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HELP.DOC
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1988-04-21
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Welcome to EasyDos. Although EasyDos is quite easy to use (hence the
name EasyDos), you may have some difficulty at first. This help
screen has been provided to help you through your first few uses of
EasyDos. Once you get the hang of it, you'll probably never need to
refer to the help screen again. However, unless you delete it, it
will always be here on the disk if you need it.
EasyDos is not intended to be a full-blown alternative to the Disk
Operating System. It does, however, provide some of the most common
DOS commands, such as file copying, deleting, renaming, etc. The
purpose of EasyDos is to allow you to perform these functions without
being proficient in using the somewhat confusing DOS syntax. Just
make the appropriate selection from the menu, and EasyDos will prompt
you for any parameters needed. No longer will you have to worry
about whether or not you've got all the parameters or if they're in
the right place. EasyDos does it all for you.
To execute EasyDos, simply type in EASYDOS at the DOS prompt. EasyDos
will execute immediately, and you will first see a program information
screen which provides information about the author and the program;
then the menu will appear. If you wish to bypass this screen, type in
EASYDOS /N at the DOS prompt and you will go immediately to the menu.
Here is a detailed description of each option on the EasyDos menu and
how to invoke that option:
Erase all .BAK files----Press the letter B at the EasyDos prompt.
You may have noticed that when you use certain word processing or
database management software, any time you update a file the old
version of the file is stored on the disk with a .BAK extension.
After a while, these files start building up and taking up needed
disk space. You can use EasyDos to get rid of some or all of these
files and thus free up disk space. Select this option at the EasyDos
prompt, and all of your .BAK files will be listed on the screen.
EasyDos will ask you whether or not to delete without approval. If
you answer "Y" all of your .BAK files will be deleted and you will be
returned to the menu. If you answer "N" EasyDos will list your .BAK
files one by one and ask you if it should be deleted. This is the
preferred way since it avoids accidentally erasing a .BAK file you
wanted to keep.
Rename a file----Press the letter R at the EasyDos prompt.
Use this option to change the name of any file. Select the option at
the prompt; EasyDos will prompt you for the old filename and the new
filename. The file will then be given the new filename. If you try
to rename a file that does not exist or if you choose as a new
a filename one that already exists, EasyDos will display an error
message and return you to the menu.
Directory of disk----Press the letter D at the EasyDos prompt.
This option will display the files in the current directory of the
specified disk drive. Select the option at the prompt. EasyDos will
ask you which disk drive to search. Enter a drive letter and the
files will be listed on the screen.
Change Path----Press the letter P at the EasyDos prompt.
This will allow you to change the current directory. After you select
the option, EasyDos will prompt you for the new subdirectory. Enter
the desired subdirectory, separating names with the \ symbol. To go
to the root directory, enter the \ symbol by itself. If you enter a
subdirectory that does not exist, EasyDos will display an error
message and return you to the menu.
Copy a file----Press the letter C at the EasyDos prompt.
Use to copy a file from one drive to another or from one file to
another. EasyDos will prompt you for source filename and destination
filename. Enter the names and the file will be copied. If you try
to copy a file that does not exist, an error message will be displayed
and you will be returned to the menu. If you try to copy to a file
that already exists, EasyDos will ask you whether or not to overwrite
the file. Simply answer Y or N and EasyDos will respond accordingly.
If there is not enough disk space to store the copied file, EasyDos
will display an error message and abort the copy operation. Note:
after the copy is complete, the destination file may not be the exact
same size as the source file. This is because EasyDos copies the
files in 128-Byte sections. This may cause a few extra bytes to be
added to the end of the file. Do not be alarmed; the file's integrity
is still intact, and it will behave exactly as the source file. The
extra bytes will have no effect whatsoever.
Erase a file----Press the letter E at the EasyDos prompt.
This option will erase a file from the disk. EasyDos will prompt you
for the file to be erased. Enter the file you want to erase. EasyDos
will search the disk for the file. If it finds the file, it will
erase it; if it does not find the file, it will display an error
message.
Change CONFIG.SYS file----Press the letter S at the EasyDos prompt.
The CONFIG.SYS file is used by your computer when you first turn it
on. DOS will read the file (if it exists--it is not required) and
use it to determine factors such as buffer size, number of files that
can be open at one time, device drivers, etc. EasyDos will allow you
to change that file at any time by selecting this option. When you
do so, EasyDos will first display the current CONFIG.SYS file, if it
exists, then allow you to type in a new one. Simply type in the file
as you would like it to be, then type QUIT. The word QUIT is not
stored as part of the file. If there is insufficient disk space to
store the file, EasyDos will display an error message and abort the
operation.
Change AUTOEXEC.BAT file----Press the letter A at the EasyDos prompt.
The AUTOEXEC.BAT file is used by your computer when you first turn it
on. DOS will read the file (if it exists--it is not required) and
use it to execute any commands or programs you would like to execute
each time you boot your computer. Common uses include using it to
ask for the date and time and then execute an application such as a
word processor or database management program. EASYDOS will allow you
to change the AUTOEXEC.BAT file at any time by selecting this option.
When you do so, EasyDos will first display the current AUTOEXEC.BAT
file, if it exists, then allow you to type in a new one. Simply type
in the file as you would like it to be, then type QUIT. The word QUIT
is not stored as part of the file. If there is insufficient disk
space to store the file, EasyDos will display an error message and
abort the operation.
Get Help----Press the letter H at the EasyDos prompt.
Use this option to obtain information about how to use EasyDos and
information on how EasyDos can help you.
Quit----Press the letter Q at the EasyDos prompt.
Use this option to terminate execution of EasyDos and return to the
Disk Operating System.