Now that you have a few diskettes ready to be used for storing files you will be creating later, let's copy the program diskettes that came with your Osborne 1. You do this by employing the instructions in the file named COpy which you just used to format a diskette.
At this point we strongly suggest you make copies of all your program diskettes, otherwise you are in danger of losing some very valuable software. In fact, you may wish to make two or more copies of each, as diskettes do wear-usually they stand up to at least three months of heavy use, but are extremely vul-nerable to damage.
You already have your master system diskette in drive A, so let's begin by making a copy of it. Type
em
I]] [£J ~ and press1 RETURN I. In a few moments you'll again see the Copy program menu:
The screen displays three choices, as before. Instead of pressing F to format a diskette, press
em
to copy diskettes. You will be asked to place the original source diskette (the one you wish to make a copy of) in drive A and the destination diskette (a blank diskette or one which you wish to reuse) in drive B.You just used the COpy program to format a blank diskette; but the COpy program also formats a blank diskette while copying information to it. In other words, if you wish to prepare a blank diskette for storing files, you select the formatting option (F) of the COpy program, but if you want to copy an entire diskette, you select only the copy option (C); you do not need to format diskettes before copying to them, only when using them for storage.
In case you haven't put your diskettes into the proper drives yet-and also so that you develop the habit of verifying the in-structions you give the computer-the Osborne 1 displays the following prompt:
If you are copying a diskette other than the one which con-tained the COpy program, follow the instructions and place it in drive A at this time.
Press the RETURN key and the copying process will commence.
As the copy operation proceeds, you receive a message telling you which track is being copied. Rarely, you might see a mes-sage telling you of an error during the copying process. If this happens, first try copying the diskette again. Should you still get errors, try formatting the destination diskette before using the copy option. If the same error messages appear, you prob-ably have a defective diskette.
It is sometimes possible to "fix" damaged diskettes, and Os-borne sells a program, called Disk Doctor, that will help you do so. Inquire at your dealer if you're interested in this program.
NOTE
Although Osborne warrants that your machine and disk-ettes are free from manufacturing defects for 90 days, our limited warranty does not cover misuse or abuse of disk-ettes. Diskettes whose files are erased "accidentally" or that have fingerprints or other contaminants on the media surface will not be replaced free of charge by your dealer or by Osborne Computer Corporation.
If you receive error messages frequently when using the COpy program, it is likely that your Osborne 1 is out of adjustment and needs servicing, or that you are using poor-quality disk-ettes. If you experience problems with low-cost diskettes, try switching to high-quality, certified diskettes before bringing your Osborne 1 in for servicing.
At the end of the copy process, a message appears telling you that the procedure was completed successfully. In addition, you will be offered a chance to continue copying diskettes or to return to the copy/format menu that appeared when you first started COpy.
You should now proceed to make copies of all of the diskettes you received with your Osborne 1. Place the diskette you wish to copy in drive A and follow the instructions just given. You can make as many copies as you desire of the diskettes we pro-vide, without violating the copyright or licensing agreement you signed when you purchased your computer. You cannot sell these copies or give them to a friend; to do so is illegal. Since all Osborne-supplied software contains hidden serial numbers, any copies you give away can be traced. The cornpanies who created the programs you'll use allow you to make copies for YOUR OWN USE ONLY.
Be sure to label each diskette as you create new copies. (You may want to include the date on which you created the copy so that you'll know later how long you've been using that diskette.)
DO NOT GO ON IN THIS MANUAL UNTIL YOU'VE MADE COPIES OF ALL YOUR OSBORNE-SUPPLIED DISKETTES. Put the originals, the ones that came with the system, away in a safe place and use only the copies from here on. The diskettes we supply you are only for creating new copies. If you had to replace the programs and information on these diskettes at list price, you would spend over $1400. The original diskettes are valuable and should be treated as such.
Reset
In chapter 1 we referred to the RESET button on the front of the Osborne 1. "Reset" is a computer term that indicates a specific sequence of events within the computer.
All you have to know about the RESET button on your Osborne 1 computer is that it functions as a "restart" button. When you push RESET, the screen clears and the sign-on message you saw when you first turned on the power
Insert disk in drive A and press RETURN
reappears. Pushing RESET, then, is much like turning the power off and starting over.
It is important to understand that pushing the RESET button at the wrong time will make the computer "forget" any informa-tion in its memory that has not yet been transferred onto a disk-ette. Thus, if you're in the middle of entering information into the computer and have not told it to save the information on a diskette, all of the information stored in the computer's memory will be lost. Later chapters will show you how to save informa-tion on a diskette.
If you always ask yourself "Have I told the computer to save my entries on a diskette?" before you push RESET, you probably will never lose valuable data by accidentally pushing RESET at the wrong time. NEVER PUSH RESET IN PANIC OR FRUSTRATION; ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU REALLY MEAN TO DO SO BEFORE PRESSING THE RESET BUTTON.