Category : Alternate Operating Systems - Quarterdeck DesqView, CP/M, etc
Archive   : DRHELP.ZIP
Filename : DRDOS6.HLP

 
Output of file : DRDOS6.HLP contained in archive : DRHELP.ZIP


DrDOS.HLP - Copyright (c) 1991 Thomas C. Kerr
All rights reserved

This is the ASCII help text file that supports the DrHELP help
program for DrDOS Version 6.0. All help topics must appear in
uppercase and must be enclosed by percent signs. Screen page
markers are designated by the "cp" directive preceded by a period.
An "END" directive enclosed by astericks signals the end of help
text for a particular topic.

To utilize this help file, you must first run the program which
reads this file and builds a binary file containing the file offsets
(i.e., indices) for the beginning of each help topic. The command
to accomplish this is:

INDEXIT DRDOS.HLP

This in turn creates the index file DRDOS.NDX.


%APPEND%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

APPEND R1.00 Specify a search path for data files and overlays.

Format:

APPEND [/H] d:path[;[d:]path ...] [/X:ON|OFF] [/E:ON|OFF]
... [/PATH:ON|OFF]

/X tells APPEND to process SEARCH FIRST and EXEC functions. Com-
mands like COMP and DIR use SEARCH FIRST functions to search
for files. Dr DOS uses the EXEC function any time a command is
input. **Note: Cancel APPEND before running BACKUP.**

/E tells APPEND to keep its paths in the DOS environment, like the
PATH command.

/PATH makes APPEND apply to files having pathnames.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

APPEND enables programs to search for needed files in directories
other than the current directory. It functions similar to PATH.
PATH is used only to search for .BAT, .COM, and .EXE files whereas
APPEND is used to search for any other type of file, such as .DAT.

The punctuation character ";" is used to separate the APPEND paths
or to request a list of the current APPEND paths.

Examples:

Search the directory C:\DRDOS for any needed data files that are
not found in the current directory.

APPEND c:\drdos
*END*
%ASSIGN%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

ASSIGN R1.00 Drive Substitution Utility.
ASSIGN reassigns a drive letter to a different drive

Format:

ASSIGN x=y [/H | /?] [/A]

x specifies drive (to which current disk I/O requests are sent),
that you want to reassign or equate to another drive letter
y specifies drive letter that you want disk I/O requests to be
assigned or routed to
/A displays the current status of disk drive assignments
/H display help text
.cp
Page 2 of 3
Explanation:

Instructs DOS to route disk I/O requests for one drive to another
disk drive. Mainly used when you run a program from one disk drive
that has been hard-coded to access files from a specific disk drive.
Rather than load the program and files on the specified drive, you
temporarily assign the current drive to the other drive.

Some application programs can only be run on, or access their data
from, one disk drive. The ASSIGN command allows you to assign a
drive letter that is not on your system to a drive letter which is
available on your system. An example of this would be if you have
only one drive on your computer, and the applications program was
programmed to use drive C for all of its data storage. With the
ASSIGN command, you can assign all requests for drive C to drive A.

If you want to use the ASSIGN command for more than one drive, it
must be done with one ASSIGN command. This is because each ASSIGN
command statement cancels any previous ones.
.cp
Page 3 of 3

Example(s):

Assign all requests for drives A and B to drive C.

ASSIGN A=C B=C

Display all current disk drive assignments.

ASSIGN /A
*END*
%ATTRIB%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

ATTRIB R1.43 Change file attributes
Display and/or changes any of the four attributes of a disk file.

Format:

ATTRIB [+|-A][+|-H][+|-R][+|-S] [@][d:][path]filename[.ext] [/P][/S]
+A turn on archive attribute (-A turn it off)
+H turn on hidden attribute (-H turn it off)
+R make file read-only (-R make it read-write)
+S turn on system attribute (-S turn it off)
@ the filename that follows is the name of a file list
d: drive which attrib is to search
path directory where search is to begin
filename.ext file for which attributes are displayed or changed
/P pause after each page
/S search for files in subdirectories
.cp
Page 2 of 3

Explanation:

Multiple files may be specified on the command line. If no files
are specified, ATTRIB will assume *.*.

Each disk file can be marked as "read-only" so that it cannot be
accidentally deleted. A file that is marked as "read-only" will be
shown in the directory as normal with the DIR command. However, if
you try to delete the file with the DEL or ERASE commands, DOS will
not carry out the command. You get an "Access denied" error message.

The "archive" file attribute shows whether a file has been changed
since the last backup was made. This attribute is cleared by special
backup programs when they perform backup on a disk, such as the DOS
BACKUP program. When using backup programs, you can specify backup
of only those files that have changed since the last backup--instead
of backing up all files, which can take much longer. The BACKUP
program examines this archive attribute to determine whether or not
to backup a file.
.cp
Page 3 of 3

The "system" attribute, when switched ON, prevents the DIR command
from displaying the file and the COPY command from copying the file
unless a "/S" switch is employed.

Example(s):

Set the read-only attribute for MYFILE.TXT.

ATTRIB +R MYFILE.TXT

Set the "archive" attribute on all file with a filename extension of
.DAT, including those in subdirectories, pausing after each screen.

ATTRIB +A *.DAT /S /P

Display the attribute of all files.

ATTRIB *.*
*END*
%BACKUP%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

BACKUP R1.07 Disk backup utility
Backs up one or more files from one disk to another. This is usually
used to back up files from a hard disk.

Format:


BACKUP [/Help] d:[path][filename.ext]] d: [switches]
/A Add new files to backup disk without erasing exist-
ing ones
/D:date Backup files modified since a given date
/F Format destination disks
/L[:filespec] Record actions in a log file - default name used is
\BACKUP.LOG
/M Backup only files modified since last backup
/S Backup files in sub-directories also
/T:time Backup files modified since given time (use with /D)

.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Backup all files on drive C to drive A.

BACKUP C:\*.* A: /S
*END*
%CACHE%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

CACHE R1.06 Disk Cache

Format:

CACHE [/H] [/S=xxx] [/X] [/E]
/S Requested size of disk cache in Kbytes
/X Use eXpanded memory for buffers
/E Use Extended memory for buffers

Use of no options merely displays current status of cache.

Explanation:

Used to speed up the process of accessing data on a hard disk. Used
to define and set up an area of RAM memory which acts as a buffer,
storing a copy of data frequently read from the disk.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Examples(s):

Install disk cache using 512 Kbytes of eXpanded memory.

CACHE /X /S=512

Display the current status of the disk cache.

CACHE

The display produced will look like this:

******************************************************
* 1 drive cached in 123 track buffers *
* 2091 K Bytes of Extended Memory used *
* 69% of CACHE in use with a 74% hit rate. *
******************************************************
*END*
%CD%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Allows you to move between disk subdirectories. Used to change cur-
rent directory to that specified.

Format:

CD [d:][\] or CD [d:]dirpath

Explanation:

Typing CD without any parameters will display the current directory.
Specifying a directory path of ".." pops the current directory
back one level up the directory tree.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Change the current directory to the root directory; i.e. \ (slash).

CD \

Change current directory to \LEVL1\LEVL2 from \LEVL1\LEVL2\LEVL3.

CD \LEVL1\LEVL2 or CD ..

Display the current directory.

CD
*END*
%CD/CHDIR%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Allows you to move between disk subdirectories. Used to change cur-
rent directory to that specified.

Format:

CD [d:][\] or CHDIR [d:][\]
CD [d:]dirpath

Explanation:

Typing CHDIR or CD without any parameters will display the current
directory. Specifying a directory path of ".." pops the current
directory back one level up the directory tree.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Change the current directory to the root directory; i.e. \ (slash).

CD \

Change current directory to \LEVL1\LEVL2 from \LEVL1\LEVL2\LEVL3.

CD \LEVL1\LEVL2 or CD ..

Display the current directory.

CD
*END*
%CHDIR%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Allows you to move between disk subdirectories. Used to change cur-
rent directory to that specified.

Format:

CHDIR [d:][\] or CHDIR [d:]dirpath

Explanation:

Typing CHDIR (or CD) without any parameters will display the current
directory. Specifying a directory path of ".." pops the current
directory back one level up the directory tree.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Change the current directory to the root directory; i.e. \ (slash).

CHDIR \

Change current directory to \LEVL1\LEVL2 from \LEVL1\LEVL2\LEVL3.

CHDIR \LEVL1\LEVL2 or CHDIR ..

Display the current directory.

CHDIR
*END*
%CHCP%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Changes a specified code page.

Format:

CHCP [cp]

cp - selected code page number

Explanation:

This command changes (selects) the specified code page number for
Dr DOS and for all devices which support code page switching.

Typing CHCP without specifying a code page number displays the cur-
rent code page.
*END*
%CHKDSK%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

CHKDSK 7.00 Disk maintenance utility

Analyzes the directories, files, and File Allocation Table on the
specified drive, or default drive, and produces a disk and memory
status report.

Format:

CHKDSK [/Help] [d:] [filespec] [/F] [/V]

filespec Individual files can be checked. Wild cards are allowed.
/F Write corrections back to disk. (Default = Readonly)
/V Verbose mode - displays extra information about files
encountered/
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

The check disk command scans a disk and checks it for two things:
space allocation and spacing errors. It then produces a memory and
disk status report which shows how much total space is left on disk,
the amount of space in use in bytes, and the number of files in use.

Example(s):

Check drive B and fix all file allocation errors.

