©1995 Microsoft® Windows95®
(Added the brackets myself - ffolkes@ix.netcom.com)
Command-Line Commands Summary
Native Windows 95 Commands
A native command takes advantage of the 32-bit operating system.
Most commands familiar to MS-DOS users are now native Windows 95
system commands.
Some commands, such as dir and chdir, are internal, meaning the
command resides in memory at all times. Internal commands can be
run at the command prompt and in batch files.
Other commands, such as drvspace and xcopy, are external,
meaning the command is stored in its own file and loads from
disk when you use the command. External commands can be run at
the command prompt, from Windows Explorer, from the Run command,
or from the Start menu, and can also be run in batch files.
Batch commands are for use in batch programs only.
The following tables summarize the commands included with
Windows 95. Unless otherwise specified, you can type these
commands at the command prompt.
Internal[1] and External[2] Commands
Command Purpose
attrib[2] Displays or changes file attributes.
break[1] Sets or clears extended CTRL+C checking.
cd[1] Displays the name of the current directory or changes]
the current directory.
chcp[1] Displays the number of the active character set (code
page). You can also use this command to change the
active character set for all devices that support
character-set switching.
chdir[1] See the cd command.
chkdsk[2] Checks the status of a disk and displays a status
report. Can also fix disk errors. However, Windows
ScanDisk (scandskw) is the recommended command for
repairing disks.
cls[1] Clears the screen.
command[2] Starts a new instance of the command interpreter.
copy[1] Copies one or more files to the location you specify.
ctty[1] Changes the terminal device used to control the
computer.
date[1] Displays the date and prompts you to change the date,
if necessary.
drvspace[2] Compresses hard disk drives or floppy disks, and
configures drives that were compressed by using
DriveSpace or DoubleSpace. This is a Windows-based
utility; for information, see the syntax
description.
debug[2] Starts the Debug program, which you can use to test
and debug executable files.
defrag[2] Reorganizes the files on a disk to optimize disk
performance. This is a Windows-based utility; for
information, see the syntax description.
del (erase)[1] Deletes the files you specify.
deltree[2] Deletes a directory and all the files and
subdirectories that are in it.
dir[1] Displays a list of the files and subdirectories that
are in the current or specified directory.
diskcopy[2] Copies the entire contents of one floppy disk to
another floppy disk.
doskey[2] Loads the Doskey program into memory. The Doskey
program recalls command-line commands, and it enables
you to edit command lines and create and run macros.
Doskey loads by default.
edit[2] Starts a text editor you can use to create and edit
ASCII text files.
emm386[2] Enables or disables EMM386 expanded-memory support.
Also provides support for loading real-mode device
drivers in the upper memory area (UMA) if both
EMM386.EXE and HIMEM.SYS are loaded with device=
commands in CONFIG.SYS.
erase[1] See the del command.
exit[1] Quits the command interpreter (COMMAND.COM) and returns
to the program that started the command interpreter, if
one exists.
expand[2] Decompresses a compressed file.
fc[2] Compares two files and displays the differences between
them.
fdisk[2] Starts the Fdisk program, which configures a hard disk
for use with Windows 95. Although you can run this
command at the command prompt, you cannot use it while
running Windows 95 on the drive that contains the
Windows system files.
find[2] Searches for a specific string of text in a file or
files.
for[2] Runs a specified command for each file in a set of
files.
format[2] Formats a disk for use with Windows 95 or MS-DOS. You
can use the right-click a drive icon in Windows
Explorer to use a Windows-based version of this
command.
keyb[2] Starts the Keyb program, which configures a keyboard
for a specific language.
label[2] Creates, changes, or deletes the volume label (name)
of a disk.
lh[1] See the loadhigh command.
loadfix[2] Ensures that a program is loaded above the first 64K
of conventional memory.
loadhigh (lh)[1] Loads a program into upper memory.
md[1] Creates a directory or subdirectory.
mem[2] Displays the amount of used and free memory on the
computer.
mkdir[1] See the md command.
mode[2] Configures a printer, serial port, or display adapter;
sets the typematic rate; redirects printer output from
a parallel port to a serial port; prepares, selects,
refreshes, or displays the numbers of the character
sets (code pages) for parallel printers or the
keyboard and screen; displays the status of all the
devices installed on the computer.
more[1] Displays one screen of output at a time.
move[2] Moves one or more files to the location you specify.
Can also be used to rename files and directories.
nlsfunc[2] Starts the Nlsfunc program, which loads country-
specific information for national language support
(NLS).
path[1] Indicates which directories the operating system should
search for executable files (programs).
prompt[1] Changes the appearance of the command prompt.
rd[1] Deletes (removes) a directory.
ren[1] Changes the name of the file or files you specify.
rename[1] See the ren command.
rmdir[1] See the rd command.
scandisk[2] Checks disks and the file system for damage, and
repairs them, if needed. Windows ScanDisk
(scandskw) is the recommended command for
repairing disks.
set[1] Displays, sets, or removes environment variables.
setver[2] Displays the version table. Reports a version number
to programs or device drivers designed for earlier
versions of MS-DOS.
smartdrv[2] Starts or configures SMARTDrive, which creates a
disk cache in extended memory. Important Under
Windows 95, do not place the smartdrv command in
AUTOEXEC.BAT. Windows 95 uses another method of
disk caching.
sort[2] Reads input, sorts data, and writes the results to the
screen, a file, or another device.
start /W[2] Allows you to run a Windows-based program from the
command line and wait for it. For information about
other switches that can be used with start, see the
online Help for the command.
subst[2] Associates a path with a drive letter.
sys[2] Creates a startup disk by copying hidden Windows 95
system files and the command interpreter (COMMAND.COM)
to the disk.
time[1] Displays the system time or sets the computer’s internal
clock.
type[1] Displays the contents of a text file.
ver[1] Displays the operating system version number.
verify[1] Directs the operating system to verify that files
are written correctly to a disk, and displays the
status of verification.
vol[1] Displays the volume label and serial number for a disk,
if the disk has them.
xcopy[2] Copies directories, their subdirectories, and files
(except hidden and system files). For information, see
the syntax description.
[1] Internal commands can be used in batch files and at the
command prompt.
[2] External commands can be run from the command prompt or
in batch files, or can be run from Windows Explorer, the
Run command, or other parts of the Windows 95 user
interface.
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