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PC-SIG Diskette Library (Disk #598)
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Information about “PROFESSIONAL MASTER KEY”
MASTER KEY is a powerful disk and file manipulation utility, comparable
to programs like Norton Utilities.
Edit any part of any disk or file using a handy windowed hex and ASCII
screen dump. Editing can be from the ASCII text or the hex dump. Menus
and organization help you learn the package quickly. Many other
utilities are included, such as duplicate file search, file renaming
and erasing abilities, and unerasing of files mistakenly erased.
FILES598.TXT
Disk No 598
Program Title: The PROFESSIONAL MASTER KEY UTILITIES version 2.0
PC-SIG version 1.9
The PROFESSIONAL MASTER KEY UTILITIES is an incredibly powerful and easy
to use disk and file manipulation utility. It is comparable with, if
not better than, some commercial programs like the Norton Utilities.
You can edit any part of any disk or file using a handy windowed hex and
ASCII dump of the file on the screen. Editing can be from the ASCII
text, or from the hex dump. Menus and excellent organization let you
quickly learn the package. Many other utilities are included, such as a
duplicate file search, file renaming and erasing abilities, DOS directly
updating and UNERASING.
Usage: File Patching Utility.
Special Requirements: None.
How to Start: Type GO (press enter).
Suggested Registration: $20.00
File Descriptions:
UF COM UnFormat utility.
FD COM File disk utility.
INSTALL EXE Installation program.
PMK EXE Professional MASTER KEY.
PMK-MENU EXE PMK Master Menu.
PMK-UTIL DOC Documentation file.
PMK-UTIL INF Introduction text file.
README BAT Batch file to view PMK-UTIL.INF.
ZERODISK EXE Removes all traces of all data from a disk.
ZEROFILE EXE Removes all traces of a file's current data from your disk.
MANUAL BAT Prints manual.
PC-SIG
1030D E Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1987,88 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< Disk #598 MASTER KEY >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To copy the documentation to your printer type: ║
║ MANUAL (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ To start the program type: INSTALL (press enter) ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
PMK-UTIL.DOC
YES! The Professional Master Key Utilities are useful to me
and I want to register my copy.
I understand that by registering, I will be sent a program
disk containing the latest release of The Professional Master Key
Utilities, complete documentation (on disk, ready for printing),
and announcements, as they are published, of future releases of
The Professional Master Key Utilities.
As a registered user of The Professional Master Key Utili-
ties, I will ALWAYS be able to upgrade to the latest version of
The Professional Master Key Utilities FREE OF CHARGE! To receive
the most recent version free, I agree to return the original
master disk along with a self addressed, postage paid diskette
mailer, and I will be returned the latest of The Professional
Master Key Utilities!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The registration fee for each copy of The Professional Master Key
Utilities is $25.
Send me __ copy/copies at $25 each. Total _______________
Name:___________________________________
Address:________________________________
City:____________________ State:________
Zip Code:________________
Telephone:_______________
Send cash, money order, or check (payable to R. P. Gage) to...
RPG Software Farm P.O. Box 9221 Columbus, MS 39705-9221
++---------------------------------------------------------------
Comments:________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
The Professional Master Key Utilities
Programs that open the doors into your MS-DOS disks
User's Guide To Operation
Version 2.0
RPG Software Farm
P.O. Box 9221
Columbus, MS 39705-9221
Copyright (C) 1986, 1987 by R. P. Gage
All rights reserved
Document revision: November 2, 1987
The Professional Master Key Utilities -- Version 2.0
Copyright (c) 1986, 1987 by R. P. Gage, all rights reserved.
Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liabilities
The words, "The Professional Master Key Utilities," "the
utilities," and "the programs," refer to the following executable
files:
PMK.EXE ........... Professional Master Key, version 2.1
FD.EXE ............ Fill Disk, version 2.0
INSTALL.EXE ....... Installation for all PMK programs
PMK-MENU.EXE ...... PMK Master Menu
UF.EXE ............ Un Format, version 2.0
ZERODISK.EXE ...... Zero Disk, version 2.0
ZEROFILE.EXE ...... Zero File, version 2.0
The Professional Master Key Utilities and this documentation
are distributed with no express or implied warranty.
There is no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose
offered. You, as the user, are advised to experiment and become
familiar with all of the programs before relying on them. You
assume all risk for the use and operation of these programs.
You alone are responsible for any loss of profits, loss of
savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out
of the correct or incorrect use of these programs, even if RPG
Software Farm is advised of the possibility of any damages due to
a defect in any program.
RPG Software Farm does not warrant that this documentation
is accurate, or that any of The Professional Master Key Utilities
programs will operate as they were claimed or designed.
By using any of the programs composing The Professional
Master Key Utilities programs you agree to the above limitations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
DESQview is a trademark of Quarterdeck Office Systems.
IBM, TopView, and PC-DOS are trademarks of International
Business Machines Corporation.
MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows are trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Professional Master Key Utilities are not related to and
should not be confused with the commercial program, MASTER*KEY,
sold by Sharpe Systems Corporation.
The Professional Master Key Utilities -- Version 2.0
Copyright (c) 1986, 1987 by R. P. Gage, all rights reserved.
User Supported Software Registration Agreement
The Professional Master Key Utilities are not public domain
or free software. The Professional Master Key Utilities are
copyrighted programs supported by you, the users that find these
programs productive!
If you benefited in some way from The Professional Master
Key Utilities or make regular use of any of the programs, please
register your copy for $25. Registered users are sent a program
disk containing the latest release of the programs, documentation
(on disk, ready for printing), and published announcements of
future releases of The Professional Master Key Utilities.
If the user of The Professional Master Key Utilities is a
commercial or governmental organization, the registration fee
must be paid for each computer The Professional Master Key Utili-
ties is used on.
User Supported Software Distribution Agreement
Anyone not charging a "duplication" fee, individual or non-
profit user group, may freely copy and share The Professional
Master Key Utilities. All program and documentation files must
be distributed together and must not be modified in any way.
User Supported Software or Shareware distributors or anyone
charging a fee to duplicate or distribute a disk containing The
Professional Master Key Utilities must receive written approval
from RPG Software Farm before collecting any money in exchange
for a disk containing The Professional Master Key Utilities. In
no case should any fee exceed $7.50.
The Professional Master Key Utilities may not be distributed
by any "for-profit" user group, commercially, or with any commer-
cial product without prior written approval.
Table Of Contents
Page
Introduction to the Utilities .......................... 1
System Requirements ............................... 4
User Requirements ................................. 5
Conventions Used .................................. 6
Installing The Professional Master Key Utilities ....... 7
Professional Master Key ................................ 10
Selecting a File .................................. 12
Alter Files ....................................... 14
Change Disk ....................................... 15
Disk Edit ......................................... 16
Erase Files ....................................... 20
File Edit ......................................... 21
Information ....................................... 22
Locate Files ...................................... 23
Map Disk/Files .................................... 24
Quit .............................................. 25
Rename Files ...................................... 26
Undelete Files .................................... 27
Fill Disk .............................................. 30
PMK Master Menu ........................................ 32
Un Format .............................................. 34
Zero Disk .............................................. 38
Zero File .............................................. 40
Appendix A: Error Messages ............................ 42
Professional Master Key ........................... 44
Fill Disk ......................................... 47
Install ........................................... 48
PMK Master Menu ................................... 49
Un Format ......................................... 50
Zero Disk ......................................... 52
Zero File ......................................... 53
Appendix B: Future Directions ......................... 54
Introduction to the Utilities
Introduction to the Utilities
The Professional Master Key Utilities are an evolving group
of programs designed to open the doors into your MS-DOS disks.
They give you the flexibility, ease of use, and power to manipu-
late and change your disks in many ways that you weren't able to
previously.
The present version of these programs, version 2.0, has
considerably improved since the last released version. All the
programs were rewritten in the C programming language to take
advantage of that language's features. Because of the complete
revision, the programs are much faster, more powerful, and use
less memory.
The number of programs in the utilities has also grown from
four to seven. This growth makes the programs easier to use and
increases their value to you. You can now run all of the utili-
ties from one menu, so you won't have to remember all of the
commands. There is also an installation program that lets you
configure the options and colors of the programs in any way you
want.
Professional Master Key (PMK). PMK is much more than a mere
sector editor. It also edits, manipulates, renames, erases, and
most importantly undeleted files. The features packed into ver-
sion 2.1 of PMK include:
-- Access any MS-DOS disk available. Any sized floppy disk,
any sized hard disk, any sized RAM disk, and any other
physical or virtual disk accessed through a device
driver can be used. The only limitation on a disk is
that its sector size cannot exceed 2048 bytes.
-- Access any file or sub-directory in any sub-directory on
these disks. The status of a file or sub-directory is
not important. PMK can easily access all Hidden, Read-
Only, and System files.
-- Edit all sectors on a disk. The disk is edited on a
sector by sector basis, giving full access, either
sequentially or randomly, to any available sector on
the disk. The editing display now includes both the
sector number and cursor offset within the sector.
-- Edit all sectors within any file or sub-directory on the
disk. Files are also edited by sector, giving full
access to any sector in the file or sub-directory in a
sequential or random manner.
-- Search sequentially for and go immediately to any ASCII
text up to 70 characters long or any hex data up to 35
words long while editing a disk or file.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 1
Introduction to the Utilities
-- Quickly display a graphical map of total disk usage and
free space, as well as a map of the location of any
file on the disk.
-- Change any of the file attributes for any file or sub-
directory on a disk. This includes Read-Only, Hidden,
System and Archive status as well as the date and time
of creation.
-- Find any file or sub-directory on a disk matching an
ambiguous (like *.BAT) or unambiguous (PMK.EXE) file
specification, including Hidden and System files.
-- Rename any file or sub-directory on a disk.
-- Erase any file on a disk, including Read-Only files.
-- Undelete any file or sub-directory on a disk that is able
to be undeleted.