CHKDSK B: /F
*END*
%CLS%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Clears the video screen.

Format:

CLS

Explanation:

Use this command when you want to clear the video screen.
*END*
%COMP%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

COMP R1.06 File comparison utility

Format:

COMP [/Help] [d:[path]]file.ext [d:[path]]file.ext [/A] [/M:n]

/H Display this help text
/A ASCII compare - print differences as ASCII characters.
/M:n Maximum number of comparison mismatches per file.
d:path Drive/Path of files to be compared.
file.ext Files to be compared - may contain wild card characters.

Explanation:

This command is useful when you want to see if two files contain the
same data. COMP will display any differences on the screen.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Compare JUNK on drive A to JUNK on drive B.

COMP A:JUNK B:

Compare all files on drive A to all files on drive B.

COMP A: B:

Compare all files on drive A with the extension .ASM to all files
on drive C with the same name.

COMP A:*.ASM C:
*END*
%COPY%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

Copies and/or combines files.

Format:

COPY[/A][/B][d:][path]filename[.ext][/A][/B]
[d:][path]filename[.ext][/A][/B][/V] or

COPY[/A][/B][d:][path]filename[.ext][/A][/B]
[+[d:][path]filename[.ext][/A][/B]...]
[d:][path]filename[.ext][/A][/B][/V]

/A Treat as ASCII file. When used with source file name, copies up
to but not including the first Ctrl Z (EOF marker). When used with
target file name, causes Ctrl Z to be added as the last character
of the file, as required by some word processors.
.cp
Page 2 of 3

Format: (cont'd)

/B With source file name, the file is treated as BINARY file. The
entire file is copied regardless of Ctrl Z markers encountered.
With target file name, causes NO Ctrl Z to be added to the file.

/V Verify that target sectors are written correctly. This is the
same as setting the VERIFY command to ON.

/S Includes system files and hidden files in the COPY operation.

/C Asks for confirmation before copying a file or group of files.

/Z Zeroes the top bit of every byte in the destination file.

Explanation:

COPY is used to copy files or groups of files from one directory to
.cp
Page 3 of 3

Explanation: (cont'd)

to another and/or from one disk to another. Wildcard characters may
be used in file specifications.

Example(s):

Copy HELP.DAT from drive A to drive B.

COPY A:HELP.DAT B:

Copy all files from drive B to drive C.

COPY B:*.* C:

Copy FILE1 and FILE2 from drive A into one file named FILE3 on disk
drive C.

COPY A:FILE1 + A:FILE2 C:FILE3
*END*
%CTTY%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Changes the standard input and output console to an auxiliary con-
sole, or restores the keyboard and screen as the standard input and
output devices.

Format:

CTTY device-name

Explanation:

This command is useful when you want to use a terminal connected to
your serial port. The MODE command must be used before this is done
to initialize the serial port to the desired settings.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Set the standard input and output device to the first serial port.

CTTY COM1:
*END*
%CURSOR%
Page 1 of 1


Purpose:

CURSOR R1.01 Laptop cursor utility.

Format:

CURSOR [/H] [/Snn] [/C] [OFF]

/Snn Set flash interval. nn is a 2 digit number from 1 to 20;
it is the cursor flash interval in 1/20ths of a second.
/C Enables CGA compatibilty. Specifying this option ensures
display is accessed only during horizontal retrace, pre-
venting the snow effect that occurs on some CGA displays.
OFF Restores the hardware cursor.

Explanation:

CURSOR generates a large cursor with variable flash rate for use on
laptops and portables with high persistance (e.g., LCD) displays.
*END*
%DATE%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Set or display the current system date.

Format:

DATE [mm-dd-yy]

Explanation:

Type DATE without a parameter to display and/or set current system
date. DOS will display the current date and ask you to enter a new
date. You can enter a new date, or press Enter to keep the current
date.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Set the system date to December 25, 1987.

DATE 12-25-87

Display the current system date.

DATE
*END*
%DEL%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Deletes the specified disk file.

Format:

DEL [d:][path]filename[.ext] [/C] [/S]

/C Prompts you to confirm deletion on a file by file basis
/S Includes deletion of system files

Explanation:

This command erases files that match the filename. Write protected
files cannot be erased. If the global filename characters *.* are
given, DOS will request verification of this command, by displaying:
" Are you sure (Y/N)? " The global filename characters, ? and *,
are allowed.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Delete all files with the extension .ASM.

DEL *.ASM

Delete all files. DOS will ask to verify this operation.

DEL *.*

Delete the file named FILE1.TXT.

DEL FILE1.TXT
*END*
%DEL/ERASE%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Deletes the specified disk file.

Format:

DEL (or ERASE) [d:][path]filename[.ext] [/C] [/S]

/C Prompts you to confirm deletion on a file by file basis
/S Includes deletion of system files

Explanation:

This command erases files that match the filename. Write protected
files cannot be erased. If the global filename characters *.* are
given, DOS will request verification of this command, by displaying:
" Are you sure (Y/N)? " The global filename characters, ? and *,
are allowed.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Delete all files with the extension .ASM.

DEL *.ASM

Delete all files. DOS will ask to verify this operation.

DEL *.*

Delete the file named FILE1.TXT.

ERASE FILE1.TXT
*END*
%DELPURGE%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

DELPURGE R1.00 Delwatch File and Directory purge
Used to free diskspace occupied by "pending-delete" files.

Format:

DELPURGE [/Help] [d:][path][filespec] [options]

d: drive to search
path directory where search begins (default is current)
filespec file or directory to purge (wildcards allowed)
/A purge all Delwatch files that match wildspec without
prompting
/D:mm-dd-yy only purge Delwatch files deleted before specified
date
/D:-num only purge Delwatch files deleted more than 'num'
days ago
e.g., /D:-7 purges files deleted more than a week ago
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Format: (cont'd)

/L list all Delwatch files that match wildspec (will not
purge)
/P pause after each page is displayed
/S operate on Delwatch files in subdirectories
/T:hh:mm:ss only purge Delwatch files deleted before a specified
time

Explanation:

When the DELWATCH TSR is active and you delete a file, the file is
not actually deleted - it is merely marked as "pending delete". The
disk space is still in use. DELPURGE is used to actually carry out
the delete operation and free up the disk space.
*END*
%DELQ%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Deletes the specified disk file(s), automatically querying for con-
firmation before deleting.

Format:

DELQ [d:][path]filename[.ext] [/S]

/S Includes deletion of system files

Explanation:

This command erases files that match the filename. Write protected
files cannot be erased. The global filename characters, "?" and
"*", are allowed.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Delete - after confirmation - all files with the extension .ASM.

DELQ *.ASM

Delete - after confirmation - the file named FILE1.TXT.

DELQ FILE1.TXT
*END*
%DELQ/ERAQ%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Deletes the specified disk file(s), automatically querying for con-
firmation before deleting.

Format:

DELQ (or ERAQ) [d:][path]filename[.ext] [/S]

/S Includes deletion of system files

Explanation:

This command erases files that match the filename. Write protected
files cannot be erased. The global filename characters, "?" and
"*", are allowed.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Delete - after confirmation - all files with the extension .ASM.

DELQ *.ASM

Delete - after confirmation - the file named FILE1.TXT.

ERAQ FILE1.TXT
*END*
%DELWATCH%
Page 1 of 4

Purpose:

DELWATCH R1.00 Utility to install the DELWATCH TSR

Format:

DELWATCH d: [d:..] [switches]

d: drive letter of drive to be enabled or disabled (must not
not be a network or substituted drive). If more than one
drive is to be enabled, then any switches apply to all the
drives. If different values are required for different
drives, then multiple DELWATCH commands must be entered.

/S Display DELWATCH status.
/MU Load DELWATCH TSR into upper memory. If none available, do
not install.
/ML Load DELWATCH TSR into lower memory (TPA space), even if
upper memory is available.
.cp
Page 2 of 4

Format: (cont'd)

/D Disable DELWATCH on specified drives. This switch cannot
be used with any other switch.

If /D is not specified, DELWATCH is enabled for the speci-
fied drives. The following switches apply:

/B:nnn Specify how many files of the same name, in the same dir-
directory, are to be saved (eg. <.BAK> files). Once the
specified number is reached, the least recently deleted
file of that name is removed. The minimum is 1, the maxi-
mum is 65535, and the default is 1.

/O:ext[+ext..]
Save only files with the specifed extensions. A maximum
of 10 extensions can be specified, where 'ext' is a file
extension optionally preceded by '.'.
.cp
Page 3 of 4

Format: (cont'd)

No spaces are allowed. A null file extension can be speci-
fied using a single '.', e.g., '/o:.+exe'. The wildcard
character '?' is allowed.

/E:ext[+ext..]
Save all files except those with the specified extensions.
A maximum of 10 extensions can be specified. This switch
cannot be used with the /O switch.

/F:nnn Specify the maximum number of files to be saved. The min-
imum is 1, the maximum is 65535, and the default is 200
for a hard disk, and 20 for a floppy disk.

/F:ALL Save all files; i.e., do not purge any files even if the
disk becomes full.
.cp
Page 4 of 4

Explanation:

The DELWATCH command is used to install/uninstall the DELWATCH TSR.

When the DELWATCH TSR is active, a file you delete is not actually
deleted. It is merely marked as "pending delete." The disk space
remains in use. The file will not be listed by the DIR command, but
the file still exists. It can be fully recovered using the UNDELETE
command, or it can be deleted for real by using the DELPURGE com-
mmand.

