Disk Operating System is a tool that you use to work with information stored in files on your computer's disk. DOS is a designation for a disk operating system (Disk Operating System).
The two most famous versions of the OS are PC DOS and ds DOS. The operating system PC DOS is developed and owned by IBM, and ds DOS is owned by Microsoft. At their core, these operating systems are the same. The difference between them lies in the interface and the use of various additional programs. We will continue our consideration of the Disk Operating System based on PC DOS. PC DOS is a set of programs and standard procedures that enable us to communicate with the computer, and the computer to communicate with hardware devices. You can't do anything with a computer without DOS. The computer itself and the application programs are useless. However, with DOS, you can enter commands, run application programs, and process information. The DOS operating system is the de facto industry standard and is the most widely used, allowing the creation of various tool and application systems on a single basis. The main advantages of DOS: organization of multi-level directories, connection of additional external device drivers, working with all serial devices as files, launching a background task simultaneously with dialog work, developed command language. DOS requires up to 60 KB of free memory to operate.
When installing DOS on a computer, the following files COMMAND.COM, CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT appear in the root directory. These files belong to the system and are used to organize the correct operation of the computer. The absence of these files on the computer can lead to unstable operation of the computer or a complete shutdown. In some cases, files may be marked as "hidden". This means that although the files will not be displayed on the screen, they will be present on the disk and, accordingly, participate in the work.
DOS file structure
With a small number of files on the disk, working with them is not difficult. But if there are a lot of them, then finding the right file becomes very difficult. To make working with files easier, a catalog system is used. Files created using your application programs (or in some other way) are stored on disk in directories that can be compared to folders in a closet. In turn, cabinets can be stored in rooms, rooms on floors, etc. Just like in folders, files can store various documents, drawings, diagrams, tables, etc. The content, structure, and type of your files are important to your application programs.The organization of directories on the disk is hierarchical. This means that directory levels grow from one main directory. This is done in order to:
Select logically homogeneous files into separate groups;
Select all files related to any subsystem;
Allocate separate disk space for each user of this machine.
Because directories on a disk look like connected branches of a tree, the directory structure is called directory tree. Directories are divided into two types:
- root directory
- subdirectories
Each directory has its own name, which is displayed on the display when the operating system boots. Directories can contain other directories or files. In order to apply a command to a file or perform any operation on it, you must tell DOS exactly where the file is located in the directory tree. To do this, you specify the path starting with the drive name. The path defines the route that DOS will take to look for the file - starting from the root directory, possibly through several other directories, to the one that contains the file, and finally to the file itself.
Within one directory, the names of subdirectories and files must be unique. However, you can use the same file or subdirectory names if they are stored in a different directory.
Comment: You should think about file and directory names. Names must clearly identify the contents of the file.
DOS commands
- CD (CHDIR) - change directory;
- CLS - clears the display screen;
- COPY - copies the specified file or group of files;
- DATE - displays or saves the date on the computer;
- DEL - deletes the specified file or group of files;
- DIR - viewing the contents of directories;
- ERASE - destroys the specified file or group of files;
- MD (MKDIR) - create a directory;
- RD (RMDIR) - deleting a directory;
- REN (RENAME) - renames a file or group of files;
- TIME - displays or stores the time on the computer;
- TYPE - displays the contents of the file;
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Lesson Plan
Introduction.
1. Disk operating system (DOS). Basic concepts of DOS.
2. DOS versions. MS-DOS.
3. Components of DOS.
4. Command processor command.com and its functions.
6. File system. Basic concepts.
Introduction
1) The operating system (OS) serves to manage computer resources and ensure the interaction of all programs on the computer with a person. OS components are divided into 2 classes: system and application. Application components include text editors, compilers, debuggers, programming systems, graphical output programs, communication programs, etc. System components include the system kernel, which ensures the interaction of all components, the program loader, subsystems that provide dialogue with humans - the window system, command interpreter, and file system. It is the system components of the OS that determine its basic properties.
