DUPLICATE CHECKING

This bbs uses ZDCS (Zipfile Duplicate Checking System) to check the 
files in your upload against those already here on the bbs to see if 
there are any duplicates.  This benefits us by wasting less storage 
space on keeping multiple copies of the same files, and benefits you by 
reducing the frustration of downloading files with different names that 
turn out to be the same files after all.

When you upload your files, ZDCS will check them and tell you whether 
or not there are any duplicates.  If there are more duplicates than 
this bbs allows, the upload will be moved to a private area for the 
sysop's review.

You can "pre-test" an upload before actually spending your time on-line 
to send it.  This does not require you to download any special programs 
or to perform any arcane rituals.  The pre-test will give you the same 
sort of information that ZDCS gives to a finished upload, so you can 
see how your intended upload would compare with the files already on 
the bbs.  Sound too good to be true?  It's really pretty simple.  All 
you need is PKZIP.  You *do* have PKZIP, right?

Let's say that you want to upload a ZIP file called GOODSTUF.ZIP.  At 
your DOS prompt, type in the following (not case-sensitive) command:

           PKZIP -V GOODSTUF.ZIP > ZDCSTEST.CHK

A new file called ZDCSTEST.CHK has just been created with information 
about GOODSTUF.ZIP in it.  All you have to do is upload ZDCSTEST.CHK to 
the bbs, and it will give you a breakdown of all the individual files 
in GOODSTUF.ZIP, with a note as to whether any of them are duplicates 
or bbs ads.  Now you know whether it's worth your time to upload 
GOODSTUF.ZIP to the board. (Sorry, no upload credits for ZDCSTEST.CHK.)

Suppose you have more than one upload you want to check out.  (First 
off, bless you for wanting to upload!)  You'll have to issue the above 
command separately for each upload you want to check out.  You can 
handle this one of two ways:

1.   Do it ahead of time and use a different directory for each 
     upload.  This is to keep from overwriting the ZDCSTEST.CHK file 
     for one upload with the .CHK file from another.

2.   Shell out to DOS while on-line and do it live.  (Each 
     communications program does this a little differently, but pretty 
     much any half-way decent comm program lets you pop out of the bbs 
     and back to your own machine's DOS for little things like this.)  
     Since the PKZIP -V command is so fast, you lose very little time.  
     This is probably the simplest way to do it.

Thanks for the uploads!

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ZDCS and Zipfile Duplicate Checking System are (C) Copyright 1991 by 
Michael W. Cocke.  All rights reserved.