Even after a reboot with the DELWATCH TSR no longer active, space
occupied by "pending delete" files is not available for use until
a DELPURGE command is eventually run.
*END*
%DIR%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Displays a list of file names in the specified directory, or current
directory if none is specified.

Format:

DIR [d:][path][filename[.ext]] [/D][/S][/A][/L][/R][/C][/P][/W]

/D display files where the system attribute is reset
/S displays all files with the system attribute set
/A displays all files
/L includes file size and date/time stamp
/R tells Dr DOS to remember new switches as defaults for DIR
/C tells Dr DOS to remember thse switches for next DIR
/P pause after each full page screen display
/W list in wide format across the screen
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

DIR displays the file contents of a disk directory. Without switches
DIR does not display hidden or system files. The use of wildcards,
such as "*" and "?", allow you to specify multiple files or groups
of files.

Example(s):

Show all files in the current drive and directory with a file exten-
sion of .WP

DIR *.WP

Show all files on drive A.

DIR A:
*END*
%DISKCOMP%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

DISKCOMP R2.00 Floppy diskette comparison utility

Format:

DISKCOMP [d:] [d:] [/1] [/8] [/V]

d: drive specification for *REMOVABLE* drive
/1 compare first side only of double sided diskette
/8 compare only first eight sectors per track of diskette
/A provides audible warning for diskette change and comparison
complete
/M compare multiple copies of a single disk or image file
/V verify that all tracks can be read (other switches ignored)

.cp
Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

DISKCOMP compares two entire diskettes track by track. This is use-
ful to verify that a DISKCOPY operation was successful.

Older versions of DOS only used one side of the diskette, and 8 sec-
per track. New versions use two sides of the disk, and 9 sectors per
track; this allows for more data to be stored on each diskette. The
/1 and /8 parameters are not necessary with DrDOS or new versions of
DOS.

Example(s):

Compare the double sided 9 sector diskettes in drives A and B.

DISKCOMP A: B:
*END*
%DISKCOPY%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

DISKCOPY R1.33 Floppy diskette duplication

Format:

DISKCOPY [s:] [d:] [/1]

s: drive containing source diskette
d: drive containing destination diskette
/1 copy side 0 only

Explanation:

The DISKCOPY command copies an entire diskette and formats the dest-
ination disk if necessary. If you have only one disk drive, DISKCOPY
will tell you when to change the disks. **NOTE: DISKCOPY will copy
only between two identical drive types and floppy types.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Explanation: (cont'd)

The DISKCOPY command also copies the floppy volume label. This com-
mand will not work even using a single drive if the source and dest-
ination floppies are of different densities.

In general, the DISKCOPY command is not a good method of copying
diskettes because it preserves the often found inefficient ordering
of data. Use the FORMAT and COPY or XCOPY commands instead.

Example(s):

Duplicate floppies using drive B only.

DISKCOPY B: B:
*END*
%DISKMAP%
Page 1 of 2
Purpose:

DISKMAP R1.00 Undelete assistance utility.

Format:

DISKMAP [/D] drive: [drive: [drive:]...]

/D Recreate DISKMAP file ignoring existing information.

Explanation:

DISKMAP provides a way of saving information about deleted files to
help UNDELETE find them for recovery operation.

DISKMAP makes a copy of the FAT(File Allocation Table) on a disk and
saves it until the next time DISKMAP is run. This table provides a
pointer to the original location of deleted files. This data can be
used by the UNDELETE command to restore a deleted file *AS LONG AS*
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Explanation: (cont'd)

that disk space has not been reallocated to another file.

DELWATCH guarantees successful recovery of deleted files, but costs
you in terms of disk space and application memory consumed. DISK-
MAP does not consume application memory, but does not guarantee file
recovery of deleted files will be possible.
*END*
%DISKOPT%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

DISKOPT R1.00 Optimize the layout of the files on disk.

Format:

DISKOPT [drive:] [/B]

/B Force monochrome attributes on the display.

Explanation:

DISKOPT is a menu driven utility used to rewrite/reorganize data on
the specified disk to make file(s) contiguous versus fragmented. It
will optionally sort directories and move all free space to the end
of the disk.
*END*
%EDITOR%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

EDITOR R2.00 Full Screen Text Editor

Format:

EDITOR [/Help] [d:][path][filename[.ext]]

Explanation:

EDITOR is a text editor. It can be used to create, alter or just
read through a file of ASCII text.

The command line file specification is the drive, path and file-
name of the file to be edited. If you do not supply this on the
command line, EDITOR will prompt you for it. If the file does not
exist EDITOR will ask you if you wish to create it. Online help is
available when executing EDITOR by pressing Cntrl-J.
*END*
%ERAQ%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Deletes the specified disk file(s), automatically querying for con-
firmation before deleting.

Format:

ERAQ [d:][path]filename[.ext] [/S]

/S Includes deletion of system files

Explanation:

This command erases files that match the filename. Write protected
files cannot be erased. The global filename characters, "?" and
"*", are allowed.
.cp
Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Delete - after confirmation - all files with the extension .ASM.

ERAQ *.ASM

Delete - after confirmation - the file named FILE1.TXT.

ERAQ FILE1.TXT
*END*
%ERASE%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Deletes the specified disk file.

Format:

ERASE [d:][path]filename[.ext] [/C] [/S]

/C Prompts you to confirm deletion on a file by file basis
/S Includes deletion of system files

Explanation:

This command erases files that match the filename. Write protected
files cannot be erased. If the global filename characters *.* are
given, DOS will request verification of this command, by displaying:
" Are you sure (Y/N)? " The global filename characters, ? and *,
are allowed.
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Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Delete all files with the extension .ASM.

ERASE *.ASM

Delete all files. DOS will ask to verify this operation.

ERASE *.*

Delete the file named FILE1.TXT.

ERASE FILE1.TXT
*END*
%EXE2BIN%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

EXE2BIN R1.00 Convert EXE files to BIN or COM files.

Format:

EXE2BIN [/H] [file1[.ex1]] [file2[.ex2]] [/Sxxxx]

file1 This is the source EXE type file. The file must have a
valid EXE header. If no extension is specified a de-
fault of .exe is added. File1 can include a valid path.
file2 This is the destination filename. If file2 is given
with no extension, then .bin or .com is added depending
on the contents of the source EXE header. If file2 is
not specified then file1 is used with a .bin or .com
extension. File2 can include a valid path.
/Sxxxx xxxx is a (maximum of) 4 digit hex value which will be
used as the base for any segment fixups which are re-
quired for a BIN type file.
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

EXE2BIN converts EXE type executable files produced by a DOS linker
into binary image files (usually with a .bin extension) or .com exe-
cutable files. Whether the destination file is a BIN or a COM type
depends on the initial IP field in the EXE file's header. A value
of 0 will result in a BIN type file and a value of 100h will result
in a COM type file. The destination filename extension does NOT
effect this.

Example(s):

Convert the file data.exe to data.bin.

EXE2BIN data
*END*
%FC%
Page 1 of 3
Purpose:

FC R1.00 ASCII/Binary File Compare Utility.

Format:

FC [@]oldfile newfile [/A] [/B] [/C] [/Gn] [/L] [/Mn] [/W]

oldfile Path and filename of old file. May contain wildcards. If
oldfile is preceded by a '@' it is treated as a filelist
containing the names of the files to be compared.
newfile Path and filename of new file. May contain wildcards. If
oldfile is a file list, newfile just specifies the path
where the new files are located.
/A Abbreviate output during an ASCII comparison.
/B Force a binary comparison.
/C Ignore case during an ASCII comparison.
/Gn Change the number of lines which must match before a re-
synchronization occurs. Default is 5.
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Page 2 of 3

Format: (cont'd)

/L Force an ASCII line by line comparison.
/Mn Change the maximum number of mismatches which can occur
during a binary comparison. Default is 20. Unlimited=0.
/W Ignore white space (spaces and tabs) during ASCII com-
parison.

FC defaults to binary comparison for .EXE, .COM, .SYS, .OBJ, .BIN,
and .LIB files.

Explanation:

FC compares the contents of ASCII text files or binary files and
displays the differences detected. FC determines the type of file
being compared from the file extension and then performs the compar-
ison in either binary or text mode.
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Page 3 of 3

Explanation: (cont'd)

FC compares the contents of the two files line by line and then gen-
erates displays indicating what lines need to be inserted, deleted,
or replaced to make look like .
*END*
%FDISK%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Prepares a hard disk for formatting.

Format:

FDISK

Explanation:

A new hard disk is not usable until the surface has been partitioned
and then formatted. FDISK does the partitioning. Then utilize the
use the FORMAT command to format the disk. You only have to use the
FDISK command once. *** WARNING *** The FDISK command destroys all
files on the disk!

See the Dr DOS User Guide for a detailed explanation of FDISK.
*END*
%FILELINK%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

FILELINK R1.05 File transfer utility. Used to transfer files be-
tween two computers connected via their serial communications ports.


Format:

FILELINK [/H] command [@][src_spec] [dest_spec] [COMn:b] [switches]

FILELINK SETUP [COMn:b] configure FILELINK to use COM port n for
baud rate b
FILELINK DUPLICATE transfer FILELINK to other computer via
COM port
FILELINK SLAVE [/X] enter slave mode
FILELINK DIRECTORY [filespec] show directory of slave computer
FILELINK QUIT terminate FILELINK running on slave com-
puter
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Page 2 of 3

Format: (cont'd)

FILELINK TRANSMIT [@]src_spec [dest_spec] [switches]
Copy src_spec files from master to slave. (@ preceeds a file list.)
Use dest_spec to specify the destination path on slave.

