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%Append Page 1 of 2 @@PHelps DOS locate files outside the current directory. @@F[d:][path]APPEND d:path[;[d:]path ...] or [d:][path]APPEND [/X][/E] or APPEND [;] @@R[d:]path specifies the path to search when a program is looking for a file with an extension other that .COM, .EXE, and .BAT. /X tells APPEND to process SEARCH FIRST, FIND FIRST, and EXEC functions. Commands like COMP and DIR use the SEARCH FIRST functions to search for their files. Commands like BACKUP, RESTORE, and TREE use the FIND FIRST function to look for their files. DOS uses the EXEC function any time a command is entered. .page Page 2 of 2 @@R/E tells APPEND to keep its paths in the DOS environment, much like the PATH command. ; is used to separate the APPEND paths or to request a list of the current APPEND paths. Refer to your DOS manual for more information on the APPEND command. %Autoexec Batch File Page 1 of 3 @@PExecutes a series of commands to configure DOS to your specifications each time the computer is turned on or restarted. @@RWith this program, you can automatically give DOS commands every time you start up your computer. That way, you can configure DOS and your system to your specific requirements. .page Page 2 of 3 Some of the more popular commands used in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file are: IECHO OFFI Usually the first command in the batch file. This command turns off the echo feature of a batch file. It reduces the amount of information displayed on the screen as the other commands in the batch file are carried out. IBREAK ONI You may want to prematurely interrupt an executing program because you made a typing error in the command line, or other reason. Holding the CTRL key and pressing the BREAK key will stop a program only when there is keyboard input or video screen output. But there may not be input or output during some programs. If the BREAK feature is turned ON, DOS will check for Ctrl-Break more frequently. Because the default setting is OFF, you should turn it on in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. .page Page 3 of 3 IVERIFY ONI Normally when DOS writes to a disk file, it does not check to see that the information has been correctly written. The VERIFY ON command turns on the verification feature so that DOS will check that each file is correctly written. Of course, when VERIFY is ON, it takes longer to write a disk file. However, it is better to be safe even though it does take a little longer. IPATHI The PATH command establishes a search path for program execution. This command tells DOS where to look for a program when it cannot be found in the current directory or drive. These commands are explained separately in this HELP program. %Assign Page 1 of 2 @@PInstructs DOS to route disk I/O requests for one drive to another drive. @@F[d:][path]ASSIGN [x[=]y[...]] @@Rx specifies the drive to which current disk I/O requests are sent. y specifies the drive letter that you want disk I/O requests to be routed to. Type ASSIGN with no parameters to reset all drives to normal assignment. .page Page 2 of 2 Some applications programs can only be run on, or access their data from, one disk drive. The ASSIGN command allows you to assign a drive letter that is not on your system to a drive letter which is available on your system. An example of this would be if you have only one disk on your computer, and your applications program was programmed to use drive C for all of its data storage. With the ASSIGN command, you could assign all requests for drive C to drive A. If you want to use the ASSIGN command for more than one drive, it must be done with one ASSIGN command. This is because each ASSIGN command statement cancels any previous ones. @@EAssign all requests for drives A and B to C. ASSIGN A=C B=C Return all assignments to their normal drive. ASSIGN %Attrib Page 1 of 3 @@PChanges the read-only attribute of a disk file. @@F[d:][path]ATTRIB [+R | -R] [d:][path]filename[.ext] @@R+R sets the read-only attribute bit for the specified file. -R removes (clears) the read-only attribute bit for the specified file. The global filename characters, ? and *, are allowed. .page Page 2 of 3 Each disk file can be marked as read-only so that it cannot be accidentally deleted. This "file attribute" is stored in the disk directory for each file. This attribute bit can be set or cleared by using the ATTRIB command. A file that is marked as read-only will be seen in the directory as normal, with the DIR command. However, if you try to delete the file with the DEL or ERASE commands, DOS will not carry out the command. It will give you an "Access denied" error message. Another file attribute, named the "archive attribute", shows whether a file has been changed since the last backup was made. This attribute is cleared by special backup programs when they perform backup on a disk, such as the DOS BACKUP program. When using a backup program, you can specify to backup only those files that have not been changed since the last backup--instead of backing up all files, which can take much longer. The backup program examines this archive attribute to determine whether or not to backup a file. If you have DOS version 3.2 or later, you can use the ATTRIB command to set or clear the archive attribute, as well as the read-only attribute. .page Page 3 of 3 @@ESet the read-only attribute for MYFILE.TXT. ATTRIB +R MYFILE.TXT Reset the read-only attribute for all files named MYFILE with any extension. ATTRIB -R MYFILE.* Display the attribute of all files. ATTRIB *.* %Backup Page 1 of 2 @@PBacks up one or more files from one disk to another. This is usually used to back up files from a hard disk. @@F[d:][path]BACKUP [d:][path][filename[.ext]] d:[/S][/M][/A][/D:mm-dd-yy][/T:hh:mm:ss][/F] [/L[:[d:][path]filename[.ext]]] @@R/S Backup files in all subdirectories as well. /M Backup only those files that have changed since the last backup. /A Add files to the backup disk. /D:mm-dd-yy Backup files modified on or after the specified date. /T:hh:mm:ss to backup files that have been modified on or after the specified time on the date specified. .page Page 2 of 2 @@R/F to format the target disk if it is not formatted. /L to specify a log file. If a file name is not specified, the default is BACKUP.LOG, and is stored in the root directory of the source drive. Refer to your DOS manual for information about your version of BACKUP. @@EBackup all files on drive C to drive A. BACKUP C:\*.* A: /S %Basic Page 1 of 1 @@PStarts the basic interpreter (normal or advanced). Optionally executes the program name given as a parameter. @@F[d:][path]BASIC[A] [d:][program[.bas]] @@RRefer to your BASIC manual for more information on the BASIC language. @@ERun the BASIC interpreter and execute TEST.BAS. BASIC TEST %Break Page 1 of 2 @@PInstructs DOS to check for a control break whenever a program requests DOS to perform a function. @@FBREAK [=[ON | OFF]] @@RON to set BREAK=ON. This means that DOS checks for control break whenever a program requests DOS to perform a function. This allows you to break out of a program that usually would not let you break out. .page Page 2 of 2 OFF to set BREAK=OFF. This means that DOS only checks for control break during: o Standard output operations o Standard input operations o Standard printer operations Each time your system is started, BREAK is automatically turned off. You can turn break on automatically by placing the BREAK ON command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file on your startup disk. See your DOS manual for more information on the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. %Chdir (CD) Page 1 of 2 @@PChanges or displays the current directory. @@FCHDIR [d:][path] or CD [d:][path] @@RTyping CHDIR or CD without parameters will display the current directory. .page Page 2 of 2 @@EChange the current directory to the root directory. CD \ Change the current directory to LEVEL2. CD \LEVEL1\LEVEL2 Display the current directory. CD %Chkdsk Page 1 of 2 @@PAnalyzes the directories, files, and File Allocation Table on the specified drive, or default drive, and produces a disk and memory status report. @@F[d:][path]CHKDSK [d:][filename[.ext]] [/F][/V] @@R/F Will fix errors in the File Allocation Table /V Will tell of progress in CHKDSK (Verbose) The CHKDSK command checks for errors in the file directories. These errors can be caused by several things, the most common of which is turning off the computer while a program is still running. .page Page 2 of 2 When the /F parameter is used, CHKDSK will create and allocate any "lost" clusters to files in the root directory beginning with the filename FILE001.CHK. These files will contain the data from the lost clusters. This will allow you to retrieve the data from these files. This is useless if the lost clusters contain DOS programs. However, if these lost clusters contain data from a text file that was lost while using your word processor, you may be able to retrieve this data and place it back into your word processor file. @@ECheck drive B and fix all allocation errors. CHKDSK B: /F %Cls Page 1 of 1 @@PClears the video screen. @@FCLS @@RUse this command when you want to clear the video screen. %Comp Page 1 of 2 @@PCompares two disk files. @@F[d:][path]COMP [d:][path][filename[.ext]] [d:][path][filename[.ext]] @@RThis command is useful when you want to see if two files contain the same data. COMP will display any differences on the screen. .page Page 2 of 2 @@ECompare JUNK on drive A to JUNK on drive B. COMP A:JUNK B: Compare all files on drive A to all files on drive B. COMP A: B: Compare all files on drive A with the extension .ASM to all files on drive C with the same name. COMP A:*.ASM C: %Copy Page 1 of 3 @@PCopies files. @@FCOPY[/A][/B][d:][path]filename[.ext][/A][/B] [d:][path]filename[.ext][/A][/B][/V] or COPY[/A][/B][d:][path]filename[.ext][/A][/B] [+[d:][path]filename[.ext][/A][/B]...] [d:][path]filename[.ext][/A][/B][/V] .page Page 2 of 3 @@R/A Treat as ASCII file. When used with source file name, copies up to but not including the first Ctrl Z (EOF marker). When used with target file name, causes a Ctrl Z to be added as the last character of the file. /B With source file name, the entire file based on directory size is copied. With target file name, causes NO Ctrl Z to be added to the file. /V Verify that target sectors are written correctly. This is the same as setting the VERIFY command to ON. See VERIFY for more information on that command. @@ECopy HELP.DAT from drive A to drive B. COPY A:HELP.DAT B: .page Page 3 of 3 @@ECopy HELP.DAT on drive A to a file named TEMP on the same drive. COPY A:HELP.DAT TEMP Copy all files from drive B to drive C. COPY B:*.* C: Copy FILE1 and FILE2 from drive A into one file named FILE3 on drive C. COPY A:FILE1 + A:FILE2 C:FILE3 %CTTY Page 1 of 2 @@PChanges the standard input and output console to an auxiliary console, or restores the keyboard and screen as the standard input and output devices. @@FCTTY device-name @@RThis command is useful when you want to use a terminal connected to your serial port. The MODE command must be used before this is done to initialize the serial port to the desired settings. See your DOS manual for more information on the CTTY command. .page Page 2 of 2 @@ESet the standard input and output device to the first serial port. CTTY COM1: %Date Page 1 of 2 @@PSet or display the current system date. @@FDATE [mm-dd-yy] @@RType DATE without a parameter to display and/or set the current system date. DOS will display the current date and ask you to enter a new date. You can enter a new date, or press Enter to keep the current date. .page Page 2 of 2 @@ESet the system date to December 25, 1987. DATE 12-25-87 Display the current system date. DATE %Del / Erase Page 1 of 2 @@PDeletes the specified disk file. @@FDEL [d:][path]filename[.ext] @@RThis command erases files that match the filename. Write protected files cannot be erased. If the global filename characters *.* are given, DOS will request verification of this command. The global filename characters, ? and *, are allowed. .page Page 2 of 2 @@EDelete all files with the extension .ASM. DEL *.ASM Delete all files. DOS will ask to verify this operation. DEL *.* Delete the file named FILE1.TXT. ERASE FILE1.TXT %Dir Page 1 of 2 @@PDisplays a list of file names in a disk directory. @@FDIR [d:][path][filename[.ext]] [/P][/W] @@R/P to pause after each screen /W to list in wide format across the screen Use the /P parameter if there are more than 20 files to be displayed. This will prompt you to strike any key before it scrolls the files off the screen. Use the /W parameter to display the files in wide format. However, this format will only display the file names. .page Page 2 of 2 @@EShow all files in the current drive and directory. DIR Show all files with the extension of .WP. DIR *.WP Show all files on drive A. DIR A: %Diskcomp Page 1 of 2 @@PCompares two floppy diskettes. @@F[d:][path]DISKCOMP [d:] [d:][/1][/8] @@R/1 One side only. The default is 2 sides. /8 Eight Sector. The default is 9 sectors. Older versions of DOS only used one side of the diskette, and 8 sectors per track. New versions use two sides of the disk, and 9 sectors per track; this allows for more data to be stored on each diskette. The /1 and /8 parameters are not necessary with new versions of DOS. .page Page 2 of 2 @@ECompare the double sided 9 sector diskettes in drives A and B. DISKCOMP A: B: %Diskcopy Page 1 of 2 @@PDuplicates a complete floppy diskette. @@FDISKCOPY [d:] [d:][/1] @@R/1 Copy one side only. The first drive [d:] is the source drive (copy from). The second drive [d:] is the target drive (copy to). The DISKCOPY command will copy an entire diskette and format the destination disk if necessary. If you have only one disk drive, DISKCOPY will tell you when to change the disks. .page Page 2 of 2 @@ROlder versions of DOS used only one side of the diskette, where new versions use two sides of the diskette; this allows for more data to be stored on each diskette. The /1 parameter is not necessary with new versions of DOS. In general the DISKCOPY command is not a good method of copying diskettes because it preserves the often found inefficient ordering of data. Use the FORMAT and COPY commands instead. Some commercial disks are copy protected. If this is the case, then DISKCOPY cannot complete the copy, or it will make a copy that does not work. @@ECopy the disk in drive A to drive B. DISKCOPY A: B: %Fastopen Page 1 of 2 @@PTo assist DOS in searching for a file. @@F[d:][path]FASTOPEN d:[=nnn] ... @@Rd: specifies the disk drive for FASTOPEN to use. =nnn specifies how many file names FASTOPEN should keep in memory. The minimum is 10, and maximum is 999. The default is 34. FASTOPEN stores in its memory, the directories and file names most recently used by programs and DOS. When accessing a file, FASTOPEN searches the memory list first, if the file is found it is a much faster search than searching the disk drive. .page Page 2 of 2 @@RFor each of the nnn files in the list, FASTOPEN needs 35 bytes of memory. @@EInstall FASTOPEN for drive C with 100 file name capacity. FASTOPEN C:=100 %Fdisk Page 1 of 1 @@PPrepares a hard disk for formatting. @@F[d:][path]FDISK @@RA new hard disk is not usable until the surface has been partitioned and then formatted. FDISK does the partitioning. Then use the FORMAT command to format the disk. You only have to use the FDISK command once. I*** WARNING ***I The FDISK command destroys all files on the disk! See your DOS manual for more information on the FDISK command. %Find Page 1 of 2 @@PSearches for a pattern of letters in a text file. @@F[d:][path]FIND [/V][/C][/N]"string" [[d:][path]filename[.ext]...] @@R/V All lines NOT containing "string" are displayed /C Display a count of the number of matches in the file /N Display the relative line number of each matching line The characters to search for must be enclosed in quotation marks. .page Page 2 of 2 @@EDisplay lines from the file PROG that DO NOT contain the letter F. FIND/V "F" PROG Display how many lines in the file PROG that contain the name JOE. FIND/C "JOE" PROG %Format Page 1 of 4 @@PPrepares a new disk. @@F[d:][path]FORMAT [d:][/S][/1][/8][/V][/B][/4][/N:xx][/T:yy] @@R/S will put COMMAND.COM on the disk /1 formats the diskette as one-sided. /8 formats with eight sectors per track. /V will allow a volume label to be entered. /B