DOS is dead, long live the command line
Before proceeding further, I wish to clear up a common misconception that the command prompt in Windows XP is the same as DOS. Even some experts who know better sometimes refer to the command prompt as a “DOS window”. In fact, Microsoft itself isn't always careful about the distinction. There are some superficial resemblances and some commands with the same name but in fact the old 16-bit DOS is dead. All remnants of DOS are totally gone from the Windows XP kernel (there is a DOS emulator for legacy programs). Windows XP is a 32-bit protected memory system with a totally different approach from the DOS/9X/Me family. The command line in XP has many more capabilities and none of the 16-bit limitations like the restriction to the DOS 8.3 file name format. The augmented capabilities make the command line a powerful tool.
Friday, August 14, 2009
The command prompt window
The command prompt window
The command prompt is run from its own window by invoking the Windows XP command interpreter that is provided by the file cmd.exe located in the folder \Windows\System32\. (The old DOS command interpreter is command.com.) If you look in this folder you may also see several files that look suspiciously like some of the old DOS files. They are, however, different 32-bit versions with many new features. The command prompt window can be opened by entering "cmd" (without quotes) into Start-Run or through Start-All Programs-Accessories. A black and white window (the colors can be changed) containing the command prompt will open. The window looks just like the old DOS window but don’t be fooled, it isn’t. Note that it is possible to open several windows containing command prompts, all running independently. It is even possible to run a separate command prompt shell inside another command prompt window.
The command prompt is run from its own window by invoking the Windows XP command interpreter that is provided by the file cmd.exe located in the folder \Windows\System32\. (The old DOS command interpreter is command.com.) If you look in this folder you may also see several files that look suspiciously like some of the old DOS files. They are, however, different 32-bit versions with many new features. The command prompt window can be opened by entering "cmd" (without quotes) into Start-Run or through Start-All Programs-Accessories. A black and white window (the colors can be changed) containing the command prompt will open. The window looks just like the old DOS window but don’t be fooled, it isn’t. Note that it is possible to open several windows containing command prompts, all running independently. It is even possible to run a separate command prompt shell inside another command prompt window.
Internal and external commands
There are two kinds of commands that can be run from the command prompt. There are the internal commands that are built into the command interpreter like “del” and “dir”. These commands can only be run from a command prompt (or by invoking the command interpreter in some other way). They are listed in the table below. There is also a large list of external commands that use an additional executable file that can be run from either the command prompt or the Start-Run line. Details of the various commands are available in several places. In the Professional version of Windows XP there is a help file ntcmds.chm, which has details of all the commands and their many switches. The help file can be opened by entering (without the quotes) "hh ntcmds.chm" into Start-Run. It may or may not be in the Home Edition, depending on what setup you have. However, in both versions a list of many (but not all) of the commands available can be obtained by entering "help" (without quotes) into a command prompt. For more detail on a specific command, enter "help command-name" or "command-name /?" For example to get information on the command xcopy, enter "help xcopy" or "xcopy /?”. Microsoft keeps moving things, but the last time I checked they had a command line reference at this link.
Dual-Booting Windows 98/Me with Windows XP
A good choice for those who wish to add Windows XP to an older system is dual-booting. Windows XP is incompatible with a variety of older programs and hardware. By using a dual-boot system, the functionality of these legacy applications and equipment can be preserved until the time comes for a new computer or a complete system overhaul. Dual-booting with XP is basically very straightforward but there are a few points that are worth pointing out and I will mention them here.
It is not a good idea to install XP on the same partition with another operating system. A second empty partition should be created first. Although partitioning can be done from the XP disk using the modern version of Fdisk, everything on existing partitions will be destroyed. Unless you are going to completely reinstall your older operating system you will need something like Partition Magic. If using Partition Magic, create a data partition and do not use the option “this partition will contain an operating system” unless you plan to use a boot manager other than the one that comes with XP and you want to hide the two operating systems from each other. Hiding one operating system from the other was necessary when dual-booting Windows 95 with 98 or dual-booting Windows 98 with Me. It is not necessary with XP and my personal preference is to be able to see the entire system from each operating system. Windows XP can also be hidden from the Windows 98 system by formatting the XP partition with NTFS. Windows 98/Me must have a FAT partition. More advanced users may prefer this setup. Any FAT32 partition will be visible to Windows XP but Windows 98/Me cannot read NTFS volumes. (For more on the different types of file systems, see this article.)
