letters^b list shows the letters you must not
use. If the one you really want is listed, it means that
filename is in use by a non-erased file (and you can't have
two files in the same directory with the same name). Pick any
other alphanumeric character; you may use the ^rAlt^r+^rF^r ^rN^r command
(^breName^b, under the ^bFile^b menu) to give the file a different
name later on.
This gives you four ways to add data during a manual recovery.
Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to select an option and press ^rEnter^r.
^bAll clusters^b makes an educated guess as to where the file's
data resides (typically in sequential "holes" seen in the
Disk Map). It adds enough clusters to the cluster list to
fill out the rest of the file. If used right at the start
of Manual Recovery, this is the same as the simple Quick
unerase technique. ^uThis is a GOOD FIRST CHOICE.^u Back at
the Manual UnErase screen, use the ^b[view File]^b button to see
what you got. Delete clusters from the list which should
not be part of the file and continue looking for data.
^bNext probable^b adds a single cluster to the list; the first
sequential cluster in an unused allocation "hole".
^bData search^b lets you search for text in the unused file space
on the disk. This is exceptionally useful. For instance,
if the text at the end of your final cluster says "^uin the^u
^umonth of Au^u", then there's a fine chance that the first part
of the rest of the file begins with "^ugust^u".
^bCluster number^b lets you input a single cluster number or a
range of clusters. If the range contains non-erased data,
then you can have UnErase adjust it. Clusters in the range
are added to the cluster list. This is handy after ^rAlt^r+^rS^r ^rD^r
has turned up a bunch of clusters that contain a specific
type of data.
An accidental use of the FORMAT command has always been
considered the WORST POSSIBLE data disaster. But with
UnFormat, it is often possible to recover ALL the data on the
disk. If you have used the Image utility, UnFormat will
CERTAINLY recover ALL of your data
What a relief!
When DOS formats a hard disk and when you use Norton
SafeFormat to format a floppy disk, the data area of the disk
does not get wiped. This makes it possible to recover data
lost by an accidental format operation.
Note: On FLOPPY DISKETTES formatted by DOS's FORMAT command,
there is little hope of recovering any data. Unformat
will try, and it ^uwill get some data^u if you pulled the
disk out partway through the format. Otherwise, you're
out of luck.
It is best to use Norton's SafeFormat to format a
diskette; this leaves the data in a recoverable state
and as a bonus, it's much faster.
UnFormat is fully automatic. Just read each dialog and reply
by pressing ^rEnter^r or ^rEsc^r. Press ^rF1^r for additional help along
the way.
Pick a drive to recover after a FORMAT. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move
the highlight and press ^rEnter^r when satisfied.
If you pick a diskette drive, make certain that the target
diskette is in the drive before continuing.
This dialog is bypassed if you use the drive ID on the
command-line; for instance, ^uUNFORMAT c:^u
^bImage^b is a Norton Utility which preserves important system
areas of a disk in a place where it can be found in the case
of a data disaster. Many folks use Image in their Autoexec.Bat
file, or in a "Shutdown" batch at the end of the day (or
before doing a massive "spring cleaning").
If Image ^uhas^u been used or if it ^umight just possibly^u have been
used at sometime in the past, pick ^b[Yes]^b.
If you are dead certain that Image has never been used on the
target disk, you can skip one of the time-consuming tests that
UnFormat makes.
If you did not use Image, UnFormat will still recover all of
your subdirectories and some or all of the files they
contained (you may not recover files that were listed in the
Root Directory).
When this dialog appears, you can breathe a sigh of relief, it
means that you will recover all the data on the disk as it was
when you ran Image the last time.
There are often two versions of the Image data on the disk.
In that case, you will nearly always want to pick the ^b[Recent]^b
version.
^bNote^b: It can happen that the PREVIOUS version is the best
choice. For instance, if you accidentally formatted
drive D: at the end of the day, and then the next
morning your Autoexec.Bat file ran IMAGE.EXE, you would
want to use the Image snapshot taken ^ubefore^u the format.
When UnFormat finds Image information on a disk, it offers you
this choice. In most cases, it's best to go ahead with the
^b[Full]^b restore.
A full restore will overwrite the current contents of the
system areas of the disk (the Boot Record, File Allocation
Table, and Root Directory), thus "setting the clock back" to
the time the Image snapshot was taken.
You might choose ^b[Partial]^b if ^uall^u of the following are true:
^b^C10^b The Image data is rather old and new files have been added
and deleted since the snapshot was taken.
^b^C10^b You were able to stop a destructive FORMAT operation before
it finished. In that case, part of the Root Directory or
FAT might be recoverable.
