Command.com is 16-bit and cannot handle long names only 8.3 short names.
Cmd.exe is 32-bit and can handle long or short names.
Cmd.exe is the Windows Command Processor and was developed for NT.
You CANNOT use long file names with command.com, quotes or no quotes. At
least with the Chdir (Cd) command.
------
Microsoft(R) Windows DOS
(C)Copyright Microsoft Corp 1990-2001.
C:\>cd C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Local Settings\Temp
Too many parameters - and
C:\>cd "C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Local Settings\Temp"
Parameter format not correct - "C:\Documents
C:\>cd C:\DOCUME~1\WESLEY~1~VOG\LOCALS~1\Temp
C:\DOCUME~1\WESLEY~1\LOCALS~1\TEMP>
------
Too many parameters
There are too many spaces in the command you are typing. Valid format is
8.3 names.
Parameter format not correct
You typed one or more parameters that do not have a valid format for this
command. Valid format is 8.3 names.
Cannot Use Spaces in MS-DOS Command Parameters
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/229880
Native MS-DOS Commands and the Space Character
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/166827
Amazingly enough, this command works in command.com:
md "A Directory With a Long Name"
You can use long file names with cmd.exe.
You have to use quotes with some commands with cmd.exe, especially if the
path contains a white space.
Try the following commands in cmd.exe and see what happens...
start "" "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"
start "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"
start C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
start iexplore
<quote>
Remarks
Using multiple commands
* You can use multiple commands separated by the command separator && for
string, but you must enclose them in quotation marks (for example,
"command&&command&&command").
Processing quotation marks
If you specify /c or /k, cmd processes the remainder of string and quotation
marks are preserved only if all of the following conditions are met:
* You do not use /s.
* You use exactly one set of quotation marks.
* You do not use any special characters within the quotation marks (for
example: &<>( ) @ ^ |).
* You use one or more white-space characters within the quotation marks.
* The string within quotation marks is the name of an executable file.
If the previous conditions are not met, string is processed by examining the
first character to verify whether or not it is an opening quotation mark. If
the first character is an opening quotation mark, it is stripped along with
the closing quotation mark. Any text following the closing quotation marks
is preserved.
File and directory name completion correctly processes file names that
contain white space or special characters if you place quotation marks
around the matching path.
The following special characters require quotation marks: & < > [ ] { } ^ =
; ! ' + , ` ~ [white space]
If the information that you supply contains spaces, use quotation marks
around the text (for example, "Computer Name").
<quote>
from CMD...
Paste the following line into Start | Run and click OK...
hh ntcmds.chm::/cmd.htm
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User
In news:ec1$(E-Mail Removed),
AJR <(E-Mail Removed)> hunted and pecked:
> Have not seen the original post - however "CMD" (contrary to many
> opinions) is equivalent to the MS-DOS prompt which has never had "long
> filename" capability - I would like to have a quarter for every instant
> of that fact in publications.
>
> "PiErre" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
>>>
>>> Run the command
>>>
>>> dir c:\zz /x
>>>
>>> You will then see that the 8.3 file name matches your
>>> wild card.
>>> That's why you lost the file!
>>
>> ehm, I though it was clear
>> from the subject of my post that I already
>> discovered that! (it was already present in a command I posted)
>> What concern me is the fact that the filematch is on
>> the short filenames and not on the long ones...
>> Why is it so?
>>
>> I would say it was a precise
>> design choice, but I cannot see the reason behind it...
>>
>> More important: is there a way to change
>> this odd behaviour of filematching mechanism
>> in cmd.exe?
>>
>> TIA!
>> bye,
>> PiErre
Similar Threads