2) Operating systems are divided into single-user and multi-user, single-tasking and multi-tasking, with a text or graphical interface. In addition, there are network operating systems that allow computers to operate on a local network. MS-DOS is a single-user, single-tasking OS with a text (command) interface. In such an OS, at any given time there is 1 user working, who can simultaneously run 1 program, and communicates with the OS by typing text commands. Windows-95 OS is a single-user multitasking OS with a multi-window graphical interface. An example of a multi-user, multi-tasking OS is UNIX. It is used in computers of the global computer network Internet and largely determines its properties.
1. Disk operating system (DOS) is a program that loads when the computer is turned on. It carries out a dialogue with the user, manages the computer, its resources (RAM, disk space), and launches application programs for execution. DOS provides the user and application programs with a convenient way to communicate (interface) with computer devices. The purpose of DOS is also to hide from the user complex and unnecessary details of working with computer hardware. In addition, the operating system loads all programs into RAM, transfers control to them at the beginning of their work, performs various auxiliary actions at the request of executing programs, and frees RAM occupied by programs when they terminate. The user communicates with DOS by specifying commands on the command line.
2. DOS versions - UNIX, XENIX, DR-DOS, Novell DOS, OS-2, PC-DOS, Linux, MS-DOS versions 1.0-3.3, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 6.20, 6.22, MS-DOS 7.0 or Windows -95, Windows-98, Windows-NT, Windows-2000. Previously, the most widely used versions of MS-DOS on older 386-486 computers were 6.20 and 6.22. Currently, Windows-95 (MS-DOS 7.0), Windows-98 and Windows-2000 operating systems are often used, which have a multi-window graphical interface, since such well-known MicroSoft software products as Windows, Word, Works, Excel and etc., which form the basis of office computer technologies (word processors, databases, spreadsheets, etc.).
Their files are usually located in the WINDOWS or WIN9x directory, and DOS utilities are located in the COMMAND subdirectory (C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND or C:\WIN9x\COMMAND).
3. Components of DOS (using MS-DOS as an example).
1) Basic input/output system (BIOS). It is also called CMOS Setup. Its non-volatile memory stores the computer's configuration and contains the system clock. When the power is turned on, it tests the memory and main devices of the computer and calls the operating system loader.
2) Boot Record and other system areas on the hard drive (File Allocation Table, Partition Table for dividing the hard drive into logical drives, Root Directory). System areas are located on track zero of the hard disk (floppy disk). The bootloader is located in the zero sector of the disk (floppy disk) and has a small size of 512 bytes. Its function is to load the main DOS modules - disk files IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS.
The figure shows the system areas on a floppy disk obtained by PCTools.
3) Disk files IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS (they may be called differently in other DOS, for example IBMIO.COM and IBMDOS.COM). They are loaded into memory by the operating system loader and remain in the computer's memory permanently. The IO.SYS file is an addition to the basic I/O system. The MSDOS.SYS file implements basic high-level MS-DOS services.
4) Command processor command.com.
The disk files IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS and the command.com command processor form the DOS kernel. They are located in the root directory of the hard drive (system floppy disk) and are used to boot the computer. These files alone are enough for the simplest booting of a computer.
5) DOS utilities (or utility programs), located in the DOS directory for MS-DOS or the COMMAND subdirectory for Windows-95. They execute external DOS commands and provide some additional services.
6) Drivers for external devices specified in the config.sys and autoexec.bat files. Drivers are programs that expand the capabilities of DOS to control external devices (for example, a printer, monitor, memory, mouse, keyboard, etc.).
4. The command processor command.com performs the following functions:
1) Launching application programs for execution.
2) Executing internal DOS commands (processing user commands).
3) Running the configuration file config.sys and the machine autorun file autoexec.bat.
1) Turning on the computer's power.
2) Pressing the Reset button on the computer system unit.
3) Simultaneously pressing the Ctrl, Alt, Del keys.