^b^C10^b ^uYou are an expert user of UnErase and DiskEdit^u and you
think there is some chance of recovering data manually
which would be overwritten by restoring the Image data.
This dialog selects options when you choose a partial restore
of Image data.
This option is only useful when Image data is out of date and
you have the expertise to recover some information manually.
^bWarning!^b: If you don't know what the Boot Record, File
Allocation Table and Root Directory are, you should not use
the ^bPartial Restore^b dialog. Press ^rEsc^r and start over.
Here's a case where an expert might do a partial restore:
After using DiskEdit to rebuild a destroyed Partition
Table, you might wish to have UnFormat restore only the
Boot Record, so that you can go back into DiskEdit and it
will understand the disk somewhat better. This will just
keep your options open a little longer.
The Disk Map shown during the UnFormat sequence animates the
action as UnFormat searches the disk for Image information and
later, for directories.
It is a representation of your disk in which each block
character represents some arbitrary-sized piece of data (the
size is shown in the ^bLegend^b at the bottom right of the
screen).
Press ^r T ^r to get general help on using UnFormat.
This utility provides a way to purge data you no longer need
and don't ever want anyone to see.
It may also be used as a "Sweep" program to help you get rid
of the dead wood on your disk, such as old versions of files
(for instance, all *.BAK files in all directories).
Choose ^b[Files]^b to:
^C07 Delete and wipe, or just delete, files
^C07 Wipe the unused ^uslack space^u at the end of files
Choose ^b[Drives]^b to:
^C07 Wipe the information on an entire drive
^C07 Wipe only the unused area of a drive
Choose ^b[Configure]^b to:
^C07 Select government DOD 5220.22-M wiping standard or
^C07 Faster (but nevertheless thorough) wipe
^C07 Select how many times to repeat the wipe operation
Choose ^b[Quit]^b if you really don't want to do this at all.
Note: This utility is often used with command line options.
To see the valid options, use ^rWipeInfo ?^r.
Common examples:
^rWIPEINFO C:\*.BAK /S/N^r delete all old backup files in all
directories on drive C:. They
will be recoverable via UnErase.
^rWIPEINFO *.BAK^r
Delete and wipe .BAK files in the
current directory.
^rWIPEINFO C: /E^r
Wipe all unused areas of drive C:
(wipes all erased-file data)
By default, WipeInfo will prompt you to confirm each deletion.
See the ^bSelect Files To Wipe or Delete^b help topic.
^bAbout Data Wiping^b
As you know, deleting a file does not actually erase its data
(if this were not the case, UnErase would not be possible).
Likewise, even formatting a hard disk (or using SafeFormat on
any disk) leaves the old data lying around where someone might
be able to view or recover it.
Another overlooked area is the ^uslack space^u at the end of each
file. At the end of each file, there may be as much as 8K of
data space which is not in use. That data space may contain
information which you prefer not to keep around.
An even less obvious area is in the deleted file space on a
disk. Word processors often create and delete temporary files
as you work. Those temporary files are never listed in a
directory, but they contain some or all of the data you may
wish to keep confidential. Use the ^b[Drives]^b button and be
sure to select the ^uWipe unused areas only^u option.
Depending on the options you select, WipeInfo can physically
overwrite the part of the disk you want to erase permanently.
And it can overwrite all bookkeeping information about the
file (its directory entry), as if it had never existed.
The ^bWipe Files^b dialog box allows you to specify which files to
operate on.
Enter a filespec in the
^bFile Name^b
box. It may include a
drive, pathname, and filename, including wildcards (for
instance, ^rC:\oldstuff\*.Bak^r).
Note: If you use a filespec on the WipeInfo command line, it
will be shown here and you may edit it.
Use ^r^C18^r ^r^C19^r ^r^C1b^r ^r^C1a^r to move around the dialog and press^rspacebar^r or
^r x ^r to select or deselect options. When you press ^rEnter^r, you
will see a warning description of what you are about to do and
you'll be asked to confirm your decision.
^uInclude subdirs^u: Put a check in this box if you want to delete
(or wipe and delete) the files matching the ^bFile Name^b in
its directory and all of the subdirectories in that
directory. For instance, if the ^bFile Name^b is ^rC:\*.BAK^r,
WipeInfo will start in the root directory, so choosing
this option will do a sweep of all directories for ^u*.BAK^u
files.
Note: If you use ^b/S^b in the WipeInfo command, this option
will start out with a checkmark and you may want to
deselect it.
