Need List of Internal Commands

[Guest]

This question specially relates to the MS-DOS boot diskette that is created
by right clicking on the Floppy Drive icon in My Computer and then selecting
the "format" tool to create said MS-DOS boot disk

Unlike Windows Recovery Console and Windows Command Prompt, typing in a
command of "help" or "?" does not bring up a list of internal commands when
said MS-DOS diskette is booted up

Question:

Is there some other command that will bring up a list of the internal
commands for this MS-DOS boot disk ???

or in the absence of said command, is there a published list somewhere in
the literature that lists said internal commands for this MS-DOS boot diskette

Thank you in advance for your replies

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

This question specially relates to the MS-DOS boot diskette that is created
by right clicking on the Floppy Drive icon in My Computer and then selecting
the "format" tool to create said MS-DOS boot disk

Unlike Windows Recovery Console and Windows Command Prompt, typing in a
command of "help" or "?" does not bring up a list of internal commands when
said MS-DOS diskette is booted up

Question:

Is there some other command that will bring up a list of the internal
commands for this MS-DOS boot disk ???

or in the absence of said command, is there a published list somewhere in
the literature that lists said internal commands for this MS-DOS boot diskette

Thank you in advance for your replies

Have a look in the DOS folder of your boot disk - it contains
most of the commands available to you. These are actually
external commands. There are also some internal commands
built into the Command Processor "command.com". Here are
a few of them:
cd, md, rd, del, copy, dir
This should suffice for the limited use you can make of this disk.
If not then repost in a Win9x newsgroup. That's where you will
find the DOS experts.

 

[David Candy]

If you don't know why are you using it.


Command.com Command Line Parameters and Batch Debugging Commands
Overview
Command.com is the real mode shell and the console shell. Windows 98 terminology is MSDos Mode for real mode and MSDos Prompt for console mode.

This section describes Command.com command line switches and some uses for them.

Command Line Switches
COMMAND [path] [device] [/E:nnnnn] [/P] [/Y] [/Z] [/F] [/D] [/C command|/K command]] [/MSG] [/L:nnnn] [/U:nnn] [/LOW]

SHELL=[path to]COMMAND.COM [path][device][/E:nnnn] [/P] [/Y] [/Z] [/F] [/D] [/MSG] [/L:nnnn] [/U:nnn] [/LOW]

Path Set the COMSPEC environmental variable which specifies the path to command.com.
Device Sets the device to recieve input and output. Normally is CON (keyboard for input and screen for output) but could be the serial device (COM1) or a file.
E:nnn Sets the space for environmental variables [256 to 32,768].
/P Makes command.com permanent, runs Autoexec.bat. Implied in the Shell= command.
/Y Steps through batch files line by line.
/Z Reports the error level returned by each command.
/F Sets critical errors to Fail rather than asking "Abort, Retry, or Fail".
/D Prevents Autoexec.bat from running. Use with /P.
/C command Runs the specified command and returns. This and /K are the only way to run an internal Command.com command from a Windows' shortcut or Start - Run dialog box.
/K command Runs the specified command and continues running. This and /C are the only way to run an internal Command.com command from a Windows' shortcut or Start - Run dialog box. When a command is run from Windows /K in needed to see the output from the command.
/MSG Loads Command.com error messeges into memory. Use with /P
/L:nnn Specifies internal buffers length (128 to 1,024). Use with /P.
/U:nnn Specifies the input buffer length [128 to 255]. Use with /P.
/LOW Loads command.com low. Used when loading MS-Dos high.
command Any Command.com internal command or any external command. In the MSDos Prompt these can be Windows commands. Use Start.exe for full Windows command line support.
SHELL A Config.sys command that sets the default command shell for Dos. Using it will force Command.com to stay in memory when windows starts and will mean two copies of Command.com in MS-Dos Prompt. Only recommended if the environment space needs to be increased.

Internal Commands
To issue internal Dos commands from a windows command line use the following syntax;

command /k internal commanduse /c instead of /k if you don't want to see the output. To copy some file and exit use;

