                ULTRA COPY Version 1.46  Copyright (c) 1995
                ===========================================
                            (ShareWare Version)

CONDITIONS:
----------
UCOPYS (the ShareWare version of UCOPY) is supplied free of charge and you
are  encouraged to copy and distribute it to as many people  as  possible,
under the following conditions:
  1. UCOPYS must be distributed in its original, unmodified form and  must
     include  the  program  UREAD.COM.  Preferably  distribute  the   self
     extracting file called UCOPYSFX.EXE.
  2. No  fee  may  be  charged for distribution of the program,  with  the
     exception of a nominal charge for postage and the cost of a disk.

Packaging:
---------
The  information in this file (README.TXT) is included inside the  program
as  Help and can be viewed or printed from within the program. The  reason
for  supplying  it  seperate is because of a requirement  of  Simtel  (the
software  repository  on  the  Internet),  as is the fact  that  the  self
extracting  EXE  file  is also zipped. I only require UCOPYSFX.EXE  to  be
distributed.  It  is  a good idea however to keep the original  ZIP  file,
because  most  Internet Software Resources prefer Uploaded files to be  in
Zip format.

Advertisement:
-------------
If  ULTRA COPY works for you and puts a smile on your face every time  you
use it, it will be nice to hear from you.

If you are really impressed with ULTRA COPY, but you want even more (don't
we  all),  or  you  want  to use it commercially,  there  is  an  enhanced
commercial  version of ULTRA COPY available, plus the additional  programs
ULTRA  COMPARE and ULTRA FORMAT, all for a very reasonable  fee.  See  the
section at the end of this document for details.

Introduction:
------------
Have  you  ever had to install a program distributed on a set of stiffies,
and  the computer you need to install it on only has a 1.2MB floppy drive,
or  vice versa? Or what about just making backup copies of those stiffies.
Wouldn't it be nice (not to mention cheaper) if you could keep the backups
on floppies?

With  ULTRA  COPY  you  can make a copy of a stiffy onto  a  high  density
floppy,  and together with the memory resident utility UREAD, you can  use
the  1.44MB  formatted floppy in most DOS or Windows applications  without
them knowing the difference.

Ever been in a hurry, and you still have to make that copy of a set of  12
disks before giving it back to its owner? With UCOPY you only have to read
the  disks  and store them in separate files on your hard disk -  in  less
than  a  third of the time it would have taken to actually write  out  the
target  copies. Later you can come back at your leisure and  complete  the
copies by writing out the disks using the files as the source.

UCOPY Description:
-----------------
Ultra  Copy  was  conceived  after working  with  the  excellent  programs
FDFORMAT and FDREAD, written by Christoph H. Hochsttter, which allow  you
to  format  and use disks to much greater capacities than what  they  were
originally intended. The most dramatic example is formatting a normal 360K
disk  in  a  High  Density  Drive to 820K. I have  tested  these  programs
extensively and can attest to the fact that they work very well.

My  problem  was  that there was no Disk Copying program that  could  copy
these  diskettes (even when FDREAD was loaded memory resident).  It  meant
copying  the files to a hard drive, formatting a new disk and copying  all
the files back - what a pain!

Ultra Copy will copy diskettes (floppy and stiffy) of all formats as  long
as  the  same format is used over the whole disk. This means that it  will
NOT copy disks with Hard Copy Protection (bad tracks, etc.).

It will further attempt to copy any diskette to any other type of diskette
drive  to  the maximum size possible for that drive (which is always  more
than the conventional capacity for the drive - see below). This means  for
instance  that you can copy a 1.44M stiffy to a high density  floppy  disk
(normal size 1.2M) and UCOPY will format the floppy to 1.44M. To make  use
of   these   unconventional  formatted  disks  in  your  DOS  or   Windows
applications, you need UREAD loaded memory resident (just run the  program
UREAD.COM). UREAD is however not required to merely copy these disks  when
using UCOPY.

UREAD  is  a simple memory-resident utility which will allow DOS  to  read
these unconventional disks. I have created it merely for those people  who
do  not  have access to FDREAD. FDREAD is a superior product, if only  for
the  fact that (in its latest version) it automatically attempts  to  load
itself into an Upper Memory Block, thus saving you Conventional memory. If
you have FDREAD, use it instead of UREAD.