To perform a DOS boot, you must either have the operating system on your hard drive or have a system floppy disk in drive A:.
If there are no errors, the download proceeds normally. However, if there are serious errors, the download stops and an error message is displayed. After reading the IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS disk files, the config.sys file is read, then the command.com command processor, and finally the autoexec.bat file, which launches the Norton Commander shell. If the config.sys and autoexec.bat files are missing, then the current date and time is prompted, and after entering them, boot proceeds normally and ends with the DOS prompt appearing in the form of a C:\> icon, which means that DOS is ready to accept user commands. Thus, to boot the machine, it is enough that at least only the operating system kernel is written to the disk: the IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS and command.com files. If, when loading MS-DOS 6.22, when the words “Starting MS-DOS” appear on the monitor, you quickly press the F5 key, then the config.sys and autoexec.bat files will not be executed and the boot will immediately end with the appearance of the DOS C:\> prompt. This should be done if there are serious errors in the config.sys and autoexec.bat files and the download is interrupted. Then you need to manually download Norton Commander and correct errors by editing the specified files. You can also, if there are errors in loading, instead of F5, press the F8 key and look through the directives of the config.sys and autoexec.bat files one by one, giving a command to execute them (Y-Yes) or skip (N-No) if the directive is erroneous.
6. The file system is the collection of all directories and files on the hard drive. The file system is an integral part of DOS, which controls access to directories and files and allocates disk space for them. One of the most important functions of DOS is the organization of the file system. Any application program can access the file system. The file system is the core of all computer software and is a tree-like hierarchical structure of directories in which files and subdirectories are located (the root directory and subdirectories of the 1st level, 2nd level, etc.). The directory tree can be displayed in Norton Commander (Alt-F10), Windows File Manager and some other programs. The directory in which the user is currently working is called the current directory. An example directory tree is shown below:
A file is a named location on external media in which information (text, graphics, image, sound, etc.) is stored.
File characteristics: name (sometimes with full path), extension, size in bytes, creation time (time and date), attribute (archive, read-only, system and hidden).
A directory (directory, folder) is a named location on external media in which files and subdirectories (subdirectories) are stored. A directory is a container for files.
A number of service words are reserved by DOS and cannot be used as file names: PRN, CON, AUX, NUL, LPT1-LPT3, COM1-COM4.
The name of a file or directory in MS-DOS can contain from 1 to 8 Latin letters, numbers and some special characters (@,&,$,!,#,_, etc., except? and *). The file may have an extension of 1 to 3 Latin letters, numbers and some special characters, but may not have an extension. If the file is located in a directory (subdirectory), then the full path (route) of the file is indicated, which is also part of the file name. An example meaning that the proba.txt file is located in the PRIMER directory, which is located in the KLASS1 directory on drive C: c:\klass1\primer\proba.txt.
Often they use a mask to specify the file name and extension. The * symbol means any name or extension. Example: *.txt means all files with the txt extension. All files on the disk are designated *.*. Symbol? means that any character can be in this position. Example: ??.bas - all files with the extension bas, the name of which contains only 2 characters. Example: c*.b* - all files whose name begins with the letter c and extension with the letter b. Example: ?c?.?n? - all files whose name consists of three or two letters, and the extension of three letters, with the second letter in the name being c, and in the extension n. Example: ??r*.* - all files whose third letter in the name is r. Specifying a file by mask is often used when searching for files in various software shells (Norton Commander, etc.).