^uConfirm each file^u: This is checked by default, meaning that
for each matching file you'll have a chance to veto the
deletion. ^uDo NOT uncheck this^u unless you are sure you
want to get rid of all the files that match ^bFile Name^b.
Tip: Leave this checked and do a "test-run" where you just
"Skip" each file in the ^bWiping Files^b dialog.
^uHidden Files^u: When checked, files with a hidden attribute
that match the ^bFile Name^b will be wiped or deleted. By
default, WipeInfo will not delete these files.
^uRead-Only Files^u: When checked, WipeInfo will override the
read-only attribute of files that match the ^bFile Name^b and
will wipe or delete these files along with other matching
files. When not checked, the read-only files will be
listed in the ^bWiping Files^b dialog, but the ^b[Wipe]^b button
won't work on them.
^bSystem Administrators Please Note:^b
The default settings for these options, including the
critical ^uConfirm each file^u and ^uInclude subdirs^u options are
saved in the ^bWipe Configuration^b dialog. You may wish to
verify that safe settings are selected, then save the
configuration and set the read-only attribute of the ^uNu.Ini^u
file.
The ^bWipe Drives^b dialog box allows you to select one or more
drives that you want to wipe.
Warning!: This is ^uabsolutely the most destructive thing you^u
^ucan do^u to disk data. Not one shred of data can ever
be recovered from a wiped disk.
Place the cursor on the drive letter and press ^rspacebar^r to
select or unselect it.
^bWiping Method^b
box allows you to specify whether you
wish to ^uWipe the entire drive^u (which will wipe all information
on it, including all your files), or merely to ^uWipe the unused^u
^uareas only^u. By wiping unused areas, you get rid of deleted
data (including word processor temporary files).
In either case, whatever you choose is ^bPERMANENTLY^b wiped and
can never be UnErased.
The chosen wiping method will be used on all the drives you
have checked above.
^bSystem Administrators Please Note:^b
The default setting for the ^bWiping Method^b option is saved in
the ^bWipe Configuration^b dialog. You may wish to verify that
the safest setting is selected, then save the configuration
and set the read-only attribute of the ^uNu.Ini^u file.
This lets you select how thorough of a wipe you wish to
perform. And it lets you save default settngs for future use.
^bFast Wipe^b overwrites the area to be wiped with a single value,
such as 0, or any other value you may choose. Position the
cursor on this choice and press ^rspacebar^r to select or
deselect it. Press ^rTab^r to go to the small text box, where
you may enter the ^udecimal value^u of the byte you wish to use
in the overwrite operations.
^bGovernment Wipe^b is a much slower but more thorough method,
which meets Dept. of Defense security standards. This
overwrites the area at least three times, then performs a
final overwrite, verifying the last write. This is the most
secure of the overwrite options.
^bRepeat Count^b: You may specify how many times you want either
the Fast Wipe or Government Wipe to be repeated. The
default is 1.
This dialog is displayed when you select wipe or delete files.
When you choose ^uConfirm each file^u in the ^bWipe Files^b dialog (it
is ON by default), you are prompted to confirm the operation
on each file that matches the file specification.
If you deselect ^uConfirm each file^u, then this simply displays
the action as the files get wiped or deleted.
In either case, you may press ^rEsc^r at any time to halt the
operation and return to the main dialog.
The ^b[Skip]^b button tells WipeInfo NOT to delete the file. When
you choose this, WipeInfo displays "skipped" in the status box
and continues with the next matching file.
The next button to the right is labeled either ^b[Delete]^b or
^b[Wipe]^b, depending on your choices in the ^bWipe Files^b dialog.
Once it is selected, the highlighted file will be wiped or
deleted. AND the default action will return to the ^b[Skip]^b
button. You will need to press ^r ^C1a ^r and ^rEnter^r for each file
you wish to delete.
When you pick ^b[Auto]^b, all the rest of the matching files will
be wiped or deleted, without asking for your confirmation.
Pick ^b[Stop]^b or press ^rEsc^r to get out of this dialog.
FileFix is specifically designed to repair damaged data
files, such as Lotus or Symphony worksheets or dBASE,
FoxBase or Clipper databases or compatible formats.
(For recovering or repairing other types of files, return
to the Main Norton program and make another selection,
either the Norton Disk Doctor or DiskEdit.)
FileFix operates by examining the damaged file, creating
a new file, and copying into a separate file as much good
data as possible, and discarding the rest. This means that
the original, damaged file is left intact.
Use the ^r^C18^r or ^r^C19^r keys to highlight the type of
file you wish to repair, then press ^rEnter^r or click the
mouse to make the selection.
