MS-DOS

Installing from MS-DOS or the Windows command line

Users installing a program from Microsoft DOS should have a basic understanding of the MS-DOS commands. If you are unfamiliar with any of the commands listed below, click the link to get additional information on that specific command.

1. Before installing a program in MS-DOS, you must switch to the drive or directory that contains the installation files. If you are installing a program from a CD or diskette, switch to that drive. If the installation files are located in a different directory, use the dir command to list the directories and the cd command to switch to the appropriate directory.
2. Once you are in the directory or drive that contains the installation files, run the executable for setup. Many times this can be done by typing setup or install at the prompt to start the installation. If both of these commands give a bad command or file name error message, type dir *.exe or dir *.com or dir *.bat. These commands list any executable files found in the directory or drive. If any files are listed, execute these files to run the installation or setup of the program. If no files are listed when typing all three of the above commands, you are in the incorrect directory or drive letter for that program.

Command Description Type ansi.sys Defines functions that change display graphics, control cursor movement, and reassign keys. File append Causes MS-DOS to look in other directories when editing a file or running a command. External arp Displays, adds, and removes arp information from network devices. External assign Assign a drive letter to an alternate letter. External assoc View the file associations. Internal at Schedule a time to execute commands or programs. External atmadm Lists connections and addresses seen by Windows ATM call manager. Internal attrib Display and change file attributes. External batch Recovery console command that executes a series of commands in a file. Recovery bcdedit Modify the boot configuration data store. External bootcfg Recovery console command that allows a user to view, modify, and rebuild the boot.ini Recovery break Enable and disable CTRL + C feature. Internal cacls View and modify file ACL's. External call Calls a batch file from another batch file. Internal cd Changes directories. Internal chcp Supplement the International keyboard and character set information. External chdir Changes directories. Internal chkdsk Check the hard drive running FAT for errors. External chkntfs Check the hard drive running NTFS for errors. External choice Specify a listing of multiple options within a batch file. External cls Clears the screen. Internal cmd Opens the command interpreter. Internal color Change the foreground and background color of the MS-DOS window. Internal command Opens the command interpreter. Internal comp Compares files. External compact Compresses and uncompress files. External control Open Control Panel icons from the MS-DOS prompt. External convert Convert FAT to NTFS. External copy Copy one or more files to an alternate location. Internal ctty Change the computers input/output devices. Internal date View or change the systems date. Internal debug Debug utility to create assembly programs to modify hardware settings. External defrag Re-arrange the hard drive to help with loading programs. External del Deletes one or more files. Internal delete Recovery console command that deletes a file. Internal deltree Deletes one or more files or directories. External dir List the contents of one or more directory. Internal disable Recovery console command that disables Windows system services or drivers. Recovery diskcomp Compare a disk with another disk. External diskcopy Copy the contents of one disk and place them on another disk. External doskey Command to view and execute commands that have been run in the past. External dosshell A GUI to help with early MS-DOS users. External drivparm Enables overwrite of original device drivers. Internal echo Displays messages and enables and disables echo. Internal edit View and edit files. External edlin View and edit files. External emm386 Load extended Memory Manager. External enable Recovery console command to enable a disable service or driver. Recovery endlocal Stops the localization of the environment changes enabled by the setlocal command. Internal erase Erase files from computer. Internal exit Exit from the command interpreter. Internal expand Expand a Microsoft Windows file back to it's original format. External extract Extract files from the Microsoft Windows cabinets. External fasthelp Displays a listing of MS-DOS commands and information about them. External fc Compare files. External fdisk Utility used to create partitions on the hard drive. External find Search for text within a file. External findstr Searches for a string of text within a file. External fixboot Writes a new boot sector. Recovery fixmbr Writes a new boot record to a disk drive. Recovery for Boolean used in batch files. Internal format Command to erase and prepare a disk drive. External ftp Command to connect and operate on an FTP server. External fType Displays or modifies file types used in file extension associations. Recovery goto Moves a batch file to a specific label or location. Internal graftabl Show extended characters in graphics mode. External help Display a listing of commands and brief explanation. External if Allows for batch files to perform conditional processing. Internal ifshlp.sys 32-bit file manager. External ipconfig Network command to view network adapter settings and assigned values. External keyb Change layout of keyboard. External label Change the label of a disk drive. External lh Load a device driver in to high memory. Internal listsvc Recovery console command that displays the services and drivers. Recovery loadfix Load a program above the first 64k. External loadhigh Load a device driver in to high memory. Internal lock Lock the hard drive. Internal logoff Logoff the currently profile using the computer. External logon Recovery console command to list installations and enable administrator login. Recovery 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 mklink Creates a symbolic link. Internal mode Modify the port or display settings. External more Display one page at a time. External move Move one or more files from one directory to another directory. Internal msav Early Microsoft Virus scanner. External msd Diagnostics utility. External mscdex Utility used to load and provide access to the CD-ROM. External nbtstat Displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT External net Update, fix, or view the network or network settings External netsh Configure dynamic and static network information from MS-DOS. External netstat Display the TCP/IP network protocol statistics and information. External nlsfunc Load country specific information. External nslookup Look up an IP address of a domain or host on a network. External path View and modify the computers path location. Internal pathping View and locate locations of network latency. External pause Command used in batch files to stop the processing of a command. Internal ping Test and send information to another network computer or network device. External popd Changes to the directory or network path stored by the pushd command. Internal power Conserve power with computer portables. External print Prints data to a printer port. External prompt View and change the MS-DOS prompt. Internal pushd Stores a directory or network path in memory so it can be returned to at any time. Internal 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 robocopy A robust file copy command for the Windows command line. External route View and configure Windows network route tables. External runas Enables a user to run a program as a different user. External scandisk Run the scandisk utility. External scanreg Scan Registry and recover Registry from errors. External set Change one variable or string to another. Internal setlocal Enables local environments to be changed without affecting anything else. Internal setver Change MS-DOS version to trick older MS-DOS programs. External share Installs support for file sharing and locking capabilities. External shift Changes the position of replaceable parameters in a batch program. Internal shutdown Shutdown the computer from the MS-DOS prompt. External smartdrv Create a disk cache in conventional memory or extended memory. External sort Sorts the input and displays the output to the screen. External start Start a separate window in Windows from the MS-DOS prompt. Internal subst Substitute a folder on your computer for another drive letter. External switches Remove add functions from MS-DOS. Internal sys Transfer system files to disk drive. External telnet Telnet to another computer or device from the prompt. External time View or modify the system time. Internal title Change the title of their MS-DOS window. Internal tracert Visually view a network packets route across a network. External tree View a visual tree of the hard drive. External Type Display the contents of a file. Internal undelete Undelete a file that has been deleted. External unformat Unformat a hard drive. External unlock Unlock a disk drive. Internal ver Display the version information. Internal verify Enables or disables the feature to determine if files have been written properly. Internal vol Displays the volume information about the designated drive. Internal xcopy Copy multiple files, directories, or drives from one location to another. External