Thank you for trying DisKount & DisKark. I begin from the premise that no one EVER reads the instructions!!! However, I'm also sure you will have heard the adage "if all else fails, read the manual". To that end, please try to read the following FIRST! Some brief notes on DisKount/DisKark...... The system requires/assumes you have the following....... A CGA colour monitor At least 300k of spare RAM Ideally, a 64k RAM disk (but works fine without) A hard drive (C: or above) Floppy drives designated A: and/or B: (can be mixed densities) COMMAND.COM & CHKDSK.EXE *MUST* be available somewhere in the standard path A desire to organize your floppies!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brief product description: The system is, in the main, menu or prompt driven, so I hope I can avoid those 65 page jobs that seem to be getting popular these days!! ***************************************************************************** ***** AT NO TIME DOES THE SYSTEM ATTEMPT TO WRITE TO YOUR FLOPPIES!!! ******* ***************************************************************************** DisKount Allows you to catalogue your disks by merely shoving them one after the other (under prompts of course) into A: or B: floppy. The registered version can handle 2000 such filenames (see more below). Once entered, you may then conduct a search (sorted) printout and various other requirements on the list. All files in all (sub) directories are automatically entered for you (with the exception of the "exclusion list" below). Start by attaching small sticky labels numbered from (say) 1 on up, and use these numbers as your entries into DisKount. You may number your disks anywhere between 1 and 999, and have up to fifteen data sets (of up to 2000 names each) on each sub-directory. DisKark As DisKount, but is a companion program. USE DISKOUNT FIRST! Unlike DisKount, DisKark ONLY looks at .ARC, .LZH, .PAK and .ZIP files. It then extracts all the filename details from them and places them into a data base in much the same way as DisKount. See below for filename limitations. The idea is, that once you have entered your disks into DisKount, you then run them through DisKark using of course the same disk numbers that you allotted during DisKount entry! Once done, you can then search for that elusive file buried within an archive (e.g. "where IS that utility called RAMTEST.COM - ah, I see from my search, that it is contained within UTIL.LZH on disk 74")..... etc. etc. Konfig Used to setup the system and initialize new data files for DisKount & DisKark. ***** YOU MUST RUN THIS FIRST ***** see more below. ***** AGAIN, CHKDSK & COMMAND.COM MUST BE AVAILABLE TO THE SYSTEM!!!!! ***** PLEASE PLACE THE FOLLOWING IN THEIR OWN SUB-DIR (suggest x:\DISKOUNT) where x: = your hard drive (C: etc.)........ DISKOUNT.EXE DISKARK.EXE KONFIG.EXE KONFIG.TSK **** THE FIRST THING YOU MUST THEN DO IS RUN KONFIG.EXE ***** Follow the bouncing ball. This will allow you to set-up where you want to run things to/from as well as nominate different filenames - toggle sound on/off etc. Don't forget to tell Konfig where the data files are sitting (in the above example of course this will be C:\DISKOUNT - assuming your hard drive is C:) Although in theory not vital.....PLEASE KEEP THE DATA FILES IN THE SAME SUB DIRECTORY AS THE PROGRAMS - DO NOT RUN FROM THE ROOT DIR - ENSURE AN EXCLUSIVE SUB DIRECTORY FOR USE BY THE SYSTEM!!!!! Then (still using KONFIG) you will need to create your first (empty) data set. It helps if you use some form of mnemonic for your filenames i.e. I called my first one "1ON" and then, when it was (nearly) full, renamed it to reflect the actual contents (1TO93, meaning disks 1 to 93), and then created a new one called "94ON". I suggest that you NOT let a data set fill up, rather allow around 1950 (for DisKount) or 1450 (for DisKark) names and then start on up again. This will allow you to go back in and update any disks without "overflowing". I call DisKark data sets "ARK1ON" etc. Limitations: Number of filenames Number of data Number of per data set sets per sub-directory Archives per data set ------------------- ---------------------- ------------ DisKount 2000 [100] 15 N/A DisKark 1500 [100] 15 400 [100] (Figures in [] are for trial version only) At the bottom of most screens, the number at the extreme left hand side of the screen is the number of files currently in the data set in use. In DisKark the other number just to the right is the number of Archive (.LZH etc.) files in the data set e.g. 1234 145 would mean you have 1234 (out of a poss 1500) filenames and 145 (out of a possible 400) Archive filenames in use. Also the name of the current data set in use is always displayed in the top box on the main menu screen. I have included a list of filenames that are considered as being superfluous, and these files do not get added to the list. Here is the "exclusion" list for DisKount/DisKark README.1ST READ-ME.1ST READ_ME.1ST -READ.ME READ.ME README README.DOC IO.SYS COMMAND.COM MSDOS.SYS CONFIG.SYS CONFIG.BAK AUTOEXEC.BAT AUTOEXEC.BAK ! (LHARC files only) Just to remind you that whenever DisKount/Diskark comes across any of the above, it will NOT add them to the list. Watch out though if you have taken the option to display all files within a specific archive because the apparent total of files given may not be correct in view of the exclusions - see what I mean? A brief word on the search wildcard (*) option - this does NOT work the same as MSDOS * type searches. Basically, you use it to "peg" the search from left to right.... Some examples:- B* (or b*) will find ALL (and only) filenames starting with letter "B" *BAS - all (only) files ENDING in BAS (PRINT.BAS etc.) Non-use of the wildcard (*) will force a so called "INSTR" type search, the effects of which are different...... "INT" as a search pattern would yield ANY filename CONTAINING "INT" e.g. PINT.COM - PRINT.EXE etc. etc. This is definitely one of those occasions where you'll learn far more in ten minutes "playing" than any written word could explain. I leave it to you to discover the many (and powerful) search options that are open to you. ============================================================================ The bottom line: The latest versions now support single key (as well as existing arrow key) menu selection (faster) as well as forward/backward (PgDn - PgUp) searching. Other upgrades are planned. If you require latest info on the system, this will always be available on BARNABAS BBS, telephone 0708-852526, where you can also obtain ALL of the current Archivers supported. Sysop is John Barton (thanks John). I will do my best to support any registered users, and they are welcome to ring me direct on the number given below....please try to restrict calls to between 7pm and 9pm UK hours (7 days a week!!!). As and when upgrades to the Archivers themselves are released, it is again my intention to update and keep pace with developments, and provide any such updates at a very nominal cost (as of this writing œ2.00 for an upgrade inc disk & postage). The entire system was written on a 1512 with 640k RAM, a 20meg hard card, NEC V30 and 8087 chips. If you have a maths co-proccessor, I can provide optimized versions for that....please let me know when you place your order if you require these. Various other systems have successfully been used, and to that end, my sincere thanks are owed to: John Barton - Simon Pindar & Jon Brooks.... thanks guy's. **************************************************************************** If you would like the latest (fullest) versions on disk, please register as follows (asking for 8087/80287 versions if you would prefer them):- UK & Europe please forward a cheque or p.o. for œ15.00 inc p&p (pounds sterling), made payable to T.J.Simpson. USA please forward a chegue payable to T.J.Simpson for $25.00 + $5.00 p&p Mail to: Terry Simpson (TSoft) 33 Church Lane Wymington Nr Rushden N'hants NN10 9LW England Tel: UK (0933) 55629 (7pm - 9pm seven days) Europe +44 933 55629 (equiv to above UK hours) USA 011 44 933 55629 (equiv to above UK hours) Enjoy...... Best regards. Terry Simpson, Wymington, 19th August 1989.