Fill Disk. Fill Disk writes any message you wish on all of
the free sectors on a disk leaving existing files untouched. It
can also zero out all of the unused sectors, removing all traces
of any old file data. The uses of Fill Disk are many, ranging
from stamping a hard disk with your name and address (to provide
you with a positive means of identifying it in the event of a
theft) to merely leaving yourself a message on the disk.
Install. Finally, there is an easy way to configure The
Professional Master Key Utilities to look and run the way you
want them to. The installation program lets you reconfigure the
colors displayed. You can also change the default settings for
the /Mono and /Slow options to make the utilities run better on
your computer.
PMK Master Menu. PMK Master Menu makes running the programs
easier and helps new users learn how the utilities work. As each
program in The Professional Master Key Utilities is highlighted,
a brief narration on it is shown describing what its function is
and options it has. Then, the program can run just as it would
from the MS-DOS command line, with or without options.
Un Format. Protecting against accidentally formatting a
hard disk is what Un Format is all about. When used regularly it
protects hard disk users from losing many of their files and data
after an accidental hard disk format. After a surprising format
of your hard disk, Un Format, when used properly, quickly and
easily restores the hard disk to the state it was in before it
was formatted.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 2
Introduction to the Utilities
Zero Disk. Zero Disk removes all traces of all data from a
disk. Unlike Fill Disk, which can optionally zero unused sectors
of a file while leaving all existing files untouched, Zero Disk
completely eliminates all existing files along with everything
else. If you want to make sure an old disk can't be dissected
for confidential data, zero that disk.
Zero File. Zero File removes all traces of a file's current
data from your disk. A file deleted by MS-DOS could later be
recovered on the disk using PMK. However, a file zeroed with
Zero File cannot be recovered, in any way, from that disk. A
file's current data is completely eliminated from your disk. By
using Zero File along with Fill Disk, you can make sure that no
trace of a sensitive file's data, new or old, remains anywhere on
your disk.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 3
Introduction to the Utilities System Requirements
System Requirements
To run, The Professional Master Key Utilities require the
following "standard" equipment:
a computer ............. IBM PC/XT/AT or somewhat compatible
an operating system .... MS-DOS or PC-DOS 2.0 or later
a monitor .............. Monochrome, Color, Enhanced
memory ................. 128k free (above operating system)
disk drives ............ virtually anything
Computer. Any computer that uses MS-DOS as an operating
system and is at least compatible on a BIOS level with IBM PC
computers should run The Professional Master Key Utilities with-
out any problem. Computers that are 100% IBM PC compatible will
operate considerably faster due to direct screen writing for
video output.
Operating system. The Professional Master Key Utilities
will work correctly when using MS-DOS or PC-DOS version 2.0 or
later. Additionally, The Professional Master Key Utilities have
successfully run under the TopView, DESQview, and Microsoft Win-
dows operating environments. In all cases, The Professional
Master Key Utility programs run in a separate window allowing
simultaneous use with other programs.
Monitor. If your computer has a monitor and a display
adapter, chances are that they work fine with The Professional
Master Key Utilities. If you have a color monitor and color
display adapter, the screen displays are in color. If you have a
monochrome monitor/adapter or a color monitor/adapter in a black
and white mode, the screen displays are in monochrome.
Memory. This shouldn't be much of a consideration due to
the relatively inexpensive cost of RAM. However, as a minimum,
The Professional Master Key Utilities require 128k of free memory
above that required by the operating system. More free memory is
desired, but is usually only necessary when you are using a hard
disk that contains many files and sub-directories.
Disk drives. Again, if your computer has and uses disk
drives, chances are that they will work without any problems with
The Professional Master Key Utilities. Each of the programs can
work with and use virtually any MS-DOS disk your system has.
This includes 160k, 180k, 320k, 360k, and 1.2MB floppy drives;
hard disks drives; RAM disks; and physical or virtual disk drives
accessed by a device driver.
What these requirements end up meaning to is there is a very
good probability that The Professional Master Key Utilities will
run on any MS-DOS computer, yours included, with at least 128k of
RAM available.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 4
Introduction to the Utilities User Requirements
User Requirements
To use The Professional Master Key Utilities, you are also
required to have at least some of the following:
experience ............... an intermediate to advanced level
a desire to learn ........ and a will to discover what's new
respect .................. for the power you now have
Experience. The Professional Master Key Utilities programs
are designed to be as easy and straightforward to use as possi-
ble. Because of that, anyone can use the utilities, a "first day
beginner" or a "seasoned master." However, due to the concepts
and difficulty involved with explaining the operation and physi-
cal layout of disks, some experience is desired.
A desire to learn. Experience isn't always required. If
you don't have a lot of experience but have a big will to learn
more about what's on a disk and how it works, you have definitely
come to the right place. The Professional Master Key Utilities
will help you to learn more about disks every day you use any of
the programs.
If you have absolutely no knowledge about disks, please read
a book or two that discusses them before making a plunge into the
depths of your disks. Nearly any book discussing MS-DOS will
help. Not only will this help you understand what is going on,
but it will make you more aware of what shouldn't be altered.
Respect. A healthy respect for the power you have with The
Professional Master Key Utilities is likely the most important
user requirement. You can be a little short on experience and
low on a big desire to learn, but you must be aware that making
blind modifications, especially with PMK, may render your disks
useless. To give you the most flexibility, the utilities usually
assume that any changes you are make are the correct ones.
Experimenting with these utilities to learn more about them
and your disks is fine, but please also take some precautions.
Make a copy of your floppy disk or back up your hard disk before
making any changes. This is important if you aren't sure that
what you may be doing is what you want to do. Be cautious about
modifying the boot sector, FAT sectors, and any directory, unless
you are certain of your changes and their results.
These user requirements aren't as stringent as the system
requirements, but they are just as important. What you may lack
in one requirement, you should make up for in another. The
bottom line is to be careful and make sure you want what you ask
for.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 5
Introduction to the Utilities Conventions Used
Conventions Used
To make using The Professional Master Key Utilities and this
documentation clearer, here are descriptions of the notational
conventions used:
[ ] Square brackets. When a program option appears within
square brackets that option may be omitted. An option
not enclosed in square brackets may not be omitted. Do
not type the brackets when specifying an option.
< > Angled brackets. Words shown inside angled brackets
are descriptions of an option, such as a file name or a
message. An option inside angled brackets is needed
unless it is also within square brackets. Again, do
not type the brackets when specifying an option.
When a program is running, key names are also enclosed
within angled brackets to describe a key to press. An
example of this exists in the main menu of PMK where,
in part, the text states, "... then pressing <ENTER>."
This wording, in this example, means to press the Enter
key and not the letters <, E, N, T, E, R, and >. The
F10 and End keys are also referred to in this way (ie.,
as <F10> and <END>).
| Vertical bar. A vertical bar represents an either/or
situation. One of the words surrounding a vertical bar
should be typed as an option. If "ON | OFF" is shown,
it means that either ON or OFF should be entered, but
not both. Do not type the vertical bar when specifying
an option.
^ Caret. A caret represents the control key. It is
always shown preceding a key and means to hold down the
control key and press the key specified. Thus, when
"^Home" is shown, it means to hold down the control key
and press the Home key.
Within this document, the words <LEFT>, <RIGHT>, <DOWN>, and
<UP> refer to the left arrow, right arrow, up arrow, and down
arrow. The words or lettering that appears on a key describes
every other key.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 6
Installing The Professional Master Key Utilities
Installing The Professional Master Key Utilities
The installation program for The Professional Master Key
Utilities is able to change the colors and default options for
any of the programs in the utilities.
For most people, installing the utilities won't be necessary
if each program runs without problems. However, install the
utilities to better meet your liking if you don't agree with my
selection of colors or need to use the /Mono or /Slow options
whenever you run a program.
The complete command to run the installation program is:
INSTALL [/Mono ON | OFF | AUTO] [/Slow ON | OFF]
Examples:
INSTALL
accept the current defaults for /Mono and /Slow as
they exist in INSTALL.EXE and use those defaults
when installing the other programs
INSTALL /Mono ON
display all screens in monochrome and install the
other programs to display in monochrome; install
using the default for /Slow
INSTALL /Mono OFF /Slow ON
display in colors using BIOS screen writing funct-
ions and install these settings in the other pro-
grams
INSTALL /Mono AUTO /Slow OFF
display all screens in color if a color display is
found, writing text directly to the screen
Changing Options
To change one of the options in a program, type the desired
option on the command line when running Install.
/Mono (Toggle monochrome). Whenever you want all screens
displayed in monochrome set the /Mono option ON.
With the /Mono option ON, text is displayed in monochrome
regardless of whether your display can show colors. When the
/Mono option is OFF, displays are always in vibrant living color.
When the /Mono option is AUTO, displays will be in color when a
color display is detected or monochrome when a color display
isn't found. The default setting for the /Mono option in the
distribution files is AUTO.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 7
Installing The Professional Master Key Utilities
/Slow (Toggle direct screen writing). Whenever you want all
screen writing done using BIOS function calls, set the /Slow
option ON.
With the /Slow option ON, all screen writing is done using
BIOS function calls. This method of display is slower, but will
let computers that aren't 100% IBM compatible run the utilities.
The /Slow option also may need to be ON to run the programs from
within a windowing operating environment.
When the /Slow option is OFF, all screen writing is done
directly to the screen. The default /Slow option in the distri-
bution files is OFF; to write directly to the screen.
If your computer is not 100% IBM compatible, you may need to
configure the programs to use the BIOS screen writing method. If
the utilities don't seem to run on your computer, try running or
installing them with the /Slow option ON.
Changing Colors
Modifying default color settings is fairly easy. After
starting Install, highlight the menu selection, "Change default
program colors," and press Enter.
The utilities have six color categories, listed below. The
colors for each of the categories can be changed to any available
foreground and background color.
