Basic MS-DOS and Hardware Functions
There are a number of basic DOS commands and hardware functions that a person need to know before they can effectively work with the MS-DOS operating system.

The paragraphs below are included in this tutorial to help you become more familiar with using a MS-DOS based computer system.

Inserting a Floppy Disk In A Drive
As we said earlier, one of the methods we use in modern times to obtain stored data or programs is obtain the desired data from several different types of storage devices.

In an office environment people use their computers to create, edit, review, and organize paper documents. (Example - Letters, reports, etc.) When we want to permanently store this type information for future use, we can use these storage devices.

Unlike the electronic memory in computers (RAM), storage devices store data permanently. Most computers have at least two devices capable of storing data permanently.

These devices are 5-1/4 and 3-1/2 inch Floppy Disks Floppy Disks use magnetic encoding as a storage method.

Orientation of the Drive - You will find that not all floppy drives (especially the 3-1/2 inch variety) are mounted horizontally in the system case. Some are mounted vertically on either side of the hard drive.

The way the drive is mounted directly affects the way you insert a disk. Since Floppy Disks are one of the flexible removable storage devices used to store information, learning how to properly insert a disk in a floppy drive is very important.

Just as you shouldn't insert a videocassette tape upside down, you also shouldn't insert a floppy disk upside down. The proper way to insert a floppy disk is to hold the disk so that the label is facing up.

  • If you are using a 5 1/4-inch disk that does not have a label, hold the disk so that the notched side is on the left. (Disk types are described in the Basics part.)

  • If you are using a 3 1/2-inch disk that does not have a label, look for writing (disk type, arrow, manufacturer, for instance) to indicate " up" side. Hold the disk so that you see the writing.

Insert the disk into the drive. Push the disk gently--don't force it. With a 3 1/2 inch disk, you should hear a click, indicating the disk is inserted. If the 5-1/4 inch drive door has a lever or latch. Push the lever so that it is closed.
  • Type A: and press Enter. This step makes floppy drive A: (where you inserted the disk) active.

  • If you inserted the disk into a different floppy disk drive (such as B:), type that name instead. DOS displays A:\> to tell you that is inserted properly into the drive .

Formatting Floppy Disks
Floppy Disks generally are blank when you purchase them. (A few companies sell preformatted disks.) Therefor before data can be stored on a disk we may be required to format that disk.

The format command makes sure the disk is in good condition (by checking the tracks and sectors) and then sets the disk up to store files or programs.

A floppy disk that has been formatted before can be reformatted again to recheck its physical condition. You must remember format command removes all files from the disk by clearing the FAT entries on the disk.

If you have files on the disk you want to save, you must copy them to another disk before you use the format command.

Keep in mind that you must format a disk to the correct capacity.

That is, you shouldn't take a 720K disk and format it as a 1.44M disk. An improperly formatted disk may seem as if it is working correctly but the data stored on the disk is very unreliable and at any given time may not work.

Format will always format a disk based on the capacity of the actually floppy drive unless the /F:size switch is used with the command.

As an example a high density 5-1/4 inch drive will normally format a disk at 1.2 mb. With MS-DOS versions 4.0 and later you can format to the following capacities:

  • For 5-1/4 inch floppy disks
    • 160,000 bytes (160K)
    • 180,000 bytes (180K)
    • 320,000 bytes (320K)
    • 360,000 bytes (360K)
    • 1,200,000 bytes (1.2M) (This is a High Density Disk)

  • For 3-1/2 inch floppy disks.
    • 720,000 bytes (720K)
    • 1,400,400 bytes (1.44M)
To Format a Disk
  1. Insert a blank disk into drive A: or B: - Be sure that the disk is blank (or contains information that you no longer need). Formatting wipes out all the information on the disk.

  2. Type FORMAT - FORMAT is the command that prepares a disk for use.

  3. Press the space bar once - This step inserts a space between the command and the drive to format.

  4. Type A: - Drive A: contains the disk that you want to format. Be sure not to format drive C:. at this time you should include any switches such as the /s for system files and the /f:size for a specific format size.

  5. Press Enter - Pressing Enter confirms the command. You will see the message [Insert new, diskette for drive A: and press Enter when ready.]

  6. Press Enter - Pressing Enter tells DOS that the disk has been inserted. The formatting procedure begins. Depending on your DOS version, different things may happen. When the format is complete, you see the message Format complete.

