Lab: The Command Line
Objectives:
 customize the command line
 use DOS commands to view, navigate, create and delete directories
 use DOS commands to copy, move, rename, delete files and change attributes
Background: All computer and network technicians should know some of the basic commands and functions available
from the command line in Windows. Microsoft’s Disk Operating System (DOS), also called MS-DOS, is a collection of
programs and commands used to control the overall computer operation in a disk-based system. All modern Windows
versions support DOS commands from the command line. DOS allows you to even edit the command line and change the
way it behaves.
Step 1: The Command Line
Open a command line from Windows:
 select Start/Run and type: command
1. What directory are you in? ________________
2. What does the prompt look like? ___________
Task: The Prompt: The DOS prompt is what you see when you first open a command line window. The default prompt is
C:\, or your current patch. The prompt can be changed, using the prompt command. The prompt command uses the syntax
prompt text, where text can be anything you want. There are also several preconfigured prompt parameters you can use. Try
changing the prompt using the following commands:
Command
What is displayed at the prompt?
 prompt $q
____________
 prompt $$
____________
 prompt $t
____________
 prompt $d
____________
 $p
____________
 $v
____________
 prompt <Your Name>’s PC $d $p
____________
 Change your prompt back to the default to finish the lab: prompt $p$g
Task: Editing the Command Line
Dos lets you edit the command line, and even recall previous commands to make changes if needed. In order to use
command line editing, you use a TSR called doskey, which must be initialized. A TSR (terminate-and-stay-resident)
program that loads itself into memory and stays there until you restart your computer.
 type: doskey
(doskey is now loaded and you can use it to recall commands)
Now we will enter some commands into the history list, so we can try it out
 type: cd\
 type: cd windows
 type: cd command
Now try some of the command history features:
 press the up arrow scroll back up through your list of commands
 press the down arrow to scroll back down through the list
 press Esc to clear the current command
 press F7 to list the commands you have typed
 press F9 and then enter the number of the command you want to use
Try some of the editing keys to edit commands:
 home: moves to the beginning of the line
 right and left arrow: moves forward and back 1 character at a time
 end: moves to the end of the line
 ctrl + right or left arrow: moves forward or back a word
 Ins: lets you add characters
Step 2: Displaying Directory Contents: Dir
DIR command will list directories and various files. Directories are specified with the <DIR> notation that precedes the
file/directory. The DIR command also displays the volume name, free space, and total files and directories present.
Task: show a list of the directories located on this drive.
 type: cd\
change to the root directory
 type: cd windows
change to the windows directory
 type dir
What happened?_______________________________________
 type: dir /p
Press enter to continue the list
How many directories do you have in the windows folder? _____________________________
What does the /p switch do? _______________
Task: get help on the dir command:
 type: cd\
change to the root directory
 type: dir /?
What does the /w switch do? _______________
What does the /s switch do? _________________
Task: find a file using dir/s
 : type: dir /s format.com
Where is the file located? __________________
You can also use a wildcard to search for files. The * is a wildcard which can be used in place of all or part of a filename, to
use a command on many files at once. The * wildcard replaces any number of letters before or after the dot in a filename.
Task: search for the readme files on your drive
 type: dir /s/p readme.*
How many files did it find? ________________
Step 3: Create a directory
To create directories in DOS, use the md directory_name or mkdir directory_name command.
Task: create an IT directory in the C drive
 type: cd\
change to the root directory
 type: md it
Task: verify the creation of the directory
 type: dir
Is the it directory in the list? _______________________________
Step 4: Changing Directories
To change directories use the cd directory_name command. To move up one level in the directory structure, use the
command cd…
Task: change to the it directory
 type: cd it
The command prompt should now be C:\it >.
Step 5: Create another directory
Task: create another directory called “pcs”, inside the IT directory
 type: md pcs
Task: verify the creation of the directory
 type: dir
Is the pcs directory in the list? _______________________________
Step 6
Task: Change to the newly created “pcs” directory.
 type: cd pcs
The command prompt should now be c:\IT\pcs>
Step 7: Create files
To create a file in DOS, use the copy con filename command. This command will copy the text from the console and make
it into a new directory. After you type this command you will have a blank line on the command prompt. You can then type
in text that will be saved in the newly created file. When you are finished typing in your message, hold down the Control
Key (<Ctrl>) press the Z key and then press the Enter key. This key combination will end the message and DOS will
display “1 file(s) copied”.
Task: Create new files from the console
 Type: copy con sample1.txt
 type in a few words
 Press Ctrl + Z, then enter



