ACALC
External – PC DOS 7
- Calculates the value of a mathematical expression.
ACALC [/T[:]format] expression
/T Specifies the output format type
format D=Decimal (default) B=Binary O=Octal X=heXadecimal
A=All (decimal, binary, octal, and hexadecimal)
expression Specifies a valid numeric expression.
Numbers prefixed with 'b', 'o', and 'x' are assumed to be binary, octal,
and hexadecimal respectively. Decimal numbers are not prefixed.
APPEND
External – DOS 3.3 and above
- Allows programs to open data files in specified directories as if they were in the current directory.
APPEND [[drive:]path[;...]] [/X[:ON | :OFF]] [/PATH:ON | /PATH:OFF] [/E]
APPEND ;
[drive:]path Specifies a drive and directory to append.
/X:ON Applies appended directories to file searches and
application execution.
/X:OFF Applies appended directories only to requests to open files.
/X:OFF is the default setting.
/PATH:ON Applies appended directories to file requests that already
specify a path. /PATH:ON is the default setting.
/PATH:OFF Turns off the effect of /PATH:ON.
/E Stores a copy of the appended directory list in an environment
variable named APPEND. /E may be used only the first time
you use APPEND after starting your system.
Type APPEND ; to clear the appended directory list.
Type APPEND without parameters to display the appended directory list.
ASSIGN
External – DOS 2.0 and above
Further information: Drive letter assignment
- Redirects requests for disk operations on one drive to a different drive.
ASSIGN [x[:]=y[:][...]] ASSIGN /STATUS x Specifies the drive letter to reassign. y Specifies the drive that x: will be assigned to. /STATUS Displays current drive assignments. Type ASSIGN without parameters to reset all drive letters to original assignments.
ATTRIB
External – DOS 3.0 and above
- Displays or changes file attributes.
ATTRIB [+R | -R] [+A | -A] [+S | -S] [+H | -H] [[drive:][path]filename] [/S] + Sets an attribute. - Clears an attribute. R Read-only file attribute. A Archive file attribute. S System file attribute. H Hidden file attribute. /S Processes files in all directories in the specified path.
BACKUP
External – DOS 2.0 and above
- Backs up one or more files from one disk to another.
BACKUP source destination-drive: [/S] [/M] [/A] [/F[:size]]
[/D:date[/T:time]] [/L[:[drive:][path]logfile]]
source Specifies the file(s), drive, or directory to back up.
destination-drive: Specifies the drive to save backup copies onto.
/S Backs up contents of subdirectories.
/M Backs up only files that have changed since the last
backup.
/A Adds backup files to an existing backup disk.
/F:[size] Specifies the size of the disk to be formatted.
/D:date Backs up only files changed on or after the specified
date.
/T:time Backs up only files changed at or after the specified
time.
/L[:[drive:][path]logfile]
Creates a log file and entry to record the backup
operation.
BASIC, BASICA and GW-BASIC
External – DOS 1.0 to DOS 4.0
- An implementation of the BASIC programming language for PCs.
- IBM computers had Cassette BASIC in ROM; BASIC (Disk BASIC) and BASICA (Advanced BASIC) were extensions to the ROM-based Cassette BASIC.
- Microsoft released GW-BASIC for IBM compatible PCs which did not have ROM BASIC. GW-BASIC was a complete BASIC interpreter which was compatible with BASICA. Some OEM releases had BASIC.COM and BASICA.COM as loaders for GW-BASIC.EXE. MS-DOS 5.0 and higher included QBasic instead of GW-BASIC.
BREAK
Internal – DOS 2.0 and above
- Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.
BREAK [ON | OFF] Type BREAK without a parameter to display the current BREAK setting.
CALL
Internal – DOS 3.3 and above
- Calls one batch program from another.
CALL [drive:][path]filename [batch-parameters]
batch-parameters Specifies any command-line information required by the
batch program.
CHCP
Internal – DOS 3.3 and above
- Displays or sets the active code page number.
CHCP [nnn] nnn Specifies a code page number. Type CHCP without a parameter to display the active code page number.
CHDIR or CD
Internal – DOS 2.0 and above
- Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
CHDIR [drive:][path] CHDIR[..] CD [drive:][path] CD[..] .. Specifies that you want to change to the parent directory. Type CD drive: to display the current directory in the specified drive. Type CD without parameters to display the current drive and directory.
CHKDSK
External – DOS 1.0 and above
- Checks a disk and displays a status report.
CHKDSK [drive:][[path]filename] [/F] [/V] [drive:][path] Specifies the drive and directory to check. filename Specifies the file(s) to check for fragmentation. /F Fixes errors on the disk. /V Displays the full path and name of every file on the disk. Type CHKDSK without parameters to check the current disk.
CHKDSK originated as an external command in 86-DOS.
CHOICE
External – DOS 6.0 and above
- Waits for you to choose one of a set of choices.
CHOICE [/C[:]choices] [/N] [/S] [/T[:]c,nn] [text] /C[:]choices Specifies allowable keys. Default is YN. /N Does not display choices and ? at end of prompt string. /S Treats choice keys as case sensitive. /T[:]c,nn Defaults choice to c after <nn> seconds. text Prompts string to display. ERRORLEVEL is set to offset of key you press in choices.
