Dos Commands

Glossary of Computer Terms
Some of the terms in this Glossary are for older versions of MS-DOS
Below are many terms that are related to MS-DOS. However, some are not used by the
latest versions of MS-DOS that come with Windows. Those terms that are not used
with the newer Windows environments, or those terms that have been replaced by
Windows utilities are marked with a 'Deprecated' tag. Usually, that means you would
not use them in most circumstances and to try to get them to work might be difficult or
inadvisable with a Windows machine.
Allocation Unit
- The smallest space that DOS can access on a Disk. The size of these is
dependent on the size of disk and the type of FAT used. see also Partition
APPEND
- Allows programs to open data files in specified directories as if they were in the
current directory
Deprecated - not used in most installations.
ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Exchange
ASSIGN
- Redirects requests for disk operations on one drive to a different drive
ATTRIB
- Displays or changes file attributes.
ATTRIBUTES
- Relating to whether a file is Read Only, Hidden or a System file
AUTOEXEC.BAT
- A text file used by the system at startup. See also CONFIG.SYS
BACKUP
- Backs up one or more files from one disk to another. See also RESTORE
BASIC
- Beginers All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. A programming language
BINARY
- The numbering system used by ALL computers can be either 0 or 1 (base 2). See
also DENARY & HEXADECIMAL
BREAK
Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.
BIOS
Basic Input/Output Sytem Built into computer ROM
Bit
Binary Digit - can be either 0 or 1
Boot
Bootstrap, Loading the Operating System at start up
Bug
- Software (program) problem
Bus
- The Data Highway in the computer - see ISA/VESA/PCI
Byte
- 8 binaryBits
C / C++
- Hardware independent Computer Language
Cache
- Small amount of very fast memory
CALL
- Calls one batch program from another.
Deprecated - not used in most installations. Batch files are very handy to know
but are beyond the scope of this tutorial.
CD
- Displays the name of or changes the current directory.
CD ROM -
A CD disc with computer data on it, like an audio CD
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. See also SCANDISK
CLS
- Clears the screen.
CMOS
- A part of the 'Firmware' that stores the particulars of the system, i.e. the Hard
Drive parameters, the Memory size, etc.
COBOL
- COmputer Buisiness Orientated Language. A programming language
COM
- A serialI/O port. Can be used for a Modem, Mouse etc. e.g. COM1 COM2 etc.
Deprecated - not used in most installations. Windows over-rides MS-DOS for
many port assignments.
COMMAND.COM
-The command interrupter, which reads commands typed at the keyboard and
attempts to obey them. COMMAND.COM has some simple commands built in -
these are known as internal commands.
COMP
- Compares the contents of two files or sets of files.
CONFIG.SYS
- A text file used by the system at startup. See also AUTOEXEC.BAT
Conventional Memory
- The FIRST 640 Kbytes of memory, also known as Low Memory. The amount
available can be vital to some older programs, usually Games.
Deprecated - not used in most installations. Most games and programs run in
protected mode (use all memory available).
COPY
- Copies one or more files to another location. Can also be used to write to a
device. e.g. CON
CPU
- Central Processing Unit - the Intel 486/Pentium or AMD/Cyrix Proccesor in the
computer
CTTY
- Changes the terminal device used to control your system.
Crash
- Common term for when the computer freezes
DATE
- Displays or sets the date.
DEBUG
- Runs Debug, a program testing and editing tool.
Deprecated - not used in most installations. Much more powerful editors are
available for editing binary files.
DEL
- Deletes one or more files. See also ERASE
DELTREE
- Deletes a Directory AND ALL SubDirectories and ALL files
DEFRAGMENT
- Re-arrange the files on the hard drive so that the occupy consecutive allocation
units
DENARY - Also known as Decimal
- The numbering system used by humans, numbers 0 to 9 (base 10). See also
BINARY & HEXADECIMAL
DEVICE
- A command used in Config.sys to load a device driver. See also DEVICEHIGH &
LOADHIGH
DEVICEHIGH
- A Command used in Config.sys to load a device driver into the Upper Memory
Area. See also DEVICE & LOADHIGH
Device Driver
- Software that drives a perhipheral or device
DIMM
- Dual Inline Memeory Module. See also RAM & SIMM
DIR
- Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.