Note : If prompted for a volume label, type any name you wish (up to 14 characters long) for the volume label and press Enter. Depending on the version of DOS you are using, you may not be prompted for a volume label.

This label simply assigns a name to the disk. You can press Enter to skip adding a name. After the volume label is displayed, you see other information (total disk space, allocation units, and so on).

Then you will see the message Format another (Y/N)? Type N and press Enter. This step tells DOS that you are finished formatting. You will be returned to the DOS prompt.

Changing Drives
When you work with a computer system, there will be time when you will need to change the drive you are logged into. As an example - Lets assume someone gives you a Floppy Disk containing a letter file. They ask you if you could make a few changes to the letter and then produce a copy on your printer. Before you can do anything to the file, you must first insert the disk into your Floppy Drive and log on to the drive. Follow the instructions below to change to another drive.

To Change to Drive A: or drive B:

  • Insert The Disk - Insert a formatted disk into drive A: or B: - You may have just one drive. In this case, it is drive A:. If you have more than one drive, drive A: is usually the top drive of the computer.

  • Type A: - Typing A: specifies the drive that you want to change to (drive A:). Typing [B:] specifies the drive that you want to change to is (drive B:). The name of a drive consists of two parts: the letter and a colon. The name of a drive consists of two parts: the letter and a colon. Be sure not to insert a space between the two items.

  • Press Enter - Pressing Enter confirms the command. You see A:\> on the screen. This prompt reminds you that drive A: is the current drive. Note:
Note: You would need to change drives when you want to access files on another drive, or if you want to copy the files on the disk in drive A: to drive C: (or vice versa).
If the floppy disk you are using hasn't been formatted, you will see the message General failure reading drive A: Abort, Retry or Fail? If this happens, remove the unformatted disk, and type [F]. This will allow you to log onto the [C drive] again.

Copying A Disk
There will be time when it becomes necessary for you to copy the entire contents of a disk from one floppy disk to another. Most people would think they would have to copy one file at a time. This would be a very time comsumming venture. There is however, a command in DOS called DISKCOPY that will allow you to copy the whole disk at once. Just follow the instructions below to use this command.
The Basic Command Looks Like This

Diskcopy A: A:

  • Insert a disk into drive A:. Insert the disk that contains files you want to copy.

  • Type[Diskcopy]. At the [C:\>] prompt type [DISKCOPY]. The DISKCOPY command tells DOS to copy everything on the disk. This process copies the files, the file storage information, and the tracks--technical information about how the data is stored.

  • Press the [Space Bar] once. Pressing the space bar once inserts a space between the command and the drive.

  • Type [ A:]. Drive A contains the disk that you want to copy.

    Press the [Space Bar] once. Pressing the space bar inserts a space between the source disk (the disk you are copying) and the target disk (the disk you are copying to).

  • Type [A:]. Drive A will also contain the disk to which you want to copy. You will be required to swap disks back and forth.

  • Press the [Enter] key. Pressing Enter confirms the command. You will see the message Insert SOURCE diskette in drive A:. Press any key to continue.

  • Press the [Enter] key. After inserting the source disk (disk that has the file you want to copy) press the [enter] key once. Pressing [Enter] confirms that you have inserted the source disk.

  • You will see information on the screen about the copy in progress. DOS copies part of the disk and then prompts you to insert the target disk with the message Insert TARGET diskette in drive A: Press any key to continue.

  • Eject the source disk, insert the target disk, and press the [Enter] key. You eject a 3 1/2 inch disk by pressing the button near the disk slot. You eject a 5 1/4 inch disk by opening the drive door or pushing button in or near the disk slot.

  • Note:The target disk is the disk on which you want the copy placed.

  • Continue ejecting and inserting the appropriate disk as prompted. Depending on how many bytes the disk holds and the amount of memory on your computer, you may have to swap disks several times. DOS 6.2 generally requires only one disk swap. When the disk has been completely copied, you may see a volume serial number. You will also see the message Copy another diskette (Y/N)?

  • Type [ N]. Typing [N] tells DOS that you do not want to copy another disk.

Notes:

Note the write protect notch on the disk. If this is covered by tape or is nonexistent, data cannot be "written" to the disk, but data can still be "read" from the disk.
You can not copy disimular disks. In other words you can not use diskcopy to copy from a 3-1/2 inch disk to a 5-1/4 inch disk or from a high density disk to a low density disk.

