Using the MS-DOS operating system

MS-DOS (Disk Operating System) is an operating system designed for IBM and compatible personal computers. These computers use the microcoprocessor range produced by Intel.

The MS-DOS Command Prompt

MS-DOS commands are typed at a MS-DOS command prompt. This may look something like:

C:\>

The cursor appears as a flashing underscore next to the command prompt. After a command is typed always press the Enter key. To check things out, type the following at the command prompt, and then press Enter:

VER

This should display the version number of the MS-DOS operating system. At any time, to clear the screen display type the command:

CLS

How DOS organizes information

Files - A file is the primary unit of storage on disk. Most filenames have two parts: the name (up to 8 characters) and the extension (up to 3 characters). The extension typically indicates the type of application that the file is used for. For example, a suitable filename for a SHAZAM data file is: WORK.txt. Useful commands for working with files are:

     DIR                  Display filenames  
     DIR /P               Display filenames (pause after each screen)  
     DIR /W               Display filenames in columns
     DIR *.txt            Display all filenames with the extension .txt
     TYPE filename        List a file on the screen
     ERASE filename       Delete a file
     ERASE *.txt          Delete all files with the extension .txt
     ERASE *.*            Delete all files
     RENAME file1 file2   Rename file1 to file2
     COPY file1 file2     Copy file1 to file2 

Note that * is a wild-card character.

Directories - Groups of files are stored in (sub-)directories. The root directory is the starting point from which all other directories branch out. User files should not be stored in the root directory. Files should be organized in sub-directories. Useful commands for creating and working with sub-directories are:

     MD dir_name          Make a sub-directory
     CD dir_name          Change to a sub-directory
     CD \                 Change to the root directory
     CD ..                Move up 1-level in the directory structure
     RD dir_name          Remove a sub-directory 
                          (the sub-directory files must first be deleted)

The current directory or working directory is the directory you are in.

Drives - A drive, which is represented by a drive letter, is a group of directories. To change drives, say to change to drive A type:

A: