MS-DOS and command line overview

Below is a listing of each of the MS-DOS commands currently listed Index

on Computer Hope and a brief explanation of what each of the
commands do. The below commands are all MS-DOS commands, Category:
which means not all the below commands will work in your version MS-DOS
of MS-DOS and/or Windows command line. Clicking on the
command will open the help page for that command with full details Companies:
about it. Microsoft

Related
Command Description Type
Pages:
Defines functions that change display Unix overview
ansi.sys graphics, control cursor movement, File Resolved
and reassign keys.
Were you able
Causes MS-DOS to look in other to locate the
append directories when editing a file or External answer to your
running a command. questions?
Displays, adds, and removes arp  Yes
arp External
information from network devices.
 No
Assign a drive letter to an alternate
assign External
letter.
assoc View the file associations. Internal
Schedule a time to execute
at External
commands or programs.
Lists connections and addresses seen
atmadm Internal
by Windows ATM call manager.
attrib Display and change file attributes. External
Recovery console command that
batch executes a series of commands in a Recovery
file.
Recovery console command that
bootcfg allows a user to view, modify, and Recovery
rebuild the boot.ini
break Enable / disable CTRL + C feature. Internal
cacls View and modify file ACL's. External
Calls a batch file from another batch
call Internal
file.
cd Changes directories. Internal
Supplement the International
chcp keyboard and character set External
information.
chdir Changes directories. Internal
Check the hard disk drive running FAT
chdsk External
for errors.
Check the hard disk drive running
chkntfs External
NTFS for errors.
Specify a listing of multiple options
choice External
within a batch file.
cls Clears the screen. Internal
cmd Opens the command interpreter.  
Easily change the foreground and
color background color of the MS-DOS Internal
window.
command Opens the command interpreter.  
comp Compares files. External
compact Compresses and uncompress files. External
Open Control Panel icons from the
control External
MS-DOS prompt.
convert Convert FAT to NTFS. External
Copy one or more files to an
copy Internal
alternate location.
Change the computers input/output
ctty Internal
devices.
date View or change the systems date. Internal
Debug utility to create assembly
debug programs to modify hardware External
settings.
Re-arrange the hard disk drive to help
defrag External
with loading programs.
del Deletes one or more files. Internal
Recovery console command that
delete Internal
deletes a file.
 Deletes one or more files and/or
deltree External
directories.
List the contents of one or more
dir Internal
directory.
Recovery console command that
disable disables Windows system services or Recovery
drivers.
diskcomp Compare a disk with another disk. External
Copy the contents of one disk and
diskcopy External
place them on another disk.
Command to view and execute
doskey commands that have been run in the External
past.
A GUI to help with early MS-DOS
dosshell External
users.
Enables overwrite of original device
drivparm Internal
drivers.
Displays messages and enables and
echo Internal
disables echo.
edit View and edit files. External
edlin View and edit files. External
emm386 Load extended Memory Manager. External
Recovery console command to enable
ename Recovery
a disable service or driver.
Stops the localization of the
endlocal environment changes enabled by the Internal
setlocal command.
erase Erase files from computer. Internal
exit Exit from the command interpreter. Internal
Expand a Microsoft Windows file back
expand External
to it's original format.
Extract files from the Microsoft
extract External
Windows cabinets.
Displays a listing of MS-DOS
fasthelp commands and information about External
them.
fc Compare files. External
Utility used to create partitions on
fdisk External
the hard disk drive.
find Search for text within a file. External
Searches for a string of text within a
findstr External
file.
fixboot Writes a new boot sector. Recovery
Writes a new boot record to a disk
fixmbr Recovery
drive.
for Boolean used in batch files. Internal
Command to erase and prepare a disk
format External
drive.
Command to connect and operate on
ftp External
a FTP server.
Displays or modifies file types used in
ftype Recovery
file extension associations.
Moves a batch file to a specific label
goto Internal
or location.
Show extended characters in graphics
graftabl External
mode.
Display a listing of commands and
help External
brief explanation.
Allows for batch files to perform
if Internal
conditional processing.
ifshlp.sys 32-bit file manager. External
Network command to view network
ipconfig External
adapter settings and assigned values.
keyb Change layout of keyboard. External
label Change the label of a disk drive. External
Load a device driver in to high
lh Internal
memory.
Recovery console command that
listsvc Recovery
displays the services and drivers.
loadfix Load a program above the first 64k. External
 Load a device driver in to high
loadhigh Internal
memory.
lock Lock the hard disk drive. Internal
Logoff the currently profile using the
logoff External
computer.
Recovery console command to list
logon installations and enable administrator Recovery
login.
map Displays the device name of a drive. Recovery
md Command to create a new directory. Internal
mem Display memory on system. External
mkdir Command to create a new directory. Internal
mode Modify the port or display settings. External
more Display one page at a time. External
Move one or more files from one
move Internal
directory to another directory.
msav Early Microsoft Virus scanner. External
msd Diagnostics utility. External
Utility used to load and provide
msdex External
access to the CD-ROM.
Displays protocol statistics and
nbtstat External
current TCP/IP connections using NBT
Update, fix, or view the network or
net External
network settings
Configure dynamic and static network
netsh External
information from MS-DOS.
Display the TCP/IP network protocol
netstat External
statistics and information.
nlsfunc Load country specific information. External
Look up an IP address of a domain or
nslookup External
host on a network.
View and modify the computers path
path Internal
location.
pathping View and locate locations of network External
 latency.
Command used in batch files to stop
pause Internal
the processing of a command.
Test / send information to another
ping External
network computer or network device.
Changes to the directory or network
popd Internal
path stored by the pushd command.
Conserve power with computer
power External
portables.
print Prints data to a printer port. External
prompt View and change the MS-DOS prompt. Internal
Stores a directory or network path in
pushd memory so it can be returned to at Internal
any time.
qbasic Open the QBasic. External
rd Removes an empty directory. Internal
ren Renames a file or directory. Internal
rename Renames a file or directory. Internal
rmdir Removes an empty directory. Internal
View and configure windows network
route External
route tables.
Enables a user to run a program as a
runas External
different user.
scandisk Run the scandisk utility. External
Scan registry and recover registry
scanreg External
from errors.
Change one variable or string to
set Internal
another.
Enables local environments to be
setlocal changed without affecting anything Internal
else.
Change MS-DOS version to trick older
setver External
MS-DOS programs.
Installs support for file sharing and
share External
locking capabilities.
 Changes the position of replaceable
shift Internal
parameters in a batch program.
Shutdown the computer from the MS-
shutdown External
DOS prompt.
Create a disk cache in conventional
smartdrv External
memory or extended memory.
Sorts the input and displays the
sort External
output to the screen.
Start a separate window in Windows
start Internal
from the MS-DOS prompt.
Substitute a folder on your computer
subst External
for another drive letter.
switches Remove add functions from MS-DOS. Internal
sys Transfer system files to disk drive. External
Telnet to another computer / device
telnet External
from the prompt.
time View or modify the system time. Internal
Change the title of their MS-DOS
title Internal
window.
Visually view a network packets route
tracert External
across a network.
View a visual tree of the hard disk
tree External
drive.
type Display the contents of a file. Internal
Undelete a file that has been
undelete External
deleted.
unformat Unformat a hard disk drive. External
unlock Unlock a disk drive. Internal
ver Display the version information. Internal
Enables or disables the feature to
verify determine if files have been written Internal
properly.
Displays the volume information
vol Internal
about the designated drive.
 Copy multiple files, directories,
xcopy and/or drives from one location to External
another.

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