dos command 5

[judgehopkins]

I am running Windows XP Home.

What is the DOS command (or other command in XP) for copying a disk in the A: drive to another disk (which will have to go in the A: drive also).

I used to do this all the time back in the pre-Windows days but have forgotten the command!

Thanks....

"If the people don't want to come out to the park, nobody's gonna stop them." - Yogi Berra

 

[tahoe2]

diskcopy [drive1: [drive2:]] [/v]

the drives can be the same letter, and the /v verifies.


Corie

 

[judgehopkins]

Thanks, Corie.

I tried this and XP DOS says that the old disk (Windows 3.1 era) and the new disk (Windows XP era) are incompatible and will not copy!

Another Microsoft Miracle!



"If the people don't want to come out to the park, nobody's gonna stop them." - Yogi Berra

 

[Marcs41]

Are you using 720KB disks perhaps?

Marc
[sub]If 'something' 'somewhere' gives 'some' error, expect random guesses or no replies at all. Please specify details.
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[tahoe2]

Anytime! Unfortunately, the disks have to be the same, and formatted the same. Go Microsoft!

You may also try the long way. Type this at the dos prompt:

md c:\temp01 (in case there is already a temp directory on the C drive)

copy a:\ c:\temp01

(once the copying is done, replace the disk and type:

copy c:\temp01 a:
That SHOULD work with different type disks.

Corie

 

[Marcs41]

Unless they are bootable !

You can always tape the whole in a 1.44 disk to make it a 720.

Marc
[sub]If 'something' 'somewhere' gives 'some' error, expect random guesses or no replies at all. Please specify details.
Free Tip: The F1 Key does NOT destroy your PC![/sub]
How Do I Get Great Answers To my Tek-Tips Questions? See faq219-2884

 

[judgehopkins]

I did it the long way. Since this is a really old disk, all it contained was files and no fancy verification stuff so I think it will work.

Thanks, y'all!

"If the people don't want to come out to the park, nobody's gonna stop them." - Yogi Berra

 

[linney]

Any ideas from this re different disk size?

http://www.computing.net/dos/wwwboard/forum/14522.html

"To make a copy of a floppy disk." (From Help and Support).
See the Copy Disk command.

 

[judgehopkins]

Linney, you are right (and so is marcs41); I was trying to copy a 720 to a 1.4....DUH!

Hey, it's been a long time since I used DOS!

"If the people don't want to come out to the park, nobody's gonna stop them." - Yogi Berra

 

[Blujacket]

Also, a Win9x and later formatted floppy seems to have slightly less capacity [1.38MB] than a DOS disk due to the ability to store files with Long File Names. The FAT on the disk stores both the 8.3 and the LFN, reduces the capacity a bit.

 

[bcastner]

Bluejacket,

Do you have a reference for what you said above? I do not doubt what you said, but it does not completely match my own understanding.

Best,
Bill

 

[mattjurado]

I thought it was just how you count bytes... Did a google search, got these as references.

http://www.aeverett.btinternet.co.uk/tips_windows98.htm

http://www.fullmark.com/DrPrint/faq...ty floppy disks show a total capacity 1.38MB?

Just do a find for 1.38, you'll find references on both pages.

Matt J.

Please always take the time to backup any and all data before performing any actions suggested for ANY problem, regardless of how minor a change it might seem. Also test the backup to make sure it is intact.

 

[bcastner]

Matt,

Thanks, but I am not sure it answers the issue posed by Blujacket.

My honest claim would be: there is no difference in the way Windows formats a floppy between any Windows version, with the exception that Win98SE and above actually write to a reserved byte for media type and earlier versions ignore it.

The notion that 'long filename' support reduces disk capacity under Windows XP is a new one one me, and I frankly do not believe it.

Bill

 

[mattjurado]

That's what I was trying to point out, I've never heard this either.

Matt J.

Please always take the time to backup any and all data before performing any actions suggested for ANY problem, regardless of how minor a change it might seem. Also test the backup to make sure it is intact.

 

[Marcs41]

The only difference you will see is when you create a system disk, because IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS are a little bigger.
For plain formatted disks, size remains the same.

Marc
[sub]If 'something' 'somewhere' gives 'some' error, expect random guesses or no replies at all. Please specify details.
Free Tip: The F1 Key does NOT destroy your PC![/sub]
How Do I Get Great Answers To my Tek-Tips Questions? See faq219-2884

 

[IFRs]

Would XCopy a:*.* b: /s have worked? Assuming there was only one floppy drive? Then the format of the floppies would not be an isue.

 

[Marcs41]

XCopy a:*.* b: /s/e would work, and the format would be accepted of course, but the same thing goes as I mentioned before, it will NOT work for bootable floppies.

Marc
[sub]If 'something' 'somewhere' gives 'some' error, expect random guesses or no replies at all. Please specify details.
Free Tip: The F1 Key does NOT destroy your PC![/sub]
How Do I Get Great Answers To my Tek-Tips Questions? See faq219-2884

 

[bcastner]

For the technicly curious about formatted capacities of floppy disks:

blujacket raised the possiblity that the OS version could influence the formatted capacity of floppy disks due to, among other reasons, the support of Long File Names.

. I made the claim that a FAT16 format differed only in whether a media descriptor byte was/was not written depending on OS Version. Otherwise, the format was identical -- and identical in size.

I raised the issue in a private newsgroup available to MS-MVPs, and I thought the response (edited to avoid NDA issues) would find on or two here curious as the results. I am of necessity going to paraphrase:

An XP format of a floppy does not, nor did previous Windows versions, reserve any space for Long File Names. So if the issue is the size of available space after a format, XP is identical to previous Windows versions.

But the root directory of a floppy (and for that matter of a FAT 16 hard drive partition) has a limited number of entries. If you use Long File Names then each name takes one extra entry out of this number for each 13 characters of the LFN. And a name becomes formally an LFN if it contains any characters outside the Upper case DOS set, or if the extension is over 3 characters.

The issue of exhausting the root directory structure under FAT16 is well known. As is the workaround: create a folder and dump the files there, not to the root folder.

Anyway, I thought this might prove interesting.
Bill Castner

 

[judgehopkins]

Bill, you would be surprised (maybe not) how many young software programmers do not know: The issue of exhausting the root directory structure under FAT16 is well known. As is the workaround: create a folder and dump the files there, not to the root folder.


BTW, what is "an NDA issue"?

"If the people don't want to come out to the park, nobody's gonna stop them." - Yogi Berra

 

[Marcs41]

Non-Disclosure-Acceptance

Bill, luckely, my memory was intact about the size ;-) pwew..

Marc