ECS 15 -- Fall 1997 -- © Nancy E. Reed, 1997

Laboratory 1 Notes
File systems
The DOS and Windows95 Operating Systems

Readings:

• Lab 1 in the Laboratory Manual
• DOS At A Glance (4 pages, pdf)
• Essentials of Windows 95 in your Office 97 text.

Objectives

The objectives of laboratory 1 include understanding the following concepts:

• files
• file formats
• directories
• storage devices
• software
• wildcard characters

The DOS File System

Files can contain data in many different formats, including plain text, executable programs, Microsoft Word wordprocessing files, WordPerfect wordprocessing files, Excel spreadsheet files, foreign language documents, and many, many other formats. You will start to learn about different file formats in this lab and continue to learn more about them as the class progresses. Knowing the format of a file is important, because if we know what type it is, we can view the contents in a way that makes sense, and do other things like modify or print the file, or make a copy of it to use on another computer - even one using a different operating system that stores files in a different manner!

The Windows95 operating system

Microsoft Windows95 is an operating system with a graphical user interface (GUI). The predecessor of Windows95, Windows 3.1, also provides a GUI, but runs under the DOS operating system. A GUI allows computer users to interact with the computer via icons (small pictures displayed on the computer monitor) that represent items in the computer. This is in contrast to text-based interfaces such as DOS, where interaction takes place via typed in commands. Both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 are sometimes also called operating environments.

Windows 95 is installed in the PC labs on campus. After you login, you are in Windows95. (On a system with Windows 3.1, it is started by typing win at the DOS prompt.)

In this lab and the next, you are introduced to a few of the capabilities available under Windows95. In the next few labs, you will be using an editor (Notepad), a wordprocessing program (Word) and a spreadsheet program (Excel) that run under Windows. Notepad comes with Windows95, as does the ability to create a DOS box and run DPS programs. Word and Excel are applications programs sold by Microsoft Corporation and are included in the Microsoft Office package. Some applications included with Windows 95 include:

• Notepad - an editor.
• Windows Explorer - a graphical way to work with files and directories (similar to the File Manager in Windows 3.1).
• DOS Prompt - allows you to create a "new" DOS machine and run DOS programs from it.

DOS File management commands (you should know)

• dir - list the files in some directory.
• cd - change the current (default) working directory.
• copy - copy file(s) from one device/directory/name to another.
• type - view the contents of a file.
• more - view information one page at a time.
• format - prepare a disk to accept files.
• erase - delete file(s).
• md - create a new directory.
• print - send a file to a printer.
• rd - delete a directory.
• diskcopy - copy everything on one disk to a second disk (same size).
• getting help with a command - use the /? option.

Review

Terms

• file
• file name (including the extension)
• file types
• file system
• directory
• path
• current working directory (default directory)
• drive/device

Abilities

• Describe all components that identify a file and where it is in a file system.
• Format a diskette.
• Copy a file from one location to another.
• Move a file from one locaiton to another.
• Rename a file.
• View the contents of a file.
• Delete a file.
• Copy an entire diskette, including all directories and files.
• Create a new directory.
• Delete a directory
• Change your default (current working) directory.
• Start (execute) a program.
• Access online help.
• Find a file on a computer, given part of its name.

Go to the index of lectures for ECS15 - Fall 1997 .

Go to the homepage for ECS15 - Fall 1997 .