Slide 4.1: Programming Laboratory I: searching a string for a character Slide 4.3: DOS (Disk Operating System) Home

Assembling, Linking, and Running a Program

DOS (Disk Operating System)
Originally developed by Microsoft for IBM, MS-DOS was the standard operating system for IBM-compatible personal computers. The initial versions of DOS were very simple and resembled another operating system called CP/M. Subsequent versions have became increasingly sophisticated as they incorporated features of minicomputer operating systems. However, DOS is still a 16-bit operating system and does not support multiple users or multitasking.

It has been widely acknowledged that DOS is insufficient for modern computer applications. Microsoft Windows helped alleviate some problems, but still, it sat on top of DOS and relied on DOS for many services. Newer operating systems, such as Windows NT, do not rely on DOS to the same extent. It is most likely the DOS we are using now is a virtual-machine emulator.

Simple DOS commands

Display and Print Files
Command	Description	Example
C:	These commands change the default disk drive from one drive to another. Drive C refers to a non-removable hard disk inside the computer. Drive D refers to DVD/CD-RW drive.
D:
DIR	Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.	DIR C:\Irvine
TYPE	Displays the contents of an ASCII text file on screen.	TYPE lab1.asm