E5164 Computer System Diagnosis& Maintenance

Exp 3B : Learning MS-DOS Basics

EXPERIMENT : 3B

TOPIC : DOING MAINTANANCE ON HARD DRIVE - Learning MS-DOS Basics

OBJECTIVE : At the end of the session, students will be able to :

1. Determine the BIOS configuration setting.
2. View the contents of a directory
3. Change from one directory to another
4. Create and delete directories
5. Change from one drive to another.
6. Copy files
7. Rename files
8. Delete files

EQUIPMENT : 1. A set of PC or laptop

INTRODUCTION TO COMMAND PROMPT

A command prompt is a non-graphical interface that allows you to interact with your operating system.
At the command prompt, you enter commands by typing their names followed by options and arguments. Most
modern computers use a graphical user interface (GUI), which allows users to more intuitively access programs
and documents. However, some programs and commands are still only available only through a command
prompt. To access the command prompt, follow the instructions appropriate to your operating system.To access
the command prompt in Windows, from the Start menu, select Run... . In the "Open:" field, enter cmd (Windows
NT, 2000, XP, and Vista) or command (Windows 95, 98, and Me)

THE COMMAND PROMPT PROPERTIES DIALOG

Changing the settings for the command prompt can be done through the properties dialog box. This can
bereached in the menu that is opened by left-clicking the icon in the left-top corner or by right-clicking anywhere
in the title bar at the top of a command prompt window. In the menu that opens choose "Properties".

The properties dialog box contains four tabs. Each of these is discussed below.

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 E5164 Computer System Diagnosis& Maintenance
Exp 3B : Learning MS-DOS Basics

THE "COLOR" COMMAND

1. Type the following at the command prompt :

color attr

The screen colors can be configured from the command line itself with the command "color" followed by a two-digit
hexadecimal number. The first digit determines the background and the second determines the text color. The
table below shows the relationship between the hex numbers and colors.

Table I. Hexadecimal color codes

0 = Black 8 = Gray
1 = Blue 9 = Light Blue
2 = Green A = Light Green
3 = Aqua B = Light Aqua
4 = Red C = Light Red
5 = Purple D = Light Purple
6 = Yellow E = Light Yellow
7 = White F = Bright White

For example the command "color 1E". Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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VIEW THE CONTENTS OF A DIRECTORY

1. Type the following at the command prompt :

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 E5164 Computer System Diagnosis& Maintenance
Exp 3B : Learning MS-DOS Basics

dir
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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CHANGE FROM THE ROOT DIRECTORY TO THE WINDOWS DIRECTORY

1. Before you begin this section, make sure the command prompt looks like the following :
C:\Documents and Settings/

Type cd ..
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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2. Make sure the command prompt looks like the following: C:\>
Type cd windows

Type the following at the command prompt :

dir /p
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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3. Type the following at the command prompt :

dir /w
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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4. Type the following at the command prompt :

dir /w /p
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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CREATE AND CHANGE TO A DIRECTORY NAMED FRUIT

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 E5164 Computer System Diagnosis& Maintenance
Exp 3B : Learning MS-DOS Basics

1. Type the following at the command prompt :

md fruit
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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2. To confirm that you successfully created the FRUIT directory, type the following at the command
prompt :
dir
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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3. Type the following at the command prompt :
cd fruit

Observe carefully and write down what will happen?

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4. Type the following at the command prompt :
md grapes

5. To change to the GRAPES directory, type the following at the command prompt :
cd grapes
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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TO DELETE THE GRAPES DIRECTORY

Before you begin this section, make sure the command prompt looks like the following:
C:\FRUIT>

1. Type the following at the command prompt :

rd grapes
2. To confirm that you successfully deleted the GRAPES directory, type the following at the
command prompt :
dir
Observe carefully and write down wcd/hat will happen?
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TO CHANGE TO AND VIEW FILES ON A DIFFERENT DRIVE

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 E5164 Computer System Diagnosis& Maintenance
Exp 3B : Learning MS-DOS Basics

Before you begin this section, make sure your command prompt looks like the following:
C:\FRUIT>
1. Insert a CD. Make sure the disk clicks into the drive.
2. Type the following at the command prompt :
E:
3. Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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4. Type the following at the command prompt :

dir
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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5. Change back to drive C by typing the following at the command prompt :

c:
Your command prompt should return to the following:
C:\FRUIT

6. Type the following at the command prompt :

dir F:
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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COPYING FILES
Before you begin this section, make sure the command prompt looks like the following:
F:\>
1. Type the following at the command prompt :
dir
Choose 1 file to copy.eg :

2. Type the following at the command prompt :

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 E5164 Computer System Diagnosis& Maintenance
Exp 3B : Learning MS-DOS Basics

Cd salim 17dke07f521
The command prompt should now look like the following:
F:\>salim 17dke07f521

3. To copy the Tugasan 1.doc file from the DOS directory to the FRUIT directory, type the following at the
command prompt :
copy poster1.psd c:\fruit
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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COPYING A GROUP OF FILES

The command prompt should now look like the following:
F:\>salim 17dke07f521
1. To copy the files with a TXT extension to the FRUIT directory, type the following at the command
prompt :
copy *.jpg c:\fruit

2. To confirm that you copied the files successfully, change to the FRUIT directory by typing the following
at the command prompt :
cd \fruit

3. To view a list of all the files in the FRUIT directory, type the following at the command prompt :
dir
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
_______________________________________________________________________________________

RENAMING FILES
Before you begin this section, make sure your command prompt looks like the following:
C:\FRUIT>
1. To rename the poster1.psd file to posteredit.psd, type the following at the command prompt :
ren poster1.psd poster2.psd
2. To confirm that you renamed the file successfully, type the following at the command prompt :
dir

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 E5164 Computer System Diagnosis& Maintenance
Exp 3B : Learning MS-DOS Basics

DELETING FILES
To delete a file, you will use the del command. The del command stands for "delete."
Before you begin, make sure your command prompt looks like the following:
C:\FRUIT>

To delete the poster2.psd files

1. Delete the PEAR.COM file by typing the following at the command prompt :
del poster2.psd
2. To confirm that you deleted the files successfully, type the following at the command prompt :
dir
The PEAR.COM and PEAR.HLP files should no longer appear in the list.

Deleting a Group of Files

Before you begin this section, make sure your command prompt looks like the following:
C:\FRUIT>
To delete files in the current directory that end with the extension psd by using wildcards
1. View all files that end with the extension psd by typing the following at the command prompt :
dir *.psd
A list of all the files that end with the extension psd appears. Make sure that these are the files you want
to delete. When you are deleting files by using wildcards, this step is very important.

2. Delete all files ending with psd by typing the following at the command prompt :
del *.psd

3. Type the following at the command prompt :

dir
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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 E5164 Computer System Diagnosis& Maintenance
Exp 3B : Learning MS-DOS Basics

To delete the FRUIT directory

1. Return to the root directory by typing the following at the command prompt :
cd \
2. You can see the FRUIT directory in the directory list by typing the following at the command prompt :
dir or dir /p
3. Remove the FRUIT directory by typing the following at the command prompt :
rd fruit
4. Type the following at the command prompt :
dir or dir /p
Observe carefully and write down what will happen?
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