FILELINK RECEIVE [@]src_spec [dest_spec] [switches]
Copy src_spec files from slave to master. (@ precedes a file list.)
Use dest_spec to specify the destination path on master.

All commands may include a COMn:b parameter to override the default
port configuration set with the FILELINK SETUP command.

/A only transfer files with archive attribute
/D:mm-dd-yy only transfer files modified since specified date
/H transfer files with hidden or system attributes
/U only transfer files that don't exist on destination,
or exist but with an earlier date stamp
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Page 3 of 3

Format: (cont'd)

/M only transfer files with archive attribute
/P (TRANSMIT/RECEIVE) prompt before transfering each file
/P (DIRECTORY) page directory display
/R overwrite read-only files
/S copy files in sub-directories
/X do not allow any file on slave to be overwritten

Explanation:

Used to establish a master-slave communication link between two PCs
that have been connected together via a cable between their serial
commumications ports. The communications link provides a mechanism
for inter-PC file transfers. See Dr DOS User Guide for more details.
*END*
%FIND%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

FIND R1.44 Searches for a pattern of letters in a text file.

Format:

FIND [options] "search string" [@][[d:][path]filename[.ext]...]
/B change display format
/C show only the number of lines containing "string"
/F show only the name of files that contain "string"
/N display line numbers
/S search files in sub-directories
/U case-sensitive search (eg 'A' doesn't match 'a')
/V display lines not containing "string"
@ the filename that follows is the name of a file list
d: drive which find is to search
path directory where search is to begin
filename.ext file to be searched (wildcards allowed)
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

Use FIND to search text files for a specified string of characters.

Example(s):

Display lines from the file PROG that DO NOT contain the letter F.

FIND/V "F" PROG

Display how many lines in the file PROG that contain the name JOE.

FIND/C "JOE" PROG
*END*
%FORMAT%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

FORMAT R2.00 Disk / diskette format program

Format:

FORMAT [d:] [options]
d: drive containing diskette to be formatted
/V prompt for volume label
/B leave space for OS system files (5.25 inch drives only)
/S transfer DrDOS O/S system files, including COMMAND.COM,
to root (\) directory of disk after formatting
/8 set sectors per track to 8 (5.25 inch drives only)
/1 set to single sided (5.25 inch drives only)
/4 reduce format to 8/9 sectors (hyperdrives only)
/N:8 set sectors per track
/T:40 set tracks to be formatted (40 or 80 only)
/F:360 capacity of disk to be formatted (160, 180, 320, 360,
1200, 720 or 1440)


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Page 2 of 3
Format: (cont'd)
/A provide audible warning when format complete
/X allow formatting of fixed (non-removable) media drives

Explanation:

A new disk, including a hard disk, must be prepared before it is
used for the first time. ***** WARNING ***** The FORMAT command des-
troys all files on the disk! The following table of parameters is
allowed for each type of disk:
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ DISK ³ PARAMETERS ALLOWED ³
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
³ 160K/180K ³ /S, /V, /1, /8, /B, /4 ³
³ 320K/360K ³ /S, /V, /1, /8, /B, /4 ³
³ 720K/1.44M ³ /S, /V, /N, /T ³
³ 1.2M ³ /S, /V, /N, /T ³
³ FIXED DISK ³ /S, /V /X ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
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Page 3 of 3

Example(s):

Format the disk in drive A and make it a bootable system disk.

FORMAT A: /S

Format a 720K diskette in a 1.44M drive.

FORMAT A: /N:9 /T:80
*END*
%GRAFTABL%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

GRAFTABL R1.01 Graphics character set support,

Format:

GRAFTABL [/Help] [code] [/STATUS]
code 437 USA (Default if no code)
865 Norway
860 Portugal
863 French Canadian
850 Multilingual
/STATUS Display current status

Explanation:

Use GRAFTABL to display foreign language characters when in graphics
mode on the color/graphics adapter (CGA).
*END*
%GRAPHICS%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

GRAPHICS R1.01 Graphics screen print utility

Format:

graphics [COLOR] [/R]

/R Reverse black and white dots.
COLOR Use color printer.

Explanation:

Allows the contents of a graphics screen to be printed on a printer
which can print graphics.
*END*
%JOIN%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

JOIN R1.00 Join physical drives.

Format:

JOIN [/Help] [d: path | /D]

d: drive to JOIN
path root directory to JOIN to
/D undo JOIN on d:

Explanation:

Connects a drive to a directory on another drive to produce a single
directory structure from two separate directories.
*END*
%KEYB%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

KEYB R2.06 National keyboard utility

Format:

KEYB code[+|-][,codepage] [/MH] [/MU] [/ML]

Country Codepages Country Codepages
BE - Belgium 437 850 PO - Portugal 860 850
CF - Canada (French) 863 850 SF - Swiss (French) 437 850
DK - Denmark 865 850 SG - Swiss (German) 437 850
FR - France 437 850 SP - Spain 437 850
GR - Germany 437 850 SV - Sweden 437 850
IT - Italy 437 850 SU - Finland 437 850
LA - Latin America 437 850 UK - United Kingdom 437 850
NL - Netherlands 437 850 US - United States 437 850
NO - Norway 865 850
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Page 2 of 2

Format: (cont'd)

+ Force keyboard type to enhanced
- Force keyboard type to non-enhanced
/MH Load KEYB into high memory (HMA)
/MU Load KEYB into upper memory
/ML Load KEYB into conventional memory

If codepage is omitted then the 1st, (local), codepage shown will be
assumed.

Explanation:

Loads a keyboard program that replaces the keyboard program resident
in the ROM BIOS. This will allow support of non-U.S. keyboards.
*END*
%LABEL%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Allows you to create, change, or delete a volume label on a disk.

Format:

LABEL [d:] [volume label]

Explanation:

The LABEL command is used to assign or write an identifying label on
a disk drive volume. Typically, the label is used to readily ident-
ify what information is contained on the disk, or what the disk is
used for. A label can also be written on the disk when it is for-
matted by using the FORMAT command with the /V parameter. Or, you
can assign or change a disk label by using the LABEL command. Labels
cannot exceed 11 alpha-numeric characters.
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Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

LABEL will show any label currently on the disk in drive A and query
if you want to change or delete the current label.

LABEL A:

Write a volume label of "HELP_FILES" on the disk in drive A.

LABEL A: HELP_FILES
*END*
%MD%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Creates a subdirectory on the specified disk within the specified
directory.

Format:

MD [d:]path

Example(s):

Create a subdirectory named LEVEL1 under the current directory.

MD LEVEL1

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Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Create a subdirectory named ADP under the root directory of drive C.

MD \ADP

Create a subdirectory named ELEC under the directory named UTILS.

MD \UTILS\ELEC
*END*
%LOCK%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

LOCK R1.00 System and Keyboard Lock.

Format:

LOCK [/H]|[password]

/H Help. Gives help on this command.
password Password to use to re-gain entry.

Explanation:

Use LOCK to temporarily lock your operating system while you leave
your PC unattended without switching it off. You specify a password
to use to unlock the system, or alternatively the User Key password
that you typed to login can be used to re-gain entry. **NOTE**: For
non-secure systems, a LOCK password must be specified.
*END*
%LOGIN%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

LOGIN R1.00 DRDOS Login command.

Format:

LOGIN [/Help] [dirpath]

dirpath new default directory for system security files
/H displays this help text.

Explanation:

The LOGIN command is used to display the directory containing the
system security files, or to change the default directory used for
the system security files.
*END*
%MD/MKDIR%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Creates a subdirectory on the specified disk within the specified
directory.

Format:

MKDIR [d:]path or MD [d:]path

Example(s):

Create a subdirectory named LEVEL1 under the current directory.

MD LEVEL1
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Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Create a subdirectory named ADP under the root directory of drive C.

MD \ADP

Create a subdirectory named ELEC under the directory named UTILS.

MD \UTILS\ELEC
*END*
%MEM%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

MEM R1.04 Memory usage utility
Show current memory utilization.

Format:

MEM [/Help] | [/B] [/D] [/S] [/M] [/A] [/P]
/H Display this help text
/B Show memory blocks in conventional memory
/U Show memory blocks in upper memory
/F Show memory blocks in high memory
/D Show device drivers
/S Show system structures
/M Show system memory map
/A Show all information
/P Pause listing at each page

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Page 2 of 2

Examples:

Show the total amount of memory available in use (i.e., no switch).

MEM (resulting display is shown below)

ÚÄÄ Memory Type ÄÄÄÂÄ Total Bytes(Kbytes ) ÄÂÄÄÄÄÄ Available ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ ³ ³ ³
³ Conventional ³ 655,360 ( 640K ) ³ 610,736 ( 596K ) ³
³ High ³ 65,520 ( 64K ) ³ 0 ( 0K ) ³
³ Extended ³ 3,145,728 ( 3,072K ) ³ 0 ( 0K ) ³
³ Extended via XMS ³ N/A ³ 2,719,744 ( 2,656K ) ³
³ EMS ³ 3,440,640 ( 3,360K ) ³ 2,785,280 ( 2,720K ) ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

Show current upper memory utilization and device drivers in use.