leaves space on the disk for an operating system to be installed, with the SYS command, in the future. .page Page 2 of 4 /4 to format a double sided disk in a high capacity drive. /N:xx is used to specify the number of sectors per track to format. /T:yy is used to specify the number of tracks to format. A new disk, including a hard disk, must be prepared before it is used for the first time. This step is called formatting. The FORMAT command will destroy any information on the disk surface. Be careful not to accidentally format a valuable disk. .page Page 3 of 4 I*** WARNING ***I The FORMAT command destroys all files on the disk! The following is a table of the parameters allowed for each type of disk: ┌────────────┬─────────────────────────┐ │ IDISKI │ IPARAMETERS ALLOWEDI │ ├────────────┼─────────────────────────┤ │ 160K/180K │ /S, /V, /1, /8, /B, /4 │ │ 320K/360K │ /S, /V, /1, /8, /B, /4 │ │ 720K/1.44M │ /S, /V, /N, /T │ │ 1.2M │ /S, /V, /N, /T │ │ FIXED DISK │ /S, /V │ └────────────┴─────────────────────────┘ See your DOS manual for more information on the FORMAT command. .page Page 4 of 4 @@EFormat the diskette in drive B. FORMAT B: Format the disk in drive A and make it a startup disk. FORMAT A:/S Format a 720K diskette in a 1.44M drive. FORMAT A:/N:9 /T:80 %Graftabl Page 1 of 1 @@PLoads a table of additional character data for the color/graphics adapter into memory. @@F[d:][path]GRAFTABL [437|860|863|865|/STATUS] @@RUse GRAFTABL to display foreign language characters when in graphics mode on the color/graphics adapter. See your DOS manual for more information on the GRAFTABL command. %Graphics Page 1 of 2 @@PAllows the contents of a graphics screen to be printed on a printer which can print graphics. @@F[d:][path]GRAPHICS [printer type][/R][/B][/LCD] @@RPrinter type is one of the following: COLOR1 - IBM PC Color Printer with black ribbon COLOR4 - IBM PC Color Printer with RGB ribbon COLOR8 - IBM PC Color Printer with CMY ribbon COMPACT - IBM PC Compact Printer GRAPHICS - IBM PC Graphics Printer or IBM Proprinter THERMAL - IBM PC Convertible Printer .page Page 2 of 2 @@R/R to print black and white as seen on the monitor. If you don't specify /R, the default is to print black as white, and white as black; this is the normal mode to print text to the printer. /B to print the background color. This is only for printer types COLOR4 and COLOR8. If you don't specify /B, the default is NOT to print the background color. /LCD to print the screen exactly as is appears on the IBM PC Convertible Liquid Crystal Display. If you do not specify a printer, the default is the GRAPHICS printer. %Join Page 1 of 1 @@PConnects a drive to a directory on another drive to produce a single directory structure from two separate directories. @@F[d:][path]JOIN d: d:\directory or [d:][path]JOIN d: /D @@Rd: specifies the drive to be connected to a directory on another drive. d:\directory specifies the directory that you will join a drive under. The directory must be at the root and only one level deep. /D will disconnect a JOIN. Refer to your DOS manual for more information on the JOIN command. %KEYB Page 1 of 1 @@PLoads a keyboard program that replaces the keyboard program resident in the ROM BIOS. This will allow support of non-U.S. English keyboards. @@F[d:][path]KEY[xx[,yyy,[[d:][path]filename[.ext]]]] @Rxx specifies the keyboard code. yyy specifies the numeric code page which defines the character set. [[d:][path]filename] specifies the drive, path, and filename of the keyboard definition file. See your DOS manual for more information on the KEYB command. %Label Page 1 of 2 @@PAllows you to create, change or delete a volume label on a disk. @@F[d:][path]LABEL [d:][volume label] @@RIf no disk is specified, the current disk is used. It is suggested that you label each of your disks with a volume label. This is sort of an electronic label to indicate what information is contained on the disk. A label can be put on the disk when you format it by using the FORMAT command with the /V parameter. However, you can also assign or change a disk label by using the LABEL command. .page Page 2 of 2 @@ELABEL will show any label currently on the disk in drive A and ask if you want to change or delete the current label. LABEL A: Make the volume label on the disk in drive A UTILS. LABEL A:UTILS %Mkdir (MD) Page 1 of 2 @@PCreates a subdirectory on the specified disk. @@FMKDIR [d:]path or MD [d:]path @@RPath to specify the path of the directory name. @@ECreate a subdirectory named LEVEL1 under the current directory. MD LEVEL1 .page Page 2 of 2 @@ECreate a subdirectory named HELP under the root directory. MD \HELP Create a subdirectory named LEVEL2 under the subdirectory named LEVEL1. MD \LEVEL1\LEVEL2 %Mode Page 1 of 3 @@PSet the way that a printer, a color/graphics monitor adapter, or asynchronous communications adapter operates. @@F[d:][path]MODE LPT#[:][n][,m][,P]] # = 1, 2, or 3 (the printer number) n = 80 or 132 (characters per line) m = 6 or 8 (lines per inch) P = continuous retry on time-out errors [d:][path]MODE n or [d:][path]MODE [n],m[,T] n = 40, 80, BW40, BW80, CO40, CO80, or MONO m = R or L (shift the display right or left) T requests a test pattern to align the display. .page Page 2 of 3 @@F[d:][path]MODE LPT#[:]=COMn # = 1, 2, or 3 (the printer number) n = asynchronous communications adapter number [d:][path]MODE COMn:baud[,parity][,databits[,stopbits[,P]]] n = asynchronous communications adapter number P = continuous retry on time-out errors @@RThe MODE command used in DOS Version 3.30 contains more commands. Refer to your DOS manual if you are using this version of DOS. .page Page 3 of 3 @@ESet the screen to color mode with 80 columns MODE CO80 Set the first communications port to 1200 baud, no parity, 8 data bits, and 1 stopbit. MODE COM1:1200,N,8,1 Set the first parallel printer to 132 columns per line. MODE LPT1:132 %More Page 1 of 1 @@PStops the screen from scrolling when it is full. @@F[d:][path]MORE <input filename @@EDisplay the file SAMPLE.DAT on the screen and pause when each screen is full MORE <SAMPLE.DAT or TYPE SAMPLE.DAT | MORE %Path Page 1 of 2 @@PEstablishes a search path for program execution. @@FPATH [d:]path[[;[d:]path...] or PATH ; @@RA Hard disk is divided into subdirectories to make it more manageable. However, this type of structure has its advantages and disadvantages. When you want to run a program, you must know where the program is located in order for DOS to find it, and then run it. You can use the PATH command to tell DOS where to search for programs you want to run. You may specify a list of drives and pathnames, separated by semicolons. Then, when you enter a command that is not found in the current drive and directory, DOS will search all drives and directories, specified by the path, for that program file name. .page Page 2 of 2 @@EShow the current path setting (if any). PATH Tell DOS to search the current directory (default), then the ROOT directory, then the directory named UTILS. PATH C:;C:\UTILS Remove all previous path settings. PATH ; %Print Page 1 of 3 @@PPrints a queue (a list) of data files on the printer while you are doing other jobs on the computer. @@F[d:][path]PRINT [/D:device][/B:buffsize][/U:busytick][/M:maxtick] [/S:timeslice][/Q:quesize][/C][/T][/P] [[d:][path][filename][.ext]...] @@R/D:device to specify a print device. Default is PRN. /B:buffsize to set the size in bytes of the internal buffer. Default is 512 bytes. /Q:quesize to specify how many files can print a one time. Default is 32 files. .page Page 2 of 3 @@R/S:timeslice to specify the time-slice value. Default is 8 slices. The range is 1 to 255. /U:busytick to specify the number of clock ticks that PRINT will wait until the print device is available. Default is 1. /M:maxtick to specify how many clock ticks PRINT can have to print characters to the printer. Default is 2. The range is 1 to 255. /T to set the terminate mode. All queued file are canceled from the print queue. /C to set the cancel mode. Allows you to select which files to cancel. .page Page 3 of 3 @@R/P sets the print mode. The preceding filename and all following filenames are added to the print queue until a /C is found on the command line, or until you press