           Maximum Size in KB (Conventional Size in brackets)
                                  DRIVE
          Disk  |                 -----
          Type  |   5.25" DD   5.25" HD    3.5" DD   3.5" HD
        --------|---------------------------------------------
        5.25"DD |   410(360)   820(360)       X         X
                |
        5.25"HD |      X      1480(1200)      X         X
                |             (Min 1200)
        3.5" DD |      X          X        820(720)  820(720)
                |
        3.5" HD |      X          X           X     1720(1440)
                                                    (Min 1200)
NOTE: High Density Floppies and Stiffies also have a Minimum size to which
----   they can be formatted, which is 1.2 Mbyte in both cases. This is  a
result  of the electronic design of these disk drives. What this means  is
that you cannot copy a 360K floppy to a high density stiffy - instead  you
must  use a double density stiffy (normal size 720K) as your target.  Thus
the simple rule is:
-  When copying anything up to 820K in size, use DD floppies or stiffies.
-  When copying anything over  820K in size, use HD floppies or stiffies.

Ultra Copy will attempt to read in as many tracks from the source diskette
as  memory allows, using (if available, and the necessary drivers  loaded)
first  Expanded Memory and then Extended Memory. If enough memory  is  not
available,  and  a  hard  disk  drive is available  (and  set  up  in  the
Configuration), UCOPY will copy the rest of the diskette  to  a  temporary
file  on  the  hard  disk. If this is not possible, the diskette  will  be
copied  in  sections.  A  graphical display is provided  to  indicate  the
copying progress. (Letters mean: R-Read, F-Format, W-Write, V-Verify).

If  the source diskette can be read into memory and/or hard disk temporary
file  completely  (in  one stage), you can make  multiple  copies  of  the
diskette  without  reading in the source again. The same  applies  if  the
target  diskette was found defective - you are given the chance to make  a
new copy without reading in the source again.

You can also copy a complete diskette to a permanent file on the Hard Disk
-  choose  the  H-Drive for the source or target (both source  and  target
cannot  be  H-Drive  simultaneously). This means that  a  picture  of  the
diskette  is contained in the file. This file can be compressed  and  sent
(possibly  via modem) to another person who also has a copy of  UCOPY.  He
can  then  reverse  the process and obtain a duplicate  of  your  original
diskette.  Another  use for this feature is to make files  (with  suitable
names)  of  diskettes  which you need to duplicate  on  a  regular  basis.
Reading  in the source from a Hard Disk file is much quicker than  reading
the  original source diskette every time. Copying disks to files  on  your
Hard Drive can also be a great benefit when you don't have much time - you
need to give the original disks back to their owner. With this feature you
can  come  back  at  some other time and write the target  disks  at  your
leisure. This has proved to be one of the most useful benefits of UCOPY.

Other features include:
-    Configuration Screen with all options saved to a file.
-    Preset number of target disks to copy - a counter is displayed.
-    Enable/ Disable Sound.
-    Enable/ Disable Verify of diskette.
-    Option to copy only tracks actually used (for speed). The tracks  not
     copied cannot be used and the target disk cannot be re-copied (unless
     those tracks were previously formatted).
-    Option  to format the unused tracks so they can still be used. Unused
     tracks are just not read or written.
-    Option to automatically sense when disks are inserted or removed from
     the drives - reduces number of keypresses during multiple copy.
-    Option  to use A and B drive alternatively as targets during multiple
     copy,  so  that  you  can insert the next target diskette  while  the
     current one is still busy copying. This will only work if the  drives
     are  compatible,  and  you start the copying process  with  different
     source and target drives (i.e. if source is A, target must be B).

The  ESC key can be used at any time to interrupt the copying process, but
you then lose the source information read into memory.

To  start the program using default settings, or the settings last used as
saved in the  configuration file, is simple:
-    Type UCOPYS at the DOS prompt (or UCOPY if you have renamed it).
-    Choose the source drive by typing the letter or using arrow keys.
-    Choose the target drive similarly.
-    Press ENTER key to start copying (you will be prompted to insert  the
     disks in the appropriate drives, press ENTER again).

General information:
-    The Mouse can also be used to select options.
-    TAB  and Shift-TAB moves forward and backward between fields  on  the
     screen.
-    Alt+Highlit Letters also chooses options.
-    ESC  key  (or  Cancel button) deselects an option and on the  initial
     drive  selection screen, Exits the program. Pressing the ESC  key  is
     always  equivalent  to  clicking the Cancel  button.  On  Data  entry
     screens,  all  changes made to settings will be  lost,  and  the  old
     values will be retained.
-    The Enter key is equivalent to clicking the OK button and accepts  an
     option.  On Data entry screens, all changes made to settings will  be
     accepted  and  replace  the old settings.  Changes  are  saved  to  a
     configuration file (UCOPY.CFG) stored in the same directory as  where
     UCOPY.EXE resides. These values will be used the next time  UCOPY  is
     run.  If  UCOPY is run from the A or B drives, no configuration  file
     will be saved.
-    On  the  main  (Source/Target selection) screen, the Enter  key  acts
     slightly  differently: while the focus is on  the  Source  or  Target
     selection  boxes, pressing Enter selects the drive indicated  (A/B/H)
     and  moves the focus to the next box, just like pressing the TAB  key
     would  do.  But  when the focus is on the OK button,  pressing  Enter
     accepts  the  screen and starts the copying routine. This  is  useful
     when  copying  many disks, where the source and target drives  remain
     the  same. After selecting them for the first copy, subsequent copies
     only  require you to press the Enter key three times, plus  a  fourth
     time to confirm that the disks are in the appropriate drives.
-    Checkboxes  (like  on  the  Configuration  screen)  are  selected  or
     deselected by pressing the space bar, or by clicking on it  with  the
     mouse.

