CertiGuide to A+ (Operating Systems)  9  Chapter 0011:  DOS       9  IV  COMMAND.COM and Basic DOS Commands

IV  COMMAND.COM and Basic DOS Commands 1 Wildcards

Typing DIR and pressing enter (enter or return key) will display a list of everything that is the current area (current directory) of the specified drive. A directory is really just another name for what is now called a folder in Windows. So, you can see that the DIR command is yet another way to find out the contents of a folder.

Using a modifier or a switch will change what information is displayed by the DIR command. A switch is a modifier that tells the command to operate in a specific way, other than its default behavior. For example:

Typing DIR/P (Directory/ Pause) will change the same output from the DIR command rolling off the screen. Instead, it will fill the screen, and pause waiting for any keystroke to tell it to continue. Notice the examples of Figure 138 and Figure 139.

Notice that with the DIR command and the /P switch, the screen display paused with the message:

“Press any key to continue”

8 Practice DIR command

IV  COMMAND.COM and Basic DOS Commands 1 Wildcards