NewDeal Technical Support Document 270

INTRODUCTION TO DOS COMMANDS


Information about using common DOS commands

DOS Basics

How do I get a quick description about each DOS command?

Starting with the release of MS-DOS V5.0, there is an integrated DOS help function. Use either of these commands:
HELP <command>
<command> /?
Examples:
HELP DIR
Gives you help about the DIR command
HELP FORMAT
Gives you help about the FORMAT command
FORMAT /?
Displays the syntax and switches for FORMAT

It says I have to edit my autoexec.bat file. How do I do that?

We have included a package of very easy-to-use utilities within your NewDeal directory. One of them allows you to easily edit your AUTOEXEC.BAT file or your CONFIG.SYS file. Enter these commands at the DOS prompt:
CD\NEWDEAL
NEWHELP

What other useful utilities come in my NEWDEAL directory?

Within the NEWDEAL directory, there is a collection of small and very useful programs to assist you in using your NewDeal software. You can access them by entering the following commands at the DOS prompt:
CD\NEWDEAL
to change to the NEWDEAL directory, then
INFO
gives you information about your system, which includes your CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, GEOS.INI, DOS version, etc.
PRINFO
prints out the above information, helpful when calling for technical support
TESTDISK
does a check to see if a diskette is good
MAKEBOOT
creates a boot diskette (to free up memory, if needed)
UNINSTAL
WARNING: this will wipe out your NewDeal directory. Use this utility at your own risk. It will completely remove the NewDeal directory and all files within it, including your documents. If you move this file to a different directory and run it there, it will wipe out that directory.

Managing Your Directories

CD - Change Directory

The change directory command allows you to navigate through your hard drive.
CD\<directory1>\<directory2>
Examples:
CD\
brings you back to your root directory
CD NEWDEAL
brings you from the root directory to the NEWDEAL directory
CD\NEWDEAL\DOCUMENTS
brings you to the NEWDEAL document directory
CD..
brings you back one level (i.e. from NEWDEAL to the root directory)

RD- Remove Directory

The RD command is used to remove emptied directories. You must first delete all files, and subdirectories before you can properly use this command.
RD <drive:>\<directory1>\<directory2>
Examples:
RD NEWDEAL
remove the NEWDEAL directory
RD C:\NEWDEAL\DOCUMENTS
remove the NEWDEAL\DOCUMENTS directory

DIR - Display Directory

This extremely useful command allows you to display the contents of a directory.
DIR <drive>:\<directory1>\<directory2> <switches: /p/s/w>
Examples:
DIR C:\
displays contents of root directory
DIR C:\*.
displays only subdirectories or file names without extensions within the root directory
DIRC:\NEWDEAL\WORLD
displays contents of the WORLD directory
DIR C:\ /p
displays the contents of root directory, pausing every 25 lines
DIR C:\NEWDEAL /w
displays contents of NEWDEAL directory, in wide mode
DIR C:\NEWDEAL /p/s/w
displays contents of NEWDEAL directory, and all of its subdirectories, pausing every 25 lines, in wide mode

File Manipulation Commands

COPY, XCOPY, and MOVE - file transfer commands

These commands allow you to physically transfer files from one location on your hard drive to another location on your hard drive.

COPY

COPY <drive> <directory> <switches: /y/v>
Examples:
COPY C:\AUTO.BAT C:\TEMP
makes a copy of the file in the C:\TEMP directory
COPY C:\123.BAT C:\TEMP /Y
copies and automatically overwrites file
COPY C:\123.BAT C:\123 /V
makes a copy of the file 123.BAT under the new name 123 and then verifies that the copy is exactly like the original

XCOPY

XCOPY <drive>:\<directory> <switches: /s/v/y>
Examples:
XCOPY C:\GEOS.INI D:\ /V
copies the GEOS.INI file to the root directory of D: verifying that the file is OK
XCOPY C:\*.ini C:\BACKUP /S
copies all .INI files (including those that are in subdirectories) into the backup directory
XCOPY C:\C*.* C:\BACK /y
copies all files beginning with the letter C in them to the backup directory and if the file already exists in the directory it will automatically copy over it

MOVE

MOVE <drive>:\ <directory> <switches: /y>
Examples:
MOVE C:\GEOS.INI C:\TEMP
moves (copies and deletes) GEOS.INI to C:\TEMP
MOVE GEOS.INI C:\BACK /Y
moves and automatically overwrites file

DEL - Delete File Command

We suggest that you do not experiment with this command until you feel comfortable with your system. If you make a mistake, you can accidentally erase important files that are necessary for the system to run properly.
DEL <directory>\<filename>
Examples:
DEL C:\BACKUP\CONFIG.SYS
erases the file CONFIG.SYS in the BACKUP directory
DEL C:\TEMP\*.*
erases all files in the TEMP directory

Note: Not all commands listed above are available with all versions of DOS version. Please refer to your DOS manual for more information.

DOS 3.1

If you are using DOS version 3.1, the commands Format and Copy may appear grayed out and inaccessible under the Disk menu in NewManager, or one or more floppy drives may not be selectable when one of these commands is chosen.

This is because DOS 3.1 doesn't have correct capacity for 360K disks, so the software can't recognize them. The only solution is to upgrade to a newer version of DOS.

Back to Index

Last Modified 17 Feb 1999