Using the Command Prompt

[MadGamer]

Well at college, we've been practising how to create directories on a floppy disk, using the command prompt in Windows XP, what i now want to do is learn how to create a sub directory in the Root directory using command prompt. What command would i use? ie, ive got the root as Wayne, and i want a sub directory as Test.

[Paul K]

isn't MD the make directory command? Don't use the command prompt system very often
Some reading for you
http://www.ss64.com/nt/
and

To see a list of commands, open the command window by
Start/Run "cmd" to see a list of supported coomands type
"help" (without the quotes, in each case)
Type a command with a space followed by a slash and question
mark to see a list of the switches such as ...
*************************
C:\Documents and Settings\>help
For more information on a specific command, type HELP
command-name
ASSOC Displays or modifies file extension associations.
AT Schedules commands and programs to run on a
computer.
ATTRIB Displays or changes file attributes.
BREAK Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.
CACLS Displays or modifies access control lists (ACLs) of
files.
CALL Calls one batch program from another.
CD Displays the name of or changes the current
directory.
CHCP Displays or sets the active code page number.
CHDIR Displays the name of or changes the current
directory.
CHKDSK Checks a disk and displays a status report.
CHKNTFS Displays or modifies the checking of disk at boot
time.
CLS Clears the screen.
CMD Starts a new instance of the Windows command
interpreter.
COLOR Sets the default console foreground and background
colors.
COMP Compares the contents of two files or sets of
files.
COMPACT Displays or alters the compression of files on NTFS
partitions.
CONVERT Converts FAT volumes to NTFS. You cannot convert
the
current drive.
COPY Copies one or more files to another location.
DATE Displays or sets the date.
DEL Deletes one or more files.
DIR Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a
directory.
DISKCOMP Compares the contents of two floppy disks.
DISKCOPY Copies the contents of one floppy disk to another.
DOSKEY Edits command lines, recalls Windows commands, and
creates macros.
ECHO Displays messages, or turns command echoing on or
off.
ENDLOCAL Ends localization of environment changes in a batch
file.
ERASE Deletes one or more files.
EXIT Quits the CMD.EXE program (command interpreter).
FC Compares two files or sets of files, and displays
the differences
between them.
FIND Searches for a text string in a file or files.
FINDSTR Searches for strings in files.
FOR Runs a specified command for each file in a set of
files.
FORMAT Formats a disk for use with Windows.
FTYPE Displays or modifies file types used in file
extension associations.
GOTO Directs the Windows command interpreter to a
labeled line in a
batch program.
GRAFTABL Enables Windows to display an extended character
set in graphics
mode.
HELP Provides Help information for Windows commands.
IF Performs conditional processing in batch programs.
LABEL Creates, changes, or deletes the volume label of a
disk.
MD Creates a directory.
MKDIR Creates a directory.
MODE Configures a system device.
MORE Displays output one screen at a time.
MOVE Moves one or more files from one directory to
another directory.
PATH Displays or sets a search path for executable
files.
PAUSE Suspends processing of a batch file and displays a
message.
POPD Restores the previous value of the current
directory saved by PUSHD.
PRINT Prints a text file.
PROMPT Changes the Windows command prompt.
PUSHD Saves the current directory then changes it.
RD Removes a directory.
RECOVER Recovers readable information from a bad or
defective disk.
REM Records comments (remarks) in batch files or
CONFIG.SYS.
REN Renames a file or files.
RENAME Renames a file or files.
REPLACE Replaces files.
RMDIR Removes a directory.
SET Displays, sets, or removes Windows environment
variables.
SETLOCAL Begins localization of environment changes in a
batch file.
SHIFT Shifts the position of replaceable parameters in
batch files.
SORT Sorts input.
START Starts a separate window to run a specified program
or command.
SUBST Associates a path with a drive letter.
TIME Displays or sets the system time.
TITLE Sets the window title for a CMD.EXE session.
TREE Graphically displays the directory structure of a
drive or path.
TYPE Displays the contents of a text file.
VER Displays the Windows version.
VERIFY Tells Windows whether to verify that your files are
written
correctly to a disk.
VOL Displays a disk volume label and serial number.
XCOPY Copies files and directory trees.

C:\Documents and Settings\>xcopy /?
Copies files and directory trees.

XCOPY source [destination] [/A | /M] [/D[:date]] [/P] [/S
[/E]] [/V] [/W]
[/C] [/I] [/Q] [/F] [/L] [/G]
[/H] [/R] [/T] [/U]
[/K] [/N] [/O] [/X] [/Y] [/-Y]
[/Z]
[/EXCLUDE:file1[+file2][+file3]...]