CLS
Internal – DOS 2.0 and above
- Clears the screen.
CLS
COMMAND
External – DOS 1.0 and above
- Starts a new copy of the DOS Command Interpreter.
COMMAND [[drive:]path] [device] [/E:nnnnn] [/P [/MSG]]
[/H] [/O] [/Y [/C command | /K command]]
[drive:]path Specifies the directory containing COMMAND.COM file.
device Specifies the device to use for command input and output.
/E:nnnnn Sets the initial environment size to nnnnn bytes.
/P Makes the new Command Interpreter permanent (can't exit).
/MSG Stores all error messages in memory (requires /P).
/H Loads the Command Interpreter into a UMB if available.
/O Disables overwrite prompt on COPY,XCOPY,and MOVE commands.
/Y Steps through the batch program specified by /C or /K.
/C command Executes the specified command and returns.
/K command Executes the specified command and continues running.
The /P and /MSG switches may be used only when COMMAND is started by using
the SHELL command in the CONFIG.SYS file.
/O and /Y are only available in DOS 6 and above. /H is only available in PC DOS 7.
COMMAND.COM originated in 86-DOS.
COMP
External – DOS 1.0 and above
- Compares the contents of two files or sets of files.
COMP [data1] [data2] [/D] [/A] [/L] [/N=number] [/C]
data1 Specifies location and name(s) of first file(s) to compare.
data2 Specifies location and name(s) of second files to compare.
/D Displays differences in decimal format. This is the default
setting.
/A Displays differences in ASCII characters.
/L Displays line numbers for differences.
/N=number Compares only the first specified number of lines in each file.
/C Disregards case of ASCII letters when comparing files.
To compare sets of files, use wildcards in data1 and data2 parameters.
COPY
Internal – DOS 1.0 and above
- Copies one or more files to another location.
COPY [/A | /B] source [/A | /B] [+ source [/A | /B] [+ ...]] [destination
[/A | /B]] [/V] [/Y | /-Y]
source Specifies the file or files to be copied.
/A Indicates an ASCII text file.
/B Indicates a binary file.
destination Specifies the directory and/or filename for the new file(s).
/V Verifies that new files are written correctly.
/Y Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an
existing destination file.
/-Y Causes prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an
existing destination file.
The switch /Y may be preset in the COPYCMD environment variable.
To append files, specify a single file for destination, but multiple files
for source (using wildcards or file1+file2+file3 format).
/Y and /-Y are only available in DOS 6 and above.
COPY originated as an internal command in 86-DOS.
CTTY
Internal – DOS 2.0 and above
- Changes the terminal device used to control your system.
CTTY device device The terminal device you want to use, such as COM1.
DATE
External – DOS 1.0
Internal – DOS 1.1 and above
- Displays or sets the date.
DATE [date] Type DATE without parameters to display the current date setting and a prompt for a new one. Press ENTER to keep the same date.
DEBUG
External – DOS 1.0 and above
- Runs Debug, a program testing and editing tool.
DEBUG [[drive:][path]filename [testfile-parameters]]
[drive:][path]filename Specifies the file you want to test.
testfile-parameters Specifies command-line information required by
the file you want to test.
After Debug starts, type ? to display a list of debugging commands.
DEBUG originated as an external command in 86-DOS.
DEFRAG
External – DOS 6.0 and above
Further information: Defragmentation
- Reorganizes files on disks to optimize performance.
DEFRAG [drive:] [/F] [/Sorder] [/B] [/SKIPHIGH] [/LCD | /BW | /G0]
DEFRAG [drive:] [/U] [/B] [/SKIPHIGH] [/LCD | /BW | /G0]
[drive:] Drive letter of disk to be optimized.
/F Fully optimizes specified disk.
/U Unfragments files, leaving space between files.
/S Sort files by specified order.
order N By Name (alphabetic) E By extension (alphabetic)
D By date & time (earliest first) S By size (smallest first)
- Suffix to reverse order
/B Restarts your computer after optimization.
/SKIPHIGH Prevents Defrag from using extended or upper memory.
/LCD Runs Defrag using an LCD color scheme.
/BW Runs Defrag using a black and white color scheme.
/G0 Disable the graphic mouse and graphic character set.
DEFRAG is a licensed version Norton Utilities Speed Disk.
DEL or ERASE
Internal – DOS 1.0 and above
- Deletes one or more files.
DEL [drive:][path]filename [/P]
ERASE [drive:][path]filename [/P]
[drive:][path]filename Specifies the file(s) to delete. Specify multiple
files by using wildcards.
/P Prompts for confirmation before deleting each file.
/P is only available in DOS 5 and above.
ERASE (but not its alias DEL) originated as an internal command in 86-DOS. All versions of DR-DOS support the ERA command as an alias to ERASE / DEL and add ERAQ / DELQ shortcuts identical to the DR-DOS ERA / ERASE / DEL command with the /Q (Query) option given to prompt the user for confirmation.
