Problems with files on floppy disks in version 233

In version 233, two problems with files on floppy disks were introduced.

1) When selecting a file on a floppy disk, the following pop-up message is always displayed:

After pressing OK, the message goes away, and the edit session continues normally.

2) When selecting a file on a floppy disk, the filename is not added to the 'File|Re-open' menu.

To fix both problems

Please follow these steps:

  1. Download the following file: mrt233-floppy-patch.exe (1.9 M)
  2. When the download completes, double-click on the downloaded file
  3. Follow the prompts on the screen to install the fix

As with any change to the \Program Files folder, these steps will require Adminstrative access in Windows.

Workaround

To avoid this problem, simply copy the files from the floppy disk to the hard disk, and select them in MARC Report from the latter.

Background

Whenever a file is selected from a floppy drive, MARC Report copies the file to the session folder on your hard drive. These files are so small that the copying happens almost instantaneously. During this copy, we run the Verify utility on the file, and from then on, all of your editing, reviewing, etc., is taking place on the hard drive (to benefit from its greatly improved performance and data reliability over a floppy).

When the Edit session is finished and you save the changes, MARC Report copies the results back to the floppy (or wherever it is directed to by the settings on the Edit Sessions page of the options).

It is the verification process during the copy from the floppy to the hard disk that is triggering the annoying pop-up message above. The fix simply replaces the verify module (verify.dll) with a corrected version. The default location for this file is: C:\Program Files\TMQ\MARC Report.

Another problem with files on floppy drives is this: whenever the program starts, MARC Report checks to see if the last edit session completed successfully. One of the tasks in this check is to find out if the source file from the last session is still present. If this source file was on a floppy, then the program will try to access the floppy drive; and if there is no floppy in the drive, a Windows error message will pop-up.