Microsoft KB Archive/81643

= Exchanging a Disk Between DR-DOS 6.0 and MS-DOS =

Article ID: 81643

Article Last Modified on 5/10/2003

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft MS-DOS 1.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 2.11 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.1
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.2 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.21 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.3 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 3.3a
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 4.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 4.01 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.2 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.21 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft MS-DOS 6.22 Standard Edition

-



This article was previously published under Q81643



SUMMARY
If you use the DR-DOS 6.0 DELWATCH delete-tracking utility on a floppy disk, you should also use the DELPURGE utility on that disk before using it on an MS-DOS systems.

If you haven't used DELWATCH on a floppy disk, exchanging it between DR-DOS 6.0 and MS-DOS is accomplished much as you would change a disk from MS-DOS 5.0 and later to another version of MS-DOS.



MORE INFORMATION
The DR-DOS 6.0 DELWATCH utility changes how DR-DOS implements deletions. Normally under MS-DOS (and non-DELWATCH) DR-DOS, a file is deleted by marking the first character of a file with an &quot;E5&quot; character and marking the area of the disk where the file was stored as &quot;unused&quot; in the file allocation table (FAT). DELWATCH marks the file as &quot;pending delete&quot; by changing the first character of the file to an &quot;05&quot; character. These files are not actually deleted until the DELPURGE utility is used.

&quot;Pending delete&quot; files can cause confusion to MS-DOS and its utilities (such as CHKDSK and UNDELETE) as well as third-party disk utility programs. You can determine if you have &quot;pending delete&quot; files using the DR-DOS 6.0 CHKDSK utility.

If &quot;pending delete&quot; files exist, use DELPURGE to delete them from your floppy disk before using it on an MS-DOS systems.

DR-DOS is manufactured by Novell, a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.

