I'm so confused...

[crazygal]

I'm trying to use dos to get to a certain folder, but I can't seem to go in to some folders with longer names. For example, I wanted to go in to "Documents and Settings" but when I type "cd Documents and Settings" or "cd Documents_and_Settings" it tells me that the directory doesn't exit.

Even "keyprogram" was too much until I renamed it to "key".

How do I go in to those folders with longer names?
I'm using Windows 2000 if it matters.

 

[damiano]

do

cd doc*

 

[blackdogdeek]

cd "documents and settings"

quotes around the dir

 

[NTB]

leave the cd command outside the quotes: cd "documents and settings"

Nate

 

[damiano]

rename like this

move a.bat b.bat

 

[GroundZero]

dos uses an 8 character naming convention.
to get to your long file/folder names you ahve to truncate the name.
use the first 6 characters of the file/folder name and then ~1 for the last 2 characters.

 

[NogginBoink]

None of the DOS commands understand spaces in file or foldernames. To thos commands, a space is the separator between arguments. Therefore, to get "documents and settings" to be interpreted as a single argument, you must put quotation marks around it as others pointed out.

 

[crazygal]

Uhm, weird.
cd "Documents and Settings" generates this error: Parameter format not correct - "Documents

 

[Bootprint]

If you are using a DOS box, use cmd instead of command.com

 

[BatmanNate]

Back in the good ole' days, it would just truncate them and you'd do

cd docum~1

and call it good.

 

[crazygal]

cd docum~1 doesn't work either

 

[OutHouse]

yip use CMD instead of command and you should be fine. What is your OS?

 

[damiano]

Originally posted by: crazygal
Uhm, weird.
cd "Documents and Settings" generates this error: Parameter format not correct - "Documents

do as damiano says then 😉

 

[esun]

cd docum~1 doesn't work either

It should be 8 characters long, meaning the first six plus a tilde and a number. This command should work: cd docume~1

 

[crazygal]

Bingo, thanks esun. Is this the only way to do it? Seems a bit tricky

 

[Ichinisan]

Type...

DIR Docu*

...and it should display the truncated name for you.


I don't know why the quotation marks did not work. Are you working from a boot disk?

You should be able to surround the folder name (NOT the command) in quotation marks if you want to use spaces instead of truncated filenames.

CD "Documents and Settings"

 

[crazygal]

I'm not working from a bootdisk, just in windows using the command prompt. cd "filename" doesn't work, it's just dumb like that.

Thanks for the dir docu* tip, but it lists "Documents and Settings" rather than the short version.

 

[oznerol]

type cd .. till you get to the root

type:

dir /x

it will list the contents of the root folder in dos form.... use those instead of the full names

 

[Ichinisan]

DIR should show both versions of the filename if you are not booting from a disk. (or is that only for 9x? Can't check right now).

ducci:
CD \
or
CD\
...should return to the root of the drive without requiring multiple "cd.." commands.

 

[Bootprint]

Run a DOS box from the start/run menu and enter 'cmd'

command.com is old school, 8.3 filenames...

cmd.exe is the extended version of DOS with long filenames...

 

[Ichinisan]

Wow.

Command.com in Windows XP is more restricted than in Win9x. Win9x command.com allows you to use quotes for long filenames and filenames with spaces and special characters.

Also, WinXP Command.com is strange because the flashing cursor starts in the "invisible/off" status and you can't see it while typing a command.

Why the heck is this strange restricted version of Command.com included with WinXP? It certainly does not maintain backwards-compatibility with these glaring restrictions.

 

[Cerb]

www.lokai.net
Get console2. Neat looking stuff you can do with it, and it puts the quotes in for you 🙂.
So I can just use
cd documents and settings
and get there.

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: Ichinisan
Wow.

Command.com in Windows XP is more restricted than in Win9x. Win9x command.com allows you to use quotes for long filenames and filenames with spaces and special characters.

Also, WinXP Command.com is strange because the flashing cursor starts in the "invisible/off" status and you can't see it while typing a command.

Why the heck is this strange restricted version of Command.com included with WinXP? It certainly does not maintain backwards-compatibility with these glaring restrictions.

Why use command.com? If it's 2k or XP, you've got cmd.exe

 

[Ichinisan]

Originally posted by: Cerb
Why use command.com? If it's 2k or XP, you've got cmd.exe

Lots of batch files and applications try to access the legacy Win9x environment. I'm wondering why Microsoft included command.com if it was not even close to compatible with commands that were valid on Win9x's command.com...

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: esun

cd docum~1 doesn't work either

It should be 8 characters long, meaning the first six plus a tilde and a number. This command should work: cd docume~1

yup, that'll do it.


windows 2000 doesn't have dos so you weren't using it