MEM /U /D
*END*
%MEMMAX%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

MEMMAX R2.00 Memory extension control.
Provide control of utilization of upper and lower memory.

Format:

MEMMAX [/Help] [+|-U] [+|-L] [/U] [/L]
+U opens upper memory for HILOAD (-U closes it)
+L opens lower memory for programs (-L closes it)
+V maps memory into video memory space (-V unmaps it)
/U displays upper memory status
/L displays lower memory status
/V displays video memory status

Upper memory is memory between 640 Kb and 1 Mb. Lower memory is
memory in the first 64 Kb.
*END*
%MKDIR%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Creates a subdirectory on the specified disk within the specified
directory.

Format:

MKDIR [d:]path

Example(s):

Create a subdirectory named LEVEL1 under the current directory.

MKDIR LEVEL1
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Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Create a subdirectory named ADP under the root directory of drive C.

MKDIR \ADP

Create a subdirectory named ELEC under the directory named UTILS.

MKDIR \UTILS\ELEC
*END*
%MODE%
Page 1 of 5

Purpose:

MODE R1.22 Printer and screen mode utility.

Set the way that a printer, a color/graphics monitor adapter, or
asynchronous communications adapter operates.

Format:

MODE LPT#:[n][,[m][,[P][,s]]]
or LPT#:=COMn
or mode[,lines]
or [mode],m[,T]
or CON: [LINES=lines] [COLS=cols] [RATE=r DELAY=d]
or COM#:b[,p][,d][,s][,P]
or device CODEPAGE options

Each format of MODE command is explained in detail as follows:
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Page 2 of 5

Format: (cont'd)

LPT#:n,m,P Set-up printer
#=Printer port number, n=characters per line (80, 132),
m=lines per inch (6 or 8), and P=Continuous retry on timeout

LPT#:=COMn Redirect printer port # output to serial port n

mode,lines Set display mode
mode= 40 or BW40 - 40 columns no color (CGA)
80 or BW80 - 80 columns no color (CGA)
CO40 - 40 columns color (CGA)
CO80 - 80 columns color (CGA)
MONO - 80 columns (MDA)
lines= # of text rows: 25, 43 or 50

[mode],m[,T] Set display mode parameter as described above
m=CGA display shift direction: L or R
T=show test pattern
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Page 3 of 5

Format: (cont'd)

CON: LINES = lines lines = number of text rows: 25, 43, or 50
CON: COLS = cols cols=number of text columns: 40 or 80

CON: RATE = r DELAY = d r=keyboard typematic rate: 1..32
d=keyboard typematic delay: 1..4

COM#:b,p,d,s,P Set serial port #=serial port number
b=baud rate - 110..19200
p=parity - E(ven), N(one) or O(dd)
d=data bits - 7 or 8
s=stop bits - 1 or 2
P=Continuous retry on timeout

device CODEPAGE PREPARE=((cplist) [d:][path]filename[.ext])
device one of CON, PRN, LPT1, etc
cplist one or more of 437, 850, 860, 863, 865
filename specifies the file containing the character shapes
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Page 4 of 5

Format: (cont'd)
device CODEPAGE SELECT=cp
device one of CON, PRN, LPT1, etc
cp one of 437, 850, 860, 863, 865

device CODEPAGE REFRESH
device one of CON, PRN, LPT1, etc

device CODEPAGE /STATUS
device one of CON, PRN, LPT1, etc

Explanation:

Set the way that a printer, a color/graphics monitor adapter, or
asynchronous communications adapter operates. See examples below.
See the Dr DOS User Guide for a much more thorough treatment of the
MODE command and its multitude of options.
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Page 5 of 5

Example(s):

Set the screen to color mode with 80 columns

MODE CO80

Set the first communications port to 1200 baud, no parity, 8 data
bits, and 1 stopbit.

MODE COM1:1200,N,8,1

Set the first parallel printer to 132 columns per line.

MODE LPT1:132
*END*
%MORE%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Stops the screen from scrolling when it is full.

Format:

MORE
Example(s):

Display the file SAMPLE.DAT on the screen and pause when each screen
is full.

MORE *END*
%MOVE%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

MOVE R1.00 File / directory move

Format:

MOVE [/Help] [@][d:][path][filename[.ext]]
[d:][path][filename[.ext]] [/Option(s)]

The first file specification is the drive, path and name of the
source to be moved (wildcard name allowed only when moving files).
This specification must be present. Use '@' to specify that the
given source contains a list of sources to be moved. The second
name is the destination drive and path to which sources will be
moved. Files will be moved to reside under the destination path,
directories will be moved to be subdirectories of the destination
path.
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Page 2 of 3

Format: (cont'd)

Optional switches include:

/A only move files with the archive attribute
/D:mm-dd-yy only move files modified since specified date
/H move files with hidden or system attributes
/M only move files with the archive attribute, reset the
attribute
/P prompt before moving each file or directory
/R overwrite read-only files
/S move files in subdirectories
/T move branches of directory tree
/V verify that data is written correctly
/W wait for disks to be changed
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Page 3 of 3

Explanation:

Use the MOVE command to move a file, group of files, or subdirectory
from one location to another on the same or a different disk. MOVE
actually copies each specified file or subdirectory to the specified
target location and then deletes the original file or subdirectory.
Therefore, read-only files are copied, but the originals are not de-
leted.

Example(s):

Move all files with an extension of .txt from the "A:\tax" directory
to the "C:\txtfiles" directory on the hard drive.

MOVE A:\TAX\*.TXT C:\TXTFILES
*END*
%NLSFUNC%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

NLSFUNC R3.02 National Language Support.

Format:

NLSFUNC [[d:]path|/H]
d:path Drive and path of COUNTRY.SYS file.
/H Display help screen.
/MH Load NLSFUNC into high (HMA) memory
/MU Load NLSFUNC into upper memory
/ML Load NLSFUNC into conventional memory

Explanation:

NLSFUNC provides support for extended country information and allows
you to use the CHCP command to select code pages for all devices set
up to use them.
*END*
%PASSWORD%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

PASSWORD R1.52 Display or change password protection level

Format:

PASSWORD [@][d:][path][filename.ext] [/R|W|D|P|G[:password]] [/N][/S]

/R[:passwd] "passwd" required to read, write or delete the FILE
/W[:passwd] "passwd" required to write or delete the FILE
/D[:passwd] "passwd" required only to delete the FILE
/P[:passwd] "passwd" required for all access to the DIRECTORY
/G[:passwd] set global default password
/N remove password protection from file
/NP remove password protection from directory
/NG remove global default password
/S operate on files or directories in subdirectories
Multiple files may be specified on the command line.
Use '@' to specify that the filename that follows is a file list.
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

The PASSWORD command is used to assign password protection to files
or paths.

Example(s):

Assign the password "SUZIE" to the file EYESOFF.LTR.

PASSWORD eyesoff.ltr /r:SUZIE
*END*
%PATH%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Establishes a search path for program execution.

Format:

PATH [d:]path[[;[d:]path...] or PATH ;

Explanation:

A hard disk is divided into subdirectories to make it more manage-
able. However, this type of structure has its advantages and disad-
vantages. When you want to run a program, you must know where the
program is located in order for Dr DOS to find it, and then run it.
You can use the PATH command to tell Dr DOS where to search for pro-
grams you want to run. You may specify a list of drives and path-
names, separated by semicolons. Then, when you enter a command that
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation: (cont'd)

is not found in the current drive and directory, Dr DOS will search
all drives and directories on the path, for that program file name.

Example(s):

Show the current path setting (if any).

PATH

Tell Dr DOS to search the current directory (default), then the ROOT
directory, then the directory named UTILS.

PATH C:\;C:\UTILS

Remove all previous path settings.

PATH ;
*END*
%PRINT%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

Prints a queue (a list) of data files on the printer while you are
doing other jobs on the computer.

PRINT R1.20 Print a queue of files in the background

Format:

PRINT [/D:device][/B:buffsiz][/U:busytick][/M:maxtick]
[/S:timeslice][/Q:quesiz][/C][/P][/T] [filespec...]

/C cancel the preceding and all following filenames
/P print the preceding and all following filenames
/T cancel all files on queue

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Page 2 of 3

Explanation:

/S:timeslice - to specify the time-slice value. Default is 8 slices.
The range is 1 to 255.

/U:busytick - to specify the number of clock ticks that PRINT will
wait until print device is available. Default is 1.

/M:maxtick - to specify how many clock ticks PRINT has to print
characters to the printer. Default is 2. The range
is 1 to 255.

/T - to set Terminate mode. All queued files are canceled
from the print queue.

/C - to set the cancel mode. Allows you to select which
files to cancel.
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Page 3 of 3

Explanation: (cont'd)

/P - to set the print mode. The preceding filename + all
following filenames are added to the print queue until
/C is found on the command line, or you press Enter.

Example(s):

Print all files with the extension .TXT in the current directory.

PRINT *.TXT
*END*
%PROMPT%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

Defines the DOS command line prompt.

Format:

PROMPT [prompt-text]

Explanation:

Where prompt-text specifies the new text for the DOS prompt. This
can contain special characters in the form $p. These special char-
acters are as follows:

$ the $ character l the < character
t the time b the | character
d the date q the = character
p the current directory h the backspace character
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Page 2 of 3

Explanation: (cont'd)

v the DOS version number e the ESCape character
n the default drive letter _ the CR LF sequence
g the > character

The initial DOS prompt is the drive letter followed by the ">" char-
acter. However, the prompt can be changed to something else, which
you may prefer over the default DOS prompt. A popular prompt is the
$p$g prompt. This makes the prompt the current drive letter, plus
the current directory, and then the ">" character. This is useful
when using a hard disk with several subdirectories.

