DOS For Dummies Quick Reference - Softcover

Harvey, Greg

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764503685 ISBN 13: 9780764503689

Publisher: For Dummies, 1998

Synopsis

Put away your secret decoder rings and pick up a copy of the latest edition of DOS For Dummies Quick Reference, 3rd Edition, the only book you'll ever need to take the mystery out of those strange, enigmatic commands in DOS-speak. Even if you've upgraded to the snazzy new Windows operating system, you may have times when those old DOS commands (which have been around since the first IBM computers appeared) may come in handy. What's a person to do?

Grab yourself a copy of DOS For Dummies Quick Reference, 3rd Edition, and keep it near your computer for quick, step-by-step instructions for doing almost anything in DOS. Author Greg Harvey has packed all the do's and don'ts of DOS together in one handy guide, written in language you can understand. Flip open the comb-bound, lay-flat book and let your fingers do the walking through the land of DOS, alphabetized from A to Z, to find fast answers to your questions. Whether you're running the original DOS or just playing DOS games under the latest versions of Windows, you'll find that this slim little reference book can be a big, big help. Plus, DOS For Dummies Quick Reference, 3rd Edition, features a Techie Talk" glossary in the back of the book to keep you from stumbling over words and phrases like clusters, FATs, sectors, and TSRs.

About this title

About the Author

About the Author Greg Harvey, the author of over 50 computer books, has had a long career of teaching business people in the use of IBM PC, Windows, and Macintosh software application programs. From 1983 to 1988, he conducted hands-on computer software training for corporate business users with a variety of training companies (including his own, PC Teach). From 1988 to 1992, he taught university classes in Lotus 1-2-3 and Introduction to Database Management Technology (using dBASE) in the Department of Information Systems at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. In mid-1993, Greg started a new multimedia publishing venture, mind over media, Inc. As a multimedia developer and computer book author, he hopes to enliven his future online computer books by making them into true interactive learning experiences that will vastly enrich and improve the training of users of all skill levels. Visit his Web site at www.mindovermedia.com and send him your feedback on this book at gharvey@mindovermedia.com.

From the Back Cover

Fast answers to frequently asked questions

DOS essentials at your fingertips! If you like your answers quick and your information up to date, look no further. With this concise, superbly organized reference, you get easy-to-follow explanations on just about every DOS command — from modifying file attributes to changing volume labels — as well as details on using DOS with Windows 98 and avoiding troublesome viruses.

The Dummies Way Concise, "get it done" information Helpful alphabetical organization Convenient lay-flat binding Icons and other navigational aids A dash of humor and fun

Get smart! www.dummies.com

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Part II
DOS under Windows 98 (The online version of this Part has been abridged.)

Filenames

Microsoft finally bestowed the gift of long filenames upon us. No longer are you tethered to the dreaded 8.3 (eight or fewer characters in the filename, three or fewer characters in the extension) filename specification. Using those long Windows 98 filenames in DOS

But what happens to those long filenames when you're at the DOS prompt? Nothing. Huh? Well, okay, you do have to work a little harder to see the long filenames, but they are still there. When you're at the DOS prompt, Windows 98 truncates long filenames so that they adhere to the 8.3 specification. Here's an example:

Windows 98 filename: This file has a long filename

Truncated version: THISFI~1

Both of these filenames refer to the same file. The second version is what you get when Windows 98 pares down the long filename to fit the 8.3 specification. Of course, if your Windows 98 filenames are eight characters or fewer, Windows doesn't pare them down at all.

Can you use long filenames at the DOS prompt? Yes, you can. Just enclose the filenames in double quotation marks. Directories are files, so they can have long names, too. Be sure to enclose the entire path in double quotation marks. Of course, you can always use the short version of the filename. Here are a couple of examples:

COPY "C:\FILES WITH LONG NAMES\THIS FILE HAS A LONG

FILENAME" A:\

COPY C:\FILESW~1\THISFI~1 A:\

DEL "THIS FILE HAS A LONG FILENAME"

DEL THISFI~1

Use the method that you are most comfortable with. Personally, I hate to type the ~ thingy.

If you want to see the long filenames from the DOS prompt, just type DIR and press Enter. The long filenames are displayed to the right of the file date-time stamp. If you want to see just the long filenames without all the clutter, type DIR /B and press Enter. You'll see the files listed in long-name format.

(The online version of this Part has been abridged.)

Edition details

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0764503685
• ISBN 13: 9780764503689
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 208