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DOS Command Reference

Even if the systems you support, upgrade, and repair are all running the latest version of
Windows, you will inevitably find yourself occasionally troubleshooting these systems from the
DOS command line. With that in mind, I have included this brief DOS command reference to aid
you when you are at the command line.*

*This DOS command reference is based substantially on material found in Paul McFedries’ Windows 98
Unleashed Professional Reference Edition, copyright 1998 Sams Publishing, all rights reserved. Used with
permission.

DOS Commands Found in DOS 6.22, Windows 95, and

Windows 98
Windows 95 and Windows 98 both still include DOS commands. The version of DOS with
Windows 95 is called 7.0 and the version with Windows 98 is called 7.1. For the most part, DOS
7.x commands are just a subset of the commands found in DOS 6.22. However, DOS 7.x does
have a few new features not found in DOS 6.x, so the new DOS is not the same as the old DOS.
Here’s a partial list of improvements:
■ You can start Windows programs from the DOS prompt and even from within batch files.
■ The new DOS includes support for long filenames.
■ Reduced reliance on real-mode drivers means that more conventional memory is available
for DOS programs.
■ Each DOS program can have its own settings and environment (CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT). These are controlled via property sheets, so there’s no need to create pro-
gram information files (PIFs) from scratch for each program.
■ You can run DOS programs in MS-DOS mode if they need full access to the computer’s
resources.
■ The DOS session window has a toolbar for easy access to common features.
■ You can access shared network folders via the command prompt.
■ Most DOS commands are now native Windows 98 commands.

Windows 98 is, for the most part, the operating system on your machine. Yes, it comes with
some real-mode components (such as IO.SYS) that are DOS-like, but they really just handle a few
chores until Windows 98 can get itself into protected mode. After Windows 98 is running, how-
ever, “DOS” is just two things:
■ COMMAND.COM, which provides the DOS prompt and a collection of internal DOS com-
mands (such as COPY and DIR)
■ A few external DOS commands, such as FORMAT.COM and XCOPY.EXE
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For Windows 95 (and, so, Windows 98), Microsoft enhanced some of these commands, dropped
other commands, and made a few of the dropped commands available on the CD-ROM.

Table 28 lists the internal DOS commands available within the DOS 6.22, Windows 95, and
Windows 98 versions of COMMAND.COM.

Table 28 The Windows 98 Internal DOS Commands

Command Description
BREAK Sets or clears extended Ctrl+C checking.
CD Changes to a different directory or, if run without parameters, displays the name of the
current directory.
CHCP Displays the number of the active character set (code page). You can also use this
command to change the active character set for all devices that support character-set
switching.
CHDIR Takes the same action as the CD command.
CLS Clears the screen.
COPY Copies one or more files to the location you specify.
CTTY Changes the terminal device used to control the computer.
DATE Displays or sets the current date.
DEL Deletes the files you specify.
DIR Displays a list of the files and subfolders that exist in the current or specified folder.
ERASE Deletes the files you specify.
EXIT Quits COMMAND.COM and returns to the program that started the command inter-
preter, if one exists.
LH Loads a program into upper memory.
LOADHIGH Takes the same action as the LH command.
LOCK Enables direct disk access.
MD Creates a folder or subfolder.
MKDIR Takes the same action as the MD command.
PATH Specifies which folders Windows 98 should search for executable files.
PROMPT Changes the appearance of the command prompt.
RD Deletes a folder.
REN Changes the name of the specified file or files.
RENAME Takes the same action as the REN command.
RMDIR Takes the same action as the RD command.
SET Displays, sets, or removes environment variables.
TIME Displays or sets the current time.
TYPE Displays the contents of the specified text file.
UNLOCK Disables direct disk access.
VER Displays the operating system version number.
VERIFY Directs the operating system to verify that files are written correctly to a disk and dis-
plays the status of verification.
VOL Displays the volume label and serial number for a disk.
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The DOS external commands are located in the COMMAND subfolder of the main Windows
95/98 folder. Table 29 lists the external DOS commands that ship with Windows 95/98.