The six color categories are:
Window Border Color
Border Text Color
Informational Text Color
General Text Color
Cursor Color
Changed Data Color
Only one color category at a time can be changed. Select
which category to change by pressing Enter until that category is
available for modification. If you wanted to change the Cursor
Color, press Enter until you see:
Currently changing: Cursor Color
Once the desired color category is selected, you can change
its colors. Modify foreground colors using <UP> and <DOWN>.
Change background colors using <LEFT> and <RIGHT>. The sample
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 8
Installing The Professional Master Key Utilities
display of the current color category is updated to show its
current colors, as they are changed.
Press F10 when you have changed all the colors you can stand
and want to return to the menu.
Installing the Programs
When the options and colors are set, install each program,
one at a time, by highlighting the appropriate menu selection and
pressing Enter.
As each program is installed, gears will grind, steam will
blow, and your disk drive will spin. In a few moments, the
program selected is installed. The next time that program runs,
the default options and colors are set just as you wanted.
INSTALL.EXE can also be installed. After selecting Quit, if
you have changed any options or colors, Install will ask you if
you want to save all of the changes made. Press 'Y' and Install
will be installed, like the rest of the programs.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 9
Professional Master Key
Professional Master Key
Professional Master Key, obviously the flagship program in
The Professional Master Key Utilities, is a collection of useful
disk tools bundled into one easy to use program. It's a powerful
program that has many useful features.
The complete command to run Professional Master Key from your
MS-DOS prompt is:
PMK [/Mono ON | OFF | AUTO] [/Slow ON | OFF] [d:]
Examples:
PMK
accept current defaults for /Mono and /Slow; set
the working drive to the currently logged drive
PMK /Slow ON A:
display using BIOS screen writing functions; set
the working drive to A:
PMK B:
accept current defaults; set the working drive to
B:
/Mono (Toggle monochrome). Whenever you want all screens
displayed in monochrome set the /Mono option ON.
With the /Mono option ON, text is displayed in monochrome
regardless of whether your display can show colors. When the
/Mono option is OFF, displays are always in vibrant living color.
When the /Mono option is AUTO, displays will be in color when a
color display is detected or monochrome when a color display
isn't found. The default setting for the /Mono option in the
distribution files is AUTO.
/Slow (Toggle direct screen writing). Whenever you want all
screen writing done using BIOS function calls, set the /Slow
option ON.
With the /Slow option ON, all screen writing is done using
BIOS function calls. This method of display is slower, but will
let computers that aren't 100% IBM compatible run the utilities.
The /Slow option also may need to be ON to run the programs from
within a windowing operating environment.
When the /Slow option is OFF, all screen writing is done
directly to the screen. The default /Slow option in the distri-
bution files is OFF; to write directly to the screen.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 10
Professional Master Key
d: (Set current drive). Entering a drive letter from the
MS-DOS prompt sets the current working drive to d:. The drive
letter must be a valid drive letter for your system. If d: is not
a valid drive letter or if it is omitted, PMK sets the current
working drive to the currently logged drive.
The Main Menu
Once running, the main menu appears. The information in the
main menu should include the name of this program and version
number (2.0), all function descriptions, current working drive,
and RPG Software Farm's address and copyright.
Currently, there are eleven functions available from the
main menu. They are:
Alter Files
Change Disk
Disk Edit
Erase Files
File Edit
Information
Locate Files
Map Disk/Files
Quit
Rename Files
Undelete Files
Select one of these functions by moving the highlighted bar
with <UP> and <DOWN>. Press Enter when the bar highlights the
function you want to execute. An alternative, easier method of
selecting a function is to type the first letter of the function
name (a, c, d, e, f, i, l, m, q, r, or u) and press Enter.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 11
Professional Master Key Selecting a file
Selecting a file
Since a file must be selected for six of the ten functions,
choosing what file to work with is vital for using Professional
Master Key well. Luckily, choosing a file is very easy and al-
most doesn't need description.
What is a file and a sub-directory?
Before beginning, the definition of the word "file" in this
document needs a little clarification to avoid confusion.
A file, as defined and viewed by Professional Master Key and
MS-DOS, is a name and all data associated with that name. This
is just as you would expect and have been expecting it to be all
along.
A sub-directory is essentially just a file. This may seem
confusing since we typically view and treat a sub-directory very
differently from a file. However, because of the way MS-DOS
creates, accesses, and uses them, sub-directories should also be
viewed logically as special files. To give you more power to
manipulate your disks, PMK processes sub-directories as it would
files.
Functions using files treat files and sub-directories equal-
ly. All functions working with files can be used to manipulate
sub-directories within Professional Master Key with equal ease,
with a few exceptions, discussed later.
Whenever the word "file" appears within this document, it
refers equally to a sub-directory. The opposite is not true
however. The word "sub-directory" does not likewise refer to a
file.
Selecting a directory
Once a function requiring a file is selected (Alter Files,
Erase Files, File Edit, Map Disk/Files, Rename Files, or Undelete
Files), PMK checks to see if the current working drive's direc-
tory is in memory. If the directory isn't in memory, PMK now
reads the working drive's complete directory. As it is working,
the following message is displayed:
Reading directory information...
Reading a drive's directory may take a little time, all
depending on how many files and sub-directories are on the drive
and how quickly the drive operates. In any case, be patient and
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 12
Professional Master Key Selecting a file
after a moment, PMK will finish.
After the entire directory is in memory, it is displayed.
Use <UP>, <DOWN>, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End to move the high-
lighted cursor to select a sub-directory. <UP> and <DOWN> move
the highlighted bar to the previous and next sub-directory. PgUp
and PgDn move the bar up and down to the previous screen and
next screen of sub-directories. Home and End move the high-
lighted bar to the first and last sub-directory available.
Press Enter to accept the highlighted sub-directory or press
F10 to return to the main menu.
If your disk doesn't have any sub-directories, selecting a
sub-directory is skipped.
Selecting a file
After selecting a sub-directory, PMK again checks to see if
files in that sub-directory are currently in memory. If they
aren't, PMK will again access the disk, showing the message:
Reading file information...
Select the file to work with in a similar manner, using
<UP>, <DOWN>, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 13
Professional Master Key Alter Files
Alter Files
The Alter Files function changes the attributes, date, and
time for any file on the current working drive. You can give a
file hidden, read-only, or system attributes with equal ease. A
file's date and time of creation can be changed as well with very
little effort.
Select the initial file to work with once within the Alter
Files function.
Changing an attribute
To change one of the file's attributes (Read Only, Hidden,
System, or Archive), move the highlighted bar with <DOWN> and
<UP>. Press Enter to toggle the highlighted attribute on or off.
When an attribute is on, it is set or in an active state.
Changing the date or time
Changing the time or date differs from changing an attri-
bute. Once the date or time field is highlighted, press any key
to tell PMK you want to change the contents of that field.
Upon pressing any key (when the date or time field is high-
lighted), a cursor appears within the highlighted bar. Type in
the new date or time (only valid numbers are accepted). Move the
cursor to a different location using <LEFT> and <RIGHT>. <UP>,
<DOWN>, or Enter ends your changes to the date or time.
Saving any changes
Press End to save changes made to a file's attributes, date,
or time. If the attributes aren't saved, the columns, "Current
File Attributes" and "Altered File Attributes," show different
information. After pressing End, they are identical.
When finished changing attributes, pressing F10 returns you
to the main menu.
Selecting a new file
When not actually editing the date or time fields, pressing
<LEFT> or <RIGHT> changes the file you are working with to the
previous or next file in the directory. If a new file is selec-
ted in this manner (using <LEFT> or <RIGHT>), any changes made to
the previous file are NOT automatically saved.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 14
Professional Master Key Change Disk
Change Disk
The Change Disk function has two major designs. The first
and most obvious is it switches the current working drive to any
other available drive. The second less obvious function is that
it also clears recorded file and directory information PMK has
about the current drive, making it start over from scratch the
next time a file is accessed.
Changing to another drive
Whenever you need to work with a disk other than the current
working drive, select Change Disk and switch the current working
drive.
Pressing Enter with Change Disk highlighted opens a window
showing:
There are 7 logical drives available, A: to G:. Enter a
letter from A to G to change the current working drive
to any of the available drives.
Press <F10> to keep the current drive and information.
To change the current working drive, do as it says and type
a letter in the range shown. In this example, you could type any
of the letters in the range A to G.
If you selected Change Disk by mistake, exit the function by
pressing F10. Doing so keeps PMK from clearing all recorded file
and directory information about the current drive.
Changing floppy disks
Whenever you change floppy disks in a floppy disk drive, use
Change Disk to tell PMK to clear all recorded file and directory
information on the old disk. Change the current working drive
back to the same floppy disk drive once the new disk is in place.
If you forget to select Change Disk after switching floppy disks,
PMK will still think the old floppy disk is present. When this
happens, PMK won't act properly in any of the file functions.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 15
Professional Master Key Disk Edit
Disk Edit
The Disk Edit function lets you see and change what actually
is actually stored on your disks, on a sector by sector basis.
Sectors can be accessed either sequentially or randomly. The
disk can also be searched for text.
After selecting Disk Edit, PMK reads and displays the first
sector on the working drive. The sector is shown in both ASCII
and hex codes in the 24 character wide format.
Once editing the disk, a variety of function keys, arrow
keys, movement keys, and other keys become effective. These keys
and their functions are described in a section below.
Getting help
F1 (display help). Whenever editing the disk, Function key
F1 opens a window showing a summary for each of the function
keys. This summary won't take the place of the descriptions that
follow. Instead, it will merely state what each function key
does.
Display formats
Del (Toggle 16/24 wide display format). Since version 2.0
of Professional Master Key, two display formats are available for
editing your disks, each better suited for different tasks.
Pressing the Del key switches between these two display formats.
The current display format, 24 wide or 16 wide, is shown at the
bottom of the screen.