Enter. @@EPrint all files with the extension .TXT in the current directory. PRINT *.TXT %Prompt Page 1 of 2 @@PEstablishes a DOS command line prompt. @@FPROMPT [prompt-text] @@RWhere prompt-text specifies the new text for the DOS prompt. This can contain special characters that are in the form $p. These special characters are as follows: $ the $ character l the < character t the time b the | character d the date q the = character p the current directory h the backspace character v the DOS version number e the ESCape character n the default drive letter _ the CR LF sequence g the > character .page Page 2 of 2 @@RThe initial DOS prompt gives you the drive letter followed by the > character. However, the prompt can be changed to something else, which you may prefer over the default DOS prompt. A popular prompt is the $p$g prompt. This makes the prompt the current drive letter, plus the current directory, and then the > character. This is useful when using a hard disk with several subdirectories. You can get very creative with the PROMPT command. @@EMake the DOS prompt the current directory name and the greater than sign (C:\UTILS>). PROMPT $P$G Make the prompt the system time and date. PROMPT $T$D %Rename Page 1 of 1 @@PRenames a disk file. @@FREN[AME] [d:][path]filename[.ext] filename[.ext] @@RThe RENAME command changes the name of a disk file. Only the name is changed; the file itself is not altered. The wild card symbols, ? and *, may be used, but they should occur in identical positions in both names or only be used in one name. @@ERename all files named JOE with any extension to JIM with the same extension. RENAME JOE.* JIM.* %Replace Page 1 of 2 @@PSelectively replaces files on the target with files of the same name from the source. @@F[d:][path]REPLACE [d:][path]filename[.ext] [d:][path] [/A][/P][/R][/S][/W] @@R/A tells REPLACE to copy all files specified by the source that do not exist on the target. This allows you to add files to the target without overwriting files that may already exist. /P prompts you as each file is found on the target disk. /R replaces files that are read-only on the target disk. /S searches all subdirectories of the target disk. /W instructs REPLACE to wait until you insert a disk. .page Page 2 of 2 @@EReplace all files named JOE.TXT on your fixed disk drive C from your floppy drive A. REPLACE A:JOE.TXT C:\ /S %Restore Page 1 of 2 @@PRestores one or more backed up files from one disk to another disk. @@F[d:][path]RESTORE d: [d:][path][filename][.ext][/S][/P] [/B:mm-dd-yy][/A:mm-dd-yy][/M][/N][/L:time][/E:time] @@R/S Backed up files in all subdirectories will be restored. /P Prompt before restoring files that have changed since backup. /B:mm-dd-yy to restore all files modified on or before the date specified. /A:mm-dd-yy to restore all files on or after the date specified. /M to restore files modified or deleted since they were last backed up. /N to restore files that no longer exist on the target disk. .page Page 2 of 2 @@R/L restores files that were modified at or later than the given time. /E restores files that were modified at or earlier than the date given. Note: The files must have been saved to diskette with the BACKUP command. See your DOS manual for more information on the RESTORE command. @@ERestore all files from the backup diskettes to the hard disk drive C. RESTORE A: C:\*.* /S %Rmdir (RD) Page 1 of 1 @@PDeletes a subdirectory from the disk. @@FRMDIR [d:]path or RD [d:]path @@RThis command removes a subdirectory from the disk, but only after all the files have been deleted with the DEL command. Some programs write hidden files that cannot be deleted with the DEL command. Then the RD command will not work on this subdirectory. @@EDelete the subdirectory named UTILS. RD \UTILS %Select Page 1 of 3 @@PAllows you to select the keyboard layout and the date and time format. @@F[d:][path]SELECT xxx yy @@Rxxx specifies the country code. The country code tells DOS the date and time format. It also tells DOS the currency symbol. yy specifies the keyboard code. The keyboard code tells DOS which keyboard layout you want to use. .page Page 2 of 3 @@RChoose the value of xxx and yy from the following table: ┌────────────────┬───────────────────┐ │ │ ICountry KeyboardI │ │ ICountryI │ ICode CodeI │ ├────────────────┼───────────────────┤ │ United States │ 001 US │ │ France │ 033 FR │ │ Spain │ 034 SP │ │ Italy │ 039 IT │ │ United Kingdom │ 044 UK │ │ Germany │ 049 GR │ └────────────────┴───────────────────┘ .page Page 3 of 3 ICAUTION: With DOS 3.30, the SELECT command is used for a different purpose. It is used to format a new disk, and install the keyboard layout and date/time format. With DOS 3.30, this command will destroy all data on your disk.I @@ESelect country code and keyboard code to the United Kingdom. SELECT 044 UK %Set Page 1 of 2 @@PThis command will insert strings into the command processors environment. A copy of this environment is made available to any program running. @@FSET [name=[parameter]] @@RThe entire string is inserted into the environment block. All lowercase letters are converted to uppercase when inserted into the block. If the name already exists in the environment, it will be replaced with the new string. If you type SET without any parameters, it will show you the environment block strings. .page Page 2 of 2 @@RIf name is specified without anything after the equal sign, then that name string will be deleted from the current environment block. @@EPlace a string associated with LIB into the environment block. SET LIB=C:\TURBOC\LIB Erase the previous string entered. SET LIB= %Share Page 1 of 1 @@PLoads support for file sharing. @@F[d:][path]SHARE [/F:filespace][/L:locks] @@R/F:filespace is to allocate file space in bytes for the area used for recording the information necessary for file sharing. Each open file requires the length of the full filename plus 11 bytes. The default is 2048 bytes. /L:locks is to allocate space for the number of locks you want. The default value is 20 locks. See your DOS manual for more information on the SHARE command. %Sort Page 1 of 2 @@PReads data from the standard input device, sorts the data, and then writes it to the standard output device. @@F[d:][path]SORT [/R][/+n] @@R/R to sort in reverse order /+n to sort based on the characters in column n .page Page 2 of 2 @@ERead the file UNSORT.TXT, sort its records starting on column 1, and write the sorted output to a file name SORT.TXT. SORT /R <UNSORT.TXT >SORT.TXT Produce a directory listing sorted by file size (file size starts in column 14). DIR | SORT /+14 %Subst Page 1 of 2 @@PEstablishes a subdirectory as a separate disk. @@F[d:][path]SUBST d: d:path or [d:][path]SUBST d: /D or [d:][path]SUBST @@Rd: specifies the drive letter that you want to use to refer to another drive or path. d:path specifies the drive or path that you want to refer to with a nickname. The path must start from the root directory. .page Page 2 of 2 @@R/D to delete a substitution. You must specify the drive letter of the drive whose substitution you want to delete. Some older programs do not support the use of subdirectories, they expect their data to be on a specific drive. In such a case, you can instruct DOS to treat a subdirectory as a different drive name. Then you can tell the program to use this drive name to access its data files. @@ESubstitute drive D for the subdirectory \WP on drive C. SUBST D: C:\WP %SYS Page 1 of 2 @@PTransfers a copy of the operating system files from the default drive to the specified drive. @@F[d:][path]SYS d: @@Rd: specifies the drive to transfer the DOS system files onto. The FORMAT command will place two hidden files on a disk, if you use it with the /S parameter. This will make the disk a startup disk. However, when a new version of DOS becomes available, you can upgrade without having to reformat the disk and lose your data. This is most useful when transferring a new version of DOS onto a hard disk. .page Page 2 of 2 @@RBoot the computer with the new DOS version floppy in drive A. Then give the SYS command to copy the new version of DOS to your hard disk, or floppy disk that already has a copy of DOS. You cannot use the SYS command to place the DOS files on a disk that