To list the files in a different directory on the current drive,

-

type the pathname of that directory. For example, to list the

 

contents of the LEDGER subdirectory while logged onto

 

drive C, type DIR \LEDGER and press Enter. (Pathnames

 

are described below.)

 

Using Pathnames

Whenever you want to access a file that is not in the current directory, you must specify the file’s pathname. A full pathname consists of one or more directory names separated by backslashes and followed by the filename. The pathname tells MS-DOS where your file is stored.

For instance, in the directory structure shown previously in this chapter, if you had a file named APRIL.TXT stored in the subdirectory named LETTERS, the full pathname of that file would be:

This pathname tells MS-DOS to start at the root directory and go through two subdirectories (WORDPROC and PERSONAL) to find the LETTERS subdirectory. Once in the LETTERS subdirectory, MS-DOS finds the file called APRIL.TXT.

The first backslash tells MS-DOS to begin at the root directory. If you omit the backslash at the beginning of the pathname, MS-DOS begins the search at the current directory. For example, if the current directory is PERSONAL and you want MS-DOS to find the file APRIL.TXT, which is stored in the subdirectory LETTERS, you can specify the pathname like this:

LETTERS\APRIL.TXT

3-10 Using MS-DOS With Your Computer