You can get very creative with the PROMPT command.

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Page 3 of 3

Example(s):

Make the DOS prompt the current directory name and the greater than
sign (C:\UTILS>).

PROMPT $P$G

Make the prompt the system time and date.

PROMPT $T$D
*END*
%RD%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Deletes a subdirectory from the disk.

Format:


RD [d:]path

Explanation:

This command removes a subdirectory from the disk, but only after
all the files have been deleted with the DEL command. Some programs
write hidden files that cannot be deleted using the DEL command.
Then the RD command will not work on this subdirectory.

Example(s):

Delete the subdirectory named UTILS.

RD \UTILS
*END*
%RD/RMDIR%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Deletes a subdirectory from the disk.

Format:

RMDIR [d:]path or RD [d:]path

Explanation:

This command removes a subdirectory from the disk, but only after
all the files have been deleted with the DEL command. Some programs
write hidden files that cannot be deleted using the DEL command.
Then the RD command will not work on this subdirectory.

Example(s):

Delete the subdirectory named UTILS.

RD \UTILS
*END*
%RECOVER%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

RECOVER R1.02 Recover lost data from a damaged disk

Format:

RECOVER d:
Recover cluster chains into files. Used only if root directory is
corrupted.

RECOVER [d:][path]filespec
Recover file(s) containing bad sectors.

Explanation:

The RECOVER command enables you to retrieve information from files
that have been corrupted. If you have a file that is only partially
readable, it removes unreadable parts so that the rest is usable.
*END*
%REN%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Renames a disk file.

Format:

REN[AME] [d:][path]filename[.ext] filename[.ext]

Explanation:

The RENAME command changes the name of a disk file. Only the name
is changed; the file itself is not altered. The wild card symbols, ?
and *, may be used, but they should occur in identical positions in
both names or only be used in one name.

Either REN or RENAME can be used.
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Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Rename all files named JOE with any extension to JIM with the same
extension.

RENAME JOE.* JIM.*
*END*
%RENDIR%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

RENDIR R1.00 In-situ directory rename utility

Format:

RENDIR [/Help] [d:]pathname [d:]pathname

The first pathname is the directory to be renamed; the second is the
new directory name.

/H gives this help screen.
d: is the drive on which both pathnames reside.

Explanation:

RENDIR is used to rename a directory or subdirectory. The level of
indenture in the directory tree can not be changed in the process.
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Page 2 of 2

Examples:

RENDIR c:\fred c:\bill - legal
RENDIR c:\fred c:\alan\bill - ILLEGAL
RENDIR c:\alan\fred c:\alan\bill - legal
RENDIR c:\john\bill c:\bill - ILLEGAL
*END*
%REPLACE%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Selectively replaces files on the target with files of the same name
from the source.

REPLACE R1.44 Selective file copy

Format:

REPLACE [/Help] [@][d:][path][filename[.ext]] [d:][path] [/options]

The first file specification is the drive, path and name of file(s)
to be copied (wildcard filenames allowed). This specification must
be present. Use '@' to specify that the given file contains a list
of files to be copied.

The second file specification is the destination drive and path to
which files will be copied. Default is the current drive and path.
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Page 2 of 2

Format: (cont'd)
/A only copy files that do not exist on the destination
/H don't ignore files with hidden or system attributes
/M merge changed files on source with unchanged files on
destination
/N preview operation - do not actually copy any files
/P prompt before copying each file
/R overwrite read-only files
/S copy files in subdirectories
/U only replace files older on the destination than the
source
/W wait for disks to be changed

Example(s):

Replace all files named JOE.TXT on your fixed disk drive C from your
floppy drive A.

REPLACE A:JOE.TXT C:\ /S
*END*
%RESTORE%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

RESTORE R2.00 Restore files saved by BACKUP
Restores one or more backed-up files from one disk to another disk.

Format:

RESTORE [/Help] d: [[d:][path]filename] [/switches]
/A:mm-dd-yy restore files modified on or after specified date
/B:mm-dd-yy restore files modified on or before specified date
/E:hh:mm:ss restore files modified at or earlier than specified
time
/L:hh:mm:ss restore files modified at or later than a specified
time
/M restore files modified or deleted since last backup
/N restore files that no longer exist on the destination
/P prompt before restoring files changed since last backup
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Page 2 of 2

Format: (cont'd)

/R report names of files which WOULD be restored - take no
action
/S restore files in subdirectories also

Example(s):

Restore all files from the backup diskettes to disk drice C.

RESTORE A: C:\*.* /S
*END*
%RMDIR%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Deletes a subdirectory from the disk.

Format:

RMDIR [d:]path

Explanation:

This command removes a subdirectory from the disk, but only after
all the files have been deleted with the DEL command. Some programs
write hidden files that cannot be deleted using the DEL command.
Then the RMDIR command will not work on this subdirectory.

Example(s):

Delete the subdirectory named UTILS.

RMDIR \UTILS
*END*
%SCRIPT%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

SCRIPT R1.0 PostScript printing utility

Format:

SCRIPT [/Help] [/U] [ []]

/? or /H[ELP] Display this help text
/U[NINSTALL] Uninstall SCRIPT if resident
and can be:
[] Source or destination (default LPT1:)
[/O[RIENTATION]=P[ORTRAIT]|L[ANDSCAPE]]
Set orientation (default PORTRAIT)
[/P[OINTSIZE]=]
Set character height in points (default 11)
[/T[IMEOUT]=
Set inactivity timeout (default 10)
[/R[ESET] Reset printer

*END*
%SET%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

This command will insert strings into the command processors envir-
onment. A copy of this environment is made available to any program
running.

Format:

SET [name=[parameter]]

Explanation:

The entire string is inserted into the environment block. All lower-
case letters are converted to uppercase when inserted in the block.
If the name already exists in the environment, it will be replaced
with the new string.

If you type SET without any parameters, it will show you the envir-
onment block strings.
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

If name is specified without anything after the equal sign, then
that name string will be deleted from the current environment block.

Example(s):

Place a string associated with LIB into the environment block.

SET LIB=C:\TURBOC\LIB

Erase the previous string entered.

SET LIB=
*END*
%SETUP%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

SETUP R3.0 Change DR DOS configuration.

Format:

SETUP [/Help]

Explanation:

Setup allows you to change your Dr DOS configuration as specified in
your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.
*END*
%SHARE%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

SHARE R1.02 File sharing support.
Loads support for file sharing.

Format:

SHARE [/H|[/X][/L:nn]]

/H Display help screen.
/X Turns state of SHARE off.
/L:nn Allocated nn locks.
/MU Load SHARE into upper memory
/MH Load SHARE into high (HMA) memory
/ML Load SHARE into conventional memory
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

SHARE is a Dr DOS program which provides support for file locking, a
means by which all or part of a file may be reserved for exclusive
access by one program.
*END*
%SID%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Symbolic Instruction Debugger SID R3.2

Format:

SID [filename]

Explanations:

SID (Symbolic Instruction Debugger) allows you to test and debug
programs interactively. Help is available on SID commands by run-
ning SID and then typing ? or ?? at the SID command prompt.

See the Dr DOS User Guide for a thorough treatment of SID.
*END*
%SORT%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Reads data from the standard input device, sorts the data, and then
writes it to the standard output device.

Format:

SORT [/H][/R][/+n]

/R - to sort in reverse order
/+n - to sort based on the characters in column n

Explanation:

SORT is a filter program which reads standard input, sorts it alpha-
betically, and then writes it to the standard output device.
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Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Read the file UNSORT.TXT, sort its records starting in column 1, and
write the sorted output to a file name SORT.TXT.

SORT /R SORT.TXT

Produce a directory listing sorted by file size (file size starts in
column 14).

DIR | SORT /+14
*END*
%SSTOR%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

SSTOR R1.3 Data Compression Utilities

Format:

SSTOR [/Help] [/B]

/Help Displays this screen
/B Uses monochrome display attributes

Explanation:

SSTOR starts the SuperStor data compression program. Use of this
utility "increases" the capacity of a hard drive in the sense that
files are compressed when they are written to disk, and decompressed
whenever they are read from the drive.
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation: (cont'd)

Note: The SSTORDRV.SYS device driver must be loaded before you can
can use the SuperStor data compression/decompression program. See
Chapter 13 of the Dr DOS 6.0 User's Guide for a complete treatment
of the subject. The SSTORDRV.SYS device driver must loaded as part
of the CONFIG.SYS file which is run at boot-time.
*END*
%SUBST%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

SUBST R1.00 Drive substitution utility
Establishes a subdirectory as a separate "disk".

Format:

SUBST [d:] [e:path]SUBST [/D] or SUBST

d: specifies the drive letter that you want to use to refer to
another drive or path.

e:path specifies the drive or path that you want to refer to with a
nickname. The path must start from the root directory.

/D deletes a substitution. You must specify the drive letter of
the drive whose substitution you want to delete.
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

Some older programs do not support the use of subdirectories, they
expect their data to be on a specific drive. In such a case, you can
instruct DOS to treat a subdirectory as a different drive name. Then
you can tell the program to use this drive name to access its data
files.

Example(s):

Substitute drive D for the subdirectory \WP on drive C.

