289 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
289 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Hard Disk Management - Level 1:
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DOS Disk Operating System (Director Of Services)
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---
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Master control program for the flow of information within a PC. One of
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its primary functions is to oversee all disk activities -
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reading/writing information from/to a disk, and loading/executing
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programs. It controls (links) all hardware devices so they may
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communicate with one another including:
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Floppy Drives: 5.25", 3.5"
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Hard Drives: 10mb, 20mb, .....
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Ram Disk: Simulates a disk drive from within RAM
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Laser Disk: "CD's" for computers
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Tape Storage Device: Backup system typically using cassette type
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tapes
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PLUS, Screen, Keyboard, Printer, Modem, Mouse, ...
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As if this wasn't enough, this modest software called DOS also keeps
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track of the current time and date, and the usage of all memory
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locations within RAM.
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Once DOS has been properly BOOTed, you will see the familiar "DOS
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Prompt":
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A>
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This says: 1. DOS has been properly installed
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2. "A" is the default drive
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3. DOS is awaiting your next command
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HARD DISK DRIVES
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----------------
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Also called Hard Drive, Hard Cards, Fixed Disk Drives. Hard Drives are
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essentially large floppies housed within the computer. They are much faster,
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much higher capacity, and less likely to fail due to the safe environment from
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within which they operate.
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Hard Disk cost is related to its capacity and it Access Time. Access Time is
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the amount of time it take the disk to locate a random piece of information.
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Access Time is measured in milliseconds (ms-millionths of a second). A fast
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one would be 28ms, a slow one 65ms.
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DOS REALITIES
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-------------
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There are three types of FILES that may be successfully "executed" from
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the DOS Prompt:
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1. *.EXE Commands ("EXECUTE" Program files Lotus, dBASE,....)
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2. *.COM Commands ("COMMAND" Program files Lotus, dBASE,....)
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3. *.BAT ("BATCH" Custom programs )
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To successfully execute one of the *.EXE, *.COM, or *.BAT command
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files, the file itself must be either:
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1. In the Current directory
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2. Within a directory that is part of the DOS "PATH" command
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Batch (.BAT) files are the only executable files you can write using a
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simple word processor, or DOS's built in Line Editor (EDLIN) - more later.
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BOOTING (or Bootstrap) To load and execute the Disk Operating System-DOS
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-------
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This term comes from the phrase "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps".
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This happens within a PC when it is turned on. Actually, a built-in program
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(ROM) is executed, then a couple of "hidden" files from the ROOT directory
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(hard drive) or DOS Disk (floppy disk), then COMMAND.COM (DOS internal command
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interpreter) followed by the Optional CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files.
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COMMAND.COM: Must by loaded for DOS to operate properly, it contains
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the Internal DOS commands - those used most often: Copy,
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Dir, Del, etc. The remainder of files on the DOS disk
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are called External Files (DISKCOPY, CHKDSK,...). To
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utilized one of these commands, the DOS disk must be
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accessible.
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CONFIG.SYS: Optional. If it is located on the Disk that you are
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BOOTing from, DOS will "open" it and read and interpret a
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list of system configuration commands. This is a ASCII
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text file which can be created by any text editor.
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Configuration commands include: FILES, BUFFERS,
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DEVICE,...
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AUTOEXEC.BAT: Optional. An ASCII text file. "Opened" and read after
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CONFIG.SYS, IF it exists on the BOOT disk. A "batch"
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file. A set of DOS commands and other special commands.
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SOME FREQUENTLY USED DOS COMMANDS WITHIN A HARD DISK ENVIRONMENT
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----------------------------------------------------------------
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A Hard Disk is just like a floppy. However, due to its size additional file
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management commands are needed. The following can also be used on floppy
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disks, but they are most common in Hard Drive Environments.
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INTERNAL <20> EXTERNAL (Insert DOS in Drive A)
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<20>
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MD <20> CHKDSK
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CD <20> BACKUP
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RD <20> RESTORE
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PROMPT <20> SUBST
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PATH <20> TREE
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**-- Internal DOS Commands -
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MD - Make a directory (see below)
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CD - Change to a directory (see below)
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RD - Remove a directory - must be rid of files first (see below)
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PROMPT $p$g - Changes the way the DOS prompt is display. $p$g insures that
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the current directory is shown at the prompt. Very useful.
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Usually "set" in the AUTOEXEC.bat file (see below)
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PATH=c:\DOS;c:\BATCH;c:\UTILITY
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Sets up a command (*.EXE, *.COM, *.BAT) search path in the DOS
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environment. When a command is issued from the DOS prompt, it
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first looks in the directory you are currently in, then looks in
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each directory noted on this path. Usually this command is built
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into the AUTOEXEC.bat file (see below)
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**-- External DOS Commands -
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CHKDSK C:\*.* /F
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Checks the integrity of disk files - the level of fragmentation of files.
