This help contains the following chapters : 1. Introduction 2. How to use UDEL ? 3. UDEL Window Controls 4. Hints 5. UDEL limits ____________________________ 1. INTRODUCTION _______________________________ UDEL for Windows is a utility to delete Files and/or Directories and sub- directories (even if not empty) with numerous options (see below). UDEL is distributed as shareware, which means if you've downloaded it from a bulletin board or obtained it from a friend, you can try it out before you decide whether you'd like to keep it. Like all shareware, if you do decide to keep UDEL, you must pay a registration fee. UDEL is a copyrighted program protected by both international and U.S. copy- right law. If you obtained UDEL from an on-line computer service or bulletin board, a friend or colleague, or another similar source, you have an unre- gistered (trial) copy. You are authorized to use this copy without charge for a limited period of time (One month). After this time is up, you must register and pay for UDEL to continue using it. UDEL is shipped with a DOS and a Windows version. The fee is for both ver- sions. You may (and must !) freely give your copy of UDEL but without discarding or modifiing any of the files in the package which MUST contain : UDEL.EXE Executable DOS file UDELW.EXE Executable Windows file UDEL_END.HLP DOS version english help file UDEL_FRD.HLP DOS version erench help file UDEL_ENW.HLP Windows version English help file README.TXT UDEL introduction english text file MELIRE.TXT UDEL introduction french text file The registration fee for a single copy of both versions UDEL is $20 (or 120 French Francs). Corporate licenses are available. Please, contact us. Payment of this fee entitles you to : . A diskette with the latest version of UDEL, registered to you. . A complete ready-to-print documentation file. . A free upgrade to the next major version of UDEL. Future upgrades will be available for downloading from different sources ; if you do not have a modem there will be a minimal processing charge ($5 including shipping) to obtain an upgrade on diskette. If you like UDEL and decide to pay your fee, please send it to : GREEN Informatique ATTN : Mr. Georges PLANELLES Rue du Tour de l'Eau ZI de Champ Roman F-38400 ST MARTIN D'HERES FRANCE Fax : (33) 76.44.34.50 And please, don't forget to give the following informations : - Your complete address, - Version number of your copy of UDEL. - Diskette format desired. For outside Europe users, if you want a fast delivery via air mail (instead of surface mail - may last one or two monthes), please add $3. Every remark or suggestion or bug report about UDEL will be welcome. __________________________ 2. HOW TO USE UDEL ? ____________________________ What is UDEL ? UDEL allows you to select and delete files AND directories across disks or drives if desired, all in (almost) one click. Several file specifications are allowed. Several options allow you to select with precision which files to delete. UDEL may also only list the selected files acting like a more powerful WHEREIS. !!! BE CAREFUL !!! This tool may be EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. As an example, when 'Delete Recursively' and 'Across Drives' check boxes are checked and the [All] drive is selected in the drives list box and '*.*' is typed in the 'Files/Directories to delete' edit box, UDEL deletes ALL files AND ALL directories on ALL mounted disks or partitions (incredible, isn't it ? Yes, but fast and efficient ! I hope you have a recent backup) To install UDEL for Windows, you only have to copy files UDELW.EXE and UDEL_ENW.HLP (this help file) to the same directory and add UDEL to the Program Manager or to your application launcher (Launch, METZ Runner or Desktop Helper, for example). _________________________ 3. UDEL Window Controls __________________________ General Controls ---------------- > 'About...' push button Opens an about dialog box with a 'Register' button (don't forget to use this button). > 'Help' push button Launches 'notepad.exe' with the 'UDEL_ENW.HLP' text file (this file). > 'Save Options' push button Saves the state of the different option check boxes. At next launch of UDEL these options will be set automatically. Controls associated with the list of files to delete ---------------------------------------------------- > 'Files/Directories to delete' edit box This box contains a list of pathes of files and/or directories to delete. This specs may be typed by the user (for file specs with wildcard charac- ters) or added to the list via the two 'Add xxx Below' push buttons. If typed by the user, file specs MUST be separated by commas. > 'Add Dir. Below' push button If one directory or drive is selected in the above list box, the selected path is added to the 'Files...delete' edit box. > 'Add File(s) Below' push button If one or several files are selected in the above list box, the selected file specs are added to the 'Files...delete' edit box. > 'Last' push button When a list or delete operation is finished, the 'Files...delete' edit box is cleared. You may recall your last list of file specs with a click on this button. Option Controls --------------- > 'Confirm Files' check box If checked, UDEL will ask you to confirm the deletion of each file and directory. > 'Delete Hidden & System files' check box If checked, UDEL will also delete hidden files and system files. > 'Delete read-only files' check box If checked, UDEL will also delete read-only files. > 'Fill file with zeroes' check box If checked, UDEL will replace the content of the file with zeroes before deleting it. This prevents undelete operations with popular tools like PC-Tools or Norton Utilities. > 'Delete According to date' check box If checked, UDEL will only delete files older or newer (depending on the checked radio button) than the date typed in the edit box. > 'Delete Recursively' check box If checked, UDEL will also scan all sub-directories of the current directory to find and delete specified files. Following options work only if the 'Delete Recursively' option is checked. > 'Across Partitions' check box and list box If checked, UDEL will not only scan the current drive but also selected drives in the list box. > 'Confirm Directories' check box If checked, UDEL will ask you to confirm the deletion of each directory (but not of files in the directory if the corresponding check box is not checked). > 'First Level Only' check box With the 'Delete Recursively' option checked, if \AAA\BBB and \AAA\CCC\BBB subdirectories are present in the current drive (same BBB name, but not at the same level in the tree), the file spec '\AAA\BBB' will delete both BBB subdirectories in the tree because all subdirectories of AAA will be scanned not only the \AAA\BBB one. This may be annoying if not wanted (!). The 'First Level' option tells UDEL to scan only from the first level of subdirectories. In the above example, only '\AAA\BBB' will be destroyed (including all its possible subdirectories) because UDEL will scan only the first level of files under 'AAA' to find a 'BBB' file or directory. Operation Controls ------------------ > 'List Only' push button Will only list the found files according to the different files specs and selected options. > 'Delete' push button The name of this button is clear. Click on it only if you are sure of what you are doing ! > 'Quit' push button The name of this button is also clear enough, but it is a little bit less dangerous. You may click on it even if you are not sure. _______________________________ 4. HINTS ___________________________________ 1. Because UDEL may be extremely dangerous, please, first click on the 'List Only' push button and inspect the list. Then, when you are sure, click on the 'Last' push button to recall your list of file specs, click on the 'Delete' one and pray. 2. When the 'List Only' button is used, you may also select the files you really want to delete in the generated list of found files (the 'Files deleted' list box) and click the 'Delete' button. 3. When UDEL is deleting files, the 'Quit' push button becomes a 'Stop !' push button. If you have 'Oops !' clicked on the 'Delete' button, you may stop UDEL with this stop button. 4. If you are not a registered user of UDEL, please don't click on the GREEN Informatique logo in the About box ! _____________________________ 5. UDEL LIMITS _______________________________ And now the bad news : UDEL is NOT able to delete read-only directories. Sorry ! _______________________________ LAST WORDS _________________________________ To english readers: If you have read this text before it has been corrected by somebody who really speaks english, I think you have understood that english is not my native language. Be that as it may, I hope you have also understood this help (*) even if you would'nt have written it exactly like it was ... (*) That is to say I hope you do not need help to read this help !