What is MS-DOS ?

MS-DOS acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System is a discontinued operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and some operating systems attempting to be compatible with MS-DOS, are sometimes referred to as "DOS" (which is also the generic acronym for disk operating system). MS-DOS was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s and the early 1990s, when it was gradually superseded by operating systems offering a graphical user interface (GUI), in various generations of the graphical Microsoft Windows operating system.

Microsoft Disk Operating System, MS-DOS is a non-graphical command line operating system derived from 86-DOS that was created for IBM compatible computers. MS-DOS originally written by Tim Paterson and introduced by Microsoft in August 1981 and was last updated in 1994 when MS-DOS 6.22 was released. MS-DOS allows the user to navigate, open, and otherwise manipulate files on their computer from a command line instead of a GUI like Windows.

Also Read:What is Linux ?

 

Today, MS-DOS is no longer used; however, the command shell, more commonly known as the Windows command line is still used by many users. The picture to the right, is an example of what an MS-DOS window more appropriately referred to as the Windows command line looks like running under Microsoft Windows.Most computer users are only familiar with how to navigate Microsoft Windows using the mouse. Unlike Windows, MS-DOS is a command-line and is navigated by using MS-DOS commands. For example, if you wanted to see all the files in a folder in Windows you would double-click the folder to open the folder in Windows Explorer. In MS-DOS, to view that same folder you would navigate to the folder using the cd command and then list the files in that folder using the dir command.

MS-DOS Top 10 Commands

Below is a listing of the top 10 MS-DOS commands most commonly used and that you will most likely be using during a normal DOS session.

• cd
• dir
• copy
• del
• edit
• move
• ren (rename)
• deltree
• cls
• format

 

History of MS-DOS

• Microsoft buys the rights for QDOS from Seattle Computer Products (SCP) for $25,000 on July 27, 1981.

• MS-DOS 1.0 (the first version) was released August, 1981.

• MS-DOS 1.25 was released August, 1982.

• MS-DOS 2.0 was released March, 1983.

• Microsoft introduces MS-DOS 3.0 for the IBM PC AT and MS-DOS 3.1 for networks.

• MS-DOS 3.2 was released April, 1986.

• MS-DOS 3.3 was released April, 1987.

• MS-DOS 4.0 was released July, 1988.

• MS-DOS 4.01 was released November, 1988.

• MS-DOS 5.0 was released June, 1991.

• MS-DOS 6.0 was released August, 1993.

• MS-DOS 6.2 was released November, 1993.

• MS-DOS 6.21 was released March, 1994.

• MS-DOS 6.22 was released April, 1994.

 MS-DOS Command List

A	ansi.sys | append | arp | assign | assoc | at | atmadm | attrib
B	backup | batch | bcdedit | bootcfg | bootsect | break
C	cacls | call | cd | chcp | chdir | chkdsk | chkntfs | choice | cipher | clip | cls | cmd | color | command | comp | compact | control | convert | copy | ctty
D	date | debug | defrag | del | delete | deltree | dir | disable | diskcomp | diskcopy | diskpart | doskey | dosshell | driverquery | drivparm | dumpchk
E	echo | edit | edlin | emm386 | enable | endlocal | erase | exit | expand | extract
F	fasthelp | fc | fciv | fdisk | find | findstr | fixboot | fixmbr | for | forfiles | format | ftp | fType
G	goto | gpupdate | graftabl
H	help | himem.sys | hostname
I	icacls | if | ifshlp.sys | ipconfig
J	None
K	keyb
L	label | lh | listsvc | loadfix | loadhigh | lock | logoff | logon
M	map | md | mem | mkdir | mklink | mode | more | move | msav | msbackup | msd | mscdex | msg | mwbackup
N	nbtstat | net | netsh | netstat | nlsfunc | nslookup
O	None
P	path | pathping | pause | ping | popd | power | print | prompt | pushd
Q	qbasic
R	rd | reg | ren | rename | rmdir | robocopy | route | runas
S	sc | scandisk | scanreg | schtasks | set | setlocal | setver | sfc | share | shift | shutdown | smartdrv | sort | start | subst | switches | sys | systeminfo | systemroot
T	taskkill | tasklist | telnet | time | title | tracert | tree | tskill | type
U	undelete | unformat | unlock
V	ver | verify | vol
W	wmic
X	xcopy
Y	None
Z	None