TOPIC
Name: Disk Copy
DISCUSSION
Disk Copy 6.3.2 Quick Reference Disk Copy is a utility application that will mount disk images on your desktop, make exact copies of floppy disks from a disk image, convert disk images from one format to another, create a disk image from a mounted volume or individual folder, segment a disk image into separate files, create self-mounting disk images, and create a new blank disk image. Using DiskScripts, AppleScript, and self mounting images, it can be used to automate software installations and disk image manipulation. This Quick Reference will explain the basic functions of Disk Copy. More detail is provided in the Disk Copy Manual and Balloon Help. Changes from Disk Copy 6.3.1 Changes from Disk Copy 6.3 Changes from Disk Copy 6.2 Changes from Disk Copy 6.1.3 Changes from Disk Copy 6.1.2 Changes from Disk Copy 6.1 System requirements and supported features Disk Copy requires System Software 7.0.1 or later and is a "fat binary" for both PowerPC and 68K-based Mac OS compatible computers. Macintosh Application Environment 3.0 Update 4 or later is also supported; A/UX is not supported. Disk Copy features extensive Balloon Help and supports Drag and Drop (requires System Software 7.5 or later), AppleScript, PlainTalk Text-to-Speech, Navigation Services, and DigiSign digital signatures. Note: Due to a potential data cache issue, it is not recommended to create or work with read-write disk images on System Software prior to 7.5. Please upgrade to System Software 7.5 or greater if you need to create or use read-write disk images. Disk Image Formats Disk Copy can read and write three types of NDIF (New Disk Image Format) disk images: (Read/Write, Read-Only, and Read-Only Compressed), Disk Copy 4.2 disk images, as well as read DART and other disk image formats. Disk Copy also supports segmented disk images. Segmented Disk Images Disk Copy supports mounting disk image files that are segmented into separate files. When dragging any part of a segmented disk image onto Disk Copy, the application detects all the other parts and mounts the volume represented by the segmented image, provided that all of the parts are in the same folder. If a part is missing (or corrupted), Disk Copy determines which part is missing (or corrupted) and notes this in the log and error messages. The first file in a segmented disk image appears to Disk Copy as a regular disk image when mounting, converting, or making a floppy. The other parts are recognized when dropped onto Disk Copy. All the parts of a disk image must be in the same folder, and on a volume that Disk Copy can mount a single file image from. Aliases to parts of an image will not be resolved. Creating a segmented disk image is supported through Disk Copy's AppleScript interface. Self-mounting Images Disk Copy supports the creation of applications that contain disk images that can be mounted without the presence of the Disk Copy application (self-mounting image or SMI). When double-clicking or opening a self-mounting image, the checksum(s) of the image(s) in the self-mounting image will be verified, and the images mounted. Additionally, a self-mounting image can be configured such that an application or document will be automatically launched when the image(s) are mounted (similar to a DiskScript). See Disk Copy's AppleScript dictionary for information on the AppleScript syntax for creating a self-mounting image. Creating a self-mounting disk image requires System Software 8.1 or later (the self-mounting image itself will work on SSW 7.0.1 or later). Mounting disk images Note: Selecting multiple parts of a segmented disk image and dragging them onto Disk Copy will result in the segmented image's volume being mounted (provided that all of the parts are in the same folder), followed by mount operations for each of the image parts dropped on Disk Copy. It is only necessary to drag one of the parts onto Disk Copy in order to mount the volume contained within. After a disk image is selected, Disk Copy will present a progress dialog for mounting and checksum verification (if the option is selected), and an icon for the mounted volume will appear on the desktop. You can now work with the mounted volume as you would any regular volume. To unmount it, either drag the disk volume icon to the Trash or select the icon and use the "Put Away" command from the File menu. When you restart your computer, any mounted disk images will be unmounted. Making floppies from disk images Disk Copy requires PC Exchange to make floppies from disk images that contain DOS or ProDOS volumes, such as a PC drive container or a DOS-formatted floppy. To make DMF (a 1.7 MB PC format) floppies, Disk Copy requires a SuperDrive and Mac OS 