Table 29 The Windows 98 External DOS Commands

Command Description
ATTRIB.EXE Displays or changes the attributes of the specified files.
CHKDSK.EXE Checks a disk for (and optionally repairs) lost and cross-linked clusters. ScanDisk does a
better job at finding and repairing these errors.
CHOICE.COM Used in batch files to present the user with a list of options.
COMMAND.COM Starts a new instance of the command interpreter. This file is usually found in the root
directory of the boot drive.
CSCRIPT.EXE (Windows 98 only) Runs Windows Script Host scripts.
CVT.EXE (Windows 95 OSR 2 and Windows 98 only) Converts FAT drives to FAT32.
DEBUG.EXE Tests and edits executable files.
DELTREE.EXE Deletes a folder and all its files and subfolders.
DISKCOPY.COM Makes an exact copy of a floppy disk.
DOSKEY.COM A memory-resident program that recalls commands, edits previous command lines, and
runs macros.
EDIT.COM Starts a text editor you can use to create and edit ASCII text files.
EXTRACT.EXE (Windows 95/98 only) Extracts files from a compressed cabinet (CAB) file.
FC.EXE Compares two files and displays the differences between them.
FDISK.EXE Starts the FDISK utility.
FIND.EXE Searches files for a specified text string.
FORMAT.COM Formats a disk.
IEXTRACT.EXE Extracts a file from an Internet Explorer backup information (DAT) file.
KEYB.COM Configures a keyboard for a specific language.
LABEL.EXE Creates or modifies the volume label of a disk.
MEM.EXE Displays the amount of used and free memory on the computer.
MODE.COM Configures a printer, serial port, or display adapter; sets the keyboard repeat rate; redi-
rects printer output from a parallel port to a serial port; prepares, selects, refreshes, or
displays the numbers of the character sets (code pages) for parallel printers or the key-
board and screen; and displays the status of all the devices installed on the computer.
MORE.COM Pauses command output to display one screen at a time.
MOVE.EXE Moves files and renames folders.
MSCDEX.EXE Loads the real-mode CD-ROM driver.
NLSFUNC.EXE Loads country-specific information for national language support.
SCANDISK.EXE The real-mode version of ScanDisk.
SCANREG.EXE (Windows 98 only) Scans the Registry for damage.
SORT.EXE Reads input, sorts data, and writes the results to the screen, a file, or another device.
START.EXE Enables you to set various parameters for running Windows programs from the DOS
prompt.
SUBST.EXE Substitutes a drive letter for a path name.
SYS.COM Creates a bootable disk by copying Windows 98’s system files and
COMMAND.COM to the disk.
XCOPY.EXE The extended copy command.
XCOPY32.EXE (Windows 95 and Windows 98 only) The 32-bit version of XCOPY.
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DOS 6.22 Commands Not Installed by Windows 95/98

but Available on the CD-ROM
Microsoft deleted quite a few DOS commands when it put together the Windows 98 package.
Most of these commands were either obsolete (such as EGA.SYS) or dangerous (such as RECOVER).
Three of these commands, however, can be found on the Windows 98 CD-ROM in the
\TOOLS\OLDMSDOS\ folder. I’ve summarized them in Table 30.

Table 30 Old DOS Commands Available on the Windows 98 CD-ROM

Command Description
HELP.COM Displays descriptions, syntax, and examples for all DOS commands. HELP.HLP is also
available.
MSD.EXE Runs the Microsoft Diagnostics program used to gather system information for trou-
bleshooting. Superseded by the System Information utility in Windows 98.
QBASIC.EXE The programming environment for creating QBASIC applications. QBASIC.HLP is also
available.

Table 31 lists commands that were available in the Windows 95 CD-ROM in the
\OTHER\OLDMSDOS folder. These were commands that were available in DOS 6.22 but were not
installed by Windows 95 because they are obsolete.