SUBST D: C:\WP
*END*
%SUPERPCK%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

Super PC-Kwik(R) Disk Accelerator, DRI Edition, Version 4.04

Format:

SUPERPCK [\options], where the optional switches are:

/*+ Enable cache hit indicator.
/A+ Use expanded memory.
/B+ Batch copy to/from cache.
/C+ Use conventional memory.
/D+ Advanced support for diskette drives.
/EP Use extended memory; optimize for performance.
/EM Use extended memory; minimize conventional memory use.
/G+ If boots sectors contradicts BIOS, use boot info.
/H+ Advanced support for hard-disk drives.
/I+ Display drive table during installation.
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Page 2 of 3

Format: (cont'd)

/K+ Wait for keyboard response after any warning messages.
/L:nnnn Lend nnnn KB to other applications.
/Mn+ Enable measurement pop-up.
/O+ Give reads priority over writes.
/P+ Display parameters in effect.
/Q+ Quickly return DOS prompt.
/R:nnnn Reserve nnnn KB for applications.
/S:nnnn Allocate nnnn KB for cache.
/T+ Read the rest of the track.
/&U+ Load into UMB Memory.
/V+ Use volume change detection hardware.
/W+ Suppress redundant writes.
/-x Do not cache drive x.
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Page 3 of 3

Explanation:

The SUPERPCK command loads or unloads the Super PC-Kwik disk cache.
This memory resident utility reduces the number of times your hard
disk is physically accessed, thereby improving your system's speed
performance.

See Chapter 13 of your Dr DOS 6.0 User's Guide for a more complete
treatment of Disk Optimization.
*END*
%SYS%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

SYS R1.31 Transfer operating system files

Transfers a copy of the operating system files from the default
drive to the specified drive.

Format:

[d1:][path]SYS d2:

Explanation:

Two hidden operating system files are copied from the source drive
d1 to the destination drive d2, so that the destination disk becomes
a bootable system disk. Note, however, that the SYS command does
not copy the COMMAND.COM file to the new disk.
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation: (cont'd)

You cannot use the SYS command to place the DOS files on a disk that
was formatted without the /S parameter.

Example(s):

Transfer the operating system from the default drive to drive A.

SYS A:
*END*
%TASKMAX%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

TaskMAX R1.00 Application switcher

Format:

TASKMAX [/? | /H] [/D=dirpath] [/] or
[/]

where installing options include:

/D=dirpath sets swap path ( e.g., /D=c:\drdos\tmp )
/X[=nnnn] swap to eXpanded memory (nnnn is size in K)
/E[=nnnn] swap to Extended memory (nnnn is size in K)
/F save user defined fonts
/V[:1] VGA card not fully compatible (/V:1, then /V)
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Page 2 of 3

Format: (cont'd)

and already-installed options include:

/C command create new task and run 'command'
/N[:nn][name] names a specified task
/N[:nn] unnames a specified task
/K[:nn] deletes a specified task
/L=nnnn limits expanded memory per task (nnnn - size in K)

Explanation:

TaskMAX is a utility which allows you to switch easily and quickly
between application tasks. TaskMAX handles the automatic swapping
of tasks to and from either memory (extended or expanded, if avail-
able) or disk when no more memory is available. Tasks can be added
or deleted from the TaskMAX display menu at any time.
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Page 3 of 3

Explanation: (cont'd)

TaskMAX can be installed via the SETUP program so that it is loaded
automatically whenever your system is rebooted, or it can be invoked
from the command line (i.e., the DOS prompt). However, the SHARE
program must have been run before invoking TaskMAX from the command
line.

See page 320 of the Dr DOS 6.0 User's Guide for a much more detailed
treatment of the subject.
*END*
%TIME%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Set or display the current system time.

Format:

TIME [hh:mm[:ss[.xx]]]

hh to specify the hour
mm to specify the minutes
ss to specify the seconds
xx to specify the hundredths of seconds.

TIME with no parameters shows the current time and asks for a new
time.
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Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Set the time to noon.

TIME 12:00:00
*END*
%TOUCH%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

TOUCH R1.42 Change file time and date stamps

Format:

TOUCH [/Help] [@][d:][path]filename[.ext] [/options]

@ the filename that follows is the name of a file list
d: drive which touch is to search
path directory where search is to begin
filename.ext file to be touched (wildcards allowed)

/T:hh:mm:ss time to be set (24 hour) (default is current time)
/D:mm-dd-yy date to be set (default is current date)
/F:[E|J|U] specify European, Japanese or USA format for date
option
/P prompt before touching each file
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Page 2 of 2

Format: (cont'd)

/R touch read-only files
/S touch files in sub-directories

Multiple files may be specified on the command line. The filename
must present. If you wish to specify all files, use *.*

Example(s):

Set the date-time stamp on all files in the UTILS directory, includ-
ing subdirectories, to be 06:30 am today.

TOUCH \UTILS\*.* /S /T:06:30:00
*END*
%TREE%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

TREE R1.60 Show directory structure
Displays all directory paths found on the specified drive.

Format:

TREE [/Help] [d:][path][filename[.ext]] [/B] [/F] [/G] [/P]

d: drive which tree is to search
path directory where search is to begin (default is root)
filename.ext file to find

/B brief mode - omit file totals
/F display all files
/G graphical directory display
/P pause after each page

Multiple files may be specified on the command line.
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

When there are many subdirectories and files on a hard disk, it is
difficult to visualize where files are and how to move from place to
place. The TREE command is designed to show the organization of the
disk. Unfortunately, this program does not give a good graphic pic-
ture of the subdirectory structure of a disk. Several commercial
programs are available that will create graphic displays of the disk
tree structure.

Example(s):

Show the directory tree for disk C.

TREE C:

The same as above but it also shows all files on drive C.

TREE C: /F
*END*
%TYPE%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Display a text file to the standard output device.

Format:

TYPE [d:][path]filename[.ext]

Explanation:

Global filename characters are NOT allowed.

The TYPE command will display the contents of a text file on the
video screen (standard output). The standard output redirection com-
mand may be used to redirect the displayed output to another file or
the printer.
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Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Display the contents of LETTER.TXT to the screen.

TYPE LETTER.TXT

Display the contents of LETTER.TXT to the printer using the standard
output device redirection command.

TYPE LETTER.TXT >PRN
*END*
%UNDELETE%
Page 1 of 3

Purpose:

UNDELETE R1.00 File and directory undelete

Format:

UNDELETE [/Help] [d:][path][filespec] [options]

d: drive to search
path directory where search is to begin (default is the
current)
filespec file or directory to undelete (wildcards allowed).
Not specifying a filespec invokes the menu-driven in-
terface.
/A recover all deleted files that match wildspec with-
out prompting.
/B do not use color in menus (black and white)
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Page 2 of 3

Format: (cont'd)

/D:mm-dd-yy only undelete Delwatch files deleted since specified
date
/D:-num only undelete Delwatch files deleted 'num' days ago.
(i.e., /D:-7 undeletes Delwatch files deleted during
the last week
/L list all deleted files that match wildspec (will not
undelete)
/P pause after each page is displayed
/R:method recover files using given method where method is Del-
watch, Diskmap or Unaided. (i.e., /R:Delwatch, will
only recover files that can be undeleted using the
Delwatch method
/S operate on deleted files in subdirectories
/T:hh:mm:ss only undelete Delwatch files deleted since specified
time
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Page 3 of 3

Explanation:

The UNDELETE command is used to recover previously deleted files.
Three recovery methods are possible . UNDELETE automatically deter-
mines which method to use based on how much information exists about
the file.

If the file was deleted while the DELWATCH utility was active, the
file can be easily recovered. If the file was deleted after DISKMAP
was run, the file can be recovered using DISKMAP data files provided
that it has not been subsequently overwritten. The last resort is
"unaided" recovery, in which UNDELETE tries to locate the original
directory entry, restore it, and update the File Allocation Table.

Command line entry without specifying a file or optional switches
invokes the menu-driven UNDELETE version of the command.

See also the DrHELP entries for DELWATCH, DISKMAP, and DELPURGE for
more information about related topics.


*END*
%UNFORMAT%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

UNFORMAT R1.0 Undo safe format operation

Format:

UNFORMAT d:

d: disk drive to be UNformatted

Explanation:

UNFORMAT allows you to unformat a disk or diskette that has been
"safe-formatted" using the DrDOS format command. When a safe format
is performed, critical data about the current format and file struc-
ture is saved off and stored in an unused area on the disk/diskette.
UNFORMAT allows the process to be reversed so that any disk file(s)
that have NOT been overwritten since the safe formatting can be re-
covered.
*END*
%UNINSTAL%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

UNINSTAL R1.00 DRDOS Uninstall Utility.

Format:

UNINSTAL [/H|/?] [/C]
/H or /? Display this help text.
/C Clean up old operating system. Uninstallation will
no longer be possible.

Explanation:

If, during the installation of DR DOS, you selected the option to
save your old Operating System, UNINSTAL.EXE will remove DR DOS from
your hard disk and restore your old Operating System. Once UNINSTAL
has been executed you will have to re-install DrDOS from the release
diskettes.
*END*
%VER%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Displays the Dr DOS version number.

Format:

VER

Explanation:

The Dr DOS version consists of a single digit major version number,
followed by a period, then a one digit minor version number.

Example(s):

Display the Dr DOS version number you are using.

VER
*END*
%VERIFY%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Sets DOS into the verify mode.

