MS-DOS help and Commands

About MS-DOS :

  

Short for Microsoft Disk operating system, MS-DOS is a non-graphical command line
operating system created for IBM compatible computers that was first introduced by Microsofft in August 1981 and was last updated in 1984when MS-DOS 6.22 was released. Although the MS-DOS operating system is not commonly used today, the command shell used through Microsoft Windows is.

Unlike Microsoft Windows, which most users are familiar with today, MS-DOS requires the user to type commands instead of using a mouse. The image to the right is an example of
what an MS-DOS window more appropriately referred to as the Windows command line
looks like under Microsoft Windows.

 

How to open command prompt :

To open a Microsoft MS-DOS command prompt shell window, first click the Windows Start menu (located at the very lower-left corner of your computer's desktop) and select "Run...".
Then if you are using Windows XP or Vista or Windows 7, type cmd into the Run box and click "OK". You could also type cmd.exe

Otherwise, if you are using an older version of Windows, type command into the Run box and click "OK". You could also type command.exe

Useful Command :

When you are using a Microsoft MS-DOS command prompt shell window, you can type the following commands into the window. Click a command shown below for a description of how to use that command.

• cd : Change directory or display current directory path.
• cls : Clear the window.
• dir : Display list of contents of current directory.
• help : Display list of commands or help about a command.
• notepad : Run the Windows Notepad text editor.
• type : Displays the contents of a text file.

Some other useful commands are:

• assoc : Displays or modifies filename extension associations.
• attrib : Displays or changes file attributes.
• call : Calls one batch program file from another.
• chkdsk : Checks a disk and displays a status report.
• chkntfs : Displays or modifies the checking of disk at startup.
• color : Sets the text and background colors.
• comp : Compares the contents of two files or sets of files.
• copy : Copies one or more files to another location.
• date : Displays or sets the computer's date.
• del (or erase) : Deletes one or more files.
• defrag : Defragment the specified storage device.
• doskey : Display command history; define macros.
• echo : Displays messages, or turns command echoing on/off.
• edit : Runs the MS-DOS text editor.
• exit : Closes the MS-DOS window.
• fc : Compares two files or sets of files and displays the differences.
• find : Searches for a text string in a file or files.
• findstr : Search for a regular expression text string in a file or files.
• goto : Used in a batch program file to jump to a particular line.
• if : Used in a batch program file to perform conditional testing.
• md (or mkdir) : Creates a directory.
• more : Displays the contents of a file one screen at a time.
• move : Moves one or more files from one directory to another directory.
• rd (or rmdir) : Removes a directory.
• rem : Used in a batch program file to identify comments.
• ren (or rename) : Renames a file or files.
• sort : Sorts input.
• start : Starts a new window to run a specified program or command.
• time : Displays or sets the computer's time.
• tree : Graphically displays the directory structure of a drive or directory.
• xcopy : Copies files and directory trees.

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