The default display format is 24 bytes wide. Each row shown
contains 24 bytes. Most sector editing is best done using this
format because it displays a complete 512 byte sector on the
screen.
An alternate display format, better suited for raw directory
editing is selected by pressing Del. This format, 16 bytes wide,
makes directory editing much easier since each directory entry
(32 bytes) is seen in exactly two rows. A disadvantage to this
format is that it only displays 256 bytes on the screen.
Ins (Toggle ASCII format). In addition to the two display
formats, there are also two ASCII formats. The Ins key switches
between them. The current ASCII format, Standard or Extended, is
shown at the bottom of the screen.
The default ASCII format is to show only standard ASCII
characters. In this format, all bytes in the sector having a
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 16
Professional Master Key Disk Edit
value less than 20 hex or greater than 7E hex are represented on
the ASCII side of the display by a period (".").
In the other mode, toggled with Ins, all ASCII characters,
both standard and extended are displayed.
Moving around the disk
PgUp (Advance a sector). The PgUp key changes the current
sector to the next available sector on the disk. If already at
the last sector, PgUp wraps around to the first sector on the
disk.
When the sector being edited is too large to fit on one
screen in the current display format, PgUp responds in a slightly
different manner. In this situation, PgUp displays the next part
of the sector for editing. When editing the last part of the
sector, PgUp changes the sector as stated above.
PgDn (Back up a sector). The PgDn key changes the current
sector to the previous sector. When at the first sector, PgDn
wraps around to the last sector on the disk.
If the sector being edited is too large to fit on one screen
in the current display format, PgDn displays the previous part of
that sector for editing. If editing the first part of a sector,
the PgDn key changes the sector as stated above.
F3 (Go to any sector randomly). Function key F3 lets you
go to any available sector randomly. After pressing F3, a window
opens showing the valid range for sector numbers. Enter a number
in the range shown, or press F10 to exit that function and remain
at the current sector.
F4 (Go to a previous sector). Function key F4 gets and
displays the previous sector edited. PMK keeps track of the last
five sectors that were displayed. After moving to another sec-
tor, pressing F4 repeatedly will bring back to one of those five
sectors.
F7 (Go to start of disk). Function key F7 changes the
current sector being edited to the first sector on the disk,
always sector 0.
F8 (Go to end of disk). Function key F8 changes the current
sector being edited to the last available sector on the disk.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 17
Professional Master Key Disk Edit
Editing a sector
Making a change within a sector is easy. Just go to the
desired sector, place the cursor on the desired byte, and type
away. The cursor advances automatically as changes are made.
Any changes are highlighted on the screen.
All ASCII characters can be entered while the cursor is on
the ASCII half of the display. Only valid hex characters (0 to 9
and A through F) can be entered while the cursor is on the hex
side of the display.
F2 (Toggle Hex/ASCII cursor). Function key F2 moves the
blinking cursor from the hex or ASCII half of the display, to the
other side. The cursor stays at the same offset within the
sector that it was at previously, it just goes over to the other
side for different editing.
<UP> (Move cursor up). The up arrow moves the cursor up one
row within the display. When at the first row, <UP> wraps the
cursor around to the last row in the display.
<DOWN> (Move cursor down). The down arrow moves the cursor
down one row within the display. If at the last row, <DOWN>
wraps the cursor around to the first row.
<RIGHT> (Move cursor right). The right arrow key moves the
cursor to the right. When at the last byte in a row, <RIGHT>
moves the cursor to the first byte in the next row.
<LEFT> (Move cursor left). The left arrow moves the cursor
to the left. When the cursor is at the first byte, <LEFT> moves
the cursor to the last byte in the previous row.
Saving or discarding changes
Any changes made to a sector in the display must be saved to
be made permanent on the disk. If a sector hasn't been written
to the disk, it still shows highlighted bytes.
PMK won't let you accidentally lose changes made to a
sector. If you accidentally press a function key or forget to
save a sector's changes before moving to another sector, PMK will
ask if you'd like to save your work first.
^Home and Home (Reread current sector). The Home key forces
PMK to reread the current sector from disk. ^Home does the same
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 18
Professional Master Key Disk Edit
thing, but discards any changes without asking to save them.
This function key is used mainly to get a fresh copy of a
sector into memory after making too many unwanted changes to a
sector. After pressing Home, PMK discards any changes made and
displays a new copy of the current sector.
^End and End (Write current sector). The End key saves the
changes made to the sector being displayed. ^End does the same,
but saves your changes without asking.
Searching for text
F5 (Search for ASCII text). Function key F5 lets you search
for ASCII text anywhere on the disk. After pressing F5, a window
opens on the screen. Enter any text up to 70 characters long to
search for. The case of the string entered doesn't matter. PMK
looks for both upper and lower case text at the same time. Press
F10 to skip searching for any text.
All searching starts from the current cursor position within
the displayed sector and goes forward until the text is found or
the end of the disk. The text search can be stopped at any time
by pressing F10.
F6 (Search for Hex data). Function key F6 lets you search
for hex data anywhere on the disk. After pressing F6, a window
opens so you can enter any hex data up to 35 words (byte pairs)
long. All hex data searches are exact. No case conversion is
done on those bytes which may be ASCII characters.
Hex data should be always entered in words and not by single
bytes. Should the second byte in the last word entered be left
out, it is assumed to be 0 (zero). For example, to search for
the bytes "CD 21," enter "CD21." When "CD2" is accidentally
entered, the bytes, "CD 20" are searched for.
Miscellaneous
F9 (Display disk information). Function key F9 opens a
window screen showing technical information on the current drive.
This display is the same as that shown by the Information funct-
ion.
F10 (Return to the main menu). Function key F10 stops edit-
ing and returns you to the main menu.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 19
Professional Master Key Erase Files
Erase Files
The Erase Files function is used to erase any file on the
working drive. Any file can be erased by this function, inclu-
ding Read-Only, Hidden, and System files. A file's attributes
don't matter, however, Professional Master Key currently won't
allow sub-directories to be erased.
Upon selecting Erase Files, choose the sub-directory to get
files from then the initial file to erase. Press F10 if you want
to exit to the main menu.
Then, after choosing a file, a window opens displaying:
The file, "OLD-FILE.NAM" will be deleted.
Press "Y" to delete the file.
Press "S" to skip deleting this file.
Press <F10> to exit to the main menu.
If "Y" is now pressed, the file, "OLD-FILE.NAM" will be
erased from the disk. If "S" is pressed, the file will not be
erased. Pressing F10, as always, returns you to the main menu.
After Professional Master Key finishes erasing a file, it
returns you to the file selection screen to select another file
to erase. This repeats until there are no files left in the sub-
directory or you eventually press F10.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 20
Professional Master Key File Edit
File Edit
The File Edit function is related to the Disk Edit function.
The main difference is that File Edit lets you see and change
only what is in a file and not the entire disk.
After selecting File Edit, choose the sub-directory to get
files from and then get the initial file to edit. Press F10 to
return to the main menu.
Then, once a file is selected, the first sector in the file
is shown and is displayed in the 24 character wide format.
All function keys, arrow keys, movement keys, and other keys
act similarly as they did in the Disk Edit function.
The only keys that function slightly differently are the
keys in the sections, "Moving around the disk" and "Searching for
text." Each of the keys in these sections work as described in
the Disk Edit function with the exception that they change the
current sector displayed to another sector within the file, not a
sector anywhere on the disk. Specifically, these keys are:
F3 (Go to any sector randomly).
F7 (Go to start of file).
F8 (Go to end of file).
PgUp (Advance a sector).
PgDn (Back up a sector).
F5 (Search for ASCII text).
F6 (Search for Hex data).
Also, the relative sector number being edited is displayed,
not the actual sector number on the disk. The first relative
sector number for a file is always 1, no matter where the start
of the file physically is.
Like Disk Edit, pressing F10 returns you to the main menu.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 21
Professional Master Key Information
Information
MS-DOS hides most information it has available on its disks.
Pressing Enter while Information is highlighted shows much of
what MS-DOS is hiding along with some other details that are both
useful and good to know.
Upon selecting Information, a window opens displaying the
following data. The numbers shown differ depending on the format
and size of the disk being used. This example shows a standard,
newly formatted 360K floppy disk.
Information On Drive A:
Disk capacity information...
360 Kilobytes total disk capacity possible
354 Kilobytes disk capacity available (100% free).
Disk logical dimensions...
512 Bytes in each sector.
719 Sectors existing on the entire disk.
708 Data Sectors possible for file usage on the disk.
2 Data Sectors exist in each Data Cluster.
354 Data Clusters possible for file usage on the disk.
1 Reserved Sector(s) at the beginning of the disk.
2 FAT copies available, each using 2 sectors.
112 Files allowed in the Root Directory.
Start of all FAT sectors: sector 1
Start of the Root Directory: sector 5
Start of all Data Sectors: sector 12
Press any key to return to the main menu.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 22
Professional Master Key Locate Files
Locate Files
Locate Files finds and displays all files on the working
drive matching any file specification. Locate Files helps users
of hard and floppy disks to find several copies of a file in
different places on one disk, to find the location of an indi-
vidual file, or just to see all files on a disk easily.
When Locate Files is chosen, a window opens displaying a few
lines of help and the following prompt:
Filename: * .*
Enter the file(s) to search for. The wildcards ? and * can
be used as they would be with MS-DOS, as wildcards in the name to
match. Press F10 to return to the main menu without locating any
files.
<LEFT> and <RIGHT> move the cursor to a specific location in
the name to make changes. Tab moves the cursor from the filename
to the extension part of the name and vice versa. Press Enter
when the file specification has been entered.
After pressing Enter, PMK lists all files matching the file
specification given (reading sub-directories as it searches). At
the end of every screen full of files it pauses waiting for any
key to be pressed.
