Windows DOS Command Help

[hl0m4n]

how do we make subdirectories and remove them? also for windows xp/vista and DOS do we use C> commandname or C:\ commandname?

i need help guys. thanks again.

[scottwww]

md foldername
rd foldername

Depends on the location of the file. If the location is defined in your path= command, then just type the name of the command. If it is in the command interpreter, you never type the path.

[toofasttooslow]

C:\>mkdir test

C:\>dir |findstr test
01/30/2008 02:45 PM <DIR> test

C:\>rmdir test

C:\>dir |findstr test

C:\>

[OC Guy]

use rd and md, it's faster than mkdir.
cd \ to go to root.

[hl0m4n]

thanks guys. so if i wanted to copy files from drive a to drive c lets say command would be C> copy a:file name c:

as for the the subdirectories, let say i wanted to make them on drive c or in a folder.

drive c would be md c: filename and in a folder would be md c:/foldername/file name?

[scottwww]

For an individual file, if you are copying from the current directory on A: to the current directory on C: you would specify the file name and extension:

copy a:filename.ext c:

or if you need to specify the directory, it is like this:

copy a:\folder\filename.ext c:\folder\folder\

Then if you want to copy all the files in the current directory on A: to the current directory on C: it is like this:

copy a:*.* c:

If your command prompt is in the destination directory on C: already, to copy the files found in the current directory on A: you could simply type:

copy a:*.*

If your command prompt is in the destination directory on C: already, if you want to copy all the files and the subdirectories from the current directory on A: then I think the command is:

copy a:*.* /s

[hl0m4n]

^ wow that is great description and info. thanks for that man.

question though and this is what my main question implies.

lets say i want to erase joint.txt from drive a. every internet site on DOS i go to tells me to type in this.

C> erase a:joint.txt

now i can just type in:

erase a:joint.txt and it will work the same?

so the C> isn't necessary.

ive seen some people use C:\>erase

[OC Guy]

c:\ just tells u that you are in the root of c. Go to the directory you need to go to and delete from there.

BTW, use "DEL filename.ext"

[mds82]

cd\
Format c: /x


OK please dont do that...

There are a lot of tutorials online on using command prompt commands

[The_Blob]

MAKE DIRECTORY = mkdir C:\hello\people

REMOVE SUBDIRECTORY = rd C:\hello\people

If you want to delete everything, including all your directories and subdirectories, I mean everything, without formating your drive.....

do this = deltree /y C:\

[Black Chili]

Where you execute these types of commands is irrelevent these days. Oldsters remember when you typed something at the dos prompt it would only look for that command in the same folder you were at on the C drive, plus wherever the PATH= statement said to look after it couldn't find the command or utility where you were at.

MD, RD, copy, del and others are shell commands- meaning there sort of built-in and available anywhere at any time, just type in the command with the qualifiers like rd c:\windows (don't do that..). Open a dos window and just type HELP and you'll see all the shell or command line commands along with explainations of what they do... e.g....