The file extension allows you to classify it as one or another generally accepted type:
exe, com - a program ready for execution;
bat - text command file;
sys - system file;
txt, lst - text file in DOS format;
doc - document (most often in WinWord format);
wri - Write editor document for Windows;
bak, old - the old copy of the file, created before changing it;
arj, rar, zip, lzh, ain, arc, ice, pak, zoo - archive files;
bas - program text in Basic language;
pas - program text in Turbo Pascal;
bmp, pcx, gif, tif, jpg, ico - graphic files;
dbf - DBase format databases;
wps - MS WORKS word processor document;
wdb - MS WORKS format database;
wks - MS WORKS format spreadsheet;
xls - EXCEL spreadsheets;
lib, dll - library files;
dat - data file;
ini - initialization file;
hlp - help file;
ext - extension file;
mnu - menu file;
ovl, ovr - overlay file;
pif - Windows program information file.
wav, mid, mod, mp3 - sound files.
avi, mov, mpg (mpeg), rm (ram) - video clip files.
The full file name is constructed as follows: [drive name:] [path\]
file name. Disks can have names A:, B: - for floppy disks
(floppy disks); C:, D:, E: etc. up to Z: - for hard drives and
their logical partitions, electronic (virtual) disks and for
CD-ROM laser discs.
7. Autoexec.bat and config.sys files, their purpose and structure.
The autoexec.bat and config.sys files, located in the root directory of the hard drive (system floppy), are loaded when the computer is turned on or restarted and are used to create a familiar environment for the user on the computer. Using these files, drivers for external devices are loaded: mouse, keyboard, extended memory, etc., without which normal operation of the computer and the most important programs is impossible. The specified files are text files, so any text editor can be used to edit them. Let's look at the structure and main directives of the autoexec.bat and config.sys files using examples. Example of a typical config.sys file:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
device=c:\dos\emm386.exe noems -DEVICE directive loads driver
faith extended memory HIMEM.SYS
and high memory emulator emm386.exe
DOS=HIGH,umb - The DOS directive loads DOS commands into the upper memory.
break=on - to interrupt program execution using Ctrl-Break.
FILES=30 - determines the number of files to be opened simultaneously.
BUFFERS=30 - determines the number of buffers created in RAM.
country=007, 866, c:\dos\country.sys - national support
(Russian) keyboard and
time format.
stacks=9,256 - sets the number and size of stacks in RAM.
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\SBIDE.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:170.15 /V - connection
CD-ROM driver to upper memory.
Example of a typical autoexec.bat file:
@echo off - disables output of commands to the monitor screen.
path=c:\;c:\dos;c:\nc;c:\windows;c:\winword;c:\nu;c:\lexicon - di-
The path directive specifies the path (directories are no longer than 128 b), where
The operating system must find the main programs.
prompt $p$g - sets the DOS prompt format.
set TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP - sets an environment variable.
lh SHARE /l:500 /f:5100 - ensuring simultaneous operation of the program
ramm in Windows.
lh MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 /V /M:8 - loading the CD-ROM driver.
lh smartdrv c+ 256 - caching (speeding up) drive C:.
lh pu_1700 - the ability to use floppy disks of non-standard format
lh nc - launch Norton Commander.
The lh directive allows programs to be loaded into upper memory, freeing up space for executable programs in main memory. If you need to prevent any directive in the autoexec.bat or config.sys files from being executed, then write the word REM in front of it. This word is used when setting up a computer.
In modern computers, there are menus in the autoexec.bat and config.sys files, which allows you to select options for booting the computer, for example, either in Norton Commander, or in Windows, or other boot options, which creates certain convenience in work.
The system was created as a full-fledged alternative to the existing MS-DOS, which is distributed under a paid license. The development of the Free DOS project began back in 1994, but the system was released in a stable version 1.0 only in 2006. The OS is free and can be run on almost any new and outdated equipment, as well as using emulators to run the necessary applications under DOS. The system code is open, which means, if desired, it can be modified by any developer to suit his own needs.
Usage
Today, the system in version 1.1 can be downloaded from the official website of the developers as a CD image for installation. The system is used by computer and laptop manufacturers as a free alternative to MS-DOS and other products from Microsoft, which can significantly increase the cost of a particular device, which as a result can negatively affect equipment sales. Dell, HP and ASUS provide users with the opportunity to buy computers running FreeDOS.
