Okay, now that you've had a chance to use your first computer program, it's time to move on. Before you accidentally damage your master system diskette, we want to teach you how to make copies of your diskettes.
To leave HELP, simply press the key labeled
I
ESCI
(for "escape").The disk activity light comes on briefly, the screen clears, and a giant CP/M appears at the top of the screen with a copyright message underneath, and eventually an rill appears:
Besides the CP/M programs on your System and Utility disk-ettes, CP/M is also a general set of instructions that controls
how your Osborne 1 works. CP/M, which stands for Control Program/Monitor, is called an "operating system" because it ties all the computer's components together and allows them to communicate. The CP/M operating system actually loaded into the computer when you first pressed the RETURN key in response to the sign-on message. CP/M, in turn, automatically loaded the instructions that constitute the HELP program, which you were just using.
Now we want to tell CP/M what to do next.
The r.\B that appeared is the standard CP/M greeting. It means that CP/M is ready for a command. The A in the message indi-cates that CP/M will perform your commands using the diskette .in drive A (the left one), unless you precede the command with
a B: in which case the B drive is accessed.
Let's be inquisitive for a moment and find out what files are stored on the SYSTEM diskette. Type the directory command [QJ
OJ
ffi], then press theI
RETURNI
key. Again the disk drive will hum, and then a directory listing all of the files on the diskette will appear on your screen.The files contained on any diskettes can be listed in this manner.
You assign a name to each new file as you create it. We'll deal with this subject at length in the next chapter; for the time being, note that your master system diskette already contains some files.
Formatting a Diskette
You don't need to know much about the mechanics of disk drives. What you do need to know is that information is written onto the diskette's surface in a specific way. Unfortunately, you cannot simply load a brand new diskette and expect the Os-borne 1 to start writing information onto its surface. First the surface of the diskette must be prepared by a process known as formatting.
Formatting is a routine procedure that is performed automati-cally by the COPY program before the contents of a diskette are transferred to another. Generally, only those diskettes being used for storage of documents or reports need to be specifically formatted. You have to format a diskette only once. You can reformat a diskette you've used before, in which case all prior information on the diskette is erased.
Before proceeding, make sure that your master system diskette has a write-protect tab on it, as described in the last chapter.
You should see the
r.:.B
on your screen just below the directory of files. Notice that one of the files is named s.)a·'II.,~~1. The .COM to the right indicates that the file named COpy is a"command" file. You'll learn more about command files in the next chapter, but for now, all you need to know is that a com-mand file contains a program that can be run just by typing its name and pressing RETURN. In this case, the program which allows you to format diskettes is started by issuing COPY-then pressing the RETURN key. So, type [II @J [£] I]J and press
I RETURNI.
The computer accesses the diskette in drive A and transfers the instructions from the COpy file into the computer's memory.
Upon completion of this loading procedure, the computer begins to follow the instructions. The first thing the instructions tell the computer to do is to display the following message on your monitor screen:
Let's format a diskette in the second drive, drive B. Take a Brand-New Diskette from its envelope and insert it into the right-hand drive in the same manner you inserted the master system diskette earlier. Close the door over the diskette.
The COPY program is waiting for you to press either a C, to copy a diskette, or F, to format a diskette. This should be clear from the instructions on the screen. (Do take time to read what is displayed on the screen; you'll develop bad habits if you merely assume what the message says.)
You want to format a diskette to be used later for storage, so press the letter [£J. Immediately, the screen changes and waits for you to press either an A or a B to indicate which drive the diskette you wish formatted is in. You placed your new diskette in drive B, so press the letter []]. You should notice that the computer responds to this action by telling you to press RETURN when your diskette is ready (i.e., in the drive and ready to be formatted). After pressing RETURN, you are asked whether your computer is Single or Double density. (See notes on single and double density, page 758.)
Press I]] for single or [QJ for double.
Formatting is now taking place. You should soon see the display illustrated below:
As the drive formats the diskette, asterisks are displayed under the row of numbers. The numbers refer to "track" numbers.
When formatted, an Osborne diskette has 40 concentric tracks of information on it. Thus, each * you see displayed under the row of numbers indicates the track that has been formatted cor-rectly. An E occurs instead of an asterisk if the track was not for-matted correctly. If an error occurs, perform the format process again. If you still get an E-especially if it occurs in the same place-your diskette is probably damaged or is the wrong type, and should be replaced with another.
When the formatting is complete, this message appears:
Formatting completed successfully
At the bottom of the screen you will see the question asking which drive contains the diskette to be formatted. If you'd like to format several diskettes, you should keep replying with a B each time this question is asked and insert new diskettes into drive B when prompted to do so by the computer. Pressing the
I
RETURNI
key once will take you back to the original choices of"C"opying, "F"ormatting, or returning to CP/M. Pressing the
[BETURN