Introduction to Computer and

Information Basics
DOS & Windows
 DOS
• DOS (Disk Operating System) was the first widely-installed operating
system for personal computers.
 DOS most popular commands:
• cd
• md
• dir
• copy
• del
 Dos (cont.)
• move
• ren(rename)
• cls
 CD (Change Directory)

• is used to navigate between directories in the file system

• cd [directory_name]
• This command changes the current working directory to the specified
directory.
• Ex. cd Documents
• cd ..
• Goes back one directory.
 CD (Change Directory)
• cd \
• Goes to the highest level, the root of the drive.
• Cd
• Typing cd alone will print the working directory.
 MD (Make Directory)

• Allows you to create your own directories

o md test
The above example creates the "test" directory in the directory
you are currently in.
o md c:\test
Create the "test" directory in the c:\ directory.
 MD (Make Directory)
• md "My Projects“
• If the directory name has spaces, use quotation marks around the name.
 Dir
• is used to display a list of files and directories in the current directory or in a
specified directory. It shows information such as file names, sizes, creation
dates, and times.
• Syntax:
• dir [path] [options]
• [path]: Specifies the directory to list.
• [options]: Modifies the output of the dir command.
 Dir
• Dir
• This displays a list of all files and subdirectories in the current directory.
• dir C:\Documents
• This shows the contents of the C:\Documents directory.
• dir /a
• The /a option shows all files, including hidden (H) and system (S) files.
 Dir
• dir /w
• This shows the output in a wide format with multiple rows.
• dir /s
• The /s option includes files in subdirectories as well.
• dir /o:s
• The /o:s option sorts the files and directories by size.
 Dir
• dir /o:-n
• This sorts the listing in reverse order by name (/o:-n).
 Create file
• echo >file.txt
• This creates a file called file.txt
• echo This is a test file > file.txt
• This creates a file called file.txt and writes "This is a test file" into it.
 Copy
• is used to copy files from one location to another. You can use it to copy
individual files or multiple files
• Syntax:
• copy [source] [destination]
• [source]: The file(s) you want to copy.
• [destination]: The location or file name where the copy will be
placed.
 Copy
• copy file.txt folder
• This copies file.txt from the current directory to the folder directory.
• copy file.txt folder\file1.txt
• This copies file.txt to the D:\Backup\ directory and renames the copy as
file_backup.txt.
 Copy
• copy *.txt folder
• This copies all .txt files from the current directory to folder.
 del
• command in DOS is used to delete files from the file system. It cannot delete
directories directly (for that, you would use rmdir), but it can delete all files
within a directory.
• Syntax:
• del [filename]
 del
• del file.txt
• This deletes file.txt from the current directory.
• del *.txt
• This deletes all .txt files in the current directory.
• del folder\file.txt
• This deletes file.txt from the folder directory.
 move
• The move command in DOS is used to move files or directories from one
location to another
• Syntax:
• move [source] [destination]
• [source]: Specifies the file(s) or directory to move.
• [destination]: Specifies the new location or the new name.
 move
• move file.txt folder
• This moves file.txt from the current directory to the folder directory.
• move *.txt folder
• This moves all .txt files from the current directory to the folder directory.
 ren
• The ren command (short for "rename") in DOS is used to rename files or
directories.
• Syntax:
• Copy [old_name] [new_name]
• [old_name]: The current name of the file or directory.
• [new_name]: The new name you want to give the file or directory.
 ren
• ren r.txt h.txt
• This renames r.txt to h.txt in the current directory.
• ren oldfolder newfolder
• This renames the oldfolder directory to newfolder.
 CLS
• CLS is a command that allows a user to clear the complete
contents of the screen and leave only a prompt.
 practice
• Create a directory on desktop called fci
• Create another directory on desktop called fci1
• Create 4 txt files called (a ,b , c, d) in fci
• Rename h.txt to f.txt
• Copy b.txt from fci to fci1
• Move c.txt from fci to fci1
 Windows
• Difference between DOS and Windows
• DOS uses CLI (command line interface), whereas Windows
used GUI (graphical user interface).
 Windows (Desktop)
 Desktop refers to the main background area . You can customize
your desktop in various ways, including adding a background
picture, and changing the size of the icons on the desktop.
 Icons are small graphical images that can represent your
computer's programs, files, folders and printers amongst other
things
 Cont.
• Recycle Bin: When you delete a file, Windows will place the file
into the recycle bin , this allows you to restore the file in case you
deleted it by mistake.
• The start button is a very important part of Clicking on the start
button opens up what is called the start menu, the start menu is
used to access your programs, settings more.
 Cont.
• Taskbar main uses is to switch between any open programs or
documents.
• clock sits on the taskbar
 Windows (Shut down options)
• The shut down mode switch off your machine.
• The Restart down mode switch off and then switch on your
machine.
• The sleep mode doesn’t really shutdown your PC, it just stores
whatever open application into the RAM memory and reduces all
the computer component to a low power mode.