Frequently Asked Questions

Coverdisks seem to throw up the same problems every month.
Here are some in-depth explanations and solutions of the
most common.


Q. When I try to unarchive a coverdisk program using DMS,
all I get is the error message "I need explode.library V4+".
What am I doing wrong?

A. The error message is caused when the DMS program tries to
load it's code library and fails. In common with many other
programs, DMS places some of it's routines in a special
block of code called a library, which means they can be
shared between several programs.

As with other programs, DMS expects to find its library in
the default LIBS: drawer, and this is where the trouble can
start. When you boot from a coverdisk, that is, when you
start the computer up and insert the coverdisk the Amiga
automatically makes the assumption that the LIBS: drawer is
on this disk. The Amiga assumes that the drawer called
"libs" on the floppy is the correct location for the
libraries.

Now if the creators of the coverdisk have done their jobs,
there will be a copy of the explode.library present in this
drawer, and everything will work fine.

However, if you don't boot from the coverdisk, and instead
boot from either your own Workbench floppy or hard disk
there may be problems. In this case, the Amiga assumes that
the LIBS: drawer is situated on one of these devices. When
you load the coverdisk and DMS tries to work, it looks to
the libs drawer and tries to find explode.library. If you
don't have a copy of it on your disks, then DMS will fail to
find the library and the message "I need explode.library
V4+" will appear.

To get around this, you have two choices. First of all you
should make sure that you boot from the coverdisk. This will
endure that LIBS: points to the drawer on the floppy
containing the relevant library.

Secondly, you could copy the library from the coverdisk to
your own disk. To do this, first make a note of the name of
the coverdisk, and then re-boot from your normal disk (not
the coverdisk), and then open a shell window. Let's assume
the coverdisk is called CU 100. In this case there is a
space in the disk name (sigh) which means you must use
inverted commas around the disk name. To copy the library
from the coverdisk to your own disks, enter:

copy "cu 110:libs/explode.library" libs:

This will copy the file across.



Q. When I copy coverdisk files from floppy to hard disk, I
still get error messages asking me to insert the original
floppy again. Why?


A. The best way to copy programs which consist of several
files to hard drive is to open a new drawer especially. Then
drag all the icons over into it. Use the "Show>> All Files"
option from the Window menu on the Workbench display to make
sure you haven't left any files out. Usually it isn't
necessary to copy across drawers with names like "c" or "l"
as these will duplicate what is already on your hard disk.

If you run the program from hard disk and it still asks you
to insert the floppy disk, it is because somewhere a "path"
is still set up to point to the floppy. A path is a special
variable which a program can use to keep track of special
files it needs. If you have already copied all the files
required over to the hard disk, you can re-set the path so
that it points to the location of the hard disk rather than
the floppy. To do this, use the assign command from a Shell
window. For example, if we assume you have created a drawer
on your hard drive's WORK partition called GAME and copied
over all the files from a floppy disk called CUGAME1, you
should enter:

assign CUGAME1: WORK:GAME

this will re-map the path to the floppy disk to be the
drawer on the hard drive. Make sure you have removed the
floppy before doing this, or you'll get an error message
like "Can't cancel CUGAME1".

The assign is only temporary in that if you switch off and
reboot, it will be forgotten. To make it permanent, you need
to add the line to the s:user-startup file. This will make
sure that it is executed every time the Amiga is switched on.




Q. When I use DMS to unpack a coverdisk game I occasionally
see a message like "Warning: Disk contains non-standard
bootblock". Does this mean there is a virus on the disk?


A. Not necessarily. It simply means that there is a
non-standard bootblock. The bootblock is the part of the
disk which is first loaded when the Amiga boots. If there is
a bootblock present, the Amiga will follow the instructions
on it and may load Workbench. Many software houses use
non-standard bootblocks to add special features and speed up
loading times. The DMS program recognises that the bootblock
is not standard and tells you, because in the past many
virus did change the block for their own purposes. However,
it is extremely unlikely that a virus would be present on a
coverdisk.

If you are still not happy, here is what you should do.
Before starting the DMS process switch off and remove any
external floppy drives and hard drives. Boot only from the
coverdisk, and follow the instructions as DMS unpacks the
program onto one or more disks. Use the unpacked programs
with no other disk drives connected, and always switch off
for thirty seconds before using any other disks.

You should also get a copy of anti- virus software such as 
"Virus Checker" by John Veldthuis.



Q. I have a Workbench 1.3 A500 with 1Mb of RAM. Why are
there so few coverdisks I can use?

A. Because your machine is totally out of date. You don't
expect to a hi-fi magazine to include 78rpm wax disks on the
cover, do you? Upgrade to 2Mb of RAM and Workbench 2 or 3,
or treat yourself to a nice A1200, either second-hand or
when ESCOM start churning them out again.




Q. Is it OK for me to upload the coverdisk to a BBS or give
a copy to a friend?

A. No. The coverdisk remains the copyright of the magazine,
and to give copies away is to break the law.



Q. I have written a program which I think you should put on
your coverdisk. What should I do with it?

A. In the first instance, send a copy on disk to the
following address. If you agree the program is worth having,
we'll be in contact straight away: so include a daytime
telephone number a the covering letter if at all possible.
Send your programs to: Coverdisk Submissions, CU Amiga,
Priory Court, 30-32 Farringdon Lane, London EC1R 3AU.


John Kennedy