technology > courses > ctec1863 > MS-DOS Crash Course

MS-DOS Crash Course

(Adapted from "Windows Annoyances" by David A. Karp, O'Reilly & Associates, 1997.)

Several labs in this course require that you type commands into a DOS Window.  If you don't quite have a grasp on this concept, here's a crash course on MS-DOS (short for Microsoft Disk Operating System).  DOS has been included with PCs since the original IBM 5150 PC in the early 1980s, and even the newest PCs still use it to some extent.  DOS was the PC operating system used before Microsoft Windows became the standard and still has some use today.  All versions of Microsoft Windows from 1.0 to 3.11 relied on DOS.  Windows was thought of only as an extension, as one needed to load DOS before starting Windows.  Windows 95, 98 and ME are still based somewhat on MS-DOS for compatibility with the vast majority of available software and Microsoft has made Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, and 2008 completely independent of MS-DOS, but still makes available the command prompt for those who need the functionality.

Rather than unloading Windows to access the command prompt, you simply load another command prompt while remaining in Windows.  This is often referred to as a DOS Box or DOS Window.  If you don't have a Command Prompt item in your Start Menu, you can use the Start Menu's Run command to execute cmd.exe (or command.com.)  You'll see a window that looks like the one shown below in Fig. 2.  The cursor indicates the command line (where commands are typed), and the prompt usually shows the current working directory (here, C:\Documents and Settings\CTEC1863).

Fig. 1. Starting a Command Prompt from the Windows XP Start Menu

Fig. 2. Typical Windows XP Command Prompt Window

To run programs in a DOS box, type the name of the program at the command line (also called the C prompt because it usually looks like C:\>) and press Enter.  You should know the following basic DOS commands to be able to complete the labs in this course.  The commands are in uppercase, and the parameters (the information you supply to the command) are in lowercase.  If there is more than one parameter, each is separated by a space.

Changes the working directory to foldername.  If the prompt indicates that you are in C:\Windows, and you want to run a DOS program located in C:\Files, type CD C:\FILES.  Typing CD by itself will tell you the current working directory, i.e., where you are at the moment, although the prompt shows that already.

Displays a listing of all the files and directories in the current working directory.  Use CD to change to a different directory.  Type DIR C:\FILES to display the contents of C:\Files without using the CD command.  Type DIR /? for additional options.

Changes the attributes (also called properties) of a file.  In Explorer, you can right-click on a file or group of files to change the attributes (R for read only, S for system, A for archive, and H for hidden).  ATTRIB is the DOS counterpart to this functionality.  In addition, ATTRIB lets you change the S attribute -- something Explorer doesn't let you do.  Here are some examples:

• ATTRIB +H MYFILE.TXT -- This turns on the "H" parameter for the file myfile.txt.

• ATTRIB -R "ANOTHER FILE.DOC" -- This turns off the "R" parameter for the file another file.doc (note the quotes used because of the space in the filename).

• Type ATTRIB /? for additional options.

Copies a file to another directory or drive, specified as destination.  This is the same as dragging and dropping files in Explorer, except that the keyboard is used instead of the mouse.  For example, to copy the file myfile.txt (located in the current working directory) to your floppy drive, type COPY MYFILE.TXT A:\.

Copies a file or a whole directory to another directory or drive, specified as destination.  This is the same as dragging and dropping folders in Explorer.  XCOPY is much more flexible and powerful than COPY.  For example, to copy the directory files and all its subdirectories (even empty ones) to your floppy drive, type XCOPY FILES A:\ /E /I.  Type XCOPY /? for additional options.

The same as COPY, except that the file is moved instead of copied.

Renames a file to newfilename.  This is especially useful, as you can use the REN command to rename more that one file at once -- something Explorer doesn't let you do.  For example, to rename myfile.txt to herfile.txt, type REN MYFILE.TXT HERFILE.TXT.  To change the extensions of all the files in the current working directory from .TXT to .DOC, type REN *.TXT *.DOC.

Deletes a file.  For example, to delete the file myfile.txt, type DEL MYFILE.TXT.  This is not the same as deleting a file (with the mouse) in Windows, as the file will not be stored in the Recycle Bin.  The Windows equivalent is to hold down the Shift key while deleting a file with the mouse.

Closes the command prompt window.  This command has no effect if Windows isn't running (i.e., with older versions of Windows.)  In most situations, you can just click the close button at the upper right corner of the window, but the EXIT command is safer, because it means that no other DOS command is currently running.

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