DOS Command Line

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One of my favorite DOS commands is ping. The ping command is a computer network administration utility used to test the ability to reach another IP address on a network. Ping reports the round-trip time for messages sent from your computer to another destination computer and back. The name comes from active sonar terminology. I use this command when I am gaming on the internet and I want to know if my opponent is still connected to the internet. To try ping, at the DOS prompt type:
ping yahoo.com
ping wikipedia.com
ping 192.168.1.102

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Although it’s a basic command, my favorite DOS command (that I have encountered so far) is start. Start is an internal command that enables a user to start a separate window to run a specified program or command. I find it very useful to be able to launch a program while working in the command prompt, without having to leave it. If I’m working on a lab and I need to open paint, instead of going to my start menu and looking for the shortcut, I just type start mspaint, and the program opens. If you memorize the short name for the programs you use most while working in the command prompt, I think you will find this command very useful. Here are a few examples you can try: start iexplore, start itunes, start winword. You can also open a specific website which you can see in the video below.

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I have found the Tree command to be very useful in DOS. I did not have a lot of experience working with DOS and using this command gave me a great visual of how all the directories, subdirectories and files are organized. A directory is displayed with the Tree command using a branch system so the user can easily see the hierarchical file system. If I were working on an unfamiliar computer, the Tree command would also be helpful. I could use the command to get a quick and thorough snapshot of a directory’s contents. I also found it helpful to use the pipe operator | with the MORE command if the tree is longer than one page.

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My favorite command is the cls command. When playing around with DOS for the assignments, its nice just to do a cls to clear the screen. This allows me to, in essence, start over without making me close out the screen and open another one. Also, it leaves whatever title I had entered. I found this nice when trying to achieve the print screens we were supposed to come up with for the Labs.

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One of my favorite DOS commands is Ping. Before I started this class I only knew how to use the commands: Ping, Dir, Edit and Cls. I found the Ping command to be the most useful for me out of the ones I knew. The ping command is a computer network administration utility that is used to test IP addresses on a network. For example when I would have trouble connecting to the internet and before making a call to my internet provider I would troubleshoot my router to make sure the router and my computer were communicating with each other. If the router and the computer were connecting then I would ping the IP address of my internet service provider. Since taking this class another command I have found useful is the pipe operator used with the | more command. I like how that allows you to view one page at a time.

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After doing some research I found I used the Vol DOS quit often. This DOS displays the volume information about the designated drive. This is an Internal function. The XCOPY is another DOS I use. This dos multiples files, directories, or drives from one location to another. This is an External dos.

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I have also found the Tree command helpful but i learned with this command you can print the files in the directory,with the dir backslash wildcard gives you a list of everything you can type in dir * .doc>prn and it will send to the printer,and here is an interesting and colorful Dos video…

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I like the COLOR Command. I like the fact of being able to change the text as well as the background color. This is great for any type of lighting or even if you just are tired of looking at a black and white screen. The command can be typed in lowercase letters. This command does not affect the desktop but only the command prompt window. Terra

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well, I have to be honest here, I don't think I ever want to deal with batch files again! gg I picked the video I liked best, but the quality isnt the greatest. Its a good one to show for someones very first batch file.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EgkWMbdM0Wo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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My favorite dos command so far is md. I like the fact that I can make, as well as delete files and folders in dos. I made and actually kept a couple folders and text files from the last assignment! I want to try and back up my hard drive in dos but I need to read more of the book. So far this class has helped me a lot.

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In all my usage of DOS commands, my favourite external command is "telnet". Telnet is used to remotely connect to and log on to a server located at an IP address, which is used for network administrators to access servers quickly and efficiently for general maintenance and management. It is also (in my experience) used by college students to access and practice on CLI operating systems for classwork where the alternative would be for them to install a whole new OS to their personal machines - which isn't really for the faint of heart when it comes to UNIX/Linux systems used in certain CST courses. The external DOS command known as telnet is not enabled by default on newer Windows machines because it is considered a security flaw, due to its inherent functions - remotely accessing and managing a server meant to be used by many users. Thanks to telnet, it's possible for machines to be accessed by users from all different geographical locations, so long as they have a legitimate username, password, and internet connection with telnet on their computer.

