DOS (continued...)

MS-DOS COMMANDS... VER, TIME, DATE.
It doesn't matter whether the commands you type at the DOS prompt are upper case or lower case. DOS is not case sensitive.

Type `VER` at the command prompt and press the `ENTER` key (the 'RETURN' key on some keyboards). You will see what version of DOS is installed on your computer.

Next, type `TIME` and press the `ENTER` key. DOS will show you the time and ask you if it is correct. Just press 'ENTER' to accept the displayed time. If you wish to change the time, type in the correct time and press the 'ENTER' key.

Now try typing `DATE`. Press `ENTER` to view the day and date.

You've just used three different DOS commands. They're not that difficult, are they. They're not all that cryptic.

An Analogy...
How does DOS structure the information in your computer?

Picture a filing cabinet, each drawer having a different letter on it (top drawer is labeled A, middle drawer B, bottom C). Inside each drawer are file folders. Each folder contains several different files. Some of the folders may contain other folders with more files inside.

Now think of your different disk drives as those drawers. The hard drive will be C:, and the floppy drive will be A:. If you have a second floppy drive, it will be drive B:. Now, on each of these drives (drawers), there are "directories" (file folders) and in each directory or file folder, there are files. A directory can contain other directories, just like a file folder can contain other folders. These are called "subdirectories".

MS-DOS COMMANDS... Changing Drives, DIR, CD

To change to a different drive (drawer), all you have to do is type the letter of that drive followed by a colon (eg. A:) and press `ENTER`.

To find out what's on the drive, you want to bring up the directory (look in the folder). To do this, you type `DIR` at the DOS prompt and press `ENTER`. Now you will see a list of the different files and directories available. You'll see the name of the file or directory, the size of the file, and the date and time that it was created.

Suppose you want to go in and look at the contents of one of the other directories that you see listed. Type `CD` (for Change Directory), then leave a space, then type the name of the available directory that you want to see. Now press `ENTER`. You'll notice that the command prompt has now changed to show which directory you are in. This is called the "path" to that particular directory. Type `DIR` and press `ENTER`, and the contents of that directory will be displayed.

Now, how do you get back to the "root" directory of the current drive? Remember, the backslash (\) stands for "root". Type `CD \` and press `ENTER`.

Continued...