If you do not have a hard disk, external commands are stored on the set of working diskettes generated when you installed MS-DOS. To use an external MS-DOS command, you must insert the diskette containing that command into a diskette drive. To find out which external commands are on which diskettes, see the list of working diskette contents in your MS-DOS Installation Guide.

For example, if you want to use the FORMAT command, you must insert the Startup diskette into a diskette drive. Then you can either log onto that drive and enter the FORMAT command or specify the appropriate drive when you enter the command.

For example, if you have two diskette drives and you want to format a diskette that is in drive B, you need to insert the Startup diskette into drive A, and log onto drive A. Then type the following and press Enter:

FORMAT B:

MS-DOS finds the file named FORMAT.COM on the current drive.

If you are logged onto drive B, you need to type the following and press Enter:

A:FORMAT B:

This tells MS-DOS to look on drive A for FORMAT.COM because the current drive is drive B.

4-6 Using MS-DOS with Your Equity 386SX