SRCHDISK scans a disk-drive for the given string (sequence of bytes or
characters). The bytes may be specified as either a quoted string or
a series of hex digits or any combination thereof (see samples).
The output is the sector(s) in which the string was found, NOT the
filenames (see FINDALL for that one.) Standard DOS piping is supported.
Syntax: SRCHDISK switches drive-letter string-to-find
Switches (use either DOS' "/" or UNIX's "-", combine or separate):
/I Ignore case. Drive contents & search-string both folded to uppercase
before comparison (but see limitations!)
-V Verbose. Display every 80-sector page-swap (otherwise just matches)
drive-letter doesn't need a colon.
string-to-find: anything inside quotes, &/or hexadecimal specs (for non-typeable
char.s) OUTSIDE of quotes.
ctrl-C will interrupt/abort the program.
Uses: to locate portions of deleted or damaged files for DEBUG recovery,
locate filenames, locate things that may not be inside a file.
Limitations are:
hexadecimal specs, if they refer to lower-case letters (61-7B) will
NOT be found if case-ignore switch is set because they are always
left "as is" and case-ignore folds the drive-contents to uppercase.
Note that hex DIGITS will be normalized, so 7b = 7B, but 7b ("z") <> 5b ("Z")
STRONGLY recommended, when piping output to file, NEVER USE THE -v SWITCH!
Otherwise the output file will be almost infinite size due to the "progress
meter" current-sector output (displays every 80-sector swap) going to pipe.
Sorry, CD drives aren't supported thus far.
Perhaps i'll cure these, and any other reported bugs, in the future,
if i'm feeling energetic, and I have the time. Or perhaps not.
examples:
SRCHDISK -i /v C "lee"0D0A"is a gentleman and a scholar."1a
searches drive C for the string with an end-of-file (1a=^Z) after it.
SRCHDISK -Iv C "ThIs Is TeStInG tHe igNOre-CaSE SwITch"0d
searches C and ignores case (string and drive-contents both conv. to upper)
SRCHDISK /I a 4C454520"WORKMAN" > c:\floptest
searches drive A (floppy) for "LEE WORKMAN"and puts results into file c:\floptest
non-verbose-mode, case ignored.