was formatted without the /S parameter. Note: The SYS command does not copy the COMMAND.COM file. @@ETransfer the operating system to drive A. SYS A: %Time Page 1 of 2 @@PSet or display the current system time. @@F TIME [hh:mm[:ss[.xx]]] @@Rhh to specify the hour mm to specify the minutes ss to specify the seconds xx to specify the hundredths of seconds. TIME with no parameters shows the current time and asks for new time. .page Page 2 of 2 @@ESet the time to noon. TIME 12:00:00 %Tree Page 1 of 2 @@PDisplays all directory paths found on the specified drive. @@F[d:][path]TREE [d:][/F] @@Rd: specifies the drive whose tree is to be displayed /F to also display the names of files in all directories When there are many subdirectories and files on a hard disk, it is difficult to visualize where everything is and how to move from place to place. The TREE command is designed to show the organization of the disk. Unfortunately, this program does not give a good graphic picture of the subdirectory structure of a disk. Several commercial programs are available that will create a graphic display of the disk tree structure. .page Page 2 of 2 @@EShow the directory tree for disk C. TREE C: The same as above but it also shows all files on drive C. TREE C:/F %Type Page 1 of 2 @@PDisplay a text file to the standard output device. @@FTYPE [d:][path]filename[.ext] @@RGlobal filename character are NOT allowed. The TYPE command will display the contents of a text file on the video screen (standard output). The standard output redirection command may be used to redirect the displayed output to another file or the printer. .page Page 2 of 2 @@EDisplay the contents of LETTER.TXT to the screen. TYPE LETTER.TXT Display the contents of LETTER.TXT to the printer using the standard output device redirection command. TYPE LETTER.TXT >PRN %Ver Page 1 of 1 @@PDisplays the DOS version number. @@FVER @@RThe DOS version consists of a single digit major version number, followed by a period, then a two digit minor version number. @@EDisplay the DOS version number you are using. Example is: IBM Personal Computer DOS Version 3.10. VER %Verify Page 1 of 2 @@PSets DOS into the verify mode. @@FVERIFY [ON | OFF] @@RVERIFY without parameters shows the current setting of the verify mode. If the VERIFY mode is set to ON, DOS will verify any data when it is written to the disk. If the data cannot be read back from the disk, DOS will generate an error message at that time. This will allow you to see that a disk is damaged, replace the disk, and save your data to the new disk. .page Page 2 of 2 @@ESet the verify mode to ON. VERIFY ON %Vol Page 1 of 1 @@PDisplays the disk volume label information. @@FVOL [d:] @@RIf you do not specify a drive, the default drive is used. @@EShow the volume label for the default drive. VOL Show the volume label for the disk in drive A. VOL A: %XCOPY Page 1 of 2 @@PSelectively copy groups of files. @@F[d:][path]XCOPY [d:][path]filename[.ext] [d:][path][filename[.ext]] [/A][/D:mm-dd-yy][/E][/M][/P][/S][/V][/W] @@RThe source specification is first, the target is second. /A copies only files with the archive bit set, meaning they have changed since last copied with BACKUP or XCOPY /M. /D:mm-dd-yy copies files whose date is the same or later than the date specified. /E creates subdirectories on the target disk even if they will be empty. Otherwise XCOPY will not create an empty subdirectory. .page Page 2 of 2 /M copies only files with the archive bit set, but will clear the archive bit after it is copied. This is much like the BACKUP command. /P prompts you before copying each file. /S copies files in all subdirectories under the current directory. /V tells XCOPY to verify that each file has been copied correctly, much like the /V parameter in the COPY command. /W tells XCOPY to wait for you to insert a disk. @@EUse XCOPY to copy all files named JOE.TXT with the archive bit set from drive C to drive A, then clear the archive bit to indicate that it has been copied. XCOPY C:JOE.TXT A: /M Same as the above example, but copies all files in the directories under the current directory on drive C. XCOPY C:JOE.TXT A: /M/S %Hard Disk Preparation Page 1 of 17 I>>> HOW TO SET UP A HARD DISK <<<I A new hard disk must be partitioned and formatted before it can be used. These two steps may have been done at the dealer before you picked up the computer. But, if you purchased it from mail order or directly from IBM, it may not have been prepared for use. If you are not sure, it does no harm to format your hard disk a second time if there are NO programs on it. If you have a hard disk that is 20 megabytes or more, be sure to use DOS version 3.0 or later. DOS version 2.0 is very inefficient; it will waste a large part of your hard disk space. .page Page 2 of 17 I* PARTITIONING YOUR HARD DISK *I There are several different disk operating systems you can run on your computer. DOS is the most popular. DOS will allow you to partition your hard disk so that each different disk operating system you use can work in a different part of the hard disk. If you only want to use DOS, which is usually the case, you will want the disk to be only one partition. You must use the FDISK program to partition your hard disk before it can be used or formatted. This program must be run even if you are only going to use one operating system, DOS. 1. Put the main DOS disk in drive A and turn on the computer. 2. Partition the hard disk by giving the command FDISK and pressing the Return key. You will be presented with a menu. .page Page 3 of 17 3. Press the Return key to select the first item, which is the default value. On the next screen, you will see the line Create DOS Partition If you also see the lines Do you wish to use the entire fixed disk for DOS[Y/N]..............?[Y] it means that your hard drive has not been partitioned. 4. Press the Return key to select the default of Y. Then DOS can use the entire hard disk. 5. The following message appears: Insert DOS diskette in drive A: Press any key when ready... 6. Press the Return key. .page Page 4 of 17 I* FORMATTING YOUR HARD DISK *I Now that your hard disk has been partitioned, it must be formatted. Be careful not to format your system disk in drive A. Run the format program as described below. 1. Enter the command FORMAT C:/S/V The FORMAT program will destroy all the data on the disk. You must be careful not to accidentally format a good disk, especially a hard disk that holds a large amount of information. Therefore, when you try to format a hard disk, newer versions of the FORMAT program will give you a warning message when you try to format a hard disk. .page Page 5 of 17 2. When you see the message Warning: All Data on NON_removable Disk Drive C: Will be Lost! Proceed with Format (Y/N)? type Y and press the Return key. The message Formatting... appears on the screen and the red light on the hard disk will come on. This should be the only time you have to format your hard disk. This process may take several minutes. The /S parameter in the FORMAT command adds a copy of the DOS system files to the hard disk when it is finished formatting. Then you will be able to start the computer from the hard disk without having to use floppies. .page Page 6 of 17 3. When you give the /V parameter, you tell the FORMAT program that you want to place a Volume Label on the disk after formatting. You will see the line Volume label(11 characters, ENTER for none)? Type something that identifies your computer such as your name, department name, or office number. Of course, a disk name is more useful for removable media like a floppy disk that can easily be mixed up. After the formatting has finished and you have selected a volume name, you will see a summary of how your hard disk space is being used. This summary includes the total disk space, the space taken up by the DOS system files, and the number of unusable locations on the disk. The number of bad locations should be recorded in a notebook for future reference. If a printer is attached, turn it on. Hold down the shift key and press the PrtSc key to obtain a printout of this information on the screen. .page Page 7 of 17 I* ESTABLISHING SUBDIRECTORIES *I Now that the hard disk has been