Configuration:
-------------
The following options may be set by pressing F3:
-    Preset the number of target copies to be made of each disk. A counter
     is  kept as each copy is made and this is displayed at the top of the
     Copy  Progress Indicator Box. You still have the option of cancelling
     the process when asked for a new target diskette if you require fewer
     copies, and you can also make more copies, because after the required
     number  of  copies have been made, you will be prompted  whether  you
     still want to make another copy.
-    Set the Hard Drive and Directory where you want the temporary file to
     be  written  when  the  program runs out of memory  during  the  copy
     process. If this field is blank the program will only use the  memory
     as storage.
-    For  faster  copying, Verify may be turned off, though  this  is  not
     recommended.  The Verify phase only does a hardware checksum  of  the
     data  written to the target disk, and does not compare all data on  a
     byte  for byte basis as the UCOMP program does. Yet, most disk errors
     are  reported  during  the  Verify phase, which  would  otherwise  go
     undetected until you want to use that diskette.
-    Sound may be turned off - this soothes the nerves as well as speeding
     up  screen  interaction (a short delay occurs every time  a  beep  is
     made).  The advantage of having the sound turned on is that  you  can
     carry  on  with  other  work while the copy is in  progress,  and  be
     notified when your attention is again required.
-    You  may select to not copy Unused tracks (tracks without valid  data
     on  them), which can save a lot of time. If the target diskette  only
     has  to be read, this will work fine. The unused tracks on the target
     diskette   are  left  untouched,  and  therefore  (unless  previously
     formatted)  you cannot write to those tracks, and the disk  can  also
     not be re-copied.
-    If the above restrictions are not acceptable, you can still save some
     time  by  deselecting  Copy Unused Tracks and then  selecting  Format
     Unused  tracks. The Unused tracks are not read, nor written, but  are
     formatted and verified (if Verify is turned on). This will produce  a
     totally  usable diskette. Be aware, though, that a disk compare  with
     the  original  disk  will  fail  (unless  Compare  Unused  Tracks  is
     deselected).
-    By selecting Automatic Disk Sensing, the disk light remains on during
     multiple  copy and the program will sense that you have taken  out  a
     disk and inserted another. This saves time by reducing the number  of
     keypresses.
-    By selecting to use Alternate target drives during multiple copy, you
     again  save time because you can insert the next diskette  while  the
     current  one  is still being copied. Combined with disk sensing,  the
     program will immediately start copying the next diskette without  any
     operator  intervention - this requires close supervision, though,  so
     that  you do not copy the same diskette twice. This option will  only
     work  if you have two compatible drives, and if the copy process  was
     started using alternate source and target drives (e.g. copy from A to
     B, or B to A).

Using Command Line Parameters:
-----------------------------
For those people who prefer to run programs using command line parameters,
possibly  using  batch files, I have included this  option.  Here  is  the
syntax for using parameters:

UCOPYS [sourcedrive[:] [targetdrive[:]] [/N[number]] [/H[path]] [/V[+|-]]
  [/S[+|-]] [/C[+|-]] [/F[+|-]] [/D[+|-]] [/A[+|-]]] [/?]
If no parameters used, the Interactive Screen will pop up

Sourcedrive and targetdrive may be A or B (or A: or B:) or else any
valid Hard Disk or Network drive+path+filename from which (or to which)
a representation of the diskette must be read (or written).
If no targetdrive is specified, target=source.
Either source or target must be A or B (i.e. both cannot be files).

