You can use wildcards to delete groups of files. For example, to delete all files on the diskette in drive A (in the current directory), you could type the following and press Enter:

DEL A:*.*

Because deleting all files is a serious procedure, MS-DOS prompts you to confirm the command when you use the *.* wildcard combination with the DEL command. You see this prompt:

ARE YOU SURE (Y/N)?

Press Y for yes or N for no.

A synonym for DEL is ERASE. Thus, you could substitute ERASE for DEL in any of the preceding examples.

Printing Files

If you have a printer attached to your computer, you can print files with the PRINT command. Of course, you will probably be printing files with the application programs you use with MS-DOS, but if you need to print a file from the MS-DOS command prompt, follow the steps below.

To print a file named STATS.NBA on drive A:

1.Make sure your printer is on and ready to print.

2.At the command prompt, type the following and press

Enter:

PRINT A:STATS.NBA

MS-DOS prompts you for the name of the printing device connected to your computer. (This is usually the name of the communications port that the printer cable is connected to, such as LPT1.)

3-14Using MS-DOS With Your Computer