partitioned and formatted, and it contains a copy of the DOS system files, it is ready for your files. A hard disk can hold many files. Therefore you must establish a systematic way to locate the information you want. If there are several hundred files in one directory, the listing of the file names would be very long. It would also take quite a while to search through the listing because it is usually in random order. If you divide the hard disk into separate areas, you can keep related files together. While there are several ways to organize a hard disk, here is one simple but useful method. Use the main area called the root directory only for a few essential programs. Then establish auxiliary directories from the root directory. The auxiliary directories are called subdirectories. This type of disk structure is called a tree. .page Page 8 of 17 Each subdirectory can contain files for a particular subject. The name of a subdirectory, like the name of a disk, consists of 1 to 11 characters, including uppercase letters, hyphens, and underlines. If you type the name in lowercase letters, they are converted to uppercase. You might want to have one subdirectory for each staff member in an office - one named JOHN, another named SHARON, and so forth. Subdirectory names can also be chosen by subject; for example, REPORT for reports, MEMOS for memos, PURCHASE for purchase orders, and so on. There can be directories named after the programs they contain; for example, LOTUS, PASCAL, DBASE, BASIC, WP (for Word Perfect). Make the default disk the newly formatted hard disk C by giving the command C: and press the Return key. .page Page 9 of 17 This makes the root directory of the hard disk the current one. This directory now contains the three DOS files placed there by the FORMAT command. Two of these files are hidden because they are only used by your computer. The other file is named COMMAND.COM. You create a subdirectory with the DOS command Mkdir, or MD. Now any directory you create will be a subdirectory of the root directory because the root directory is the current directory. It is possible to make a subdirectory of a subdirectory by making the subdirectory the current directory and then giving the MD command from there. However, you will generally find it easier to use only single level subdirectories. That is, you should create all your subdirectories from the root directory, if possible. When you give the MD command, the new directory becomes a subdirectory of the current directory. Therefore, if you want to have only one level of subdirectory, you must be certain that the root directory is the current directory before giving the MD .page Page 10 of 17 command. For example, if you give the commands MD JOHN MD SHARON when the root directory is current, both will be subdirectories of the root directory. On the other hand, suppose that you gave the MD command to create a subdirectory named SHARON while the subdirectory named JOHN was the current directory. Then the subdirectory SHARON will be a subdirectory of JOHN. To ensure that the root directory is the current directory, give the command CD\ (for Change Directory). Notice that a backslash is used in these commands. The backslash character means that a subdirectory name will follow. The special form CD\ refers to the root directory. .page Page 11 of 17 This figure is a graphic display of what a hard disk "tree" structure might look like. There are two subdirectories under the root directory; WORD PROCESS and LANGUAGES. Under each if these subdirectories are two more subdirectories. ┌────────────────┐ │ IROOTI │ └───────┬────────┘ │ ┌────────────────┴───────────────┐ ┌──────┴───────┐ ┌────┴──────┐ │ WORD PROCESS │ │ LANGUAGES │ └──────┬───────┘ └────┬──────┘ │ │ ┌─────────┴───────┐ ┌─────────┴───────────┐ ┌───┴───┐ ┌─────┴─────┐ ┌──┴────┐ ┌─────┴─────┐ │ WP │ │ WORD STAR │ │ LOTUS │ │ BASIC │ └───────┘ └───────────┘ └───────┘ └───────────┘ .page Page 12 of 17 I* Creating a DOS Subdirectory *I We will now create a subdirectory to contain the programs on the two original DOS disks. Then you will copy these programs from the floppy disks to the hard disk. 1. Give the command C: if C is not the current drive. 2. Give the command CD\ to ensure that the root directory is the current directory. .page Page 13 of 17 3. Create a new subdirectory by giving the command MD DOS Be sure to put a space between the command and its parameter. This command has now established a subdirectory named DOS. 4. Now make the new directory the current directory by giving the command CD DOS or CD \DOS These two commands do the same thing--this time. However, they have different meanings. The first command refers to a subdirectory of the current directory; the second command refers to a subdirectory of the root directory. If a subdirectory named JOHN were current and you gave the first command, DOS would try to find a .page Page 14 of 17 subdirectory named DOS belonging to JOHN. The second command makes the root directory current first and then moves to the requested subdirectory. 5. The subdirectory named DOS is now current. Make a listing to see what it contains by typing DIR You will see the following information on your screen: Volume in drive C is PERSONNEL Directory of C:\DOS . <DIR> 12-25-87 1:00p ..<DIR> 12-25-87 1:00p You can see that this is a listing of subdirectory DOS on drive C .page Page 15 of 17 that is named PERSONNEL. No files are shown. But there are two directory entries that do not seem to have names. One name consists of a single dot and the other a double dot. These two entries are part of a subdirectory listing (but not the root directory); they contain information DOS needs. The double dot identifies the parent directory, that is, the directory this subdirectory was created under. The single dot refers to the current directory. 7. Now type DIR .. you will see a directory listing of the parent directory (the root directory in this example). Now that we have created the DOS subdirectory and have made it the current directory, we can copy the files from the original DOS disk in drive A with the command COPY A:*.* .page Page 16 of 17 This will copy all files on the disk in drive A to the current directory on the current drive, which in this example is not C:\DOS. .page Page 17 of 17 In this section you have learned how to prepare your hard disk for use. This included partitioning and formatting the hard disk, then copying files from your DOS disk into your new DOS subdirectory. This method of using subdirectories is widely used in the computer world. It makes listing and working with files much easier. You should make subdirectories for each of your different types of programming files. %Floppy Disk Preparation Page 1 of 9 I>>> HOW TO SET UP A FLOPPY DISK <<<I Before you can write information to a new floppy disk, you must prepare the surface of the new disk so it contains a magnetic pattern that your computer can understand. This step is called formatting. The FORMAT program is located on your DOS system disk. You only need to format a disk once. However, it does not harm a disk to format it more than once. 1. To format a disk, you must first place the DOS system disk with the FORMAT program on it in drive A. 2. If the prompt is not A>, make drive A the current drive with the command A: Don't forget to press the Return key. .page Page 2 of 9 3. Give the command DIR FORMAT.COM to check the directory of this disk for the FORMAT program. 4. If the next-to-last line on the video screen is File not found DIR could not locate the FORMAT program on the disk. Check to see that you have your system disk in drive A. On the other hand, if DIR has found the FORMAT program, the following message appears indicating that the formatting program is present: FORMAT.COM 9398 1-01-86 9:39a If the FORMAT program is present, you can start it up. But first let's check a few things. .page Page 3 of 9 The formatting program will destroy any information previously recorded on the disk. Therefore, be sure to use a new disk or one that does not contain information you want to keep. Be careful not to format your system disk accidentally. The formatting process has two stages to reduce the chances of formatting the wrong disk. First, the formatting program is copied into memory and started up. Then it waits for you to change disks. When you have the proper disks in place, you can tell the program to begin. The command you give to format a disk depends on how many disk drives you have. .page Page 4 of 9 I- Using One Drive -I The following method can be used to format a disk on any type of computer no matter how many drives you have. However, if you have only one disk drive, you must use this method. 