source Specifies the file(s) to copy.
destination Specifies the location and/or name of new
files.
/A Copies only files with the archive attribute
set,
doesn't change the attribute.
/M Copies only files with the archive attribute
set,
turns off the archive attribute.
/D:m-d-y Copies files changed on or after the
specified date.
If no date is given, copies only those files
whose
source time is newer than the destination
time.
/EXCLUDE:file1[+file2][+file3]...
Specifies a list of files containing strings.
Each string
should be in a separate line in the files.
When any of the
strings match any part of the absolute path
of the file to be
copied, that file will be excluded from being
copied. For
example, specifying a string like \obj\ or
.obj will exclude
all files underneath the directory obj or all
files with the
.obj extension respectively.
/P Prompts you before creating each destination
file.
/S Copies directories and subdirectories except
empty ones.
/E Copies directories and subdirectories,
including empty ones.
Same as /S /E. May be used to modify /T.
/V Verifies each new file.
/W Prompts you to press a key before copying.
/C Continues copying even if errors occur.
/I If destination does not exist and copying
more than one file,
assumes that destination must be a directory.
/Q Does not display file names while copying.
/F Displays full source and destination file
names while copying.
/L Displays files that would be copied.
/G Allows the copying of encrypted files to
destination that does
not support encryption.
/H Copies hidden and system files also.
/R Overwrites read-only files.
/T Creates directory structure, but does not
copy files. Does not
include empty directories or subdirectories.
/T /E includes
empty directories and subdirectories.
/U Copies only files that already exist in
destination.
/K Copies attributes. Normal Xcopy will reset
read-only attributes.
/N Copies using the generated short names.
/O Copies file ownership and ACL information.
/X Copies file audit settings (implies /O).
/Y Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to
overwrite an
existing destination file.
/-Y Causes prompting to confirm you want to
overwrite an
existing destination file.
/Z Copies networked files in restartable mode.

The switch /Y may be preset in the COPYCMD environment
variable.
This may be overridden with /-Y on the command line.

[gazzae]

md test would be the command or md wayne\test if you are at root.

[MadGamer]

Originally Posted by gazzae

md test would be the command or md wayne\test if you are at root.

I'll test that, and let you know how i get on

[MovedGoalPosts]

Ah the good old days of DOS Still very useful when all else fails.

You can take it all a stage further...

If your prompt relates to the C drive, but you want to mess up say your D drive, or floppy drive A, you can create your directory (sorry folder)

MD D:\folder\subfolder

To be really clever, albeit that it's not truly dos compatible (only allowed 8 characters, plus a suffix of 3) you can create a long file name directory using quotes:

MD "D:\folder\long folder name"

[MadGamer]

ahh right, so using this: MD D:\folder\subfolder

I could have A:\Wayne\Test

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

why in this day and age would people be taught DOS commands? The whole point of having a GUI is to stop the user having to remember command names and the syntax of those commands
__________________

Originally Posted by Wayne A

ahh right, so using this: MD D:\folder\subfolder

I could have A:\Wayne\Test

yep. specifying the drive letter and the directory structure makes the command independent of the current directory your DOS prompt is in

[ikthius]

I prefer the MKDIR command myself, it makes more sense to read.

ik

[nffc]

saw this linked on here earlier

MS-DOS help and commands

HTH

[MadGamer]

Originally Posted by nffc

saw this linked on here earlier

MS-DOS help and commands

HTH

Thanks i'll have a look.

Originally Posted by Wicked_and_Crazy

why in this day and age would people be taught DOS commands? The whole point of having a GUI is to stop the user having to remember command names and the syntax of those commands
__________________



yep. specifying the drive letter and the directory structure makes the command independent of the current directory your DOS prompt is in

Because in some circumstances you need to understand DOS. Many things dont use GUI's.
And secondly 99% of IT courses in school and college are Soooooooo out of date they use DOS still and teach DOS.
Multi autoexec and multi config files was an old fav of mine, as well as using Debug to search for possible virus infection!!!!!

[zoombini]

\
mk test (make a da folda)
cd test (go into da folda)
dir (oooh, dere is nothing here)
cd\ (to go back to the root)
dir (oh, I can see wayne - hello wayne)
exit.
oh great, back at windows.
Now go & lie down & promise never to do that command line stuff again, well maybe not until you start using Linux

[MadGamer]

Originally Posted by zoombini

\
mk test (make a da folda)
cd test (go into da folda)
dir (oooh, dere is nothing here)
cd\ (to go back to the root)
dir (oh, I can see wayne - hello wayne)
exit.
oh great, back at windows.
Now go & lie down & promise never to do that command line stuff again, well maybe not until you start using Linux

Cant make any promises im afraid.

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by Wicked_and_Crazy

why in this day and age would people be taught DOS commands? The whole point of having a GUI is to stop the user having to remember command names and the syntax of those commands

Because writing a batch file is much easier than learning VB and doing the same with that.

Take this example:

We have web servers at a remote location, they're running NT4
We have a reporting server with webtrends installed on it which produces monthly reports on web usage.

Previously, the guys would have to log onto a gateway server at the remote location and map a network drive to it.
Then from the gateway server, connect to the web servers, zip up the web logs, map a drive to the web servers from the gateway server, copy the logs over, then copy them to their local PC.
Then map a drive to the reporting server, upload the zipped log files, log onto the reporting server, unzip the files, manually run the web trends report and then clean up all the files.

It used to take hours.
Now, with a few simple batch files, that is all fully automated.
The web trends report appears as if by magic

Now imagine if I didn't know my dos commands... (ok, I've been using it since dos3)

[MadGamer]

Originally Posted by Xaccers

Because writing a batch file is much easier than learning VB and doing the same with that.

Take this example:

We have web servers at a remote location, they're running NT4
We have a reporting server with webtrends installed on it which produces monthly reports on web usage.

Previously, the guys would have to log onto a gateway server at the remote location and map a network drive to it.
Then from the gateway server, connect to the web servers, zip up the web logs, map a drive to the web servers from the gateway server, copy the logs over, then copy them to their local PC.
Then map a drive to the reporting server, upload the zipped log files, log onto the reporting server, unzip the files, manually run the web trends report and then clean up all the files.

It used to take hours.
Now, with a few simple batch files, that is all fully automated.
The web trends report appears as if by magic

Now imagine if I didn't know my dos commands... (ok, I've been using it since dos3)

, but how do i craete a batch file that clears the pagefile on shutdown?