MS DOS

[.Kencs]

I know DOS is an old language that not many people use now but it is something I've been wanting to learn for a while now.

I can do batch files to run programs from a location or to run several programs but I know there is much more that can be done with dos and batch files so does anyone have any good links for learning DOS? And yes I have looked in google but thought I would ask the technical members here for their best advice

 

[Mr-White]

Look up Power shell, it's what Microsoft uses now and incorporates many languages into one

MW

 

[Crowort]

If you really want to learn dos you'll need an old PC and dos disks. Like Mr white said you'd have a more useful skill at the end just learning Power shell. Dos isn't a language it is a command line OS. I'm thinking you likely don't mean dos, and mean things like the cmd_prompt etc?

 

[robinbredin]

Crowort
If you really want to learn dos you'll need an old PC and dos disks. Like Mr white said you'd have a more useful skill at the end just learning Power shell. Dos isn't a language it is a command line OS. I'm thinking you likely don't mean dos, and mean things like the cmd_prompt etc?

I remember DOS from the days if Windows 3.1, but as the above said, it's not really a language, but having said that, I actually liked DOS.

 

[Hairybudda]

DOS is completley outdated these days and not very complex (or useful any more). If you're really interested in windows scripting WSH or powershell is really what you should be looking into.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/9bbdkx3k(VS.85).aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms714418(v=VS.85).aspx

A couple of links to get you started if you're interested, it might also be worthwhile you looking into linux if you're interested in a proper CLI.

 

[scrlk]

If you want to learn a CLI OS, try Linux.

 

[Cosimo]

All you want to know about it:

http://www.computerhope.com/msdos.htm

I still remember some of this stuff.

 

[SoundsGood]

See if you can write a batch file to check for running processes in several machines and then start a second process only when the first process no longer exists

(otherwise I'll have to do it myself )

edit: no using psexec or any 3rd party tools

 

[SiriusB]

Batch scripts are still very useful, especially given in many businesses there is a mix of XP, Vista and 7. Powershell is the future and many 2009/2010 MS products are already built on it or are designed to be compatible with it. One example is the Exchange 2010 console. The UI simply calls Powershell commands. Powershell is built on top of .NET, so at any time you can drop down into .NET code if the native PS commands don't do what you need.

 

[chaosophy]

http://www.robvanderwoude.com/batchfiles.php
http://ss64.com/nt/

Are the two I use the most, with the odd google search if I am having trouble with something specific.

And while it's not a full blown language as others have stated you can actually do a lot more with it than people give it credit for, especially as MS still add to if with each major Windows version.

What I tend to find working in IT is that there are a lot more CMD line tools available to do pretty much anything than you'd think for an o/s that is seen to be defined by it's gui. Which for bat file writers is a god send as you then don't need to get too bogged down in the technical side of programming and Windows you can just write right bat files to send parameters to CMD line utilities/tools and then learn to capture and manipulate the output.

Something like 'wmic' can be a pretty powerful tool to have when you start wrapping some script around it and should be standard since XP. I also use joware's adfind a hell of a lot as he's already done all the hard work for me of sorting out how to get all the information from AD in a very fast reliable way. I can then just wrap it up in a bat file and run off reports etc.

So though most here seem to be poo poo-ing it and they are correct in that it is an old thing to learn these days and that something like powershell, vb script etc may be more useful, I do still feel it can be a valid skill to have and is pretty easy to pick up tbh.

Learn how to manipulate variables, use them as parameters and then for loops and using 'for' and 'find/findstr' to capture and manipulate output to the screen or files from other utilities and tools.

googling around also shows that there are still a lot of us out there using this, probably a dying breed but when you have been using it for years and it still does what you need, why not.

 

[chaosophy]

See if you can write a batch file to check for running processes in several machines and then start a second process only when the first process no longer exists

(otherwise I'll have to do it myself )

edit: no using psexec or any 3rd party tools

What about using tasklist or wmic? Both are MS and should be standard since XP.

 

[MagicBoy]

MS DOS isn't a language, it's an operating system.

Most of the batch file scripting from DOS still works in the command prompt available in modern versions of Windows anyway. As advised batch files are clunky and 15 years past their sell by date. Try Powershell instead.

 

[Crowort]

I wasn't poo-pooing it as such. His question said DOS but he didn't infact mean dos, he wants to use dos like things but in a normal OS I think. batch files and using the cmd prompt is not the same as DOS.

I agree that being able to write batch files and use the cmd prompt is fairly useful at times, but anything very complex and you'd be better using other more powerful tools if you can imo.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

If you really want to learn dos you'll need an old PC and dos disks.

No you don't.

Navigate to the Run Prompt, Command Prompt, CLI (whatever you want to call it) and type something like copy/? and by magic it gives you all the parameters so basically Windows 7 is still running with DOS in the background.
It might not technically be MSDOS 6.2 but it acts like it and it can be used.

I still use batch files that I run every day and as far as I can tell they are linking to old DOS commands eg copy move del cd mkdir

This is one I use all the time but only using parameters of the DOS dir command: dir /on /b /s >var.txt

 

[SoundsGood]

What about using tasklist or wmic? Both are MS and should be standard since XP.

Thanks I didn't know about wmic until now.. Looks like I can scrap my dodgy workaround using schtasks

 

[robinbredin]

You can get FreeDOS, but as it says, it's a Operation System.

 

[Caged]

basically Windows 7 is still running with DOS in the background.

You couldn't be more wrong. Just because it's white text on a black background and the commands are similar doesn't mean it has anything to do with DOS. It hasn't been since Windows NT.

 

[whitecrook]

dostips is a handy reference as well.

I quite often write batch scripts to do file manipulations, copying deleting, naming, sorting based on various data, and text file creation and editing. It's actually very handy for this sort of thing. Combined with unixutils, tifftools, imagemagick and some custom scripts you can build quite powerful workflow processes.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

You couldn't be more wrong. Just because it's white text on a black background and the commands are similar doesn't mean it has anything to do with DOS. It hasn't been since Windows NT.

Why did you leave this bit out?
tut tut

It might not technically be MSDOS 6.2 but it acts like it and it can be used.

That still looks the same as it did in DOS -

 

[Caged]

Why did you leave this bit out?
tut tut



That still looks the same as it did in DOS -

Because it wasn't relevant to your comment that Windows 7 is basically running on top of DOS, which is unhelpful and incorrect. I know what the command prompt is, and since DOS was a command-based OS it's not surprising that the Windows command line looks very similar. But then so does every command prompt to an extent.