1. Give the command FORMAT A:/S/V and DOS will copy the formatting program into memory. The first word tells DOS to run the program named FORMAT. The rest of the line gives information to the FORMAT program: the A: tells the program to prepare the disk in drive A, the /S symbol specifies a system disk, and the /V symbol says you want to choose a label or volume name. The volume label on a disk is like the name on a file folder; it reminds you what is on the disk. If you omit the /V switch, there will be no volume name assigned to the disk. .page Page 5 of 9 The FORMAT program will first display the following message: Insert new diskette for drive A: and strike ENTER when ready It then waits for your command. This gives you a chance to change disks. 2. Remove the DOS system disk from drive A and replace it with the new disk to be formatted. 3. Press the Return (or ENTER) key. You will see the message Formatting... displayed and you may hear a clanking sound as the new disk is formatted. After a few minutes, the following message will appear: Format complete System transfered Volume label(11 characters, ENTER for none)? .page Page 6 of 9 The FORMAT program wants you to specify a volume label. Just press ENTER if you don't want to assign a volume label to the new disk. 4. Type the label you want to assign to the disk, or just press ENTER for no label. The label may be any name of 11 characters or less, including spaces. This name should be something that specifies what is going to be placed on the disk. After placing the volume label on the new disk, the following message will appear: 362496 bytes total disk space 69632 bytes used by system 292864 bytes available on disk The first line shows that there are 362K bytes of space on the disk, but nearly 70K bytes are being used by the DOS system files because you included the /S parameter. Look carefully on your screen for a line that reads xxxx bytes in bad sectors .page Page 7 of 9 You should rarely see a line like this one. However, if this line does appear, it means that you have defective areas on your disk. These bad areas have been marked as "bad" by the FORMAT program, and will not be used by DOS to store information. However, if there are a significant amount of bad sectors, you may want to destroy that disk and format a new one. The FORMAT program will now give the message Format another (Y/N)? If you want to format another disk, take out the newly formatted disk and replace it with another new disk. Then press the Y key and the Return key. You can continue this way until you are finished formatting your new disks. Then press the N key and the Return key. .page Page 8 of 9 I- Using Two Drives -I If you have more than one floppy disk, it is easier and safer to use both drives when formatting new disks. This way you can run the FORMAT program from drive A and format your new disks in drive B. 1. Place your system disk containing FORMAT.COM into drive A. 2. If the A> prompt is not present, make A the current drive by typing A: 3. Place the new disk in drive B. 4. Give the command FORMAT B:/V/S The FORMAT program will load into memory and ask you to insert your new disk into drive B. .page Page 9 of 9 Your new disk is already in drive B, so press ENTER. The sequence of events will be the same as it was for formatting a disk in a one drive system. The only difference is that you do not have to change the system disk in drive A. Just keep changing the new disks out of drive B. The FORMAT program can be used without the /S and /V parameters. In fact, most of your disks should be formatted without the /S parameter. This is because the DOS system files require valuable data space on your disks. It is best to have one disk that you use to start your system and change to your other disks to run your programs. %This Help Program Page 1 of 15 The following is general information about terms used in this HELP program and about DOS terms and specifications. When the HELP program shows the format of a command, it includes all variations of the command. Many times, all the different parameters are not required; these parameters are enclosed in square brackets ([ ]). In the HELP program, we refer to all the DOS commands as "commands." However, many of these DOS commands are not built into DOS, they are really programs that have been provided on your DOS diskette. This HELP program does not attempt to cover all the technical information on every DOS command. If a command needs special attention, the HELP program will simply refer you to the DOS manual for more information on the command. This program was created to help beginners and to be a quick reference to all PC users. .page Page 2 of 15 I* FILE SPECIFICATIONS *I The file specification tells DOS where to search for the specified file. A filespec has four parts: the drive letter, the path, the filename, and filename extension. I- The Drive Specifier -I A drive letter specifies which drive the file is on. The drive letter is followed by a colon. For example, B: is the drive specifier that represents drive B. If a drive specifier is omitted, then DOS assumes the current (default) drive. .page Page 3 of 15 I- The Path Specifier -I The Path tells DOS where the file can be found. The path is another name for the directory or subdirectory. Each command explained in this help program has four sections. They are: the Purpose, Format, Remarks, and the Example. The Format section tells how to use a command. Some commands are built into DOS, while other commands are actually programs which have been supplied on the DOS diskette. These programs are like any other programs and have to be loaded into memory and run. You can tell the programs from the built in commands because the programs will have a [d:][path] before the command name. This means that if the program is not in the path (see the PATH command) or in the current directory, you must specify which drive, and optionally which subdirectory, the program is located in. .page Page 4 of 15 I- The Filename Specifier -I A filename consists of one to eight characters. The following are INVALID characters: . " / \ [ ] : | < > + = ; , space Any other characters are valid filename characters. DOS checks for invalid filename characters when entering a filename specification. However, I have seen DOS allow a space to be used in a filename character, and later it caused problems. I- The Filename Extension -I A filename extension consists of one to three characters preceded by a period. The same rules apply for valid extension characters as apply for filename characters. .page Page 5 of 15 I* GLOBAL FILENAME CHARACTERS *I There are two special characters that can be used in a filename and extension specification. They are the * and ? characters. These characters make life much easier when doing DOS functions on several files with similar names. I- The ? Character -I A question mark (?) in a filename or filename extension indicates that any character can occupy that position. For example, dir lett?r.txt displays all filenames on the default drive that start with the letters LETT, then any character, followed by the R character with the extension of .TXT. .page Page 6 of 15 An example of what might be displayed is: letter.txt lettxr.txt lett1r.txt I- The * Character -I An asterisk (*) in a filename or filename extension indicates that any character can occupy that position and all remaining positions in that filename or extension. For example, dir lett*.txt displays all filenames on the default drive that start with the letters LETT, followed by any other letters, and have the extension of .TXT. .page Page 7 of 15 An example of what might be displayed is: lett.txt letter.txt letters.txt lett1.txt