^b[1-2-3]^b files include worksheets from ^uLotus 1-2-3^u
release 1A or 2.
^b[Symphony]^b includes ^uLotus Symphony^u worksheets.
^b[dBASE]^b files include ^udBASE
I^u, ^u
I+^u, ^uIV^u,
or ^uFoxBase^u or ^uClipper^u databases.
Note: There are a number of clone or work-alike
programs which use formats identical to the above
programs. The closer these file formats are to the
ones listed above, the more successfully FileFix can
reconstruct them.
Type the full filename of the file you wish to repair into
the input box. Initially, a standard extension is displayed,
but you may override this if you wish.
Or use ^rTab^r to move between the parts of the dialog to
point-and-shoot your way to the file.
Once you have selected a file to repair, you will be asked
to select a repair mode. Use ^r^C18^r and ^r^C19^r to move the
cursor and press ^rspacebar^r to select or deselect an option.
Pick one of the first three options:
^bFully Automatic Repair Mode:^b This requires no further
action on your part: FileFix automatically selects all
valid data and writes it to the "fixed" file, rejecting
the rest. This is often all that is needed on files
that are not too badly corrupted.
^bReview Damaged Records:^b This is a good choice if the
automatic recovery procedure fails to recover enough
records, or records containing essential information.
FileFix will write all undamaged records to the new
file, stopping only when it encounters a damaged record.
You may then view and manually repair the record.
^bReview All Records:^b This mode shows you every record before
it is written to the fixed file, allowing you to accept,
reject or manually ajust each record. Though time-
consuming on a large file, this is useful for badly
corrupted databases.
Select one or more of the last three options. Press ^rEnter^r
to start repairing the file.
^bUse Clipper Field Limits:^b Check this box only for recovering
database files created with Clipper. Clipper files have
slightly different limits on the lengths and numbers of
fields. To use these higher limits, place the cursor on
this box and press the ^rspacebar^r.
^bFix Shifted Data Automatically:^b Sometimes you might know
in advance that a dBASE file contains illegal characters
(such as null or end-of-file), but does not have any
alignment problems (where your data spills across record
and field boundaries). If so, you can turn this option
^uoff^u for faster repairs.
^bStrict Character Checking:^b dBASE permits nearly any values in
Character fields, including math and graphics symbols.
Normally, you will want this option ^uon^u in order to be
more selective. You may need to turn it off if you have
unusual database files. Either way, illegal characters
will be replaced by spaces.
A dBASE header contains the bookkeeping information for the
file: the version of dBASE used to create it, plus the names,
order and lengths of the fields and their type.
If the header information in the current file is OK, it can
be used without change in your repaired database.
A dBASE header contains the bookkeeping information for the
file: the version of dBASE used to create it, plus the names,
order and lengths of the fields and their type.
A slightly damaged header is one in which the damaged
sections can be reconstructed automatically, and can then be
used for your fixed database.
A dBASE header contains the bookkeeping information for the
file: the version of dBASE used to create it, plus the names,
order and lengths of the fields and their type.
You may manually edit and repair a badly damaged header, or
import an undamaged header from another file (say, an earlier
or backup version of your database).
Check the list of fields to make sure all of them are present
and that their lengths are correct before pressing ^b[Accept]^b.
If you aren't sure, press ^b[Revise]^b, and follow the
instructions on your screen.
If the file header is damaged, the easiest option is to
import a header from an undamaged file whose structure is
the same as the damaged database (an earlier version or a
backup version of your file, for example).
Select ^b[Import]^b if you wish to do this, ^b[Edit]^b if
you prefer to edit or revise the existing structure.
If you selected ^b[Import]^b, you must now type in the name
of the database whose header you want to copy. Be sure you
include the drive or path name, as well as the filename.
With this screen, you can determine where the record recovery
process will begin within your dBASE file.
The window shows you the content of your file. Use ^r^C1a^r and
^r^C1b^r to move the text until the very first character of a
record (usually the first record) is against the left-hand
margin of the window. Use ^rCtrl^r ^r^C1a^r and ^r^C1b^r to move in
larger steps. If you have a mouse, you can click on the text
and drag it. Then ^rTab^r to the bottom of the screen and
select ^b[OK]^b.
Depending on the amount of damage, you may need to skip over
the file's header section. This will contain capitalized field
names intermixed with other text and symbols (which are
actually numeric values drawn as text), and will usually have
the symbol ^u^c0D^u near its end.
With this screen, you can determine the size of your dBASE
records, which is useful information when correcting field
sizes.