Characteristics
The OS runs on the FAT32 file system. It supports all basic file operations that are available in other operating systems. Free DOS also supports opening archives (ZIP, 7-ZIP), editing text documents using additional programs, viewing HTML pages, and working with mouse pointers with a scroll wheel. Another feature of Free DOS is a large number of programs ported from Linux. The system has its own browser, BitTorrent client and even anti-virus software.
Free DOS supports work with any modern computer that supports x86 architecture. In this case, the device must have at least 2 MB of RAM, and about 40 MB may be required to install the system. The system can be launched not only after installation, but also through virtual machines (for example, VirtualBox), which can be installed on standard Windows, Linux or Mac. It is also possible to launch the system directly in the browser window using a Java emulator, which is available for download from the developer’s official website. To directly install Free DOS on your computer, just download the latest version of the system and burn it to a blank CD, then restart your computer and boot from the disk.
general characteristics Ms Dos
The operating system Ms Dos (Microsoft Disk Operation System) was created by Microsoft. Its first version was installed on the first IBM PC in 1981. Subsequently, as computers improved, new versions of this system were released, taking into account the new capabilities of computers and providing additional opportunities for users.
In this Windows-centric world, Ms Dos seemed destined to live out its final years in the computer museum. But the reverse engineered system could become the operating system of the future. And here's why.
Caldera has sold over 3 million copies since 1997
Dr Dos, which is Ms Dos compatible. The Ms Dos market is at least ten times larger than the PC market. This is the market for embedded operating systems for small high-precision devices: cash registers, faxes, personal digital assistants, electronic notebooks, connected to an intranet and even the Internet. But this is not the same old operating system. Caldera has added a graphical Web browser to Dr Dos, which runs at 40 MHz 386 with 4 Mb of RAM. In addition, this system supports key Internet protocols such as TCP/IP, HTTP and FTP. The system provides simple, reliable and easy access to the Internet. It is high-performance, tested with proven applications and thousands of programs.
In fact, Dr Dos has many competitors trying to break into this market. But the fact is that Dr Dos has potential not only in this area - it is multifunctional. It is completely native to older 286 computers and gives them an Internet browser. And, since the browser will run on only 4 Mb of RAM, the Dr Dos system can simply become the operating system of Internet terminals, and then a network computer.
Dr Dos offers low requirements in the “stuffing” of devices - and a low price.
What is the structure of the MS DOS operating system
The operating system MS DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) is the most common operating system on 16-bit personal computers. It consists of the following main modules
Table 2. Composition of the MS-DOS operating system
Each of these modules performs a certain part of the functions assigned to the OS. The permanent locations of these modules are different. Thus, the basic I/O system is located in read-only memory (ROM), and not on disks, like all other modules.
The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) performs the most basic and general operating system services related to I/O. BIOS functions also include automatic testing of the main hardware components (RAM, etc.) when the machine is turned on and calling the DOS boot block.
The boot unit (or simply the boot loader) is a very short program whose sole function is to read two other parts of DOS from disk into RAM - the basic input/output extension module and the interrupt service module.
The basic input/output system expansion module makes it possible to use additional drivers servicing new external devices, as well as drivers for non-standard servicing of external devices. The interrupt handling module implements the main high-level DOS services, which is why it is called the main one. The DOS command processor processes commands entered by the user.
DOS utilities are programs that come with the operating system as separate files. They perform maintenance actions, for example, marking floppy disks, checking disks, etc.
operating system directory file
What does the MS-DOS operating system consist of?
The MS-DOS operating system consists of many different files. They include the actual operating system files IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS and the command processor COMMAND.COM. In addition to these three files, which represent a working MS-DOS kernel, the operating system distribution includes files of so-called external commands, for example FORMAT, FDISK, SYS, drivers for various devices and some other files.
The IO.SYS file contains an extension to the basic input/output system and is used by the operating system to interact with the computer hardware and BIOS.
The MSDOS.SYS file is in a sense a set of interrupt handling programs, in particular the INT 21H interrupt.