I* DOS DEVICE NAMES *I DOS device names are special names which have certain meanings to DOS. These names are reserved, so do not name any files with a DOS device name. I- CON (Console Device) -I Console keyboard/screen. This is referred to as the standard output device. This can be redirected at the command line when redirection is desired (see below). .page Page 8 of 15 I- AUX or COM1 -I The first serial port. This is sometimes called the RS-232C port, the serial port, or the asynchronous communications adapter. This is connected to a phone line modem, or serial printer. I- LPT1 or PRN -I The first parallel port. This is connected to your parallel printer, the most common type of printer on a Personal Computer. I- NULL -I This device does not exist. It is a "dummy" device name for testing purposes or to tell a program to output its messages to nowhere. As an output device, the write operations are simulated, but no data is written. As an input device, an immediate end-of-file is sent. .page Page 9 of 15 I* REDIRECTION OF STANDARD INPUT & STANDARD OUTPUT *I DOS provides a convenient way for us to redirect the output to the screen, or input from the keyboard, to another device or file. The standard output redirection syntax is as follows: > [d:][path]filename[.ext] This causes all output that would go to the screen to be placed in the file specified. This will create the file if it does not already exist, and erase its contents and start over again if the file does exist. >> [d:][path]filename[.ext] This causes the output to the screen to be sent to the file specified. If the file does not exist, it will create a new one. If the file does exist, it will append to the bottom of the file without erasing any data presently in the file. .page Page 10 of 15 The standard input redirection syntax is as follows: < [d:][path]filename[.ext] This causes the standard input to be retrieved from the file specified. This redirection can be used with the DOS SORT command. The filename specification can also be any device name, such as the printer. To get a printout of your directory, simply type: dir >prn A copy of your directory will be printed on the first parallel printer (LPT1). To send a copy of the directory to a file, simply type: dir >myfile.txt A file named MYFILE.TXT will be created or erased if already present, and the directory listing will be put in the file. .page Page 11 of 15 This HELP program is based on the commands available in DOS version 3.30. It does not include all the available commands. It does contain commands not available in earlier versions of DOS. If you are having problems with some commands, refer to your DOS manual for more information. ISHAREWAREI DOS Help is a shareware program! In the past, the distribution methods of DOS Help have been somewhat unclear. You are granted a 30 day trial period in which time you may try the program to see if it meets your needs. If after 30 days it does not meet your needs, simply erase the program and it's related files. However, if it does meet your needs, then you are required to register your copy. .page Page 12 of 15 IWhen you register your copy you will get a new diskette containing a new deluxe version of the program. This deluxe version has many features not in the shareware version.I The most notable feature is it's true IhypertextI abilities. You can jump to other page references with a single keystroke. An example would be while reading the description of the Format command, it would mention that the /S switch will place the system on the newly formatted diskette. At the same time it would mention that you can use the Sys command to place the system on a diskette also. With the hypertext system you could simply highlight the "Sys" command refference and press Enter to jump directly to the Sys command description. It's a great way to browse through a manual and find what you are looking for very easily. .page Page 13 of 15 IHighlights of the Deluxe Version are: o Covers DOS 4.0 commands! o Has Mouse Support o Can be run in memory resident, shell, or stand alone modes o True HyperText operation allowing jumps to crosslinks o User can customize colors o Split screen and full screen modes available o Creative exploding windows o User definable colors o Special upgrade pricingI Use the order form included with this program to order your copy of DOS Help today! Or call I301-696-9677I to place your order with Visa or MasterCard. .page Page 14 of 15 We can be reached at the following locations for questions or comments. IDOS Help Department The Computer Connection 1306 Bailes Lane, Suite F Frederick, Maryland 21701I ----------------------------- CompuServe EasyPlex Mail The Computer Connection BBS 71310,2612 (301) 696-1393 .page Page 15 of 15 IDISCLAIMERI I, JOHN CROUCH (HEREAFTER KNOWN AS "AUTHOR"), HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE AUTHOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT OR SIMILAR DAMAGES DUE TO LOSS OF DATA OR ANY OTHER REASON, EVEN IF AUTHOR OR AN AGENT OF AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTHORS' LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE LICENSE TO USE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. %Help & the Mouse Page 1 of 4 IUsing HELP with a MouseI This HELP program will support the use of a Microsoft Mouse or a 100% compatible mouse. First, let's define some mouse terms that are widely used: To IpointI with a mouse is to position the mouse cursor to a desired location by moving the mouse on the table. When you IdragI the mouse, you point to the desired location, hold down one of the keys, and move the cursor to another location. To IclickI a mouse button is to press and release the button. You IreleaseI the mouse button when you let up on the button. When this function is required, it usually doesn't matter where you pressed the button, just where you release the button. .page Page 2 of 4 When the program starts, it looks to see if a mouse is available on the system. If so, the mouse cursor is turned on and positioned in the center of the screen. The mouse can then be used to point to the desired subject. You can point to a subject and click the IleftI mouse button to select that subject. You will notice that as you move the mouse around the screen the subjects you touch with the mouse cursor will each be highlighted. Once you reach the help screen, you can use the mouse to scroll the screen up and down a page at a time--the same as using the PgUp and PgDn keys. To scroll the page UP, position the mouse cursor on the up arrow in the upper right corner of the screen and release the IleftI mouse button. To scroll the page DOWN, position the mouse cursor on the down arrow in the lower right corner of the screen and release the IleftI button. Once you finish reading the help information, you can return to the first screen by positioning the mouse cursor in the far right column in .page Page 3 of 4 the area marked as IEXITI. Then release the IleftI button. To exit the help screen, you may also release the IrightI mouse button. This has the same effect as pressing the ESCape key. On the Main screen, you will see the word IEXITI in the lower right corner of the screen if a mouse is present. Position the mouse cursor on this word and click the IleftI mouse button to exit the program. You can also release the IrightI button to exit. Note: The mouse functions are based on the methods that Microsoft recommends for applications programs. These functions are for use ┌> with the Microsoft Mouse and 100% compatibles. │ │ When the mouse functions are enabled, you can still use the keyboard │ as usual. │ │ To exit this screen, place the mouse cursor in this area ────────────┘ and release the left mouse button. .page IDOS Help Version 2.0s Released: November 12, 1990I ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── INew in Version 2.0sI When moving around on the selection screen, each subject will be highlighted as the mouse cursor moves over it. In earlier versions the left button had to be pressed. While in any screen, if you release the IRightI button, it will have the same affect as pressing Escape. This makes it faster to return from a help screen, and to exit the program.