General Instructions
INIT - Prepare a floppy disk
Syntax
INIT
Allowed as direct command and in program mode.
The INIT command prepares a floppy disk for storing programs or data; it will be “initialized”.
This means that the basic structure shown in the “Recording structure” section will be produced on the diskette.
40 tracks with 16 sectors each are set up and all address and data marks are written.
After writing, each sector is individually addressed and read.
The entire initialization process takes about 2-3 minutes.
After correct implementation, BASIC responds with READY and the next command can be entered.
The initialization process can be aborted at any time by pressing the BREAK button.
Warning
With the INIT command, a non-write-protected diskette is overwritten without any further checking, i.e. any data on it is lost.
Possible Errors
?DISK WRITE PROTECTED The disk’s write-protect notch is taped over.
?DISK I/O ERROR - An error occurred during the check read.
(faulty disk or bad centering - see Insertion)
DRIVE - Drive selection
Syntax
DRIVE n
n = drive number (1 or 2)
Allowed as direct command and in program mode.
The DRIVE command is used to select one of the two drives that can be connected.
After switching on the computer and after each copy command (DCOPY), drive 1 is automatically selected.
If you want to access drive 2, you must first switch to it with DRIVE 2.
All DOS commands, except DCOPY, are executed on the selected drive. Therefore, make sure that you have always selected the correct drive. An INIT command, e.g. on the wrong drive, inevitably leads to the destruction of a floppy disk with important data that happens to be there.
If you are not sure which drive is currently selected, execute a corresponding DRIVE command (DRIVE 1 or DRIVE 2) to be safe.
The DRIVE command. only changes the DOS internal pointers, a floppy disk access does not take place.
Possible Errors:
?FUNCTION CODE ERROR Wrong drive selection (not 1 or 2)
DCOPY - Copy disk
Syntax
DCOPY
Allowed only as a direct command.
The DCOPY command without any further parameters results in a complete copy of a floppy disk onto a second initialized floppy disk.
Copying is possible with one or two drives. With only one drive, however, you will have to change the diskettes several times during the copying process.
After entering the command, you will first be prompted to select the source and target drives.
SOURCE DISK (1/2)?
DESTINATION DISK (1/2)?
Answer each of these questions by pressing the 1 or 2 key.
Only own one drive; so answer “1” to each question.
Command execution can be aborted with CTRL + BREAK.
After the drive has been selected, the copying process begins. The entire RAM memory is used for this in order to have to switch between the source and target drive as little as possible.
If you copy from one drive to a second, the entire copying process runs automatically. If there is only one drive (from 1 to 1 or from 2 to 2), you will have the opportunity to insert the correct diskette before each read or write operation.
INSERT SOURCE DISKETTE
(PRESS SPACE WHEN READY)
before each reading from the source diskette, or
INSERT DESTINATION DISKETTE
(PRESS SPACE WHEN READY)
before each write to the target disk.
You can interrupt the copying process at any time by pressing the BREAK key.
The completion of the copying process is indicated with READY.
Warning
Note that the target disk must first be initialized.
Data on the target diskette will be overwritten (ensure the correct drive and diskette selection).
The entire available RAM area is overwritten by DCOPY, i.e. data or programs located there must first be saved or then reloaded.
When using “Extended BASIC” the computer has to be re-initialized (switch off/on).
After completion, drive 1 is always selected, regardless of a previous DRIVE command.
Possible Errors:
?ILLEGAL DIRECT An attempt was made to call the DCOPY
command from a program.
?DISK WRITE PROTECTED The target disk’s write-protect notch is
taped over.
?DISK I/O ERROR Write or read error on one of the
two disks. (defective or bad centering)
Note:
This is one of the most important DOS commands.
As already mentioned at the beginning, no floppy disk is a reliable data storage device in the long run (abrasion).
So make a copy of every diskette that contains programs and data that are important to you
after the initial creation or acquisition
after any significant change in content.
STATUS - Display the diskette status
Syntax (only from DISK BASIC V 1.2)
STATUS
Allowed as direct command and in program mode.
The STATUS command determines and displays the space still available on the diskette.
The output comes in two forms. The first line shows the number of free sectors in the form:
nn RECORDS FREE
In the second line, the free bytes are specified in the form:
nn.nnn K BYTES FREE
Example:
STATUS
80 RECORDS FREE
10.0 K BYTES FREE
Possible Errors:
?DISK I/O ERROR The occupancy overview of the diskette
could not be read correctly.