Directory
- A container of files on the disk. See also FOLDER
DISKCOMP
- Compares the contents of two floppy disks.
DISKCOPY
- Copies the contents of one floppy disk to another.
DLL
- Dynamic Link Libary
DMA
- Direct Memory Access. A system that allows a device to access the Main Memory
without going through the CPU
DOS
- Disk Operating System - usually by Microsoft
DOSKEY
- Edits command lines, recalls MS-DOS commands, and creates macros.
DOSSHELL
- Starts MS-DOS Shell.
DRAM
- See RAM & VRAM
ECHO
- Displays messages, or turns command echoing on or off.
EDIT
- Starts MS-DOS Editor, which creates and changes ASCII files.

EDLIN
- Starts Edlin, a line-oriented text editor.
E-Mail
- Electronic Mail used on the Internet. See also POP3
EIDE
- Expanded IDE - see IDE
EMS
- Expanded Memory System. See also EMM386
EMM386
- Turns on or off EMM386 expanded memory support. See also EMS
Envioromental Variable
- Variables used by the system. Can include COMSPEC, PATH, PROMPT, TEMP,
DIRCMD, CONFIG, WINPMT . . .
ERASE
- Deletes one or more files. See also DEL
ERRORLEVEL
- A DOS enviromental variable, that returns a number on an error
EXE2BIN
- Converts .EXE (executable) files to binary format.
EXIT
- Quits the COMMAND.COM program (command interpreter). Also shuts down a
DOS Window.
EXPAND
- Expands one or more compressed files.
Expanded Memory
- Memory paged into Upper Memory from Extended Memory. See also EMS &
EMM386
Expansion Card
- Circuit Board that fits inside a PC eg Internal Modem
Extended Memory
- Memory above 1Mbyte. aka XMS
FASTOPEN
- Decreases the amount of time needed to open frequently used files and
directories.
FAT
- File Allocation Table. DOS uses FAT 12 ( 0Mb - 15Mb) or FAT 16 ( 16Mb - 2048Mb),
later versions of Windows 9x use FAT 32 ( 512Mb upwards). The number indicates
the 'bits' used in the address table to locate parts of the Hard Disk See also
Allocation Units
FC
- Compares two files or sets of files, and displays the differences between them.
FDISK
- Configures a hard disk for use with MS-DOS.
FIND
- Searches for a text string in a file or files.
Floppy Disk
- A removable diskette for storing small amounts of Data, the standard is now 3
1/2" 1.44Mb capacity
FOLDER
- See Directory
FOR
- Runs a specified command for each file in a set of files.
FORMAT
- Formats a disk for use with MS-DOS. See also UNFORMAT
Font
- Style of characters displayed on screen
FTP
- File Transfer Protocol - transmission of files over phone
Gbyte
- 1024 Mbyte
GOTO
- Directs MS-DOS to a labelled line in a batch program.
GPF
- General Protection Fault - When things go really wrong in Windows
GRAFTABL
- Enables MS-DOS to display an extended character set in graphics mode.
GRAPHICS
- Loads a program that can print graphics.
Graphics Card
- Expansion Card that drives the Monitor
GUI
- Graphical User Interface - See Windows
Hard Disc
- Fast storage device where programs are stored. See also IDE, EIDE & SCSI
Hardware
- The physical parts of a computer that you can touch
HELP
- Provides Help information for MS-DOS commands.
Deprecated - not used in most installations. The MS-DOS help utility has been
replaced. To get help for a command, enter the command followed by a / and a question
mark. For instance, ATTRIB /?
HEXADECIMAL
- A numbering system that uses the numbers 0 to 9 and the letters A to F. See also
BINARY & DENARY
HIMEM.SYS
- A program run from Config.sys to allow access to the High Memory area just
above the first Mbyte See High Memory Area
High Memory Area
- The area just above 1Mb, (address 1024Kb - 1088Kb)
HTML
- HyperText Markup Language - used on the Internet. See also Hypertext
Hypertext
- A way of allowing user to jump between places in document, See also HTML
IF
- Performs conditional processing in batch programs.