When paused, press F10 to stop the display and return to the
main menu or any other key to continue listing matching files.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 23
Professional Master Key Map Disk/Files
Map Disk/Files
The Map Disk/Files function quickly shows a graphical map of
the total disk usage and free space for the working disk. It can
later display, in the same graphical format, where a file is
located on the working disk and can give a visual indication of
the file's fragmentation.
Mapping an entire disk
After selecting Map Disk/Files, Professional Master Key
works at creating the graphical map of total disk usage for the
working disk. On hard and floppy disks, this happens relatively
quickly.
Along with the graphical map, the amount of free disk space
(in percent of total disk capacity), and the number of clusters
represented by each symbol is displayed.
When mapping lower capacity disks, such as floppy disks and
RAM disks, each symbol in the map represents one cluster. How-
ever, due to the limited space on the screen each cluster cannot
be shown for disks with very many clusters, such as hard disks.
For disks that have more than 500 clusters, each symbol
stands for several clusters. On my hard disk, each symbol repre-
sents twenty clusters.
Hard disk users should not be alarmed if this map shows
several areas containing bad clusters. This is normal on hard
disks.
Mapping individual files
After the disk map is shown, press Enter to map file usage.
Any other key returns you to the main menu.
Select a directory and initial file as described earlier.
Once the initial file is selected, <LEFT> and <RIGHT> changes the
file being mapped to the previous and next file in the current
directory. Pressing Ins while mapping files lets you select
another directory.
Along with the graphical map, the amount of free disk space
(in percent of total disk capacity), information on the file
mapped, and the number of cluster represented by each symbol is
displayed. While mapping files, you normally shouldn't see any
bad clusters displayed.
Press F10 to return to the main menu.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 24
Professional Master Key Quit
Quit
Selecting Quit from the main menu ends the execution of
Professional Master Key and returns you to MS-DOS (or other oper-
ating environment, if applicable). It returns to the same drive
and directory that you started in, unless of course you switched
the disk that you started from.
Upon ending PMK, a window opens on the screen showing the
following message:
Professional Master Key is a copyrighted, user supported product!
Registered users are entitled to support, FREE upgrades, and a
program disk with the latest version of The Professional Master
Key Utilities! All for just $25.
=== Thank you for your support! ===
Press any key to close the window and return to MS-DOS.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 25
Professional Master Key Rename Files
Rename Files
The Rename Files function is used to rename any file on the
working drive. Any file can be renamed by this function,
including Hidden and System files. A file's attributes don't
matter.
After selecting Rename Files, choose the sub-directory to
get files from and a file to rename. Press F10 if you want to
exit to the main menu.
After choosing a file a window opens asking you to enter a
new name for the file. If you are trying to rename the file,
"OLD-FILE.NAM," the window would show, along with a few lines of
information, the prompt:
Filename: OLD-FILE.NAM
Type in the new name for the file. Type the new name in
exactly as you want to see it appear in the directory.
If leading or embedded spaces are left in the filename or
extension part of the name (as an example, "Letter 1.txt"), MS-
DOS will have a difficult time accessing the file. The file can
still be used and accessed in a few instances from MS-DOS (and
always from PMK), but a little imagination is involved to do so.
[Leaving embedded spaces in the name is permitted in Professional
Master Key only because you might want to make a file harder to
access. Embedding spaces in a name is definitely one way to make
a file harder to access from MS-DOS.]
The <LEFT> and <RIGHT> keys move the cursor to any position
in the old name. Tab moves the cursor from the name to the
extension part of the name and vice versa. When the name is
changed to what you want, press Enter and you will see:
The file, "OLD-FILE.NAM" will be renamed to "NEW-FILE.NAM"
Press "Y" to rename the file.
Press "R" to re-enter the new file name.
Press "S" to skip renaming this file.
Press <F10> to exit to the main menu.
Press "Y" now to change the old file name to the new name
you typed in. If "S" was pressed, the file won't be renamed and
you will be allowed to select another file. Pressing "R" will
show you the "Filename:" prompt shown above, letting you try to
change the name once more.
Pressing F10, as usual, returns you to the main menu.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 26
Professional Master Key Undelete Files
Undelete Files
Well, you've slipped and erased a file by mistake. It's an
important file. Before using Professional Master Key, you would
have to try to re-create the file if that was possible. Now, you
have the ability to recover the file with a minimum of effort and
continue on as normal by using the Undelete Files function.
What happens to a file as it is erased?
A file that gets erased or deleted actually isn't wiped from
the face of the disk. All of its data is left intact on the
disk. All that gets changed is the FAT and the file's directory
entry.
The FAT is updated to mark all clusters that used to belong
to the file as free clusters. MS-DOS keeps track of the free
clusters in the FAT to determine how much free space remains on a
disk. Until another file is actually written over the clusters
that used to be allocated to the deleted file, all of its old
data remains on the disk.
The file's directory entry is also altered, but in a minor
way. The first character in a file's name is changed to the hex
character E5, the Greek character sigma. This identifies that
directory entry as deleted from that point onward.
How can a file be Undeleted?
Because a file's data is still intact, all that needs to be
done to Undelete it is to rebuild its FAT chain and correct its
file entry. Fixing the file name is trivial, but restoring the
FAT is not.
The FAT isn't designed to be complex. It works on very
simple concepts, but simple to computers. It would become very
tedious very quickly to you or I if we had to rebuild a file's
FAT chain.
Although the file's FAT chain cannot be rebuilt with 100%
certainty, PMK simplifies the process by automatically taking its
best guess about where everything should go. This may not fully
recover a file all of the time, but it is most often the best
method for Undeleting a file.
What about sub-directories?
Professional Master Key, unlike several other programs that
claim to Undelete files, can Undelete sub-directories as well.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 27
Professional Master Key Undelete Files
There is a limitation to doing this however.
Because sub-directories do not have a size stored as part of
its information, PMK has no way of knowing how many clusters it
used to occupy. Whenever a sub-directory is undeleted, only its
first cluster is Undeleted. Any subsequent clusters, if they
existed, will be forever lost.
What affects Undeleting a file?
Successfully Undeleting a file depends on a lot of factors
and a lot of things working right. It is not guaranteed to be
always successful. Two factors, described below, can help or
hinder Undeleting a file.
Time. Normally, trying to Undelete a file immediately after
deleting it will work without a problem. All of its data will
still be intact on the disk and nothing may have been written
over parts of that data.
The chances of being successful in Undeleting a file go down
dramatically with the passage of time since its deletion. If
nothing is written to the disk since the file was deleted, there
is still a very good chance that it can be Undeleted. However,
if some time has passed and several files were saved, it may be
highly unlikely that an deleted file can be fully recovered.
Fragmentation. The chances for a successful Undeletion are
also increased if both the file and disk weren't in a fragmented
state before the file was deleted. Fragmented files are much
more difficult to Undelete successfully.
A file's clusters are normally written consecutively on a
disk when possible. If that isn't possible, its clusters are put
elsewhere on the disk. When a file's clusters aren't stored
consecutively, it is fragmented. Fragmentation typically happens
in large files that get updated often, like databases.
Prevent excessive fragmentation on your disks when this is
possible. Unfragment your entire disk (especially hard disks!)
on a regular basis with any of the many commercial or public
domain programs that claim to unfragment or optimize disks.
Undeleting a file
After selecting Undelete Files, choose the sub-directory to
get deleted files from then the initial file to undelete. Press
F10 if you want to return to the main menu.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 28
Professional Master Key Undelete Files
Then, after selecting a deleted file, the screen clears and
you will see something similar to what is shown below:
Enter the first letter for "eLD-FILE.NAM" to begin undeleting it.
Once the first letter in the file name is entered, the
following messages appear:
The file, "OLD-FILE.NAM" will be undeleted.
Press "Y" to undelete the file.
Press "S" to skip undeleting this file.
Press <F10> to exit to the main menu.
If "Y" was now pressed, PMK will attempt to Undelete the
file OLD-FILE.NAM. If "S" was pressed, the file won't be Un-
deleted.
After Professional Master Key finishes Undeleting a file, it
returns you to the file selection screen for the chance to select
another file to Undelete. This repeats until no deleted files
are left in the sub-directory or you eventually press F10.
Pressing F10 always returns you to the main menu.
The file is Undeleted, is it ok?
If Professional Master Key is successful in Undeleting a
file, all still may not be well. The data it has saved may not
be what was originally in your file. Please check your file (use
the File Edit function) to make sure that it contains the correct
data. Be especially careful if the file you Undeleted is a .COM
or .EXE file.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 29
Fill Disk
Fill Disk
Fill Disk writes any message of your choice on all of the
free sectors on any disk leaving any existing files untouched.
It can also zero all unused sectors, removing all traces of old
file data, still leaving existing files alone.
The complete invocation for Fill Disk is:
FD [/Mono ON | OFF | AUTO] [/Slow ON | OFF] [/Zero] [d:]
[<message>]
Examples:
FD
fills all free sectors on the default disk drive
after letting you type in your message
FD D: This is my computer
fills drive D:'s free sectors with the message,
"This is my computer"
FD /Zero A:
zeroes out all free sectors on drive A:
FD /Zero A: This is my computer
does the same thing, any message is ignored with
the /Zero option
/Mono (Toggle monochrome). Whenever you want all screens
displayed in monochrome set the /Mono option ON.
With the /Mono option ON, text is displayed in monochrome
regardless of whether your display can show colors. When the
/Mono option is OFF, displays are always in vibrant living color.
When the /Mono option is AUTO, displays will be in color when a
color display is detected or monochrome when a color display
isn't found. The default setting for the /Mono option in the
distribution files is AUTO.
/Slow (Toggle direct screen writing). Whenever you want all
screen writing done using BIOS function calls, set the /Slow
option ON.
With the /Slow option ON, all screen writing is done using
BIOS function calls. This method of display is slower, but will
let computers that aren't 100% IBM compatible run the utilities.
