Compares the contents of two floppy disks.
This command performs a track-by-track comparison. Determines the number of sides and sectors per track to compare based on the format of the first disk you specify.
DISKCOMP /?
DISKCOMP [drive1: [drive2:]] [/1] [/8]
DISKCOPY - Copy the contents of
one floppy disk to another.
FC - Compare two files or sets of
files, and display the differences between them.
Equivalent Linux BASH commands:
cksum - Print CRC checksum and byte counts.
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 error message:
Invalid drive specification
Specified drive does not exist
or is non-removable
If all tracks on the two disks being compared are the same, DISKCOMP displays the message:
Compare OK
If the tracks are not the same, DISKCOMP displays a message similar to:
Compare error on
side 1, track 2
When DISKCOMP completes the comparison, it displays 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.
DISKCOMP ignores a disk's volume number when it makes the comparison.
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.
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.
DISKCOMP cannot compare a single-sided disk with a double-sided disk or 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 message:
Drive types or diskette types not compatible
DISKCOMP does not work on a network drive or on a drive created or affected by a SUBST command. If you attempt to use DISKCOMP with a network drive or a drive created by the SUBST command, DISKCOMP displays an error message.
When you use DISKCOMP with a disk that you made with the COPY command, DISKCOMP may display a message similar to:
Compare error on
side 0, track 0
This type of error can occur even if the files on the disks are identical. Although the COPY command duplicates information, it doesn't necessarily place it in the same location on the destination disk. For more information about comparing individual files on two disks, see the FC command.
Since v4.0 two otherwise identical disks with different serial numbers are reported as "identical".
If your system has only one floppy disk drive, drive A, and you want to compare two disks, type:
DISKCOMP A: A:
DISKCOMP prompts you to insert each disk, as required.