You can also use the Setup program on your Reference diskette to set the correct time and date, See “Setting the Real-time Clock” in Chapter 2 for instructions.

Creating and Managing Files

All your data and programs are stored in files on disk. A data file contains information, such as words, numbers, or pictures. A program file contains coded instructions that the computer can understand and execute.

The kind of file you create depends on the MS-DOS command or application program you use to create it. In general, a data file that you create using an application program is stored in a special format. If you use a different application program to read that file, you may encounter problems.

When you create a file, you need to give it a name. The name must be in the format MS-DOS requires.

Naming Files

Each file must have a unique name so that you can retrieve it when you need to. The name consists of two parts: the filename and the extension (which is optional).

The filename can be up to eight characters long. Create a filename that identifies the information the file contains. You can use any characters or numbers except for blank spaces and the following symbols:

*\/;?[I:;<>.,+=

Using MS-DOS with Your Equity 386SX 4-9