The /Slow option also may need to be ON to run the programs from
within a windowing operating environment.
When the /Slow option is OFF, all screen writing is done
directly to the screen. The default /Slow option in the distri-
bution files is OFF; to write directly to the screen.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 30
Fill Disk
/Zero (zero out free sectors). If you want to zero all free
sectors instead of writing a message, use the /Zero option. When
specified, Fill Disk clears out any old file data with the hex
character 00 while leaving existing files intact. Any message
entered before or after the /Zero option is ignored.
d: (drive to fill). This is the drive you want to fill. If
omitted, the default drive is filled with the specified message.
The drive letter, when given, must be valid on your system.
<message>. Any message to write on all free sectors can be
entered from the command line. If omitted, Fill Disk asks you
for the message prior to running.
As Fill Disk runs, it shows an approximate percent of the
free sectors filled. It can be stopped at any time by pressing
F10, which will return you to the MS-DOS prompt.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 31
PMK Master Menu
PMK Master Menu
The PMK Master Menu simplifies the use of The Professional
Master Key Utilities and helps new users quickly learn how the
utilities work. As each program is highlighted, a brief
narration on it is shown detailing what its function is and
options it has. Then, each program can run just as it would from
the MS-DOS command line, with or without options.
The complete invocation for PMK Master Menu is:
PMK-MENU [/Mono ON | OFF | AUTO] [/Slow ON | OFF]
Examples:
PMK-MENU
run the menu program and all selected programs
using their defaults for /Mono and /Slow unless
otherwise specified in a command line
PMK-MENU /Slow ON
use BIOS screen writing for the menu program and
all selected programs
/Mono (Toggle monochrome). Whenever you want all screens
displayed in monochrome set the /Mono option ON.
With the /Mono option ON, text is displayed in monochrome
regardless of whether your display can show colors. When the
/Mono option is OFF, displays are always in vibrant living color.
When the /Mono option is AUTO, displays will be in color when a
color display is detected or monochrome when a color display
isn't found. The default setting for the /Mono option in the
distribution files is AUTO.
/Slow (Toggle direct screen writing). Whenever you want all
screen writing done using BIOS function calls, set the /Slow
option ON.
With the /Slow option ON, all screen writing is done using
BIOS function calls. This method of display is slower, but will
let computers that aren't 100% IBM compatible run the utilities.
The /Slow option also may need to be ON to run the programs from
within a windowing operating environment.
When the /Slow option is OFF, all screen writing is done
directly to the screen. The default /Slow option in the distri-
bution files is OFF; to write directly to the screen.
Once running, PMK-MENU opens several windows on the screen.
The upper left window gives some help on running a program. The
upper right window displays the programs that can be run from the
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 32
PMK Master Menu
menu and highlights the selected program. The middle window
shows the complete command line used to run the selected program.
The lower window briefly describes the options and operation of
the selected program.
Select a program to run by moving the highlighted bar (in
the upper right window) with <UP> and <DOWN>.
As each program is selected, it is briefly described in the
lower window. A program's description includes a summary of its
functions, the complete command to run the program, and sample
commands with comments. These descriptions are intended to serve
mainly as memory aids on how to run the programs. They are not
intended to replace reading this User's Guide.
Once the desired program has been selected, press Space to
add arguments and options to the command, or press Enter to run
the program without any additional arguments.
After pressing Enter, the selected program is loaded into
memory and run normally. Upon its completion, the menu is redis-
played for you to select another program to run.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 33
Un Format
Un Format
Un Format does what may seem impossible, it protects you
against accidental hard disk formats. When used on a regular
basis, it can actually restore a hard disk to its previous state
after accidentally formatting it.
The complete invocation for Un Format is:
UF [/Mono ON | OFF | AUTO] [/Slow ON | OFF] [/Save] d:
Examples:
UF
nothing happens, a drive specification must be
provided
UF /Save C:
save drive C: in the file, "B:\UNFORMAT.PMK"
UF C:
restore drive C: from the file, "B:\UNFORMAT.PMK"
after an accidental format
/Mono (Toggle monochrome). Whenever you want all screens
displayed in monochrome set the /Mono option ON.
With the /Mono option ON, text is displayed in monochrome
regardless of whether your display can show colors. When the
/Mono option is OFF, displays are always in vibrant living color.
When the /Mono option is AUTO, displays will be in color when a
color display is detected or monochrome when a color display
isn't found. The default setting for the /Mono option in the
distribution files is AUTO.
/Slow (Toggle direct screen writing). Whenever you want all
screen writing done using BIOS function calls, set the /Slow
option ON.
With the /Slow option ON, all screen writing is done using
BIOS function calls. This method of display is slower, but will
let computers that aren't 100% IBM compatible run the utilities.
The /Slow option also may need to be ON to run the programs from
within a windowing operating environment.
When the /Slow option is OFF, all screen writing is done
directly to the screen. The default /Slow option in the distri-
bution files is OFF; to write directly to the screen.
/Save (save the disk). The /Save option is used when you
want to protect a hard disk against an accidental format. All
necessary information is written in the file, "B:\UNFORMAT.PMK."
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 34
Un Format
d: (drive to save/recover). This is the drive you want to
protect or recover. It must be specified on the command line.
The drive letter must be a valid drive on your system.
What happens to a disk as it is formatted?
Floppy disks. A floppy disk, when formatted, loses all data
that was on it. When MS-DOS's format program formats a floppy
disk, every track on the disk is initialized and checked for
errors. The initialization process basically recreates every
track on the disk, eliminating what was there before.
Hard disks. When a hard disk is formatted with most ver-
sions of MS-DOS's format program, its data are not destroyed.
The only areas that are modified are the boot sector, FAT, and
root directory.
The MS-DOS format program mainly does two things on a hard
disk: it checks for bad sectors and it initializes the boot
sector, FAT and root directory. It does not physically format
the disk, but checks the state of the disk's format.
How can a hard disk be Un Formatted?
Since no file data is actually modified when a hard disk is
formatted by MS-DOS, all that needs to be done to recover a hard
disk from a format is to rewrite the boot sector, FAT, and root
directory. This is possible only if those areas of the disk have
been previously saved somewhere.
That is really all Un Format does. One part of it saves the
boot sector, FAT, and root directory. Another part writes all of
those sectors back to the disk.
Un Format can only recover from formatting programs that
don't overwrite all of a hard disk's sectors. Most versions of
MS-DOS's format program don't do this.
The exception to this exists with all versions up to 3.2 of
AT&T and Compaq DOS. The format program supplied with these ver-
sions of MS-DOS do overwrite a hard disk's sectors. Un Format
cannot recover a hard disk formatted with these versions of MS-
DOS.
There also are many other specialized formatting programs
that do overwrite a hard disk's sectors. These programs actually
modify the structure of a hard disk in efforts to change or im-
prove its performance. Un Format isn't able to recover a hard
disk after it is formatted by one of these programs. Fortu-
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 35
Un Format
nately, these programs that Un Format cannot protect against
typically do not automatically format your hard disk. It is
unlikely that you could accidentally format your disk with one of
these programs.
So, why can't a floppy disk be Un Formatted?
Un Format can be used to save and restore a floppy disk's
boot sector, FAT, and root directory. However, it cannot recover
the rest of the floppy disk which has been physically eliminated.
Although Un Format cannot recover a floppy disk after it is
formatted, it has another equally important purpose. Un Format
can be used to save a floppy disk's boot sector, FAT, and root
directory prior to changing something in one of these areas with
PMK. Then, if a mistake is made, that area of the floppy disk
can be restored to try again.
Using Un Format
Prior to using Un Format, copy the file, "UF.EXE," to a
blank formatted disk and label that disk as your Un Format disk.
Because Un Format is a preventative program, it has to be
used regularly to be effective. I recommend two methods for
using Un Format on a regular basis. Either of these two methods
should protect from an accidental format of your hard disk.
Using both methods together provides additional protection.
The first method is to run Un Format from your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file. By doing this, your hard disk will be saved every time
your computer is rebooted. To run Un Format in the AUTOEXEC.BAT
file, make sure that your Un Format disk is available in drive B:
when your computer starts up. Insert the following line in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
UF /SAVE c:
The next method is to create a .BAT file that will run Un
Format before formatting your hard disk. This lets you restore
the hard disk even when you did intend to format it. Rename
FORMAT.COM to NFORMAT.COM and create the file FORMAT.BAT as shown
below.
echo off
if "%1" == "" goto UnFormat
if "%1" == "C:" goto UnFormat
if "%1" == "c:" goto UnFormat
goto formatt
:UnFormat
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 36
Un Format
echo Insert the Un Format diskette in drive B:
Pause
UF /SAVE c:
:formatt
nformat %1 %2 %3 %4
Recovering from an accidental format
If an accidental format does happen, put your Un Format disk
in drive B: and restore the hard disk by typing:
B:UF /RESTORE c:
Prior to restoring a hard disk, Un Format checks to make
sure this is really what you want to do. It shows the following
and asks if it is ok to continue.
Restoring drive C:'s boot sector, FAT, and root
directory from the saved file. This could ruin
drive C:'s contents if files are present.
Is this ok? (Y/N)
Un Format should be used to recover only the same disk that
was previously saved. Restoring a different disk would render
all of the data on that disk unusable. Any files that existed on
the different disk will not be accessible.
Un Format won't let you accidentally restore a disk whose
format differs from the saved disk. It will, however, restore a
different, although identically formatted hard disk if you tell
it to. Make sure the disk being restored is the same as the disk
saved.
When Un Format completes, your hard disk should be restored
to look like it when Un Format "saved" the disk. All files,
except those moved or changed since the disk was saved, should
contain their original data.
If Un Format didn't save the disk immediately prior to its
being formatted, there may be some errors in the File Allocation
Table due to new or old files being moved and changed. These
errors should be expected and are no reason for concern. To
check and correct for these errors, type:
CHKDSK /f c:
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 37
Zero Disk
Zero Disk
Zero Disk permanently removes all traces of all data from a
disk. It completely eliminates all existing files along with
everything else. It can remove all traces of any confidential
data anywhere on a disk.