The COMMAND.COM command processor is designed to organize a dialogue with the computer user. It analyzes commands entered by the user and organizes their execution. The so-called internal commands - DIR, COPY, etc. are processed by the command processor.
The remaining operating system commands are called external commands. External commands are so named because they are located in separate files. Operating system external command files contain utility programs for performing a variety of operations, such as formatting disks, sorting files, and printing texts.
Drivers (usually files with the extension SYS or EXE) are programs that support various hardware. The use of drivers easily solves the problems of using new equipment - just connect the appropriate driver to the operating system.
Application programs interact with the device through the driver, so they will not change when the hardware changes. For example, a new disk device may have a different number of tracks and sectors, and different control commands. All this is taken into account by the driver, and the application program will work with the new disk as before, using DOS interrupts.
The operating system files IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS and COMMAND.COM must be written to a specific location on the disk. You should not copy them to other directories on the disk.
If you need to make a boot floppy disk with which you can boot MS-DOS on your computer, it is not enough to simply copy the main operating system files - IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS and COMMAND.COM - onto the floppy disk.
To make a system floppy disk, you must use either the FORMAT or SYS commands, or special programs, such as the Safe Format program from the Norton Utilities package.
The easiest way to make a blank floppy disk bootable is to use the external MS-DOS command - SYS. To use it, insert a blank floppy disk into the drive and from the root directory of drive C: issue the command:
After executing the SYS command, the floppy disk will contain the files IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, and COMMAND.COM written in specific locations on the floppy disk. You can boot MS-DOS from this floppy disk if you insert the system floppy disk into drive A: before turning on the power.
After turning on the power of a computer on which the MS DOS operating system is installed, the following processes automatically occur:
- · PC testing (BIOS runs a set of initial computer testing programs);
- · Loading MS DOS (reading the operating system from an external storage device into RAM);
- · MS DOS setup (OS setup is performed using commands written in the config.sys and autoexec.bat files.).
After loading the OS, a prompt is displayed on the monitor screen for the user to enter commands, which consists of the disk name and the following symbols:
A:> or C:>.
This means that DOS is ready to receive commands.
The DOS prompt contains information about the current drive and the current directory. For example,
A:> - drive A:, root directory:
C:windows> - drive C:, windows directory.
The disk that the PC is currently working with is called the current one.
Entering and editing commands
To enter a command, type this command on the keyboard and press Enter. To edit the entered command, you can use the following keys:
Backspace, Delete, Ins, Esc, Cursor keys.
General purpose commands
VER - checking the OS version (A:>VER, press Enter);
CLS - clear screen (A:> CLS, press Enter);
TIME - check and correct the system clock (A:>TIME, press Enter);
DATA - check and correct the system calendar (A:> DATA, press Enter).
Working with files
- 1. Creating text files: A:>copy con (file name) - after entering this command, you will need to enter the lines of the file one by one. At the end of each line, you must press the Enter key, and after entering the last line, press F6 (or Ctrl + Z) and then Enter. A file with the specified name will appear on the disk.
- 2. Copy the file: A:>copy a:lesson urok (copy lesson from the root directory to the urok directory);
- 3. Delete a file: A:>del less, press Enter;
- 4. Rename: A:>ren lesson conon, press Enter (the renamed file is conon);
- 5. Display the file on the screen: TYPE example: A:>TYPE prim.1, press Enter;
- 6. Merge (combining files into one) COPY_full name of the 1st file + full name of the 2nd file _full name of the 3rd file, press Enter.
Working with catalogs
- 1. Create a directory: A:>md urok, press Enter.
- 2. Delete the directory: A:>rd urok, press Enter.
- 3. Browse the directory (directory table of contents): A:>DIR, press Enter.
- 4. Changing the current directory: A:>cd urok, press Enter. We get: A:urok> (drive A:, directory urok).
