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A-DIAL (Version 2.0) by Gerard Lane
A-DIAL is a sequential auto-dialer used to find and
record the phone numbers of other computers. This is
similar to the program used in the movie "Wargames".
Version 2.0 of A-DIAL fixes some bugs, adds a few
features, and improves the performance over the original
A-DIAL. A-DIAL requires a Hayes compatible modem and a CGA,
EGA, or VGA to run.
Using A-DIAL is simple. When you run the program you
are presented with a series of options. To toggle the
option choices press the <Space Bar>, or accept the
currently displayed option by pressing the <Enter> key.
Press the <Esc> key (at any option except the first one) to
recycle A-DIAL to the first option. Pressing the <Esc> key
at the first option returns you to DOS.
The first option is the output device. This is where
A-DIAL stores the phone numbers it finds. You can store
them on a disk, the printer, or both. If you choose disk
you have the option of appending to or deleting the contents
of the file. A-DIAL uses the default drive and path to
store the numbers in a file named NUMBERS.DAT.
The next option is the modem speaker. You can set it to
be either on or off. Then you are asked how long you want
the program to wait for a carrier after dialing. This can
be set for either 20 or 30 seconds.
You then have the choice of setting the baud rate to
300, 1200, or 2400. A-DIAL stores only numbers that connect
at the same baud rate. For example, if A-DIAL is set for
1200 baud and a modem answers at 300 baud, A-DIAL does not
store that number.
The next option is the comm port. Set this to COM1: or
COM2: depending on which serial port your modem is using.
You then have the option of setting A-DIAL to tone or pulse
dial the modem.
You are now asked to enter the starting phone number.
Enter the number, use the <Backspace> key to correct
mistakes, and press <Enter> to accept the number. If you
want to dial outside your local area, press the <A> key
before you enter the starting number. You will be asked to
enter the area code. Be careful; this could cost you a lot
of money.
Finally, you are asked to enter the ending phone
number. Enter the ending phone number. When you press
<Enter> to accept the number, A-DIAL begins the sequential
auto-dialing mode.
While A-DIAL is in the dialing mode, pressing the
<Space Bar> causes A-DIAL to hang up and sequence to the
next number. Press the <P> key to pause A-DIAL. A-DIAL
will hang up and wait for any key to be pressed before
continuing. This is useful when you want to temporarily use
the phone line for another purpose. Pressing the <S> key
toggles the modem speaker on or off. This change takes
place when the next number is dialed. Pressing the <Esc>
key causes A-DIAL to hang up and abort the dialing of the
remaining phone numbers.
While in the dialing mode A-DIAL reports the current
phone number being dialed, the number of connections made,
the number of phone numbers dialed, and other status
information.
A-DIAL has a safety feature that prevents it from
dialing numbers that begin with 911, 411, 611, 853, 555, and
a few others. If it encounters one of these, it rapidly
sequences through them without dialing.
After A-DIAL finishes dialing all the numbers, it
displays a message to that effect and waits for you to press
any key. If the output device is the disk, the information
about the numbers found will then be scrolled across the
screen.
The file NUMBERS.DAT that A-DIAL creates is an ASCII
file. You can view the contents of this file with the DOS
type command or use a text editor.