The older operating system must be already installed before starting the XP installation. Installation is very easy with only one thing that has to be carefully watched. Do NOT use the default choice of an upgrade installation. Ignore the message that this is “recommended”. That choice will over-write the older existing Windows operating system. Choose “New installation, advanced.” (See figure below) The installation will then go in automatically onto the empty partition. If you have more than two partitions, there is an Advanced setting that will allow you to pick which partition you want XP to be on.
It is not a good idea to install XP on the same partition with another operating system. A second empty partition should be created first. Although partitioning can be done from the XP disk using the modern version of Fdisk, everything on existing partitions will be destroyed. Unless you are going to completely reinstall your older operating system you will need something like Partition Magic. If using Partition Magic, create a data partition and do not use the option “this partition will contain an operating system” unless you plan to use a boot manager other than the one that comes with XP and you want to hide the two operating systems from each other. Hiding one operating system from the other was necessary when dual-booting Windows 95 with 98 or dual-booting Windows 98 with Me. It is not necessary with XP and my personal preference is to be able to see the entire system from each operating system. Windows XP can also be hidden from the Windows 98 system by formatting the XP partition with NTFS. Windows 98/Me must have a FAT partition. More advanced users may prefer this setup. Any FAT32 partition will be visible to Windows XP but Windows 98/Me cannot read NTFS volumes. (For more on the different types of file systems, see this article.)
The older operating system must be already installed before starting the XP installation. Installation is very easy with only one thing that has to be carefully watched. Do NOT use the default choice of an upgrade installation. Ignore the message that this is “recommended”. That choice will over-write the older existing Windows operating system. Choose “New installation, advanced.” (See figure below) The installation will then go in automatically onto the empty partition. If you have more than two partitions, there is an Advanced setting that will allow you to pick which partition you want XP to be on.
Some Windows XP Tweaks
Once more, I remind you that not all systems behave the same way and that “your mileage may vary.” Also never tweak without first knowing how to get back where you started.
Show All Files and Folders
Microsoft hides a lot of things in the default operating system settings for XP (as they did for Win 9X/Me). This may make sense in a multi-user office environment with many computers but it is a distinct annoyance for the home user who wants some control over his or her computer. The default setting of hiding file extensions, for example, just makes life more difficult. For a number of reasons, I have always suggested that these settings be changed. Go to "My Computer" (or any folder window) and open the "Tools" menu. Select "Folder Options" from the list and click the "View" tab.(First figure) In the list in the area headed by "Advanced settings" make these changes
* Check "Display the contents of system folders"
* Check "Show hidden files and folders"
* Uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types"
* Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files"
Show All Files and Folders
Microsoft hides a lot of things in the default operating system settings for XP (as they did for Win 9X/Me). This may make sense in a multi-user office environment with many computers but it is a distinct annoyance for the home user who wants some control over his or her computer. The default setting of hiding file extensions, for example, just makes life more difficult. For a number of reasons, I have always suggested that these settings be changed. Go to "My Computer" (or any folder window) and open the "Tools" menu. Select "Folder Options" from the list and click the "View" tab.(First figure) In the list in the area headed by "Advanced settings" make these changes
* Check "Display the contents of system folders"
* Check "Show hidden files and folders"
* Uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types"
* Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files"
Fonts in Windows
To the average PC user, fonts may not seem like the most interesting of topics . However, there is more to the subject than many may think. Windows comes with a considerable assortment of different types of fonts and characters that allow for considerable flexibility in format and a wide assortment of distinctive and artistic effects in Windows documents. There is support for a number of languages and for many special symbols. In this article, I will cover some of the aspects of Windows fonts and some ways that you can liven up your documents or make use of the special symbols.
The fonts on the Windows system
Font files have the extension .FON or .TTF (true-type) and are listed in the special system folder /Windows/Fonts/. (If you have additional fonts that are specific to a particular printer, those may be elsewhere and have a different extension.) The system font folder can also be reached through Control Panel-Fonts. To see what a font looks like, left double-click on its file (or right-click and choose "Open"). This procedure can be tedious if you are interested in looking at more than one or two fonts or if you want to compare fonts. There are many software programs, some free, some shareware, for viewing or managing fonts. One good freeware program is from Karen Kenworthy. Others can be found at any of the software download sites like NoNags. Also a reference with an extensive list is given in the sidebar.
