Commodore 1581 - More About Scratch; More About Splat Files

to call the error checking subroutine given earlier in this chapter. If
the four listed were the only files beginning with "T", you will see:
01,FILES SCRATCHED,04,00
READY.
The "04" tells you 4 files were scratched.
MORE ABOUT SCRATCH
SCRATCH is a powerful command and should be used with
caution to be sure you delete only the files you really want erased.
When using it with a pattern, we suggest you first use the same pattern
in a DIRECTORY command, to be sure exactly which files will be
deleted. That way you'll have no unpleasant surprises when you use
the same pattern in the SCRATCH command.
If you accidentally SCRATCH a file you shouldn't have, there is
still a chance of saving it by using the "Unscratch" program on your
Test/Demo diskette.
More about Splats
Never scratch a splat file. These are files that show up in a
directory listing with an asterisk (*) just before the file type for an
entry. The asterisk (or splat) means that file was never, properly closed,
and thus there is no valid chain of sector links for the SCRATCH
command to follow in erasing the file.
If you SCRATCH such a file, odds are you will improperly free up
sectors that are still needed by other programs or files and cause
permanent damage to those later when you add more files to the
diskette. If you find a splat file, or if you discover too late that you have
scratched such a file, immediately validate the diskette using the
VALIDATE command described later in this chapter. If you have added
any files to the diskette since scratching the splat file, it is best .to
immediately copy the entire diskette onto another fresh diskette, but
do this with a copy program rather than with a backup programs
Otherwise, the same problem will be recreated on the new diskette.
When the new copy is done, compare the number of blocks free in its
directory to the number free on the original diskette. If the numbers
match, no damage has been done. If not, very likely at least one file on
the diskette has been corrupted, and all should be checked immedi
ately.
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