I/O Port
A cable connector to a computer. See USB, Serial Ports & Parallel Ports
IBM (Compatible)
- International Buisiness Machines, the company who first 'developed' the
'Personal Computer' as we know it. (A PC capable of running the MS DOS
operating system, and/or Windows)
IDE
- Intergrated Drive Electronics - refers to Hard Discs
Internet
- Millions of interconnected computers in a global network. See also WEB, WWW
IP
- Internet Protocol - used with TCP
IRC
- Internet Relay Chat - real time 'talk' on the Internet
IRQ
- Interupt Request - Hardware calls to the CPU
ISA
- Industry Standard Architecture - The original bus. See also VESA & PCI
ISDN
- Intergrated Services Digital Network - Expensive!!!
ISP
- Internet Service Provider - your link to the Internet
Java
- Hardware Independent Computer Language
JOIN
- Joins a disk drive to a directory on another drive.
JPEG
- Graphics compression type
Jumpers
- Device to alter settings on an expansion card/Motherboard
Kbit
- 2 to the power 10 bits = 1024 bits
Kbyte
- 2 to the power 10 bytes(8 bits) = 1024 bytes
KEYBxx
- Configures a keyboard for a specific language.
Kernal
- Lowest level of an Operating System
LABEL
- Creates, changes, or deletes the volume label of a disk.
LAN
- Local Area Network
LH
- Loads a program, from the Autoexec.bat into the upper memory area. See also
LOADHIGH
LINUX
- A different Disc Operating System, distributed freely under a Public Licence.
Used to run Networks. See also UNIX
LOADFIX
- Loads a program above the first 64K of memory, and runs the program.
LOADHIGH
- Loads a program, from the Autoexec.bat into the upper memory area. See also
LH, DEVICE & DEVICEHIGH
Local Bus
- See VESA / PCI - newer and faster than than ISA
LPT:
- Line PrinTer. The I/O parrallel port that is used to send information to the printer
( and sometimes other parrallel port devices) e.g. LPT:1 LPT:2 etc.
Machine Code
- The BINARY code that the CPU works with
Macintosh
- Non-IBM compatable type Personal Computer
Math Co-processor
- Used for Floating Point calculations - usually built into CPU
Mbit
- 2 to the power 20 = 1048576 bits
Mbyte
- 1024 Kbytes
MD
- Creates a directory. See also MKDIR
MEM
- Displays the amount of used and free memory in your system.
Memory
- Normally refers to RAM - See RAM
MICROSOFT
- The company that supplied the first DOS to IBM ( NOTE supplied NOT wrote !).
Headed by Bill Gates
MIME
- Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions - E-mail format
MIRROR
- Records information about one or more disks.
MKDIR
- Creates a directory. See also MD
MODE
- Configures a system device.
Modem
- Modulator Demodulator - allows computer to talk on phone
Monitor
- The computer screen
MORE
- Displays output one screen at a time. Superceeded in most cases by the switch /P
Motherboard
- Main PCB in a computer, holds other components
Mouse
- Hand operated Pointing device. See also TRACK BALL
MOVE
- The external DOS V6 command that MOVE's a file from its start location, to its
new location. Prior to this you had to COPY and then DELETE the original file
MPEG
- Moving Picture Expert Group - compression standard
MSCDEX
- A program required by DOS to enable it to access CD drives
Multimedia
- Sound, Video, Animation on computers
Multithreading
- Running several computer tasks at the same time.
Network
- A number of computers connected together - see LAN and INTERNET
NLSFUNC
- Loads country-specific information.
OLE
- Object Linking and Embedding
Operating System
- Provides services to the system e.g. MS-DOS
OS/2
- Another Disc Operating System, developed initially by IBM and Microsoft ( who
dropped out and 'developed' Windows). Still in use mainly be enthusiasts ( and Bill
Gates haters!!!!)
Parallel Port
- The connection to the Printer. See also LPT
Partition
- A system used to reduce the size of a large physical Hard drive into 'Logical'
drives. This can reduce the size of the Allocation Units addressable by the FAT
e.g. 1Mb - 127Mb = 2Kb Allocation units, 512Mb - 1Gb (FAT 16) = 16Kb Units and
FAT 32 = 4Kb (upto 8.4Gb)
PATH
- Displays or sets a search path for executable files. It is also used as a System
Variable
PAUSE
- Suspends processing of a batch file and displays a message.
PCI
- The latest type of Local Bus. Superceeds VESA. See also ISA
Pixel
- Picture Element - smallest dot on the monitor display
Plug and Play
- The ability of the operating system (Windows 95 and above) to configure new
hardware with little or no user intervention.