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Indicates the number of files and amount of free storage space remaining on
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the disk in drive A. It also indicates the amount of RAM storage.
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If any lost clusters are found (data without a home), they can be converted
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to *.CHK files so you can delete them to free up the disk space.
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SUBST E: c:\LOTUS\123FILES - Assigns a 1-letter drive ID to a
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directory path
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SUBST E: /D - Cancel previous designation
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TREE /F - Displays a list of files and directories on the disk.
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/F - more detail - all files, all directories
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BACKUP (see below)
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RESTORE (see below)
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DIRECTORIES
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-----------
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As previous mentioned, a hard disk is essentially a large floppy disk.
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However, it offers some distinct advantages:
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Is much larger
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Stays inside the machine
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Operates (transfers data) at a much higher rate (5-10x)
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Because a Hard Disk is so much larger than a floppy, we use an
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additional file organization tool called SUBDIRECTORIES.
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If a floppy is like a filing drawer, than a Hard Drive is like a wall
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of file drawers, each drawer call a SUBDIRECTORY.
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DOS lets you organize files using tree-structured directories rather than a
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single directory. In other words, since a 20 meg (20,000,000 byte) capacity
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hard drive can contain approximately 60 floppy disks worth of files, an
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additional organization tool is needed. The creation of SUBDIRECTORIES allows
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us to subdivide a disk to contain related files. It's as if we have many file
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cabinets available to store our files rather than a single giant one.
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DOS permits up to 112 files on a floppy disk. However, with that many
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it is a labor to examine via a DIR and it also slows DOS's file access
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and retrieval.
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ROOT DIRECTORY - Main directory - it provides support for all the
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SUBDIRECTORIES. It contains all the SUBDIRECTORIES.
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Each SUBDIRECTORY can contain files as well as other SUBDIRECTORIES.
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These other Subdirectories could be thought of as SUB-SUBDIRECTORIES.
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To use a file in a different drive we have specified the drive and
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filename (B:Filename.ext). Similarly, if we want to access a file in a
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SUBDIRECTORY we specify a PATH, OR make that SUBDIRECTORY the "current"
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one.
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ
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<20>ROOT DIRECTORY<52>
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<20> <20>
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<20> files<65>
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
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<20>
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ
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<20> <20> <20>
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ
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<20>SUBDIRECTORY <20> <20>SUBDIRECTORY <20> <20>SUBDIRECTORY <20>
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<20> files<65> <20> files<65> <20> files<65>
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
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<20> <20>
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20>
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ
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<EFBFBD>"SUB-SUBDIRECTORY"<22> <20>"SUB-SUBDIRECTORY"<22> <20>"SUB-SUBDIRECTORY"<22>
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<EFBFBD> files<65> <20> files<65> <20> files<65>
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
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PATH: A PATH specifies the names of the directories that DOS must go
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through from the ROOT DIRECTORY to get to the file. The directories
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are separated by a forward slash ( \ ). (NOT the same as the DOS PATH
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command noted above)
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EX: C:\123FILES\PROJECTX\BUDGET.WK1
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C:\ Root Directory
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<20>
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<20><> 123FILES Lotus files Subdirectory
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<20>
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> PROJECTX Sub-Subdirectory containing all "PROJECTX"
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<20> files
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<20>
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<20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> BUDGET.WK1 A specific Lotus file called BUDGET within
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the PROJECTX Subdirectory
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DOS & SUBDIRECTORIES - there are only 3 key commands in dealing with
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Subdirectories: MD, CD, and RD
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TO MAKE A SUBDIRECTORY
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----------------------
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MD dirspec - Internal - to MaKe a DIRectory -dirspec is the name of
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the subdirectory or its PATH
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EX: C>MD 123FILES <ENTER> - This creates a subdirectory
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called 123FILES
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- Naming a SUBDIRECTORY follows the same rules for
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file naming, except extensions are not used
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- You can created unlimited number of SUBDIRECTORIES
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- Identical Filenames can exist in different SUBs
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(Remember, 2 files with identical filenames CANNOT coexist
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in the same SUBDIRECTORY)
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TO CHANGE THE "CURRENT" SUBDIRECTORY
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------------------------------------
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The computer can only have 1 "file drawer" open at a time - thus this is
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called the current directory. Unless instructed otherwise, the computer will
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assume all files sought and sent will go into this current subdirectory.
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CD\dirspec - to Change the "current" Directory
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- EX: C>CD\LOTUS <ENTER> - This makes a subdirectory
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called LOTUS the current one
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TO REMOVE/ERASE A SUBDIRECTORY
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------------------------------
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1. First make this directory the current one C>cd/dirspec
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2. DELETE all the files within this directory
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C>DEL *.*
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It will ask if you are sure - Y
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3. Go to the ROOT DIRECTORY C>cd\
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4. RD dirspec - Reove Directory
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C>RD dirspec
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***** END OF FILE: Press <ESC> to return to Main Menu *****
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