Data that Matters

DATE: 4-September-2008
Filed Under: System, Command Line, USB Devices

Odd Folder Property Changes

I have recently have had some trouble writing to my USB drive. The first time this happened I suspected that my USB drive was not seated properly and reseated the device. When that didn’t work I just renamed the file. When it happened again I checked the properties of the folder and sure enough the Read Only property was checked.  I changed the properties to Archive and I was able to write to the folder without any difficulty.

To change folder and file properties simply right click on the file or folder, choose Properties and if needed uncheck the Read Only attribute box. Click the Apply button and OK on the Confirm Attribute Changes dialog box. If you have files and other directories within this folder the “Apply changes to this folder…” option should already be checked, but if it is not checked or if you do not want other files properties to change in your subdirectories then uncheck this option.

To change file properties from the command line you can you the Attrib command with its switches. The Attrib +A (path-file or folder name) /s /d would change the file or folders properties to archive and process all files and subdirectories with the folder with the same attribute.

Please see Computer Hope for a full description of this command and its switches.

I haven’t been able to find anything posted about this issue so all I can do for now is to take care of the symptom. Could it be Norton Anti-virus?

DATE: 3-July-2008
Filed Under: Programming, DOS

Free DOS C Compiler and Tutorials

C was developed back in 1972 by the Bell Telephone Laboratories. Many modern day programming languages were either influenced or derived from C. Learning C is like being zapped back in time and for some it might bring about nostalgic feelings. Learning a programming language hones ones analytical and problem solving skills. You can learn C by using these excellent tutorials and Pacific C’s free compiler

About’s Learn C Programming Tutorials
About’s tutorials include C basics and how to program in C.

More C Tutorials
The Free Programming Resources site features a large directory of C resources including tutorials and other information about C.

Fried Space C Programming Tutorial
The site contains five tutorials that are broken down modules representing five projects ranging from a simple input and output program to a Space Invaders game.

Pacific C Windows Compiler a free small DOS C compiler
To run your C programs you will need a complier. Hi-Tech software offers a free legacy DOS C compiler to test your programs.

DOS Batch Files

Batch files are used to automate processes. In addition, batch files can be used for system and network chores. Although all DOS commands can be used in batch files there are nine specific batch commands.

:label: is used to defines a target for GOTO.
Echo:  Is used to display messages on the screen. The Echo command is either turned on or off. Example: ECHO off; the default is on.
Ream: Allows you to insert remarks
Pause:Temporary stops execution of a batch file. Displays the message: "Press any key to continue"
Call:   Is used to call or execute a batch file from within a batch file.
Goto: Used to transfer control to another command within the program
If:       Executes a command if some condition is true
For:    Executes a command for a specified file in a list of files
Shift:  Used to change the position of replaceable parameters
Choice: Used to prompt the user to make a choice

Batch files can be created in any text editor and are saved with the .BAT extension; once they are saved they can be executed by typing the name of the batch file at the command prompt. To cancel the execution of a batch file use the CTRL and Break key combination.

An example

The following batch file will create the Ron’s Directories at the root and add several directories under it including several nested directories.

C:
md "Rons Directories"
cd Rons Directories
md programs
md programming
cd programming
md c++
md scripts
md vb
cd ..

Copy the code into Notepad and save it to your C drive as makeDir.bat. One saved access your command prompt by typing CMD in your Run dialog box. Make sure that you are at the root (C:) type makeDir. Open Window Explorer and look for a directory named Rons Directories. If you drill through the directory structure you should see a directory structure like the illustration.

Explanation

C: changes the current command prompt to the root
md "Rons Directories" creates a new directory named “Rons Directories”
 *be sure to include the parenthesis*
cd Rons Directories  Changes directories. You are now inside the Rons Directories folder
md programs “Makes” a new directory inside the Rons Directories folder, named programs
md programming   Creates a new directory inside the Rons Directories folder, named programming
cd programming  Changes directories. You are now inside the programming folder
md c++  Creates a new directory inside the Rons Directories folder, named c++
md scripts Creates a new directory inside the Rons Directories folder, named scripts
md vb  Creates a new directory inside the Rons Directories folder, named vb
cd .. Takes you back to the root C:\

Additional Notes

When creating directories with compound names you are required to use double quotes. *

Case is not important, but spelling is.You might be tempted to use a hyphen after the n in Ron, but hyphens are reserved characters and can not be used.

You try it anyway and it seems to work, but did you check inside to see if the nested directories are there?

Additional Recourses

Windows 95 / DOS 7 Batch Programming
The World of DOS - Creating Batch Files
Batfiles: The DOS batch file programming handbook & tutorial

DATE:  26-Jan-2008
Filed under:  DOS

Three Sources for DOS Abandonware

Some software publishers no longer consider their DOS titles as financially viable, and abandon these titles allowing users to download them freely. There are dozens of titles available as public domain or abandonware. Many of these titles are well written and contain some surprising graphics and story lines.

Although DOS may be dead as an operating system, DOS still has a large following and has taken on a cult status for some. Many people hold on to DOS in order to run propriety software and hardware. If it works why change things?

DOS disks have gotten pretty scarce, but you may be able to find a copy of DOS 6.2 at a computer trading event or from a friend or family member. I was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of DOS 6.2 from a friend and run DOS on a separate partition on my Windows 2000 laptop.

DOS software was written for systems that used slower processing units. A lot of DOS software will not run all that well in Windows XP, if at all, and will have to be run on a DOS system or in a DOS emulator.

Free DOS an open source DOS alternative, DOS Box and DOS Box portable-DOS emulators, can be run from a virtual machine, a hard drive partition, Windows XP, or from your USB drive. See the Topical Collections Ten DOS Resources page for details.

1. Abandonia
   A great site with a large collection of DOS abandonware. Do you notice all the games you won’t be playing without some form of DOS?
2. CDOS  Abandonware
   According to the site games are tested and only the best DOS games are listed on the site. I especially appreciated the Rare Game Section which listed 42 pages of games. Many games in this collection brought back nostalgic feelings of my early gaming years.
3. DOS Gamer
   In addition to DOS abandonware the DOS Gamer offers game cheats, walk through, and reviews of the titles listed on the site.

DATE:  25-Jan-2008
Filed under: Freeware, Microsoft, How-to, DOS

Two Tips to help make finding Data on your CD/DVD’s Easier

Tip One

Use the DOS DIR command and the output operator to create directory listings for each CD or DVD. If your media burning software does not allow you to save the output file directly to CD/DVD you may have to redirect the text file to another location and burn the file separately. The DIR command will list each directory and file on your disk with the file or folder name, when the file or folder was created, and there size.

Tip Two

If you have a growing collection of DVD and CD ROM data disks that you use a regularly you can use ISO Recorder to create ISO images of these disks. Copy the ISO images to a new folder; I named mine ISO. Using Microsoft’s Virtual CDROM, a CD emulator, you can mount these images as if they were CD or DVD media. With a large enough hard drive you can store hundreds of CD and dozens of DVD images on your hard drive.