DELTREE
External – DOS 6.0 and above
- Deletes a directory and all the subdirectories and files within it.
To Delete one or more directories:
DELTREE [/Y] [drive:]path [[drive:]path[...]]
/Y Suppresses prompting to confirm whether you want to
delete the subdirectory.
[drive:]path Specifies the name of the directory you want to delete.
Note: Use DELTREE with caution. Every file and subdirectory within the
specified directory will be deleted.
DIR
Internal – DOS 1.0 and above
- Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.
DIR [drive:][path][filename] [/P] [/W] [/A[[:]attribs]] [/O[[:]sortord]]
[/S] [/B] [/L]
[drive:][path][filename] Specifies drive, directory, and files to list.
/P Pauses after each full screen of information.
/W Uses wide list format.
/A Displays files with specified attributes.
attribs D Directories R Read-only files H Hidden files
S System files A Files ready to archive - Prefix meaning "not"
/O Lists by files in sorted order.
sortord N By name (alphabetic) S By size (smallest first)
E By extension (alphabetic) D By date & time (earliest first)
G Group directories first - Prefix to reverse order
/S Displays files in specified directory and all subdirectories.
/B Uses bare format (no heading information or summary).
/L Uses lowercase.
Switches may be preset in the DIRCMD environment variable. Override
preset switches by prefixing any switch with - (hyphen)--for example, /-W.
To remove the commas from the DIR output, use the NO_SEP environment variable.
Only /P and /W are available prior to DOS 5.
DIR originated as an internal command in 86-DOS.
DISKCOMP
External – DOS 1.0 and above
- Compares the contents of two floppy disks.
DISKCOMP [drive1: [drive2:]] [/1] [/8] /1 Compares the first side of the disks. /8 Compares only the first eight sectors of each track.
DISKCOPY
External – DOS 1.0 and above
- Copies the contents of one floppy disk to another.
DISKCOPY [drive1: [drive2:]] [/1] [/V] [/M] /1 Copies only the first side of the disk. /V Verifies that the information is copied correctly. /M Force multi-pass copy using memory only. The two floppy disks must be the same type. You may specify the same drive for drive1 and drive2.
DOSKEY
External – DOS 5.0 and above
- Edits command lines, recalls DOS commands, and creates macros.
DOSKEY [/REINSTALL] [/BUFSIZE=size] [/MACROS] [/HISTORY] [/INSERT | /OVERSTRIKE] [macroname=[text]] /REINSTALL Installs a new copy of Doskey. /BUFSIZE=size Sets size of command history buffer. /MACROS Displays all Doskey macros. /HISTORY Displays all commands stored in memory. /INSERT Specifies that new text you type is inserted in old text. /OVERSTRIKE Specifies that new text overwrites old text. macroname Specifies a name for a macro you create. text Specifies commands you want to record. UP and DOWN ARROWS recall commands; ESC clears command line; F7 displays command history; ALT+F7 clears command history; F8 searches command history; F9 selects a command by number; ALT+F10 clears macro definitions. The following are some special codes in Doskey macro definitions: $T Command separator. Allows multiple commands in a macro. $1-$9 Batch parameters. Equivalent to %1-%9 in batch programs. $* Symbol replaced by everything following macro name on command line.
DRVLOCK
External – PC DOS 5.02 and above
- Locks the drive or socket so that media cannot be removed.
DRVLOCK [drive: | socket:] [/ON | /OFF]
/ON Sets the lock on.
/OFF Sets the lock off.
DRVLOCK is only included with PC DOS versions.
DYNALOAD
External – PC DOS 7
- Load a device driver after system startup.
DYNALOAD filename [parameters] filename Specifies the name of the device driver to load. parameters Specifies any parameters for the device driver.
E
External – PC DOS 6.1 and above
- Starts PC DOS editor, which creates and changes ASCII files.
E [/Q] [/B] [/S] [/D] [/I] [/C] [/A] [/DM] [/80 |/132] [d:][path][filespec]
[=filespec] ['command']
/Q Turns off display of "Loading .." message.
/B Displays files in browse (read-only) mode.
/S Uses EMS (or hardfile if no EMS is available) to edit files
too large for conventional memory.
/D Forces file to be loaded from disk.
/I Edits STACKER.INI file.
/C Edits CONFIG.SYS file.
/A Edits AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
/DM Disables Mouse.
/80 Enables 80 column, 16 color text video (CGA/EGA/MCGA/VGA/SVGA/XGA).
/132 Enables 132 column, 16 color text video (XGA).
[d:][path][filespec] Specifies drive, directory, and file to edit.
= Is shorthand for "same path as last specified" at the DOS
prompt, or "same as current file's" at the editor commandline.
For example, E \PAS\LANG\FOO.PAS =FOO.BAK will load the two
files FOO.PAS and FOO.BAK, both from the directory \PAS\LANG.
'command' Specifies a startup command. For example, E \FOO.PAS 'ALL /IF'
will load the file FOO.PAS and then execute the ALL command
on this file.
Switches may be preset in the E environment variable.
E is only included with PC DOS versions and replaces the MS-DOS editor EDIT.
Loading ...