The window shows you the contents of several records, with
one record on each row. Use ^r^C1a^r and ^r^C1b^r to adjust
the record size until the very first character of your second
record lines up directly under the first character of the
first record. Use ^rCtrl^r ^r^C1a^r and ^r^C1b^r to enlarge or
shrink the record size in larger steps. If you have a mouse,
you can click on the edges of the box and drag them. Then ^rTab^r
to the bottom of the screen and select ^b[OK]^b.
This screen lets you make corrections to your field
definitions, using the existing file data as a guide.
Next to the field names is a display of the data formatted
according to the current field sizes.
To adjust the sizes, first position the highlight bar on the
field that needs to be changed. You may then press the ^r^C1a^r and
^r^C1b^r keys until the data display highlight extends over the
right number of characters. If you have a mouse, you can click
on and drag the end of the field.
The ^rIns^r and ^rDel^r keys on your keyboard will add or delete
a field. Pressing the ^rspacebar^r will tag a field so its
position within the list can be changed.
You may need to make several adjustments until the first
data character of each field lines up correctly at the left
margin. ^uNumeric^u and ^ufloat^u fields will contain digits and
perhaps a decimal point or minus sign and will be right
justified. Non-blank ^udate^u fields will have eight digits
in the order
YMMDD. ^uMemo^u fields contain only a memo
reference number.
Once the sizes are correct, you can edit other field
characteristics by highlighting the field and selecting
^b[Edit]^b. A smaller window will appear, in which you can
enter the changes you want. The contents of a field will be
marked ^uinvalid^u if the data next to the field does not agree
with the field type.
When you are done, all information in the record should line
up correctly. ^rTab^r to the bottom of the screen and press
^b[OK]^b. ^b[Restart]^b will return to the repair start position
and record size screens, in case you need to make adjustments.
You can also change the repair start position using ^rCtrl^r ^r^C1a^r
and ^r^C1b^r.
Pressing the ^b[Accept]^b button will accept the record,
while choosing the ^b[Reject]^b button tells FileFix to
reject this and go on to the next record.
A record can be accepted even if it has illegal data. The
offending characters will be replaced by spaces in the new
file.
The ^b[Shift]^b button will allow you to shift the data until
it lines up correctly. If you wish to change recovery modes
(and switch over to automatic, for instance) select the
^b[Mode]^b button. The ^b[Cancel]^b button or the ^rEsc^r key
will terminate the recovery process.
Use ^r^C1a^r and ^r^C1b^r keys to shift the data until it
aligns with the left margin of the field.
When the data has been shifted, ^rTab^r to the bottom of the
screen and press ^b[OK]^b.
You may change from the present recovery mode to another
recovery mode if you wish. Pressing ^b[Mode]^b shows you the
available recovery modes. Use the ^rTab^r key to move the
cursor to your choice, then press ^rspacebar^r to select it.
If you believe the rest of your database is correct, and do
not want to review any more records, select ^bFully Automatic^b
^bRecovery^b.
You may generate a report containing a record of the changes
made to the dBASE file. This will include the total records
examined, accepted and rejected, plus information about
records that have been damaged.
You may send the report of changes to your printer, or to a
disk file.
If you choose the ^b[Print]^b option, make sure your printer is
turned on and your paper properly aligned before you press
the ^b[Print]^b button. If you wish to send the report to a
^b[File]^b instead, you will be asked to supply a filename.
Once you have selected a file to repair, a dialog box will
appear, asking you to select a repair mode.
^bAttempt recovery of all data:^b This is the option you
should always choose first. It will attempt to recover
as much data as possible, including information about
spreadsheet dimensions, column widths, ranges, headers,
footers, etc.
Always examine your fixed file by loading it into
1-2-3 or Symphony. If it is still unusable, try running
FileFix on it again, this time choosing the second
option, ^bRecover cell data only^b.
^bRecover cell data only:^b This is the "last-resort" choice.
It allows you to recover the data written in the cells
of the spreadsheet, but does not recover information
about spreadsheet dimensions, column widths, ranges,
headers, etc.
You may generate a report containing a record of the changes
made to your 1-2-3 or Symphony file. This will include the
total number of numeric, label, formula and blank cells
examined, rejected and recovered, plus key information about
the contents of the cells.
You may send the report of changes to your printer, or to a
disk file.
If you choose the ^b[Print]^b option, make sure your printer is
turned on and your paper properly aligned before you press
the ^b[Print]^b button. If you wish to send the report to a
^b[File]^b instead, you will be asked to supply a filename.