OFFICE OF THE CLERK UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA REVISED DISKETTE MASTER ADDRESS LIST SPECIFICATIONS Effective December 16, 1998 1 To ensure their compatibility with the court's BANCAP case processing system, Master Address Lists on diskettes must be prepared according to the following specifications. 1. Diskette Size and Density a. b. 2. Master Address List files may be submitted on either 3½ inch or 5¼ inch diskettes through December 31, 1998. As of January 4, 1999, however, the Clerk’ Office will s no longer accept 5¼ inch diskettes and all electronic Master Address List files must be submitted on 3½ inch diskettes ONLY. Diskettes must be high density (1.44MB for 3½ inch diskettes; 1.2MB for 5¼ inch diskettes) and in an MS-DOS/Windows compatible format. File Requirements a. b. The file must be in “pure text” format. Word processing formats of any kind are unacceptable, as are archived, compressed, DOS backup, or PKZIP formats. See item 4, Creating the File and Saving It On A Diskette, below, or consult the documentation that came with your particular software. c. The file must be located in the diskette's root directory and named CREDITOR.SCN.2 d. 1 A separate diskette containing a single Master Address List file shall be submitted for each case. There must be no hidden spaces after the last printable character on each line. If a nine digit zip code is used, it must appear in the format xxxxx-xxxx and include the hyphen. No punctuation or spaces are permitted after the zip code. Changes are denoted by a vertical line in the left margin. 2 When Master Address Lists are saved in ASCII format using Windows 95 or a later version of Windows, the file name may automatically include an additional “.txt” ending, regardless of the software/word processing program used. Files saved as CREDITOR.SCN.txt must be renamed CREDITOR.SCN. To rename the file, click on the Start button in the bottom left-hand corner of your desktop. Click on Programs and select Windows (or Windows NT) Explorer. Double click on 3½ Floppy (A:) located just beneath My Computer. All of the files on your diskette will appear on the right-hand portion of your screen. At this point, you should insure that CREDITOR.SCN.txt is the only file on the diskette. Click on CREDITOR.SCN.txt once, using the right mouse button. Then, click on Rename. The name of the file will be highlighted. Type CREDITOR.SCN in place of CREDITOR.SCN.txt and press the Enter key. A message box may appear, informing you that “[i]f a file name extension is changed, the file may become unusable. Are you sure you want to change it?” Respond by clicking on the YES button. EDC 2-195 (Rev. 11/98) Page 1 of 3 2001 © American LegalNet, Inc. 3. File Content and Creditor Format a. b. 4. The file shall contain a list of creditor names and addresses, prepared in strict compliance with the Name and Address Standards set forth in form EDC 2-190, Revised Guidelines For Preparation of Master Address Lists. If the case number is known when the file is generated, it should appear on the first line of the file. Three asterisks should immediately precede the seven digit case number, and another three asterisks should immediately follow it. There should be no spaces, hyphens, or other special characters between the asterisks and the numbers, or at the beginning or end of the case number (Example: ***9523456*** NOT ***95-23456***). There should be six blank lines between the case number and the first name and address. Creating the File and Saving It On A Diskette a. b. 5. The file must be created using a computer program capable of producing an ASCII or DOS text file. If the Master Address List is prepared in a word processor, it should be exported to the appropriate format before the diskette copy is created. Text editors such as DOS Editor (EDIT), word processing programs such as WordPerfect 3 and Microsoft Word, and most database management packages are capable of producing the required output. Since procedures vary with each program, consult the user information that accompanied your software. The file must be saved in the root directory of the diskette in a “pure text” format (not delimited), such as MS-DOS Text or ASCII (DOS) Text. MASTER ADDRESS LISTS SAVED ON DISKETTE IN A WORD PROCESSING “DOCUMENT” FORMAT, A DELIMITED TEXT FORMAT, OR A GENERIC WORD PROCESSOR TEXT FORMAT CANNOT BE READ BY THE COURT’ S BANCAP CASE PROCESSING SYSTEM. Labeling Diskettes a. Diskettes must be labeled with the name, address, and telephone number of the submitting party, the debtor's full name, the number of creditors included in the file, and the case number, if known. 3 For example, after typing a Master Address List in Corel WordPerfect8 for Windows, place a formatted diskette in the floppy drive and click on File on the menu bar. Click on the Save As... menu option. When the Save As dialog box appears, the File name will be highlighted. If your floppy drive is designated drive A:, type A:\CREDITOR.SCN; if your floppy drive is designated drive B, type B:\CREDITOR.SCN. Below File name, there is a selection called File type. Click on the down arrow at the right and scroll through the list of available file types until you find ASCII DOS Text. Click ASCII DOS Text, NOT on ASCII DOS Delimited Text or ASCII DOS Generic Word Processor Text. Then click on the Save button in the lower right area of the dialog box to save the file to diskette in ASCII DOS text. If you are using Windows 95 or a later version of Windows, you may have to rename the file. See footnote 1. EDC 2-195 (Rev. 11/98) Page 2 of 3 2001 © American LegalNet, Inc. b. 6. Do not write on a diskette label with ballpoint pen. Use a felt-tip pen or write lightly in pencil. Caring For Diskettes a. b. Avoid all magnetic fields. Remember, magnets show up in unexpected places, such as paper clip dispensers, note holders, and telephone receivers. c. 7. Do not use paper clips or rubber bands to attach the diskette to the petition or other documents. Keep diskettes dry and free of dust or other contaminants. Return Of Diskettes Diskettes shall be returned to the filing party, together with their conformed copies of documents. 8. Packaging Diskettes For Mail Submission a. Mark prominently on the outside of the envelope "MAGNETIC MEDIA -- DO NOT X-RAY." b. If the contents of the envelope are sufficiently bulky (in other words, if the stuffed envelope is stiff enough not to bend when held horizontally by the short edge), simply place the diskette in the middle of the paperwork. If not, reinforce the envelope by enclosing a sheet of cardboard, or use a diskette mailer. EDC 2-195 (Rev. 11/98) Page 3 of 3 2001 © American LegalNet, Inc.