When a disk is zeroed, all of its sectors are overwritten
with the hex character 00. Once Zero Disk has finished zeroing a
disk, there is no way to recover any data that was on it.
The complete command to run Zero Disk is:
ZERODISK [/Mono ON | OFF | AUTO] [/Slow ON | OFF] d:
Examples:
ZERODISK
nothing happens; a drive specification must be
provided.
ZERODISK A:
zero drive A: after confirming that you want to do
that
ZERODISK C:
zero drive C:; if Zero Disk thinks you want to
zero a hard disk, it asks you to confirm that
twice
/Mono (Toggle monochrome). Whenever you want all screens
displayed in monochrome set the /Mono option ON.
With the /Mono option ON, two colors are shown regardless of
whether your display can show colors. When the /Mono option is
OFF, displays are always in vibrant living color. When the /Mono
option is AUTO, displays will be in color when a color display is
detected or monochrome when a color display isn't found. The
default for the /Mono option in the distribution files is AUTO.
/Slow (Toggle direct screen writing). Whenever you want all
screen writing done using BIOS function calls, set the /Slow
option ON.
With the /Slow option ON, all screen writing is done using
BIOS function calls. This method of display is slower, but will
let computers that aren't 100% IBM compatible run the utilities.
The /Slow option also may need to be ON to run the programs from
within a windowing operating environment.
When the /Slow option is OFF, all screen writing is done
directly to the screen. The default /Slow option in the distri-
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 38
Zero Disk
bution files is OFF; to write directly to the screen.
d: (drive to zero). This is the drive you want to zero. It
must be specified on the command line. The drive letter must be
a valid drive on your system.
How Zero Disk works
Zero Disk works by systematically filling every sector on a
disk with the hex character 00. This completely removes any data
anywhere on a disk without reformatting the disk.
Unlike formatting programs, Zero Disk starts zeroing sectors
at the last sector on the disk and works to the front. It does
this as a safety feature to minimize the damage if the wrong disk
was selected. This means that if you stop Zero Disk after it has
been running a short time, some data could still be intact on the
disk. If there weren't many files on the disk, it may possibly
mean that all data is still intact.
To keep the zeroed disk usable by MS-DOS, Zero Disk does not
completely zero several sectors. The first sector (the boot
sector) is not touched at all, and the first few bytes in the FAT
sectors (used to identify a disk) are also left alone. All other
sectors do not have any data preserved.
Running Zero Disk
Once running, Zero Disk opens a window and displays the
following messages (assume drive C: was entered on the command
line):
All data on drive C: will be completely destroyed
Drive C: will be zeroed. Is this ok? (Y/N)
And, if Zero Disk thinks there is a chance that the disk you
want to zero is a hard disk, it displays another message:
Drive C: may be a hard disk. Is this still ok? (Y/N)
Press "Y" and Zero Disk will zero the disk. Press "N" and
you are returned to MS-DOS.
Once Zero Disk has started to zero a disk, you may stop it
by pressing F10.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 39
Zero File
Zero File
Zero File permanently removes all traces of a file's data
from your disk. It can eliminate all traces of a confidential
file's current data from a disk.
Unlike a file deleted by MS-DOS, a file zeroed by Zero File
cannot be later recovered from the disk. There is no way to
restore a file's data once it has been zeroed by Zero File.
The complete command to run Zero File is:
ZEROFILE [/Mono ON | OFF | AUTO] [/Slow ON | OFF]
[/Keep] [/Yes] <filespec>
Examples:
ZEROFILE
nothing happens; a file specification must be
provided.
ZEROFILE *.BAK
zero files in the current directory after getting
a confirmation
ZEROFILE \word\letters\XMAS.86 \tmp\*.$$$
zero files in multiple directories
ZEROFILE *.LTR /Keep
zero files in the current directory after getting
a confirmation; don't delete the files after they
are zeroed
ZEROFILE A:\work*.* /Yes /Slow ON
zero files on another drive; no confirmation ques-
tion will be asked; display using BIOS screen
writing functions
/Mono (Toggle monochrome). Whenever you want all screens
displayed in monochrome set the /Mono option ON.
With the /Mono option ON, two colors are shown regardless of
whether your display can show colors. When the /Mono option is
OFF, displays are always in vibrant living color. When the /Mono
option is AUTO, displays will be in color when a color display is
detected or monochrome when a color display isn't found. The
default for the /Mono option in the distribution files is AUTO.
/Slow (Toggle direct screen writing). Whenever you want all
screen writing done using BIOS function calls, set the /Slow
option ON.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 40
Zero File
With the /Slow option ON, all screen writing is done using
BIOS function calls. This method of display is slower, but will
let computers that aren't 100% IBM compatible run the utilities.
The /Slow option also may need to be ON to run the programs from
within a windowing operating environment.
When the /Slow option is OFF, all screen writing is done
directly to the screen. The default /Slow option in the distri-
bution files is OFF; to write directly to the screen.
/Keep (keep zeroed files). Normally after a file is zeroed
by Zero File, its filename is erased. If you would like to keep
the name visible on the disk, use the /Keep option. Using this
option still removes all traces of the file(s) selected, but the
file names are left intact in the directory.
/Yes (answer yes). Before Zero File actually zeroes a file,
it asks you if you really want to zero the file and waits for a
"Y" or "N" response before doing anything. The /Yes option is
equivalent to replying Yes to this question.
Use /Yes with a lot of caution, especially when specifying
ambiguous file names like *.COM or *.* since you could
accidentally, permanently wipe out entire directories.
<filespec> This is the name of the file(s) you want to zero.
Zero File requires that some file specification be provided when
it is invoked.
The file specification can be unambiguous like LETTER.TXT or
ambiguous like LETTER.0?? or LETTER.*. The filename can include
an entire or partial directory as well as the drive letter where
the file(s) are located.
Any file zeroed by Zero File will lose all of its data. The
file's data cannot be restored later from the disk. The file can
be undeleted with Professional Master Key, but the undeleted file
will be completely filled with the hex character 00. Be careful
before zeroing any file and make sure it is the file you want to
zero.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 41
Appendix A: Error Messages
Appendix A: Error Messages
This appendix contains a list of the error messages you may
encounter while running one of the programs in The Professional
Master Key Utilities.
Errors common to all of the programs are listed and explai-
ned in this section. Other errors, specific to each program, are
described in separate sections.
If you find an error that isn't covered in any of these
sections or find a program operating differently from the way you
think it should, please write what happened or what your problem
is and tell us about it. In your problem report, please provide
at least the following information.
-- name and version number of the program having a problem.
-- type of computer you are using.
-- version of MS-DOS or PC-DOS you are using (use the MS-DOS
VER command to find out).
-- free memory your computer has (use the MS-DOS CHKDSK
command to find out).
-- the names of any memory resident programs running.
-- type of disk(s) the problem happened with. Please pro-
vide a copy of the Information screen (using PMK) for
each disk, if possible.
-- what you were doing when you first noticed the problem.
Please be as specific as possible. Does the problem
happen consistently? Can you duplicate the problem on
different disks?
Common Errors
The only error common to all of the programs deals with
running out of memory. When one of the programs needs more mem-
ory than is available, it clears the screen and shows a message
similar to:
Professional Master Key has run out of available memory.
See your manual for help and suggestions.
Running out of available normally is not a problem. Having
128k of free memory is usually sufficient to run all of the pro-
grams without errors. PMK is the most memory hungry if a hard
disk contains a large number of files and sub-directories. Even
then, you should not need to have more than 128k of free memory.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 42
Appendix A: Error Messages
There are several solutions available if you do run out of
available memory.
If you don't have a full 640k of standard memory installed
in your computer, the easiest remedy is to purchase and install
more memory.
If you already have 640k of standard memory installed, try
to remove a few memory resident programs from memory. Reboot
your computer and run the problematic program again. Removing
memory resident programs leaves more free memory to run The
Professional Master Key Utilities.
Finally, when running the programs within a multi-tasking
environment, change the .PIF or similar program description file
for the program. Allocating more minimum memory for the program
should help it run better.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 43
Appendix A: Error Messages Professional Master Key
Professional Master Key
> Disk Error <
MS-DOS Reported Disk Errors
The messages describing disk errors MS-DOS finds are:
The disk is write protected.
Invalid drive number.
Disk drive not ready (door open, no disk, etc).
CRC error -- bad parity check.
Error during a disk seek.
Unable to determine the disk format.
Bad sector -- not found on the disk.
Error during a disk write operation.
Error during a disk read operation.
A general disk error happened.
The working drive doesn't exist.
Since these messages are fairly self-explanatory, I'll avoid
a lengthy discussion about the different types of disk errors MS-
DOS identifies. Instead, I'll briefly explain the more common
errors you may find find with your disks.
Many common errors are found on hard disks and many "copy
protected" floppy disks since it is normal for them to have a few
bad or unusable sectors. These sectors may be located anywhere
on the disk, but shouldn't be found within an existing file.
While using the Disk Edit function on a hard disk, if one of
the above error messages displays, expect it and don't worry.
However, if you find a bad sector on a floppy disk or while using
the File Edit function, you should be alarmed. There should
never be any bad sectors on a typical floppy disk or within a
file.
A common user error occurs by trying to use PMK on non MS-
DOS disks. Professional Master Key is intended only for use with
MS-DOS disks and may report a variety of errors when used on non
MS-DOS disks. PMK should not be used to edit disks from other
operating systems or disks that don't conform to the exact MS-DOS
format.
PMK Reported Disk Errors
The disk errors Professional Master Key reports are due to a
disk appearing differently from what was expected or due to a
disk being larger than it can handle. These error messages do
not necessarily indicate anything wrong with your disks, but
should be considered mainly informational.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 44
Appendix A: Error Messages Professional Master Key
The disk ID byte isn't valid for a DOS disk.