The standard Windows installations have around 100-200 fonts (the exact number depending on your setup). The following fonts are included with Windows and are installed on every computer
* Courier New (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)
* Arial (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)
* Times New Roman (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)
* Symbol (TrueType)
* Wingdings (TrueType)
* MS Serif
* MS Sans Serif
The fonts on the Windows system
Font files have the extension .FON or .TTF (true-type) and are listed in the special system folder /Windows/Fonts/. (If you have additional fonts that are specific to a particular printer, those may be elsewhere and have a different extension.) The system font folder can also be reached through Control Panel-Fonts. To see what a font looks like, left double-click on its file (or right-click and choose "Open"). This procedure can be tedious if you are interested in looking at more than one or two fonts or if you want to compare fonts. There are many software programs, some free, some shareware, for viewing or managing fonts. One good freeware program is from Karen Kenworthy. Others can be found at any of the software download sites like NoNags. Also a reference with an extensive list is given in the sidebar.
The standard Windows installations have around 100-200 fonts (the exact number depending on your setup). The following fonts are included with Windows and are installed on every computer
* Courier New (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)
* Arial (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)
* Times New Roman (TrueType, including Bold, Italic, and Bold Italic variations)
* Symbol (TrueType)
* Wingdings (TrueType)
* MS Serif
* MS Sans Serif
Windows XP Your Way- Windows Explorer Tips
There are many features in Windows XP that may be familiar to those conversant with Windows NT/2000 systems but which will be foreign territory to those used to the 9X/Me family. One area with a number of new concepts is in the management of hard disks. In particular, use of the file system NTFS allows for a new array of tools and actions. Also, there is the new concept of “dynamic disks.” In this article, we will discuss some of these new aspects. On this page we look at the right-click context menu and the Properties Sheet.
Properties sheet for hard drives
Click “Properties” and a sheet with a number of options will open. The sheet is similar to that for a FAT32 system but with an added tab “Quota”. Also at the bottom of the box for the “general” tab are two additional entries “Compress drive…” and “Allow Indexing…” (Figure 3). In NTFS systems a procedure for compressing files and folders to save space is available. In my opinion, today’s large hard drives make this less useful than it may have been once. Compression also slows down the computer. Indexing is for the purpose of keeping track of the files on the disk for search purposes. Many PC users prefer to turn this service off because it can result in unexpected disk activity and can sometimes slow down the machine. Unless you wish to do rather sophisticated searches, it probably isn't needed. This article explains how to turn it off. Note that the “General” tab shows a pie chart showing the used space on the drive just as in Windows 98/Me. Also the “Disk Cleanup” button is present as before. Use of this button is a convenient way to keep too many temporary files from accumulating and for emptying the Recycle Bin.
Properties sheet for hard drives
Click “Properties” and a sheet with a number of options will open. The sheet is similar to that for a FAT32 system but with an added tab “Quota”. Also at the bottom of the box for the “general” tab are two additional entries “Compress drive…” and “Allow Indexing…” (Figure 3). In NTFS systems a procedure for compressing files and folders to save space is available. In my opinion, today’s large hard drives make this less useful than it may have been once. Compression also slows down the computer. Indexing is for the purpose of keeping track of the files on the disk for search purposes. Many PC users prefer to turn this service off because it can result in unexpected disk activity and can sometimes slow down the machine. Unless you wish to do rather sophisticated searches, it probably isn't needed. This article explains how to turn it off. Note that the “General” tab shows a pie chart showing the used space on the drive just as in Windows 98/Me. Also the “Disk Cleanup” button is present as before. Use of this button is a convenient way to keep too many temporary files from accumulating and for emptying the Recycle Bin.
Windows XP Your Way- Windows Explorer Tips
Some basic features of Windows Explorer are discussed.