ASSOC Displays or modifies file extension associations.
ATTRIB Displays or changes file attributes.
BREAK Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.
BCDEDIT Sets properties in boot database to control boot loading.
CACLS Displays or modifies access control lists (ACLs) of files.
CALL Calls one batch program from another.
CD Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
CHCP Displays or sets the active code page number.
CHDIR Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
CHKDSK Checks a disk and displays a status report.
CHKNTFS Displays or modifies the checking of disk at boot time.
CLS Clears the screen.
CMD Starts a new instance of the Windows command interpreter.
COLOR Sets the default console foreground and background colors.
COMP Compares the contents of two files or sets of files.
COMPACT Displays or alters the compression of files on NTFS partitions.
CONVERT Converts FAT volumes to NTFS. You cannot convert the
current drive.
COPY Copies one or more files to another location.
DATE Displays or sets the date.
DEL Deletes one or more files.
DIR Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.
DISKCOMP Compares the contents of two floppy disks.
DISKCOPY Copies the contents of one floppy disk to another.
DISKPART Displays or configures Disk Partition properties.
DOSKEY Edits command lines, recalls Windows commands, and
creates macros.
DRIVERQUERY Displays current device driver status and properties.
ECHO Displays messages, or turns command echoing on or off.
ENDLOCAL Ends localization of environment changes in a batch file.
ERASE Deletes one or more files.
EXIT Quits the CMD.EXE program (command interpreter).
FC Compares two files or sets of files, and displays the
differences between them.
FIND Searches for a text string in a file or files.
FINDSTR Searches for strings in files.
FOR Runs a specified command for each file in a set of files.
FORMAT Formats a disk for use with Windows.
FSUTIL Displays or configures the file system properties.
FTYPE Displays or modifies file types used in file extension
associations.
GOTO Directs the Windows command interpreter to a labeled line in
a batch program.
GPRESULT Displays Group Policy information for machine or user.
GRAFTABL Enables Windows to display an extended character set in
graphics mode.
HELP Provides Help information for Windows commands.
ICACLS Display, modify, backup, or restore ACLs for files and
directories.
IF Performs conditional processing in batch programs.
LABEL Creates, changes, or deletes the volume label of a disk.
MD Creates a directory.
MKDIR Creates a directory.
MKLINK Creates Symbolic Links and Hard Links
MODE Configures a system device.
MORE Displays output one screen at a time.
MOVE Moves one or more files from one directory to another
directory.
OPENFILES Displays files opened by remote users for a file share.
PATH Displays or sets a search path for executable files.
PAUSE Suspends processing of a batch file and displays a message.
POPD Restores the previous value of the current directory saved by
PUSHD.
PRINT Prints a text file.
PROMPT Changes the Windows command prompt.
PUSHD Saves the current directory then changes it.
RD Removes a directory.
RECOVER Recovers readable information from a bad or defective disk.
REM Records comments (remarks) in batch files or CONFIG.SYS.
REN Renames a file or files.
RENAME Renames a file or files.
REPLACE Replaces files.
RMDIR Removes a directory.
ROBOCOPY Advanced utility to copy files and directory trees
SET Displays, sets, or removes Windows environment variables.
SETLOCAL Begins localization of environment changes in a batch file.
SC Displays or configures services (background processes).
SCHTASKS Schedules commands and programs to run on a computer.
SHIFT Shifts the position of replaceable parameters in batch files.
SHUTDOWN Allows proper local or remote shutdown of machine.
SORT Sorts input.
START Starts a separate window to run a specified program or command.
SUBST Associates a path with a drive letter.
SYSTEMINFO Displays machine specific properties and configuration.
TASKLIST Displays all currently running tasks including services.
TASKKILL Kill or stop a running process or application.
TIME Displays or sets the system time.
TITLE Sets the window title for a CMD.EXE session.
TREE Graphically displays the directory structure of a drive or
path.
TYPE Displays the contents of a text file.
VER Displays the Windows version.
VERIFY Tells Windows whether to verify that your files are written
correctly to a disk.
VOL Displays a disk volume label and serial number.
XCOPY Copies files and directory trees.
WMIC Displays WMI information inside interactive command shell.

[spacedogg]

Originally Posted by The_Blob

MAKE DIRECTORY = mkdir C:\hello\people

REMOVE SUBDIRECTORY = rd C:\hello\people

If you want to delete everything, including all your directories and subdirectories, I mean everything, without formating your drive.....

do this = deltree /y C:\

good ol' deltree.

the good ol' days

[fizzle]

wow i barely use DOS anymore; i have forgotten the fun! /sarcasm

[KanosWRX]

Wow, a blast from the past Actually the old command line days of Windows are coming back. Take a look at PowerShell, one amazing tool to come out of MS.

[The_Blob]

I still use DOS 90% of the time. I grew up with DOS. I started with Windows 1.0, but I liked DOS several thousand times better. DOS is equivalent to Google. Powerful, you type it, it does it.