PMK checks every disk it uses to make sure it is a MS-DOS
disk. One of the things it checks is the FAT's identification
byte. If this byte doesn't appear to be valid, the above message
is shown. Normally, this error only appears when accessing non
MS-DOS disks or MS-DOS disks that have been damaged.
The selected directory wasn't found on the disk.
Before reading file names from a directory, PMK checks to
see if the directory still exists on the disk. If it can't find
the directory, you will see the above message. This usually
means that you switched disks without Changing the current disk.
The selected file wasn't found on the disk.
This error message is similar to the previous message. It
normally indicates a disk was changed without telling PMK.
The disk has more than 2048 bytes per sector.
Professional Master Key, as it is distributed, supports
disks with any sector size up to 2048 bytes. Hard disks with
sector sizes greater than this won't work with the distributed
PMK. If you see this error, contact RPG Software Farm to arrange
a custom version of PMK to work with your hard disk.
> File Error <
The selected file cannot be renamed to a file
name that already exists.
A file's name cannot be changed to a name that is already
present in the current directory. Enter another name for the
file.
You cannot erase a sub-directory from within
Professional Master Key.
Professional Master key won't let you erase a sub-directory
name or a remove an empty sub-directory. You need to use the
RMDIR command from the MS-DOS prompt to remove a directory.
The selected file cannot be Undeleted. It's
first cluster is being used by another file.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 45
Appendix A: Error Messages Professional Master Key
The first part of the file selected to be Undeleted has been
overwritten by another file. In this case, it is almost impos-
sible to easily recover all of the file's remaining data, so it
isn't attempted.
The selected file cannot be Undeleted. It's
allocation chain cannot be restored.
There wasn't enough free space on the disk to completely
Undelete the selected file. This usually means that although the
first part of the file may still be intact, it is likely that the
file has been overwritten. None of the restored clusters are
saved.
Errors While Searching For Text in a Disk or File
> Disk Error at sector xxxxx <
The error messages shown during a text search of a disk or
file are identical to the MS-DOS reported disk errors. For most
disk errors, the text search continues, showing the appropriate
error message and the additional message:
Continuing...
However, for the following two errors, the search is ended:
Invalid drive number.
Disk drive not ready (door open, no disk, etc).
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 46
Appendix A: Error Messages Fill Disk
Fill Disk
> File Error <
FILLDISK.$$$ wasn't found on the disk.
Somehow, the disk being filled has changed or was switched
before Fill Disk could delete its temporary file.
FILLDISK.$$$ is read only.
The file, FILLDISK.$$$ already exists in the current
directory and has a read only attribute. Toggle its read only
attribute off with PMK and run Fill Disk again.
There are too many open files.
Fill Disk cannot open its temporary file. All available
file handles are being used by another program. Run Fill Disk by
itself or increase the FILES=xx statement in your CONFIG.SYS
file.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 47
Appendix A: Error Messages Install
Install
> File Error <
The filename wasn't found on the disk.
The program to be installed couldn't be found in the current
directory. All programs to be installed must be located in the
current, default directory.
The filename is read only.
The program to be installed has a read only attribute and
cannot be modified. Toggle its read only attribute off with PMK
and try to install it again.
There are too many open files.
Install cannot open the program file to install. All avail-
able file handles are being used by another program. Run Install
by itself or increase the FILES=xx statement in your CONFIG.SYS
file.
> Installation Error <
The color configuration area wasn't found.
The options configuration area wasn't found.
For either of these two errors, the respective configuration
areas could not be found in the program file being installed.
These messages imply that the program being installed might have
had an unauthorized modification and may no longer work correc-
tly. Do not use any of The Professional Master Key Utilities
programs if you suspect that they have been modified.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 48
Appendix A: Error Messages PMK Master Menu
PMK Master Menu
> Execution error <
The program wasn't found on the disk.
The program to run couldn't be found in the current direc-
tory. All programs to run from PMK Master Menu must be located
in the current, default directory.
The program is not executable.
The selected program has an invalid file format and isn't
able to be run. This message implies that the program to run
might have had an unauthorized modification and may no longer
work correctly. Do not use any of The Professional Master Key
Utilities programs if you suspect that they have been modified.
There isn't enough memory to run the program.
PMK Master Menu didn't have enough free memory to load and
run the selected program. Make sure there is at least 128k of
free memory and run PMK Master Menu again.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 49
Appendix A: Error Messages Un Format
Un Format
> Disk Error <
The MS-DOS error messages Un Format shows when it reads a
hard disk are the same as the MS-DOS reported disk errors descri-
bed in the PMK error section entitled, "MS-DOS Reported Disk
Errors."
Since Un Format only reads the boot sector, FAT, and root
directory areas of a hard disk, any MS-DOS error message shown
probably means that the hard disk is badly damaged and may be
unusable to MS-DOS. MS-DOS does not permit bad sectors in the
boot sector, FAT, or root directory areas.
The disk ID byte isn't valid for a DOS disk.
Un Format checks the hard disk to save/restore prior to
saving/restoring it to make sure it is a valid MS-DOS disk. One
of the things it checks is the FAT's identification byte. If
this byte doesn't appear to be valid, the above message is shown.
The disk has more than 2048 bytes per sector.
Un Format, as it is distributed, supports disks with any
sector size up to 2048 bytes. Hard disks with a sector size
greater than this won't work with the distributed Un Format. If
you see this error, contact RPG Software Farm to arrange a custom
version of Un Format to work with your hard disk.
> File Error <
The save file wasn't found on the disk.
The file, "B:\UNFORMAT.PMK," couldn't be found. Make sure
the disk with that file is in drive B: and run Un Format again.
The save file is read only.
The file, "B:\UNFORMAT.PMK," has a read only attribute and
cannot be modified. Toggle its read only attribute off with PMK
and run Un Format again.
There are too many open files.
Un Format cannot open the file, "B:\UNFORMAT.PMK." All
available file handles are in use by another program. Run Un
Format by itself or increase the FILES=xx statement in your
CONFIG.SYS file.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 50
Appendix A: Error Messages Un Format
There is no space on the save disk.
Drive B: doesn't have enough free space on it to write all
of the file, "B:\UNFORMAT.PMK." Delete a few files from that
disk or use a newly formatted disk in its place.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 51
Appendix A: Error Messages Zero Disk
Zero Disk
> Disk Error <
The MS-DOS error messages Zero Disk shows when it zeros a
disk are the same as the MS-DOS reported disk errors described in
the PMK error section entitled, "MS-DOS Reported Disk Errors."
Some errors should be expected when zeroing a hard disk. It
is normal for a hard disk to have a few areas containing bad
sectors. No errors should exist on a floppy disk however. If a
disk error happens on a floppy disk, that disk should not be used
and should be discarded.
Zero Disk continues zeroing a disk after all errors except
the following two errors:
Invalid drive number.
Disk drive not ready (door open, no disk, etc).
The disk ID byte isn't valid for a DOS disk.
Zero Disk checks the disk to zero prior to zeroing it to
make sure it is a valid MS-DOS disk. One of the things it checks
is the FAT's identification byte. If this byte doesn't appear to
be valid, the above message is shown. Normally, this error
appears only when accessing non MS-DOS disks or MS-DOS disks that
have been damaged.
The disk has more than 2048 bytes per sector.
Zero Disk, as it is distributed, supports disks with any
sector size up to 2048 bytes. Hard disks with a sector size
greater than this won't work with the distributed Zero Disk. If
you see this error, contact RPG Software Farm to arrange a custom
version of Zero Disk to work with your hard disk.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 52
Appendix A: Error Messages Zero File
Zero File
> File Error <
The file wasn't found on the disk.
File: \PATH\FILENAME.NAM wasn't found.
Both of these messages indicate that the file you wanted to
zero wasn't found on the disk. Recheck the correct name for the
file and run Zero File again.
The file is read only.
The file to be zeroed has a read only attribute. Toggle its
read only attribute off with PMK and run Zero File again.
There are too many open files.
Zero File cannot open the file to zero. All available file
handles are being used by another program. Run Zero File by
itself or increase the FILES=xx statement in your CONFIG.SYS
file.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 53
Appendix B: Future Directions
Appendix B: Future Directions
"Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus."
What does the future hold for The Professional Master Key
Utilities? What new programs will spring up? What new features
will be added?
No one is completely sure about the direction the utilities
will take. One thing that is certain is the programs will con-
tinue to expand in number and features as long as someone keeps
feeding new ideas and suggestions into my head.
This last page in the documentation describes what version
3.0 of The Professional Master Key Utilities looks like.
However, my writing stops here.
It is your turn to write. If you think of a new feature or
program to add to the utilities, please complete this page by
writing down what you want to see. Mail the page back to me and
tell me what you think version 3.0 looks like.
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Note: The only thing I will guarantee about the future is that
the utilities won't be changed to become memory resident. Sorry.
The Professional Master Key Utilities, version 2.0 Page 54
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #0598
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
FD EXE 20986 11-02-87 11:02p
INSTALL EXE 23386 11-02-87 11:03p
PMK-MENU EXE 25202 11-02-87 11:05p
PMK-UTIL DOC 129920 11-02-87 11:06p
PMK-UTIL INF 1280 11-02-87 11:01p
PMK EXE 69434 11-02-87 11:04p
README BAT 17 11-02-87 11:00p
UF EXE 27296 11-02-87 11:07p
ZERODISK EXE 21218 11-02-87 11:08p
ZEROFILE EXE 20018 11-02-87 11:09p
FILES598 TXT 1443 11-07-88 4:46p
GO BAT 38 8-14-87 9:29a
GO TXT 617 9-16-88 11:02a
MANUAL BAT 147 6-08-88 3:02p
14 file(s) 341002 bytes
14336 bytes free