This command tells MS-DOS to list on screen (TYPE) the contents of the file JEAN1204.DOC, which is stored in the directory \WORDPROC\PERSONAL. Note that the filename is connected to the pathname by a backslash character-the same character used to separate the various directories in the pathname itself.

Including Drive Letters With Pathnames and Filenames

As mentioned earlier in this chapter, if you want to access a file stored on a drive other than the default drive, you have to include a drive designator (A:, for example) along with the filename. If the file you want is not stored in the default directory of that drive, you need to include a pathname as well as the drive designator.

For example, suppose you are logged onto the root directory of drive C, and you want to list the contents of the file JEAN1204.DOC which is stored in the directory \WORDPROC\PERSONAL of drive D. The last time you were logged onto drive D, the default directory on that drive was drive D’s root directory. If you issue the command

TYPE D:JEAN1204.DOC

MS-DOS attempts to find the file you want in the root directory of drive D. Because the file is not there, you get an error message. To correct the problem, add a pathname to the command, like this:

TYPE D:\WORDPROC\PERSONAL\JEANl204.DOC

If you do not know what the default directory on another drive is, it is a good idea to include the full pathname whether you need it or not. You can never give MS-DOS too much information.

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