Duplicator
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Flix of Offbeat proudly presents
DUPLICATOR V1.2
1-2-1991
It's very easy to use Duplicator, so you don't have to read a long manual.
Just have a brief view at this list:
Contents:
1. Introduction
2. The Control Panel
2.1 The Information Section
2.2 The Error Section
2.3 The Configuration Section
2.4 The Options Section
2.5 The Steprate Section
2.6 The Preferences Section
2.7 The Selection Section
3. The Functions
3.1 Duplicate Disk
3.2 Format Disk
3.3 Soft-Format Disk
3.4 Write Bootcode
3.5 Help
3.6 Quit
4. Plans for Future Versions
5. Address and more
1. Introduction
Thank you for purchasing Offbeat's Duplicator, a copy program of a very
special kind, even though it's Public Domain. It copies any unprotected
Atari ST disk (with 512 bytes per sector) in a remarkably high speed, either
using one or two disk drives. Have a look at its features:
- 100 % optimized Assembler Code
- Delightfully designed control-panel
- Magnificient Music
- Gigafast Copyroutines
- No Operating System Calls
- Copies and formats 9, 10 or 11-sector disks
- Reads disk format automatically if wished
- All disks are converted to a hyperfast format
- Optimum interleave and spiral factors
- Multiple Write Option
- Fast Format Technique
- Viruses are idle while using Duplicator
- Virus-killing Boot Code Utility
- Soft Format Option
- Steprate Selection
- Hexadecimal & Decimal number Display
- New, improved versions will follow soon...
2. The Control Panel
2.1 The Information Section
This is the area in the upper left corner. It displays the current track and
side and whether Duplicator is reading, writing, formatting or doing a step
(FDC Steps are very fast (usually 3 ms), so mostly the period of time is so
short, that the step light is not enlighted).
2.2 The Error Section
The error section in the middle part gives you information if an error
occured. There are four different kinds of floppy disk errors:
- Timeout (Usually happens when there's no disk in the drive or the
drive is switched off)
- Protection (Occurs when the write protection of a disk is set while
Duplicator tries to write or format a track)
- Seek Error (Means that the current track or sector was not found by
Duplicator. It happens when you enter a wrong disk-
configuration or when you try to copy a protected disk)
- CRC Error (occurs when a sector has a bad checksum. CRC stands for
Cyclic Redundancy Check. Most times several retries help)
If one of these error happens, you can choose one of the following options:
Retry ("R") : Duplicator tries it again.
Skip ("S") : The track will be skipped.
End ("ESC"): The whole action will be aborted
2.3 The Configuration Section
This section, which is placed in the upper right corner, shows you the actual
disk-configuration. The sectors per track, the tracks per side and the sides
per disk are displayed. You can change these parameters by pressing "INSERT"
and "LEFT" for the sectors per track, "UP" and "DOWN" for the tracks per side
and "CLEAR" and "RIGHT" for the sides per disk. The values are taken for the
format-option and for the duplication, in case the GET FORMAT-light is idle.
2.4 The Options Section
The Options Section is placed right under the Error Section. You can toggle an
option simply by pressing the indicated key.
- Get Format ("G") (Reads the disk configuration from the disk)
For Duplicating
- Multiple ("M") (Allows you to write the disk contents several times)
For Duplicating
- Format ("F") (Formats the destination disk)
For Duplicating
- Verify ("V") (Verifies whether the written data is correct or not)
For Duplicatin
- Quick ("Q") (Uses the fast format routine)
For Duplicating and Formatting
- Source ("S") (toggles the source disk drive)
For Duplicating
- Destination ("D") (toggles the destination disk drive)
For Duplicating and Formatting
2.5 The Steprate Section
This section simply inlcudes the step rate selection. You can change the
steprate from 2 to 12 ms by pressing the keys "7" and "(" for disk drive A and
"8" and ")" for disk drive B.