PoP
- Point of Presence - ISP node
POP3
- An Internet e-mail protocol
Port
- Expansion plug at rear of Computer
POST
- Power On Self Test. The proceedure that your computer goes through each time
it starts (Powers On)
PPP
- Point to Point Protocol - Internet standard
PRINT
- Prints a text file while you are using other MS-DOS commands. May not be
available in later versions (Win9x) of DOS
PROMPT
- Changes the MS-DOS command prompt.
Processor
- The chip that does most of the work - see CPU
Programs
- Computer software e.g. Word Processor
QBASIC
- Starts the MS-DOS QBasic programming environment.
Deprecated - not used in most installations. But still a very handy program!
RAM
- Random Access Memory - Main computer memory. See also SIMM & DIMM &
DRAM & VRAM & SDRAM
RD
- Removes a directory. See also RMDIR
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. See also RENAME
RENAME
- Renames a file or files. See also REN
REPLACE
- Replaces files.
RESTORE
Restores files that were backed up by using the BACKUP command.
RMDIR
- Removes a directory. See also RD
ROM
- Read Only Memory
SCANDISK
- Checks a disk ( including a Surface Scan) and displays a status report, more
powerful than CHKDSK.
SCSI
- Small Computer System Interface
SDRAM
- A faster form of RAM See also DRAM & VRAM
Serial Port -
The connection to a Mouse / Modem / Printer. See also COM
SET
- Displays, sets, or removes MS-DOS environment variables.
SETVER
- Sets the version number that MS-DOS reports to a program.
SHARE
- Installs file-sharing and locking capabilities on your hard disk.
SHIFT
- Shifts the position of replaceable parameters in batch files
SIMM
- Single Inline Memory Module - RAM Memory. See also DIMM
SLIPP
- Serial Line Interface Protocol - Internet standard
SORT
- Sorts input.
SUBST
- Associates a path with a drive letter.
Swap File
- Portion of Hard Disc used by operating system. See also VIRTUAL MEMORY
SYS
- Copies MS-DOS system files and command interpreter to a disk you specify.
Tape
- A device for Backing Up files, uses cassettes similar (but NOT the same as)
Audio tapes
TCP
- Transmission Control Protocol - used with IP
TIME
- Displays or sets the system time.
Telnet
- Telephone Network
TREE
- Graphically displays the directory structure of a drive or path. See also DELTREE
TYPE
- Displays the contents of a text file.
Track Ball
- Hand operated Pointing device. See also MOUSE
TSR
- Terminate and Stay Resident, a term used for programs that run and then stay in
memory for instant use later, a Mouse driver or a Network driver are examples
UMB
- Upper Memory Blocks, areas of the Upper Memory, used to 'page' chunks of
Extended (XMS) by DOS so that it can be recognised and used.
UNDELETE
- Recovers files which have been deleted.
UNFORMAT
- Restores a disk erased by the FORMAT command or restructured by the
RECOVER command.
UNIX
- A powerfull Operating system used on large systems, ideal for Networks. See
also LINUX
Upper Memory Area
- RAM between 640Kb and 1024Kb
USB
- Universal Serial Bus, a I/O port developed for Windows 95/98, it gives 'Plug &
Play' and 'Hot Swap' capabilites.
VER
- Displays the MS-DOS version.
VERIFY
- Tells MS-DOS whether to verify that your files are written correctly to a disk.
VESA
- A Local Bus, superceded by PCI. See also ISA
Virtual Memory
- Portion of Hard Disc used by operating system. See also SWAP FILE
Virus
- Rogue computer program - usually damaging
VOL
- Displays a disk volume label and serial number.
VRAM
- Video Random Access Memory - special type of DRAM
WEB
- Part of the Internet, also known as World Wide Web (WWW)
WINDOWS
- The Microsoft GUI. It is the pictorial interpretation of the Computer functions
Winsock
- Windows Sockets - used for Internet access
WWW
- World Wide Web, part of the Internet. see also WEB
XCOPY
- Copies files (except hidden and system files) and directory trees.
XMS
- Memory above 1 Mbyte. aka Extended Memory

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Glossary of Computer Terms

- Starts MS-DOS Editor, which creates and changes ASCII files.

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