/N[number] Number of copies - default is 1
/H[path]   Hard Disk path for temporary storage - default is C:\
/V[+|-]    Verify On|Off - default is On
/S[+|-]    Sound On|Off - default is On
/C[+|-]    Copy Unused Tracks On|Off - default is On
/F[+|-]    Format Unused Tracks On|Off - default is On
/D[+|-]    Disk Auto Sensing On|Off - default is Off
/A[+|-]    Use Alternate Disk Drives On|Off - default is Off
/?         Displays the Parameter Help Screen

CONCLUSION:
----------
My  aim  when  I  started with this venture was to produce disk  utilities
which  could give you maximum power and flexibility, yet be quick to  load
up  and  simple to use. In my own estimation I have attained these  goals.
The question of course is: what does everybody else think?

I  will  appreciate  any  positive criticism about  these  utilities,  and
information about problems that you may encounter. I will also  appreciate
hearing  how the ULTRA utilities have been a lifesaver to you and how  you
will  be  eternally  grateful to me for taking the  time  to  write  them.
Mostly, it will be nice to know that they are actually used by someone out
there.

Lastly,  I would like to acknowledge and say thanks to Mr Adriaan  Pienaar
of  Bits  &  PC's Computers, and to my brother, Dr Arnau van Wyngaard  for
helping  with  the Beta testing of these utilities and for suggesting  new
features - many of which are now included in this latest version.  I  hope
you are now satisfied!

DISCLAIMER:
----------
The  Author accepts no responsibility for the correct functioning of these
utilities or any possible damages caused by the use of them. You  use  the
ULTRA utilities entirely at your own risk.

REQUEST:
-------
If  you  have  any  problems or questions about these utilities,  you  can
contact me by phone or by letter (see details below). If you do contact me
with any queries, I need as much information as possible to help me try to
recreate  your  situation: type of computer (XT, AT, 386, 486),  type  and
number of disk drives on your system, Operating System, Configuration that
you  had set up for the program (number of copies, Disk Sensing on, etc.).
I  will attempt to correct any problems that is brought to my attention in
future releases, but I do not assume responsibility for doing so.

COMMERCIAL VERSION OF UCOPY:
---------------------------
An  enhanced  version  of  Ultra  Copy is  available  with  the  following
additional features:
-    A  comprehensive utility is included to stamp a serial number on each
     disk  that  is  copied. This includes a Pattern  Finding  utility  to
     determine the location on the Master Diskette where the Serial number
     must be stamped. Automatic incrementing can be selected; Numbers  can
     be Decimal, Hexadecimal, ASCII or read from a Text File; A log may be
     kept of all serial numbers assigned; etc.
-    When  using  files  as  the  Source or  Target,  a  History  List  of
     previously  used  files  as well as a File  Browser  assists  you  in
     selecting the correct filename.
-    When  making  multiple copies, the Target can be changed  to  another
     drive  without reading the Source again. When an error occurs  during
     writing, or the Escape key is pressed, the Target Drive can  also  be
     changed (to a file for instance).
-    The  Escape key asks you to confirm that you really want to abort the
     operation.
-    Formatting  of  the Target Disk can be turned off to save  time  when
     copying  to  previously formatted disks. The program will  then  only
     format when necessary.

Together with the commercial version of Ultra Copy, you will receive Ultra
Compare,  a  Disk Compare Utility with all the corresponding  features  of
UCOPY  included  (Hard  Disk  usage,  Configuration,  Skip  Serial  Number
comparing,  etc.)  as well as Ultra Format, the ultimate  Disk  Formatter.
Ultra  Format will format all the sizes that FDFORMAT does, allow  you  to
set-up your configuration (Size, Method of formatting, Label, Type of Boot
Sector)  so  you don't have to answer all these questions every  time  you
format   a  disk.  Quick  formatting,  Destructive  formatting  and   Safe
formatting  is  included,  as well as an UnFormat  feature  for  diskettes
formatted with the Safe method.

The whole set of utilities (UCOPY, UCOMP and UFORM) will be sent to you on
receipt  of  a cheque or postal order to the value of R80-00.  Note:  This
price  is valid only until 31/12/1995. Thereafter you should first enquire
as  to the latest price. Customers outside of South Africa should send  an
extra  R15-00 to cover postage and handling. (A total price of  $US  30-00
would  be  acceptable.)  A  price for Multi-Site  Licensing  may  also  be
negotiated.

By buying the full set of utilities, you receive a registered version with
a serial number (stamped on the disk by UCOPY!). You will then be notified
of  any  future upgrades when they appear. (Notably a Windows  version  of
these utilities, which I am presently busy developing.)

Queries, Complaints, Compliments and Money:
------------------------------------------
     Pierre van Wyngaard
     P O Box 204
     Brackenfell
     Cape Town, South Africa
     7560

     Email: wyngaard@aztec.co.za

     Telephone: Work - (021) 981 4510
                Home - (021)  58 7454
     (International Code: 27 21 )

