MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) is a command line user interface, and although not commonly used today, it was the main operating system for the PC-compatible platform in the 1980s. After its launch in 1981 several versions of MSDOS were released up until Microsoft stopped developing it in 2000.
| Command |
Description |
| ANSI.SYS | Reassigns keys, alters display graphics, and cursor movement |
| APPEND | DOS looks at other directories when file editing/running commands |
| ARP | Displays, removes, adds arp info from network devices |
| ASSIGN | Assigns a drive letter to an alternate drive |
| ASSOC | Views file associations |
| AT | Schedules a time to execute programs or commands |
| ATMADM | Lists addresses and connections seen by Windows ATM call manager |
| ATTRIB | Displays/changes file attributes |
| BATCH | Recovery console command that executes commands in a file |
| BOOTCFG | Recovery console command that allows view/modify/rebuild boot.ini | |
| BREAK | Enables/disables CTRL+C |
| CACLS | Views, modifies file ACL's |
| CALL | Calls a batch file from another batch file |
| CD | Changes directories |
| CHCP | Supplements International keyboard/character set info |
| CHDIR | Changes directories |
| CHKDSK | Checks HDD running FAT for errors |
| CHKNTFS | Checks HDD running NTFS for errors |
| CHOICE | Specifies listing of multiple options within batch file |
| CLS | Clears screen |
| CMD | Opens command interpreter |
| COLOR | Changes foreground/background colour of the MSDOS window |
| COMMAND | Opens command interpreter |
| COMP | Compares files |
| COMPACT | Compresses/uncompresses files |
| CONTROL | Opens Control Panel icons from MSDOS prompt |
| CONVERT | Converts FAT to NTFS |
| COPY | Copies files to another location |
| CTTY | Changes computer's input/output devices |
| DATE | Views or changes system date |
| DEBUG | Debug utility creates assembly programs/modifies hardware settings |
| DEFRAG | Rearranges HDD to help with loading programs |
| DEL | Deletes files |
| DELETE | Recovery console command that deletes a file |
| DELTREE | Deletes files and/or directories |
| DIR | Lists directory contents |
| DISABLE | Recovery console command to disable system services/drivers |
| DISKCOMP | Compare disks |
| DISKCOPY | Copies contents of one disk to another |
| DOSKEY | Views and executes commands that have previously run |
| DOSSHELL | Graphical user interface to assist MSDOS users |
| DRIVPARM | Enables overwrite of original device drivers |
| ECHO | Displays messages and enables/disables echo |
| EDIT | Views/edits files |
| EDLIN | Views/edits files |
| EMM386 | Loads extended Memory Manager |
| ENABLE | Recovery console command to enable/disable service, driver |
| ENDLOCAL | Stops localization of environment changes enabled by SETLOCAL |
| ERASE | Erases files |
| EXIT | Exits from command interpreter |
| EXPAND | Expands Windows files to original format |
| EXTRACT | Extracts files from Windows cabinets |
| FASTHELP | Displays MSDOS commands lists and info about them |
| FC | Compares files |
| FDISK | Utility to create partitions on HDD |
| FIND | Searches for text within a file |
| FINDSTR | Searches for text string within a file |
| FIXBOOT | Writes a new boot sector |
| FIXMBR | Writes new boot record to disk drive |
| FOR | Boolean used in batch files |
| FORMAT | Command to erase/prepare disk drive |
| FTP | Command to connect/operate on FTP server |
| FTYPE | Displays/modifies file types used in file ext associations |
| GOTO | Moves a batch file to a specific label/location |
| GRAFTABL | Shows ext characters in graphics mode |
| HELP | Displays a listing of commands and explanation |
| IF | Allows batch files to perform conditional processing |
| IFSHLP.SYS | 32 bit file manager |
| IPCONFIG | Network command to view network adapter settings/assigned values |
| KEYB | Changes keyboard layout |
| LABEL | Changes disk drive label |
| LH | Loads device driver into high memory |
| LISTSVC | Recovery console command that displays services/drivers |
| LOADFIX | Loads program above first 64k |
| LOADHIGH | Loads device driver into high memory |
| LOCK | Locks HDD |
| LOGON | Recovery console command to list installations/enable admin login |
| MAP | Displays device name of drive |
| MD | Command to create new directory |
| MEM | Displays system memory |
| MKDIR | Command to create new directory |
| MODE | Modifies port/display settings |
| MORE | Displays one page at a time |
| MOVE | Moves files from one directory to another |
| MSAV | Early Microsoft Virus scanner |
| MSD | Diagnostics utility |
| MSCDEX | Utility used to load and provide access to CDROM |
| NBTSTAT | Displays protocol statistics/current TCP/IP connections using NBT |
| NET | Updates, views, fixes network/network settings |
| NETSH | Configures dynamic/static network info from DOS |
| NETSTAT | Displays TCP/IP network protocol statistics/info |
| NLSFUNC | Loads country specific info |
| NSLOOKUP | Looks up IP address of a domain/host on a network |
| PATH | Views/modifies computer's path location |
| PATHPING | Views/locates locations of network latency |
| PAUSE | Batch file command to stop the processing of a command |
| PCPARK | Parks HDD heads to enable safe shutdown - used on early versions |
| PING | Test/send info to another computer, network or network device |
| POPD | Changes to directory/network path stored by PUSHD command |
| POWER | Conserves power with computer portables |
| PRINT | Prints data to printer port |
| PROMPT | Views/changes MSDOS prompt |
| PUSHD | Stores directory/network path in memory for future reference |
| QBASIC | Opens QBasic |
| RD | Removes empty directory |
| REN | Renames file/directory |
| RENAME | Renames file/directory |
| RMDIR | Removes empty directory |
| ROUTE | Views and configures Windows network route tables |
| RUNAS | Enables user to remote execute a program on another computer |
| SCANDISK | Runs scandisk utility |
| SCANREG | Scans registry/recover registry from errors |
| SET | Changes one variable/string to another |
| SETLOCAL | Enables local environments to be altered without global affect |
| SETVER | Changes msdos version to trick older dos programs |
| SHARE | Installs support for file sharing/locking capabilities |
| SHIFT | Changes position of replaceable parameters in batch program |
| SHUTDOWN | Shutsdown computer from the DOS prompt |
| SMARTDRV | Creates disk cache in conventional memory/extended memory |
| SORT | Sorts input and displays output to screen |
| START | Starts separate window in Windows from MSDOS prompt |
| SUBST | Substitutes a folder on computer for another drive letter |
| SWITCHES | Removes/adds functions from MSDOS |
| SYS | Transfers system files to drive |
| TELNET | Telnet to another computer/device from prompt |
| TIME | Views/modifies system time |
| TITLE | Changes title of MSDOS window |
| TRACERT | Visually view network packets route across a network |
| TREE | Views visual tree of HDD |
| TYPE | Displays contents of a file |
| UNDELETE | Undeletes deleted file |
| UNFORMAT | Unformats HDD |
| UNLOCK | Unlocks HDD |
| VER | Displays version info |
| VERIFY | Enables/disables feature to see if files have been correctly written |
| VOL | Displays volume info about designated drive |
| XCOPY | Copies files, directories, and/or drives from one location to another |