In earlier days, Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer (IE) were totally separate entities. Somewhat different modes of presentation for the desktop and for the Internet are still available, but beginning with IE 4 the distinction between the two Explorers became blurred. Nowadays the two are basically the same thing. Many tips, therefore, apply to either Explorer. There is some interesting history here for which we have no space. For reasons of its own, Microsoft wished to integrate IE into the operating system as much as possible and wanted to make the desktop and the Internet basically indistinguishable. Especially for those with a broadband connection, going back and forth from the Internet to the Desktop is now pretty much a seamless operation.
Views
Let us begin with a fundamental function of Windows Explorer- displaying the list of folders and files that are present on the system. There are two basic formats or views for displaying this information. One view format makes use of a single pane. This is the default for My Computer or for the view obtained from clicking on a folder icon. The single pane displays the contents of the container folder but shows no other folders. There are several variations on this view and information can be displayed in a number of different ways. To choose a particular format, go to the "View" menu. Figure 1 shows the choices that are in the View menu. If you have graphics files, Windows may automatically use the "Thumbnails" view but typically the view is "Icons" or "Tiles" (a larger version of Icons). Personally, I often prefer the "Details" view, which provides a list with assorted information such as size and the date modified for each file.
In earlier days, Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer (IE) were totally separate entities. Somewhat different modes of presentation for the desktop and for the Internet are still available, but beginning with IE 4 the distinction between the two Explorers became blurred. Nowadays the two are basically the same thing. Many tips, therefore, apply to either Explorer. There is some interesting history here for which we have no space. For reasons of its own, Microsoft wished to integrate IE into the operating system as much as possible and wanted to make the desktop and the Internet basically indistinguishable. Especially for those with a broadband connection, going back and forth from the Internet to the Desktop is now pretty much a seamless operation.
Views
Let us begin with a fundamental function of Windows Explorer- displaying the list of folders and files that are present on the system. There are two basic formats or views for displaying this information. One view format makes use of a single pane. This is the default for My Computer or for the view obtained from clicking on a folder icon. The single pane displays the contents of the container folder but shows no other folders. There are several variations on this view and information can be displayed in a number of different ways. To choose a particular format, go to the "View" menu. Figure 1 shows the choices that are in the View menu. If you have graphics files, Windows may automatically use the "Thumbnails" view but typically the view is "Icons" or "Tiles" (a larger version of Icons). Personally, I often prefer the "Details" view, which provides a list with assorted information such as size and the date modified for each file.
Windows XP Backup Utility
Regular backups are an essential part of computer maintenance . Windows XP Professional comes with a backup utility already installed but the utility has to be added to the Home Edition. This page discusses how to use the Microsoft Backup Utility.
Installing Backup in Windows XP Home Edition
The backup utility is not included in the default installation of Windows XP Home Edition. However, it can be found on the full Windows XP installation disk where it is present on the CD in the folder \VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP. The procedure for installing it is given by Microsoft at this reference. Kelly Theriot also has a discussion.
Unfortunately, many vendors no longer sell computers with a full installation CD. Systems may come with on OEM version that has no \VALUEADD\ folder or with no CD at all. Instead there is a "Restore" disk or a hidden partition containing an image with whatever contents were on your computer when you bought it.
Installing Backup in Windows XP Home Edition
The backup utility is not included in the default installation of Windows XP Home Edition. However, it can be found on the full Windows XP installation disk where it is present on the CD in the folder \VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP. The procedure for installing it is given by Microsoft at this reference. Kelly Theriot also has a discussion.
Unfortunately, many vendors no longer sell computers with a full installation CD. Systems may come with on OEM version that has no \VALUEADD\ folder or with no CD at all. Instead there is a "Restore" disk or a hidden partition containing an image with whatever contents were on your computer when you bought it.
Computer
A computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions.
Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). These were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs).Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space.Simple computers are small enough to fit into a wristwatch, and can be powered by a watch battery. Personal computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as "computers". The embedded computers found in many devices from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are however the most numerous.
The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes computers extremely versatile, distinguishing them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore computers ranging from a mobile phone to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks, given enough time and storage capacity.
Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). These were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs).Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space.Simple computers are small enough to fit into a wristwatch, and can be powered by a watch battery. Personal computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as "computers". The embedded computers found in many devices from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are however the most numerous.
The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes computers extremely versatile, distinguishing them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore computers ranging from a mobile phone to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks, given enough time and storage capacity.
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