Usually a step rate of 3 ms is the best. Some drives are also capable of using
a 2 ms step rate, but there is hardly any change in the speed. 5 1/4 inch
MS-DOS drives need a 12 ms step rate.
2.6 The Preferences Section
There are three things to change in the Preferences Section. If you press
"F1", you toggle between hexadecimal and decimal number output. "F2" will
change between 50 and 60 Hertz display and "F3" allows you to turn the music
on and off.
2.7 The Selection Section
The section with the nice name offers you the six functions of Duplicator.
Press "SPACE" to copy a disk, "RETURN" to format a disk, "DELETE" to
soft-sormat a disk, "ENTER" to write the Duplicator Boot Code, "HELP" for some
information and "ESC" to quit from Duplicator. You can press "ESC" while
copying or formatting, as well. This will just abort the action in service,
but not quit.
3. The Functions
3.1 Duplicate Disk ("SPACE")
copies a single or double sided, 1 to 11 sector disk with 1 to 90 tracks.
Press any key after you inserted the source or the destination disk. There
might be some problems with Duplicator on one meg STs with the memory, because
there are not more than two disk-changes. So, a very dense formatted disk will
not fit into the memory and make Duplicator crash (e.g. a 82 Tracks, 11
Sectors, double sided disk)
3.2 Format Disk ("RETURN")
formats a blank or used disk, which has to be in the destination drive, with
the given parameters of the Configuration Section. Well, there's nothing
special to say about this option.
3.3 Soft-Format Disk ("DELETE")
erases the directory of the disk in the destination drive. You can select
whether you want to apply one or two sides in the Configuration Section. If
you want to use a disk, which has been formatted once, you can just
soft-format it, instead of formatting it, which takes much more time.
3.4 Write Bootcode ("ENTER")
This function writes the Duplicator Bootcode to the destination drive. The
bootcode is a small utility, which is present in the bootsector. Every time
you boot from a disk with the bootcode on it, the utility is started. It
changes to 60 Hz on colour monitors (if you want to keep 50 Hz press
"ALTERNATE" while booting). If the most-spread virus, the so-called
"Ghost-Virus" or "Mouse-Virus", is in the memory, the Duplicator Bootcode
kills it in the RAM and in the reset-resistent memory. That means, that you'll
never have problems again with the Ghost-Virus! If any other virus is in the
memory, the bootcode writes a message and forces you to switch your computer
off for 5 to 10 seconds. The Duplicator Boot Code runs on colour and
monochrome monitors.
3.5 Help ("HELP")
If you press "HELP", a screen with some information is displayed. Press any
key to go back to the main menu.
3.6 Quit ("ESC")
quits from Duplicator without doing a security check.
4. Plans for Future Versions
As you read, there'll be future versions of Duplicator. These are the planned
improvements and changes:
- Disk changes (see 3.1)
- Verify-option
- Fully compatible MS-DOS format
- Keyboard Repetion
- complexe Virus Recognition
- TT-Support (High Density) (far away)
- Track Shaker (Get used sectors only)
- Monochrome Support
- Disk Names
- Display of rounds per minute
- Disk to File/File to Disk Conversion
5. Address and more
If you found any bugs or have suggestions for new options, please write to:
Flix of Offbeat
Jahnstr. 51
D-8130 Starnberg
GERMANY
This program is Public Domain, you may use it freely. However, these two files
have to be copied together:
DUPLICAT.PRG
DUPLICAT.TXT
If you like Duplicator and use it often, it would be nice if you send me
some donations.
Used literature:
Scheibenkleister II - Massenspeicher am ST (Maxon)
(Thanx to Claus Brod for answering some important questions)
Atari ST - Das Floppy Arbeitsbuch (Sybex)
ST Intern (Data Becker)
Das Prozessor Buch zum 68000 (Data Becker)
Used Programs:
GfA Assembler 1.5 (GfA Systemechnik)
NEOchrome Master (Delta Force)
TED (Claus Brod, Maxon)
SED (Claus Brod, Maxon)
Flix of Offbeat
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