Working Smarter
When you purchase new software, use this command to make copies of the disks; then use only the copies. This method protects your original disks.

Saving Data
It is a good idea to save data and programs on two separate disks in case one is destroyed. Even with the most cautious of care, the delicate Floppy Disk sometimes fails for no apparent reason.

Save your work often - The majority of computers on the market today are well designed. Most of the time they provide reliable long term support for your office or activity.

There are times however, when a computer will seem to go on strike. it will seem to just quit working. Read the following story and than ask yourself, has this ever happened to me?.

  • Mary was working on a deadline for her boss. She needed to complete typing a double spaced 100 page document by the end of the day. She had completed the first 50 pages by the time lunch time had arrived, and she felt she had a good chance of completing the job on time.

    After lunch everything seem to be going fine. By 2:30 in the afternoon she had completed another 25 pages pages when the computer suddenly just stopped working.

    Everything Mary tried just didn't work. Every time she typed a key on the keyboard she would get a beeping sound. Mary realized that the only way she could get the computer to work again was to turn it off and then back on to reboot the system.

    After she turned the computer off Mary realized she had not saved her work since lunch time, and had therefore lost 25 pages of work. As a result Mary was unable to meet her deadline.

For the above reason we highly recommend that you save you work at least every 15 minutes. If you don't, you risk losing everything that you have accomplished.

The Importance of Saving Often - To give you a better understanding of the importance of saving often, lets take a closer look at what happens to the data your are working.

  • The text you type into a new letter or document is stored in your computers RAM chips (memory).

  • Data saved in memory is lost when you turn off your computer or the power is interrupted.

  • To keep your work you tell the software to save the document or letter to a storage device. This is usually a hard or floppy drive. Each time you save the new data is written over or replaces the data saved previously.

  • If you don't save you work often, and something happens to your computer, all you will have in storage is the information present when you saved the last time. This is why Mary lost the last 25 pages she typed when her computer hung up.

Automatic Save - While it is true that the newest software will automatically save your work every so often, you should not rely on the programs to work properly.

In addition to saving every 15 minutes you should save your work whenever you:

  • Leave your desk Anytime you are interrupted by a phone call.

  • Before you print a file.

  • Before you run a spell checker.

  • Whenever you try a new feature in your software.
Saving Vs Backing up - Saving a file to a storage disk is different from backing up your work. When you save you are creating one copy of your work. When you back up your work you are creating a duplicate copy.

When not to save - Don't save your document if you have made a mistake while working on it. Just quit the software program without saving. Then open the original file again. Your mistake will not be in the file.

Learn your software - Learn to use your software well enough so that your do not delete or alter the data. Hitting the wrong key at the wrong time could result in you having to rekey in the data. Some of the best ways to become proficient with your software is:

  • Attend Formal Training

  • Read the software manual

  • Use the help function in your software.
Exit all programs - You should turn off the computer only when you are at a DOS prompt. If you are working in a program, save all files and exit the program before you turn off the computer. (See your program manual for help with saving and exiting.) Never turn off the computer while still in Windows 3.1. This can cause problems with the Windows program.

Turn off the computer and the monitor (if necessary) - Every computer has a different location for its On/Off switch. Check the side, the front, and the back of your computer. Your monitor may have a separate On/Off switch. If so, you also need to turn this switch to Off.

Note: Should you leave your computer on? One-half of the computer world says you should leave the computer on most of the time. The other half says you should turn it off each time you finish using it. Each practice has its own benefits.

Changing The Prompt
If you want to change the way your prompt displays on the screen, follow the instruction below.

The Basic Command Looks Like This

Prompt $p$G

  • Type [PROMPT]. Prompt is the command that tells DOS what to display when it is ready for a command. The default prompt is C:\>. If you or someone else has changed your PROMPT command, your prompt might look different.

  • Press the [Space Bar] once. Pressing the space bar once inserts a space between the command and the prompt you want to use

  • Type[$P$G]. $P$G is a code that tells DOS to display the current directory. When you change directories, the name of the current directory appears.

  • Press [Enter]. Pressing Enter confirms the new prompt. Suppose that you change to the DATA directory. The prompt will read C:\DATA>. This prompt reminds you where you are within DOS.