In this example, the original directory (the root directory) has two subdirectories, named LEDGER and WORDPROC. Each of these subdirectories has subdirectories of its own. LEDGER has two, named ACCOUNTS and SALES; WORDPROC also has two, named BUSINESS and PERSONAL. Finally, the PERSONAL subdirectory of WORDPROC also has two subdirectories, named STORIES and LETTERS.

On your own hard disk, you can create a subdirectory structure that is more complex than this one. Or you may prefer to keep things simpler. Organize your disk to suit your own needs; you can modify the structure as your needs change.

In creating subdirectories, note the following points:

•Any directory can have any number of subdirectories (except the root directory, which can have a total of no more than 512 files and subdirectories).

•Subdirectories are named in the same way that files are. The name can include as many as eight characters (letters or numbers), and you can add an optional extension consisting of up to three characters.

•The root directory does not have a name; it is identified by a backslash ( \ ) .

The Current Directory

MS-DOS always recognizes one directory as the current, or default, directory, just as it always recognizes one drive as being the current, or default, drive. The current directory is the directory in which MS-DOS performs your commands, unless you tell it to do otherwise. If you want to run a program or access a data file that

is not stored in the current directory, you can either change directories (making a different directory current) or include a pathname in your command.

Using MS-DOS With Your Equity LT-286 5-7