Listing the Contents of a Directory

You can use the DIR command to list all the files in a particular directory. For example, to list the files in the current directory, type the following and press Enter:

DIR

MS-DOS lists the names of the files in the current directory on the current drive, in a format like the following example:

Directory

of C:\WORDPROC\PERSONAL

 

 

.

<DIR>

6-09-89

10 : 16a

. .

<DIR>

5-23-89

3

: 24p

LETTER.713

<DIR>

7-13-89

1

: 48p

RESUME

8293

7-29-89

9

: 07a

BOOKRPRT

1 0 8 6 6

6 - 1 8 - 8 9

11 : 43p

 

5 File(s) 16013560 bytes

free

A directory listing includes the following information about each file: the name and extension, the size in bytes, and the date and time the file was created or last modified (whichever is later).

Any subdirectories in the directory are listed along with the files; they are identified by the letters <DIR>. At the bottom of the listing, MS-DOS reports the total number of files (including directories) and the number of bytes on the disk that are still available for use.

If the listing is too long to fit on one screen, you can add the /P switch to the command, like this:

DIR /P

This switch causes MS-DOS to pause after displaying each screenful of information. To see the next screenful, press any key.

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