diskcopy MS-DOS Command

Type: External (1.0 and later)

Syntax:

DISKCOPY [d:] [d:][/1][/V][/M]

Purpose: Makes an exact copy of a diskette.

Discussion

This command is used only for copying diskettes, not fixed disks.

The first drive you specify is the drive for the source diskette. The second is the drive for the target diskette. DISKCOPY checks to determine if the disk in the target drive has been previously formatted. If not, DISKCOPY will format it before it starts the copy (except in early versions of DOS). If the target drive is the same as the source drive (or if you do not enter a drive designator), the copying will be done using one drive. The program will prompt you when to insert each diskette.

Options

/1 – Copies only the first side of the diskette, even if the target diskette is double sided.

/V – Verifies that the source data was copied correctly onto the destination drive. Selecting this option will slow down the copying process.

/M – Forces DISKCOPY to use only conventional memory for interim storage during the copy procedure. Normally, DISKCOPY uses the hard disk for this purpose. (New with DOS Version 6.)

After copying, the program will display

Disk copy OK

Copy another (Y/N) ?__ If you press the letter Y key, you will be prompted to insert another disk to copy using the same parameters. Press the letter N key to terminate DISKCOPY.

Example

To copy the contents of the disk in drive A to the disk in drive B (erasing any data already on the disk), enter

diskcopy a: b: