DOS

**** Setting the CD-ROM drive

The CD-ROM drive is configured in the config.sys and autoexec.bat system files. The CD-ROM drive device driver must be configured in the config.sys file (even if the device is automatically detected in Windows). To do this, copy the device driver to a folder on the hard drive (in the following example it is called cdrom.sys located in the "cd-rom" folder). Next you must add the line:

DEVICE=c:\cd-rom\cdrom.sys /d:CD001

(CD001 is the name you give to the CD-ROM drive...)

Next the CD-ROM controller (called mscdex.exe must be added to the autoexec.bat by adding the following line:

c:\windows\command\mscdex.exe /d:CD001

(Where CD001 is the name given to the CD-ROM drive and the drive letter that is assigned to the drive is the next letter available, so if you have hard drives D: and E:, and F: is free, then the CD-ROM drive will be assigned the letter F:. If you want to specify the letter to be assigned use the /L:Z option for example.)

****Listing files

The dir command is used to list files. The file listing can also be done using several criteria (alphabetical order, date, etc.), these criteria can be applied using the following parameters:

* /p: fills the screen with the results then pauses the screen
* /w: displays the results in 5 columns
* To display files according to various criteria:
o /ah: displays hidden files
o /ad: displays folders only
o /ar: displays read-only files
o /aa: displays files ready to be archived
o /as: displays system files
* To display files in a specific order:
o /ON: sorted by name
o /OS: sorted by size (ascending)
o /OE: sorted by extension
o /OD: sorted by date
o /OG: sorted by parent folder
o /OS: sorted by attribute
* /s: displays the files located in a folder and all sub-folders
* /b: minimal view
* /l: displays results in lowercase
* /v: displays additional information

**** Modifying file properties

A file may have several properties which dictate how that file can be used. These properties can be activated or deactivated in DOS using the attib command.
The syntax for the command is as follows:

attrib +/-a +/-h +/-s +/-r

where + and - activates or deactivates the attribute which follows.

* a: archive attribute
* h: hidden file attribute (the file remains hidden in normal file view)
* r: read-only file attribute (the file cannot be deleted without deactivating this attribute)
* s: system file attribute (important files which must be treated with care)

"attrib config.sys -a -r +h" deactivates archive and read-only attributes and hides the file.