Computer and Software Support


diskcomp

This page is from Microsoft

Updated: January 21, 2005

Compares the contents of two floppy disks. Used without parameters, diskcomp uses the current drive for both disks that you want to compare.

 
Syntax
diskcomp [Drive1: [Drive2:]]
Parameters
Drive1
Specifies the drive containing one of the floppy disks.
Drive2
Specifies the drive containing the other floppy disk.
/?
Displays help at the command prompt.
Remarks
  • Using disks

    The diskcomp command works only with floppy disks. You cannot use diskcomp with a hard disk. If you specify a hard disk drive for Drive1 or Drive2, diskcomp displays the following error message:

    Invalid drive specification
Specified drive does not exist
or is nonremovable
  • Comparing disks

    If all tracks on the two disks being compared are the same, diskcomp displays the following message:

    Compare OK

    If the tracks are not the same, diskcomp displays a message similar to the following:

    Compare error on
side 1, track 2

    When diskcomp completes the comparison, it displays the following message:

    Compare another diskette (Y/N)?

    If you press Y, diskcomp prompts you to insert disks for the next comparison. If you press N, diskcomp stops the comparison.

    When diskcomp makes the comparison, it ignores a disk's volume number.

  • Omitting drive parameters

    If you omit the Drive2 parameter, Diskcomp uses the current drive for Drive2. If you omit both drive parameters, diskcomp uses the current drive for both. If the current drive is the same as Drive1, Diskcomp prompts you to swap disks as necessary.

  • Using one drive

    If you specify the same floppy disk drive for Drive1 and Drive2, diskcomp does a comparison by using one drive and prompts you to insert the disks as necessary. You might have to swap the disks more than once, depending on the capacity of the disks and the amount of available memory.

  • Comparing different types of disks

    Diskcomp cannot compare a single-sided disk with a double-sided disk, nor a high-density disk with a double-density disk. If the disk in Drive1 is not of the same type as the disk in Drive2, diskcomp displays the following message:

    Drive types or diskette types not compatible
  • Using diskcomp with networks and redirected drives

    Diskcomp does not work on a network drive or on a drive created by the subst command. If you attempt to use diskcomp with a drive of any of these types, diskcomp displays the following error message:

    Invalid drive specification
  • Comparing an original disk with a copy

    When you use diskcomp with a disk that you made by using copy, diskcomp might display a message similar to the following:

    Compare error on 
side 0, track 0

    This type of error can occur even if the files on the disks are identical. Although copy duplicates information, it does not necessarily place it in the same location on the destination disk. For more information about comparing individual files on two disks by using Fc, see Related Topics.

  • Understanding diskcomp exit codes