Keeping things related, I found a number of YouTube videos relating to telnet. Though many were childish "OMG LEARN TO HACK WITH TELNET WATCH THIS VID!!!1!1!11" kind of videos, there were a few that taught what telnet can be used for - and this was honestly the most intriguing for me to share with the class. Enjoy.

BTW if anyone didn't catch it, you can watch the ASCII edition of Star Wars on your own machine by opening your cmd.exe process and typing: telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl

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The commands that I've used the most so far in class are cls and cd. I find cls very useful since I tend to clear my DOS window in order to have a nice clean workspace after practicing with different DOS commands. I also have found that the cd command is quite helpful in moving around within the different directories. During the labs I have found that both F1 and F3 function keys come in handy as shortcuts to listing previous DOS commands. I have noticed others mentioning the ping command, I used that years ago in the Military for troubleshooting purposes.

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I have a couple of commands that I really like to use so far. I am disabled, and if there is anything I do not like to do is a lot of typing. So I like to use the pipe command and pipe more.
Its easy to input to output without writing a lot of commands. I could not find a you tube video for this one. The other command I like is the * command. This allows me to find what I'm looking for without again, all the excessive typing.

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Several have mentioned the CLS command for clearing your screen , and I hate to jump on that bandwagon, but I have to agree. This is by far the command I utilize the most (not necessarily the best use of my DOS time, but right now it helps!). I tend to get distracted easily, and I find it I keep my screen clear I can concentrate better on the task at hand. The second command I groove on is the | MORE command. Being able to view just one page at a time saves a lot of backtracking.

I know this video is about really basic commands, but I find it really useful right now. I currently am taking both DOS and Unix and this is a nice quick refresher.

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(>-.-)><(-.-)><(-.-<)(>-.-)><(-.-)><(-.-<)(>-.-)><(-.-)><(-.-<)(>-.-)><(-.-)><(-.-<)

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I find that the nslookup command is both interesting and helpful, if you are networking. The nslookup command is referred to as a reverse IP address lookup. Using this command with an IP address will show the domain or host on a network. If you use nslookup with out an IP address, it will show you your own routers server and address. you can use "nslookup name" to show info on the host or domain. An example use of this command could go along the lines of :

nslookup 255.205.98.1

server: ns.randomsite.com
address: 255.255.255.255

name: www.randomsite.com
address: 255.205.98.1

I found this video good for DOS pranks…

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The command I find the most useful, at least so far, is the move command. The move command allows you to move files from one directory to another using the command prompt window. This command recently saved me 2 days worth of work. I had 2 papers that I had written for a class that I saved to a thumb drive. When I saved them I mistakenly saved them into a file that contained a restore point for my computer. Since the files were saved there I couldnt access them. Using the command prompt and the move command I was able to extract those files and move them to the proper folder which saved me from having to redo the work. Another command that I have found useful is the rename command. The rename command allows you to rename one or more files at the same time. I have several files at work that I use to track certain things. At the end of the year these files are copied to archive the data and the new files are renamed for the upcoming year. The rename command allows me to rename all of these files at once which saves me quite a bit of time.


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Once more CLS is found to be a favorite, for me using cls is a habit after every time that i finish a current project in dos. I prefer having an empty screen when i start on a new subject so as not to be confused by what i have done previously. Using CLS keeps the screen clear of unneeded material and helps maintaing the focus of what I am doing. Having the cls command available to wipe your screen except for the command prompt at the top is akin to having an eraser for the chalkboard that we of the older generation used previous to computers lol.

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Being extremely new to DOS the most useful tool I have learned and utilized is the "help" command. The when I learned how to direct the output of a command I directed the output of the command help to a text file, and then printed it off for quick reference as I become more familiar with DOS. It isn't a very fancy or necessarily the most interesting command in DOS, but I believe, as a beginner, it is one of the most useful.