Table 31 Old DOS Commands Available on the Windows 95 CD-ROM

Command Description
APPEND.EXE Establishes a DOS search path for data files.
CHKSTATE.SYS A device driver used by MemMaker to optimize memory use. You cannot use this driver.
EXPAND.EXE Extracts a file from compressed format on the DOS distribution disks to a usable uncom-
pressed form.
GRAPHICS.COM Enables the Print Screen key to print the contents of a graphics screen on a suitable
printer.
HELP.COM Launches a full screen online help utility for the DOS commands.
INTERLNK.EXE Client device driver for an InterLnk network.
INTERSVR.EXE Server device driver for an InterLnk network.
LOADFIX.COM Forces a program to load into the second 64KB of memory.
MEMMAKER.EXE Utility for optimizing memory usage by device drivers and other programs loaded by
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT.
MSD.EXE Runs the Microsoft Diagnostics program used to gather system information for trou-
bleshooting.
PRINT.EXE Print spooler for ASCII text files.
QBASIC.EXE Starts the Microsoft QuickBASIC development environment, a program for writing and
running BASIC language programs.
REPLACE.EXE Replaces or adds files to a subdirectory.
RESTORE.EXE Restores files created by the BACKUP program from one disk to another.
SIZER.EXE A program used by MemMaker to optimize memory use. You cannot use this program.
TREE.EXE Displays the subdirectory stricture of a disk.
UNDELETE.EXE Undeletes a file or group of files.
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DOS 6.22 Commands Not Available in Windows 95 or

Windows 98
Finally, Table 32 is a list of DOS 6.22 commands that are gone for good and won’t be found in
either Windows 95 or Windows 98.

Table 32 DOS 6.22

Command Description
ASSIGN In DOS 2–5, attached an alias drive letter to an existing drive. Replaced by SUBST in
DOS 6 and later.
BACKUP A utility to back up files from a hard disk to a series of floppy disks. Replaced by
MSBACKUP in DOS 6 and with the GUI version of Backup for Windows 95 and
Windows 98.
COMP Compares two sets of disk files of the same name and same length. Included in DOS
1–5 but only on supplemental disk in DOS 6.
DOSSHELL In DOS 4–6, a full screen menu driven shell for the DOS command line. Included only
on the supplemental disk for DOS 6.2.
EDLIN In DOS 1–5, edits an ASCII file, replaced by EDIT. Only on supplemental disk in
DOS 6.
FASTHELP Returns the same help information as including the /? switch with a DOS command.
FASTOPEN A utility that sped up the process of opening files in DOS.
GRAFTABL A DOS 3–5 utility for loading tables of additional character sets for CGA adapters.
Only on the supplemental disk in DOS 6.
JOIN In DOS 3.1–5, connects one drive to a subdirectory of another. Only on the supplemen-
tal disk in DOS 6.
MIRROR In DOS 5, records information about the FAT, the root directory, and optionally the parti-
tion table which can be used by UNFORMAT and UNDELETE. Only on the supplemental
disk in DOS 6.
MSAV Microsoft Anti-Virus for Windows 3.x.
MSBACKUP Microsoft Backup for Windows 3.x.
POWER Controls use of APM in laptop systems and other APM-enabled systems.
RECOVER A file recovery utility with DOS 2–5 that was not distributed with DOS 6 or later. Not
recommended for use with any version.
SETVER DOS version control program that reports a different DOS version number to programs
requiring a specific version of DOS to run.
SHARE File sharing and locking capabilities for DOS.
SMARTMON SMARTDrive monitoring and configuration program for Windows 3.x.
UNFORMAT Recovers a disk that was accidentally formatted. Note that using the /U switch with the
FORMAT command will prevent the UNFORMAT command from being able to recover the
disk.
VSAFE A memory resident utility that warns you of virus-like activity.
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