7.6 or later, which includes PC Exchange version 2.1.1 or later. Users of PowerBook computers with removable or separate floppy drives need to make sure the floppy drive is installed in the PowerBook before attempting to make a floppy. After a disk image is selected, Disk Copy will present a progress dialog for checksum verification and ask you for a floppy that is the same size as the disk image. For example, you cannot use a 1.4 MB floppy to make an 800k disk image. When making floppies, Disk Copy uses more memory than its default memory setting. If there is not enough free RAM available, Disk Copy will not be able to make the floppy and will present an error message. Either quit other running applications or increase Disk Copy's Preferred memory size to 2048K. If you insert a floppy that has been previously formatted and the "Confirm Erase" option is selected in the Preferences dialog box, Disk Copy presents a dialog box asking you to confirm before erasing the floppy and copying new data to it. Duplicating floppies When Disk Copy is in the foreground and a floppy disk is inserted, it will be duplicated versus saving it as a disk image, if the 'auto copy upon floppy insert' AppleScript application preference is set to 'true'. Creating disk images After a folder or disk is selected, Disk Copy will present a save dialog. Here you can enter a name and choose a format and size for the new disk image. When creating a new image, a save dialog will appear, followed by a disk initialization dialog. Converting disk images After a disk image is selected, you will see the same standard dialog box that is presented when creating a new disk image. Conversion is actually creating a new image based on the original. Disk Copy will then create a new disk image based on the selected original and save it using the size and format options. Note: When converting a segmented disk image, the new disk image will be a single disk image file. In order to create a segmented image, an AppleScript must be used. About the Disk Copy log The Disk Copy log window keeps a detailed record of all activity since the Disk Copy application was last launched. To view the log window, choose "Show Log Window" from the Edit menu. The contents of the log window can be saved to the "Disk Copy Log" file by selecting the "Save Log" option in the Preferences dialog box. If the "Save Log" option is turned off, and the "Disk Copy Log" file is deleted, it will not be recreated until the "Save Log" option is turned back on. Executing a DiskScript A DiskScript is a special file containing commands that instruct Disk Copy to perform an action on a list of disk images, and to optionally launch an application with or without a specific document. DiskScripts are not related to, and do not require AppleScript to run. AppleScript support Disk Copy is fully scriptable, recordable, and attachable. To get a list of the scripting commands available, use a script editor application to view the AppleScript dictionary of Disk Copy. AppleScripts can be executed directly from Disk Copy by placing them in a folder named 'Scripts' in the same folder as Disk Copy. When a Scripts folder containing AppleScripts is present, a new menu will appear in Disk Copy named "Scripts" AppleScripts selected from this menu will have their "on run" handler executed. Scripting Additions placed in the Scripts folder are accessible by AppleScripts run from the Disk Copy 'Scripts' menu. In your AppleScript, bracket references to the Scripting Additions with 'Tell Application "Disk Copy"' and 'End Tell' to access them. Note: When opening an AppleScript that uses Disk Copy, or opening Disk Copy with the Script Editor to view its Dictionary, the Disk Copy application will launch. This is so that any Scripting Additions in the Scripts folder will appear in the Dictionary, and any AppleScripts that use those Scripting Additions will compile. Note: Running Large AppleScripts from the "Scripts" folder or adding Scripting Additions to the "Scripts" folder may require increasing the amount of memory provided to Disk Copy. Apple Computer, Inc. Copyright " 1998 by Apple Computer, Inc. The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Use of the "keyboard" Apple logo (Option-Shift-K) for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws. Apple, the Apple logo, AppleScript, Mac, Macintosh, and PlainTalk are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Balloon Help and DigiSign are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. PowerPC is a trademark of International Business Machines, Inc., used under license. These articles can help you locate the software update mentioned here: |
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