~Today's Top DOS Tip


A selection of quickies  -  By Simon Burrows


`This month  I am  going to  concentrate on  five quick tips which
`some of  you will undoubtedly know, but which will certainly come
`in handy for a good many of you out there.




~`Tip 1  -  Clearing the screen
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`By typing 'CLS' at an MS-DOS prompt you will completely clear the
`contents of  the screen and be left with a fresh prompt.  Whether
`used to  just clear  a messy  screen so  you can  think  straight
`again, or  to get  something off the screen you'd rather somebody
`didn't see, this can be very useful at times.




~`Tip 2  -  Renaming things
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`I'm sure that most of you will know that the MS-DOS command 'REN'
`is used  to  rename  files.  Problem  is,  this  won't  work  for
`directories.   If you  want to  rename these  you have to use the
`'MOVE' command.
`
`Below is  the syntax  used  to  rename  the  file  FILE01.TXT  to
`FILE02.TXT, then  that to  rename a  directory called  CHEET44 to
`MAG44 :-
`
`     File rename  -  REN FILE01.TXT FILE02.TXT
`
`Directory rename  -  MOVE CHEET44 MAG44




~`Tip 3  -  Hiding things
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`One of  the attributes  a file  can have  is 'hidden'. This means
`that whenever  you do  a directory  listing  (or other listing in
`most circumstances)   that file will not come up  (not be shown).
`This is useful if you have personal files which, although not top
`secret  (as hidden files can be easily got at if you know they're
`there)   you'd rather  not have others looking them.  You use the
`'ATTRIB' command to change the attributes of files.
`
`Below is the syntax used to hide, and then disclose, a file named
`MINE!.TXT :-

`         TO HIDE  -  ATTRIB +h MINE!.TXT
     
`     TO DISCLOSE  -  ATTRIB -h MINE!.TXT




~`Tip 4  -  Two commands in one
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`Once you  get used to it, being able to execute two commands from
`the same  DOS prompt,  one after  the other,  can be a great time
`saver.  To do it simply type both commands at the same DOS prompt
`with a  pipe character  ('|') in between.  For example, to create
`(using the 'MD command), and then enter (using the 'CD' command),
`a directory called 'CHEET44', use the following syntax :-

`
`MD CHEET44|CD CHEET44

`
`WARNING:  If the commands you wish to run together would normally
`          write some  text to the screen  (like 'MEM'),  you must
`          run them  separately because  when you run two commands
`          together, anything  that would  normally be  written to
`          screen after the first one is complete will be ignored.




~`Tip 5  -  Changing the NUMLOCK key's status
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`If you've  read my  article on AUTOEXEC.BAT, you'll know that the
`'NUMLOCK' command  can be used to turn off NUMLOCK which, on most
`PC's, is  set to on when your computer boots up.  Its best to use
`this command  in  association  with  your  AUTOEXEC.BAT  so  it's
`carried out  automatically,  otherwise  you'll  spend  more  time
`typing it  in at  the DOS  prompt than it would take to press the
`button that does the same job on your keyboard.
`
`To have  the NUMLOCK  turned off automatically, add the following
`line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT :-
`
`NUMLOCK=OFF




`                            ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ
~`By                          Simon Burrows
`                            ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ



`ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
~`    THIS DOCUMENT: COPYRIGHT (c) 1995 EUROWAVE LEISURE Ltd.
~`                    COURTESY OF SIMON BURROWS
`ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