Changing the Default Drive

When you see the A > prompt, you know that MS-DOS is operating from drive A. If you want to run a program or find a file on a different drive, however, you must specify that drive. You can do this either by logging on to that drive or by including the drive identifier (the drive letter followed by a colon) when you type the filename.

To log on to drive B, for example, type B: and press Enter. Your screen now displays the B > prompt. This means that you are now operating from drive B as the default drive. The system continues to read from drive B until you log on to another drive, or turn off or reset your computer.

To access a program or file without first changing the default drive, use a drive identifier with the filename. For example, if you are logged on to drive A and type B : README within your MS-DOS command, the computer retrieves the file named README from drive B but stays logged on to drive A.

The MS-DOS Command Format

To enter an MS-DOS command, you need to type the command in the correct format. The command format provides MS-DOS with the information needed to perform a task.

The MS-DOS command format consists of the command name, parameters, and delimiters. The command name tells MS-DOS the task you want the computer to perform. Parameters specify details such as what data you want to process and where to locate or store a file. Delimiters are characters such as spaces or commas that separate command names and parameters.

Some commands also have optional switces you can use. A switch is a type of parameter that alters the effect of a command.

Path names may be required in a command if you are specifying files that are not on the current drive or directory. A path name tells MS-DOS where to locate a file, and consists of one or more directory names separated by backslashes. See the section on using pathnames later in this chapter.

4-2

Using MS-DOS with Your Equity Ie