- 5. Go to the root directory: A:urok>cd.., press Enter. We get: A:> (drive A:, root directory). Displaying a list of disk directories: A:>TREE A: /F, press Enter.
Working with disks
- Ш Transfer from disk to disk: C: windows >A:, press Enter, we get A:>;
- Ш Formatting disks: C:> format a:, press Enter;
- Ш Specifying a label on the disk: A:vol, press Enter;
- Ш Reading the label: A:label, press Enter.
At one time, even before the advent of Windows, the DOS operating system was almost the only advanced system that allowed human interaction with a computer based on entered commands. It is now possible to use the graphical interface to call most system functions. There was no talk about this before. But why did we remember DOS? Only because the system itself was previously included in Windows support, and is now being integrated into these operating systems in the form of a slightly modified element, which, despite all the statements, still remains one of the most important components of the system. Based on it, you can correct most errors and failures that occur.
What is DOS?
The system, originally developed by Microsoft specialists, showed itself at a fairly high level. Its advantage was that it used a set of short commands that were completely different from what had to be entered to call a specific function in other systems.
At first there weren’t many software products designed for this OS, but then even computer game developers announced their support.
Firstborn of software
The “grandfather” of Norton Commander is certainly considered the very first creation in DOS. It is with its appearance that the hyperactive popularity of the operating system itself is associated.
At its core, this application is a very ordinary file manager, but with very unusual functions. By the way, it was in his image and likeness that similar programs like FAR or two-panel managers like Total Commander were created.
MS DOS: basics
As for using this system, it’s not so simple. What is DOS in terms of interaction between the computer and the user? This is the use of a conditional set of commands, which are used extremely rarely today.
Since Norton Commander was almost always used to access the main functions, we will consider its set. The most interesting thing about it is the ability to create and edit text files and view images. Yes, yes, you heard right. It was in this manager that such technologies were initially implemented.
The F3 key was used to view pictures, and the edit command was used to enter the text editor. Typing is somewhat different from what we do today in Word, because each character in DOS corresponds to a specific position on the screen. If you look at the vertical layout of the text, the characters will be one below the other. There is no question of any alignment along the edges or height. You can enter as much text as you like, and it will be located in just one line. This, by the way, is very convenient when converting DOS texts to Word.
Windows connection
We understand a little about what DOS is. Now let's see what Windows has to do with it. But first, a small lyrical digression. If among you, readers, there are fans of old computer 3D shooters, you must remember such hits as Quake, Doom, Duke Nukem or Wolfenstein.
It was these games that gave impetus to the development of the gaming industry using three-dimensional images and landscapes, which led to the development of corresponding graphics accelerators.
But let's return to what DOS is in relation to Windows systems of the latest generations. To understand this, just call the command console, the interface of which is based on the classic DOS mode. As it turns out, DOS has a very close relationship with Windows. It uses exactly the commands that were once developed specifically for this system. Primitive commands, of course, are no longer used, but disk check lines are used with might and main.
Please note that some commands allow you to perform actions that cannot be performed on Windows systems themselves (for example, the sfc /scannow command to check the integrity of system files and then restore them, or tools like DISM or Bootrec.exe, which allow you to restore the system or fix problems with the bootloader). All this was taken specifically from DOS, and no other tools will help in providing error correction in this case, since they are not initially included in the Windows toolkit itself.
If you go through some of the settings on the original system, the DOS screen size is not adjustable. To change the settings, you need to use additional commander menus, and even then, you won’t get much speed here (if you take into account the parameters of graphics accelerators in Windows, which can be configured even when using special utilities). Otherwise, the system is designed solely to support the command line, and nothing more.
Brief summary
And no matter what statements about the end of support may be heard from Microsoft employees, it is still obvious that the command line, based on the principles of DOS systems, is not going anywhere. Therefore, it is important to know what DOS is and what commands can be used to restore Windows functionality. The connection is the most direct. As is already clear, in some cases it is simply impossible to do without the use of such tools.
