DTEXT2.THD --- Copyright 1987 by Phil Wheeler An original compilation of Compuserve Model 100 Forum messages for use by Forum members only. An earlier THD file (DTEXT.THD) discusses problems with the Powr-Dos D-TEXT editing utility, and (it was thought) the fixes to that problem. Alas, it seems to still be around. Here are more messages on the topic -- and some discussion of Model 100 support and Model 100 "stockpiling" recommendations! Message range: 152780 to 152930 Dates: 7/17/87 to 7/19/87 Sb: #more Powr-DOS woes Fm: Don Zeikel 75775,1430 To: Al Pound 75715,1077 I have been using D-TEXT (the Powr-DOS utility that allows editing of files longer than available RAM) more extensively lately, and have been starting to have problems again. As we discussed this in a thread some time ago (which is in DL13 as DTEXT.THD), I thought I would check with you to see if you are also having problems. I have tried EVERYTHING discussed previously: using FORMAT.BA to format the disks, turning off SuperRom and Supera, and I even added disabling DIRACC, which has hooks into TEXT. What it appears to do is trash the reading of free sectors on the disk in the directory. This eventually leads to it making the file far longer than it should be, with repetitions of the end of the file. As a simple test, I several times entered a long file, picked out a couple of sectors, and told the program to save the changes (although I had made no changes). Each time it came back with fewer free sectors available. As I am actually editing, eventually the "too few" sectors becomes "too many," and I suddenly have over 200 sectors free (with perhaps 300,000 bytes showing up as free on the D-Text menu). When it indicates that my file has suddenly become very long, I can recover JUST the file, cleanly and in the correct length, with RECOVR.BA. Additionally, when the free sector number is wrong, but the file length is correct, I can use COPY.BA and end up with a disk with the file and the correct number of free sectors. I have version 2.1. Anyone out there have a higher version, or the same problem? Fm: Al Pound 75715,1077 To: Don Zeikel 75775,1430 I had a similar experience. I attempted to delete a section of text that was larger than one sector and it appears that a sector of that what I deleted got attached to the end twice. Each time I tried to delete the extra text, I got another extra without deleting the first. I also ended up with over 300,000 bytes free and COPY.BA'ed the disk getting back to the right available storage. I handled the extra long file differently. It ended up being about 18K long so I removed some files and loaded the whole thing with all the extra's into RAM and used TEXT to delete all the extra sections of text which were all identical. I'm guessing that the problem occurrs because the directory lists the beginning and size of a file but the information as to where the file is stored (other than the start) on the disk is serialized. The beginning sector points to the 2nd with the 2nd points to the 3rd, etc. When I had removed large sections of text from the end of the files, no problems had occurred with files on disks formatted with FORMAT.BA. I can see that removing a section of text which includes all of one sector plus a part of one or two others from inside a file would be a more complicated problem which D-TEXT apparently doesn't handle. Since using disks formated with FORMAT.BA, adding and changing data has been reliable and faster. No problems occurred until I tried removing the large section of text from inside a file. It's interesting that you used RECOVR.BA, and got the correct length file. I'll try that if I have the problem again. DMENU loaded all the extra repeated text. Fm: Don Zeikel 75775,1430 To: Al Pound 75715,1077 Unfortunately, I am using D-TEXT to write assembly language, requires (at least the way I am doing it, which includes a lot of trial-and-error) much editing within the program. I wish Ed Giese were around here more. Also, whatever happened to his special cable for using the TDD on line? I know you don't have an answer. Just speculating that somebody reading this might know. Fm: Denny Thomas 76701,40 To: Don Zeikel 75775,1430 I talked to Ed a couple of weeks ago and the sad fact is that he is not actively working on anything in the M100 area. Due to the death of P100, his only real means of advertising was shot down, hence very disapointing sales of POWR-DOS forced him to concentrate on other types of contract work. Fm: Don Zeikel 75775,1430 To: Denny Thomas 76701,40 That IS sad. Since Radio Shack is no longer supporting the 100, 102, or 200 in any appreciable way with software (their original offerings were dumped "where is as as" a while back), it is strictly the third-party vendors who can make the continued sale of these units live or die. While there is a wealth of software in this SIG, and much on BBS's and other SIGs, I suspect that only a small fraction of laptop owners are either regular SIG users or even occasional downloaders. Most of the 100's are likely used as electronic notepads and address books (I have no statistics to back me up, so I am guessing...but that WAS the basis on which the unit was advertised by Tandy). Those of us who have found the portables capable of far more than even we would have expected a few years ago may find ourselves joining the Timex Sinclair and TI 99/44a owners who write and share clever programs as their irreplaceable hardware deteriorates. And that would be a shame, because the 100/102 is SO small and SO portable and SO convenient. Fm: Tony Anderson 76703,4062 To: Don Zeikel 75775,1430 So, you'd better buy up a few used M100's, store them away, and drag them out, one by one, as your current model falls apart. Some of us are, and I'm planning on having one available in the year 2000. (Unless something _really_ better comes along. ... In which case, wanna buy my virtually unused M100's???)