Type: copy con sample2.txt
type in a few words
Press Ctrl + Z, then enter



Type: copy con sample3.txt
type in a few words
Press Ctrl + Z, then enter
Step 8: Verify creation of the files
Task: Display the contents of the “pcs” directory with the DIR command.
 type: dir
Are the 3 sample files there (sample1, sample2, sample3)? ________________________
Step 9: File Attributes
Files can have 4 different attributes, which determine their behaviour. In order to display the attribute(s) of a file, use the
command attrib filename.
R – Read Only file attribute – means a file can’t be changed
A – Archive file attribute – used for backup purposes
S – System file attribute – marks it as an important system file
H – Hidden file attribute – hides the file from normal display
Task: Display the file attributes of the sample files
 type: attrib
What attributes do the files have? ________________________
Step 10: Changing File Attributes
To change, or remove an attribute use the attrib [-/+] attribute_value filename command.
The minus (-) option will remove an attribute value from a file and the plus (+) option will add an attribute value to a file.
As discussed early, valid attribute values are R (read-only), A (archive), S (system), H (hidden).
Task: Add the Read-Only attribute to the sample1.txt file
 type: attrib +R sample1.txt
Task: add the archive attribute to the sample2.txt file
 type: attrib +A sample2.txt
Task: Change the attribute value of the sample3.txt file to hidden
 type: attrib +H sample3.txt
Task: Verify the file attributes of the files
 type: attrib
Did the file attributes change (sample1 – R, sample2 – A, sample3 – H)? ______________________________
Task: Display your directory contents
 type: dir
Is sample3.txt displayed? ______
Why not? ___________________
Task: Display Hidden Files – you can show hidden files with the /AH or /a switch
 type: dir /AH
 type: dir /a
Is sample3.txt displayed? __________
What is the difference between these 2 commands? ________
Step 11: Managing Files: copy, ren, del
Task: copy the sample2. file to the it directory, from the pcs directory
 type: copy c:\it\pcs\sample2.txt c:\it
Notice that the original file location is listed 1st, and the new location is listed 2nd.
Task: verify the file was copied:
 type: cd .. (you should now be in the it directory : c:\it)
 type: dir
Is the sample2.txt file copied over? _______________________________
You can also use the copy command to make a 2 nd copy of a file, with a new name.
Task: Make a backup of the sample2.txt file
 type: copy sample2.txt backup1.bak
 type: dir
Are the new backup file and the original there? __________________
To rename a file, you can use the ren command
Task: rename sample2.txt to new.txt
 type: ren sample21.txt new.txt
 type: dir
Did the file get renamed? ___________
NOTE: At this point, you need to display your work to the instructor:





cd\
cd it
dir
cd /pcs
attrib
(new.txt, backup1.bak)
(sample1.txt, sample2.txt, sample3.txt)
(sample1.txt – R, sample2.txt – A, samplet.txt – H)
Step 12: Deleting files
You can delete files in Dos by using the del command.
Task: Delete sample1.txt file
 type: del sample1.txt
Did the file delete? _____________
Why can you not delete it? _______
Task: Remove the Read-Only and hidden attributes
 type: attrib - R sample1.txt
 type: attrib –H sample3.txt
Task: Delete sample1.txt file
 type: del sample1.txt
Did the file delete? _____________
Step 13: Deleting multiple files
If you want to delete all the files in a directory, you can use the command del *.* The * acts as a wildcard, which means
delete any files starting with any letter and with any file extension, or delete all the files in this directory.
Task: Delete all the files in the pcs directory
 Make sure you are currently inside the pcs directory before you continue – your prompt should look like this:
c:\it\pcs
 type: del *.*
Task: verify file deletion
 type: dir /a
Are the files gone? _________
Step 14: Deleting Directories
To delete a directory, you have to use the rd (remove directory command) and you must make sure that you are not
currently inside the directory that you want to remove. If the directory has files inside of it, you must also delete those first.
To back out of a directory, use the cd.. command to back up one level.
Task: Back out of the pcs directory
 type: cd ..
The command prompt should now show c:\IT
Task: Delete the pcs directory
 type: rd pcs
Did the folder delete?
If it does not delete, go on to the next step
Task: Delete all the files in the it directory
 Make sure you are currently inside the itdirectory before you continue – your prompt should look like this: c:\it
 type: del *.*
Task: Back out of the IT directory and then remove it
 type: cd ..
The command prompt should now show c:\
Task: Delete the it directory
 type: rd it
Did the folder delete?
If it does not delete, go on to the next step
If your directories would not delete try this command:
 type cd\ to change to the c:\ drive
 type: deltree it
 type Y to confirm the removal of the it directory and all its subdirectories
Task: verify directory removal
 type: dir /a
Is the directory gone? _________