Format:

VERIFY [ON | OFF]

Explanation:

VERIFY without parameters shows the current setting of verify mode.

If the VERIFY mode is set 'ON', Dr DOS will verify any data when it
is written to the disk. If the data cannot be read back from the
disk, Dr DOS will generate an error message at that time. This will
allow you to see that a disk is damaged, replace the disk, and save
your data to the new disk.
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Page 2 of 2

Example(s):

Set the verify mode to ON.

VERIFY ON
*END*
%VIEWMAX%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Invoke the Dr DOS dual window command shell.

Format:

VIEWMAX

Explanation:

Brings up the full screen, dual window Dr DOS command shell, which
has a graphics oriented, mouse driven user interface very similar to
that of the MacIntosh. Allows user to create and manipulate "file
folders" as well as individual files and directories. Full access
to all Dr DOS commands.
*END*
%VOL%
Page 1 of 1

Purpose:

Displays the disk volume label information.

Format:

VOL [d:]

If you do not specify a drive, the default drive is used.

Example(s):

Show the volume label for the disk in drive A.

VOL A:
*END*
%XCOPY%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

XCOPY R1.50 Extended file copy utility
Selectively copy groups of files.

Format:

XCOPY [d:][path]filename[.ext] [d:][path][filename[.ext]]
[/A][/D:mm-dd-yy][/E][/M][/P][/S][/V][/W]

The source specification is first, the target is second.

/A copies only files with the archive bit set, meaning they have
changed since last copied with BACKUP or XCOPY /M.
/D:mm-dd-yy copies files whose date is the same or later than the
date specified.
/E creates subdirectories on the target disk even if they will be
empty. Otherwise XCOPY will not create an empty subdirectory.
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Page 2 of 2

Format: (cont'd)

/M copies only files with the archive bit set, but will clear the
archive bit after it is copied. This is much like the BACKUP
command.
/P prompts you before copying each file.
/S copies files in all subdirectories under the current directory.
/V tells XCOPY to verify that each file has been copied correctly,
much like the /V parameter in the COPY command.
/W tells XCOPY to wait for you to insert a disk.

Example(s):

Use XCOPY to copy all files named JOE.TXT with the archive bit set
from drive C to drive A, then clear the archive bit to indicate that
it has been copied.

XCOPY C:JOE.TXT A: /M
*END*
%XDEL%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Extended file delete. XDEL R1.42

Format:

XDEL [/Help] [@][d:][path]filename[.ext]... [/options]
@ the filename that follows is the name of a file list
d: drive which xdel is to search
path directory where search is to begin
filename.ext file to be deleted (wildcards allowed)
/D remove empty subdirectories
/N delete specified files with no warning (careful!)
/O overwrite before deleting - file PERMANENTLY LOST
/P prompt before deleting each file
/R delete read-only files
/S delete files in subdirectories

Multiple files may be specified on the command line.
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Page 2 of 2

Explanation:

XDEL is a command used to delete multiple files extended across sub-
directories and to remove empty directories.

Examples:

Delete all files with the .DOC extension from the currnt directory
and all its subdirectories.

XDEL *.DOC /S
*END*
%XDIR%
Page 1 of 2

Purpose:

Extended directory display XDIR R2.00

Format:

XDIR [/H] [[+|-ADHRS] [d:][path][filename[.ext]]] [options]

+|-ADHRS It is possible to select files for display on the bas-
is of their file attributes. For example, "xdir +A"
will display only those files that have the "archive"
attribute set; "xdir -R" will display all files that
do not have the read-only attribute set.
d: drive which xdir is to search
path directory where search begins (default is current)
filename.ext file to find (wildcards allowed)
/B brief mode: display only file path and name
/C display checksum for each file
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Page 2 of 2

Format: (cont'd)

/P pause after each page is displayed
/L long display format (default)
/N do not sort directory
/R reverse sort order
/S display files in sub-directories
/T sort directory by date/time (default is by name)
/W wide display format
/X sort directory by filename extension
/Y sort directory by SuperStor file compression ratio
/Z sort directory by file size

Explanation:

XDIR is an expanded version of DIR that provides extra options for
displaying the contents of directories and subdirectories.
*END*
%DRHELP%
Page 1 of 9

The following is general information about the terms used in this HELP
program and about Dr DOS terms and specifications.


When the HELP program shows the format of a command, it includes all
variations of the command. Many times, all the different parameters
are not required; these parameters are shown enclosed in square brac-
kets ([ ]).

In the HELP program, we refer to all Dr DOS commands as 'commands'.
However, many of these Dr DOS commands are not built into Dr DOS; they
are really programs that have been provided on your Dr DOS diskette.

This HELP program does not attempt to cover all the technical informa-
tion on every Dr DOS command. If a command needs special attention,
the HELP program will simply refer you to the Dr DOS manual for more
information on the command. This program was created to help beginners
and to be a quick reference to all PC users.
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Page 2 of 9

Each command explained in this help program has four sections. They
are: the Purpose, the command Format, Explanation, and the Examples.
The Format section describes the correct syntax for the command, along
with all possible optional switches.

* FILE SPECIFICATIONS *

The file specification tells Dr DOS where to search for the specified
file. A filespec has four parts: the drive letter, the path, the file-
name, and filename extension.


- The Drive Specifier -

A drive letter specifies which drive the file is on. The drive letter
is followed by a colon. For example, B: is the drive specifier that
represents drive B. If a drive specifier is omitted, then DOS assumes
the current (default) drive.
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Page 3 of 9

- The Path Specifier -

The path tells Dr DOS where the file can be found. The path is another
name for the directory or subdirectory.

- The Filename Specifier -

A filename consists of one to eight characters. The following are NOT
valid characters: . " / \ [ ] : | < > + = ; , space

Any other characters are valid filename characters. Dr DOS checks for
invalid filename characters in a filename specification.

- The Filename Extension -

A filename extension consists of one to three characters preceded by a
period. The same rules apply for valid extension characters as apply
for filename characters.
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Page 4 of 9

* GLOBAL FILENAME CHARACTERS *

There are two special characters that can be used in a filename and
extension specification. They are the "*" and "?" characters. These
characters make life much easier when executing Dr DOS commands on
several files with similar names.


- The ? Character -

A question mark (?) in a filename or filename extension indicates that
any character can occupy that position. For example,

dir lett?r.txt

displays all filenames on the default drive that start with the four
letters LETT, then any character, followed by the R character with the
extension of .TXT.
.cp
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An example of what might be displayed is:

letter.txt
lettxr.txt
lett1r.txt


- The * Character -

An asterisk (*) in a filename or filename extension indicates that any
character can occupy that position and all remaining positions in that
filename or extension. For example,

dir lett*.txt

displays all filenames on the default drive that start with the let-
ters LETT, followed by any other letters, and have the extension of
.TXT.
.cp
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An example of what might be displayed is:

lett.txt
letter.txt
letters.txt
lett1.txt


* DOS DEVICE NAMES *

Device names are special names which have certain meanings to Dr DOS.
These names are reserved; do NOT name any files with a Dr DOS device
name.


- CON (Console Device) -

Console keyboard/screen. This is referred to as the standard output
device. This can be redirected at the command line when redirection is
desired (see below).
.cp
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- AUX or COM1 -

The first serial port. This is sometimes called the RS-232C port, the
serial port, or the asynchronous communications adapter. This is con-
nected to a phone line modem, or serial printer.


- LPT1 or PRN -

The first parallel port. This is connected to your parallel printer,
the most common type of printer on a personal computer.


- NUL -

This device does not exist. It is a "dummy" device name for testing
purposes or to tell a program to output its messages to nowhere. As
an output device, the write operations are simulated, but no data is
written. As an input device, an immediate end-of-file is sent.
.cp
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* REDIRECTION OF STANDARD INPUT & STANDARD OUTPUT *

DrDOS provides a convenient way for us to redirect the output to the
screen, or input from the keyboard, to another device or file. The
standard output redirection syntax is as follows:

> [d:][path]filename[.ext]

This causes all output that would go to the screen to be placed in the
file specified. This will create the file if it does not already ex-
ist, or erase its contents and start over if the file does exist.

>> [d:][path]filename[.ext]

This causes the output to the screen to be sent to the file specified.
If the file does not exist, it will create a new one. If the file does
exist, it will append to the bottom of the file without erasing any
data presently in the file.
.cp
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The standard input redirection syntax is as follows:

< [d:][path]filename[.ext]

This causes standard input to be retrieved from the file specified.
This redirection can be used with the Dr DOS SORT command.

The filename specification can also be any device name, such as the
printer. To get a printout of your directory, simply type:

DIR > prn

A copy of your directory will be printed on the first parallel printer
(LPT1). To send a copy of the directory to a file, simply type:

DIR > myfile.txt

A file named MYFILE.TXT will be created or erased if already present,
and the directory listing will be put in the file.
*END*


  3 Responses to “Category : Alternate Operating Systems - Quarterdeck DesqView, CP/M, etc
Archive   : DRHELP.ZIP
Filename : DRDOS6.HLP

  1. Very nice! Thank you for this wonderful archive. I wonder why I found it only now. Long live the BBS file archives!

  2. This is so awesome! 😀 I’d be cool if you could download an entire archive of this at once, though.

  3. But one thing that puzzles me is the “mtswslnkmcjklsdlsbdmMICROSOFT” string. There is an article about it here. It is definitely worth a read: http://www.os2museum.com/wp/mtswslnk/