command /c copy c:\autoexec.bat a:\autoexec.bakInternal Command Description Internal Command Description
BREAK Sets how often Ctrl+Break is checked PATH Specifies the search path for external commands
CALL Transfers control to another batch file PAUSE Halts execution until a key is pressed
CHCP Change Code Page PROMPT Specifies how the command prompt appears
CHDIR CD Change Directory REM Indicates a comment in a batch file
CLS Clear the screen RENAME REN Renames a file
COPY Copies a file, joins files, deletes zero bytes files RMDIR RD Removes an empty directory
CTTY Changes input and output device SET Displays all or sets an environmental variable
DATE Displays / sets the date SHIFT Used with processing command line parameters in batchfiles
DEL ERASE Deletes a file TIME Displays / sets the date
DIR Displays a directory listing and with /c or /ch displays compression TRUENAME Displays the true name and path of the file or folder
ECHO Turns on or off screen displays / displays a message TYPE Displays a file on screen
EXIT Exits a temporary Command.com UNLOCK Unlocks a drive
FOR Process a group of files VER Displays the version no. of Dos/Windows and with /R the location of the Dos kernel
GOTO Jumps to a label in a batch file VERIFY Turns on or off verification of disk writes
IF Conditionally executes a command based on stringcomparison, exit codes, or existence of a file or folder VOL Displays or sets the volume label
LFNFOR Process a group of files using long file names (MSDosPrompt only) :: Works as a comment in a batch file
LOADHIGH LH Loads a program into upper memory @ @ at the beginning of a line suppresses the echoing of the line
LOCK Locks a drive for low level access < The < symbol redirects input to a program
MKDIR MD Creates a directory > The > symbol redirects output from a program
NOT Used with IF | The | symbol takes output from one program and feeds it to another

Use CommandName /? to find out the switche for each internal command. Download a help file listing the switches. (15K)

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Command.com Command Line Parameters and Batch Debugging Commands
Command Line Switches
Internal Commands
http://www.mvps.org/serenitymacros/dos7.html

COMMAND.COM Internal commands
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/i/intecomm.htm

The MS-DOS startup disk only allows the system to boot into an MS-DOS
prompt. The disk contains no additional tools, except COMMAND, KEYB and
MODE.

COMMAND /?
KEYB /?
MODE /?

An MS-DOS startup disk contains these files:

AUTOEXEC.BAT
COMMAND.COM
CONFIG.SYS
DISPLAY.SYS
EGA.CPI
EGA2.CPI
EGA3.CPI
KEYB.COM
KEYBOARD.SYS
KEYBRD2.SYS
KEYBRD3.SYS
KEYBRD4.SYS
MODE.COM

The Windows XP MS-DOS Startup Disk is basically a scaled down version of a
Windows Millennium Startup Disk. KEYBRD4.SYS was standard file with Windows
Millennium.

AUTOEXEC.BAT
[[Stands for automatically executed batch file, the file that DOS
automatically executes when a computer boots up. This is a convenient place
to put commands you always want to execute at the beginning of a computing
session. For example, you can set system parameters such as the date and
time, and install memory-resident programs. ]]
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/autoexec_bat.html

COMMAND.COM = 16 bit command interpeter, Windows Millennium version.

CONFIG.SYS
The configuration file for DOS systems. Whenever a DOS computer boots up, it
reads the CONFIG.SYS file (if it exists) and executes any commands in it.
The most common commands are BUFFERS= and FILES=, which enable you to
specify the buffer size and the number of files that can be open
simultaneously. In addition, you can enter commands that install drivers for
devices.

DISPLAY.SYS
Used with the DEVICE command for character sets.

EGA.CPI
EGA2.CPI
EGA3.CPI
Codepage information (.CPI) files that have to do with International
Language Support and screen fonts.

KEYB.COM
Configures a keyboard for a specific language. Xp has a newer version,
kb16.com.

keyb command
http://www.computerhope.com/keybhlp.htm

KEYBOARD.SYS
Contains Country/Language and Keyboard layouts.

KEYBRD2.SYS
The KEYBRD2.SYS file is essentially similar to KEYBOARD.SYS; you use it
just as you would the KEYBOARD.SYS file. Contains Country/Language and
Keyboard layouts.

KEYBRD3.SYS
Contains Country/Language and Keyboard layouts.

KEYBRD4.SYS
Contains Country/Language and Keyboard layouts.

MODE.COM= DOS Device MODE Utility
[[Displays system status, changes system settings, or reconfigures ports or
devices. Used without parameters, mode displays all the controllable
attributes of the console and the available COM devices. ]]

You can use MODE:
To configure a serial communications port
To display the status of all devices or of a single device
To redirect output from a parallel port to a serial communications port
To select, refresh, or display the numbers of the code pages for the console
To change the size of the command prompt screen buffer
To set the keyboard typematic rate

mode command
http://www.computerhope.com/modehlp.htm

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Haggis]

try "/?' after each command eg. "format /? " "fdisk /?"

 

[Wesley Vogel]

That requires knowing *what* the commands are in the first place.

In the second place, format and fdisk are external commands and are not
available on an MS-DOS startup disk unless they were added as extras.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In