11.2.8 File Management Commands

robocopy

The robocopy command (short for Robust FIle Copy) is used to copy entire folder structures between volumes or across a network. The benefit of using robocopy is that all NTFS file permissions and attributes are maintained and interrupted transfers can be resumed. COmmon switches used with robocopy use the following are: 1. robocopy [source_folder] [destination] [options] copies entire folder structures to destination. 2. robocopy /s copies subdirectories, excluding empty directories 3. robocopy /e copies subdirectories, including empty directories 4. robocopy /mov moves all specified files and directories, and deletes them form the source when complete 5. robocopy /copyall copies all files attributes and information RoboCopy is a vey powerful copy utility and should be used only if you fully understand how to use it.

help

This will display the entire list of available commands To see detailed ino

cd

Use the cd command to work with the current directory. COmmon switches used with cd are: 1. cd by itself shows the current directory (the current directory is usually shown in the command prompt as well). 2.cd[folder name] changes the current directory to the one specified (if the directory is within the current directory) 3. cd [full path] changes to the directory specified by the path 4. cd.. changes the current directory to the immediate parent directory (moves up one directory level). 5. cd /D [file] [path] changes the current drive in addition to changing the directory

del

Use the del command to delete one or more files on the system. Common switches used with del are: 1.del[file] specifies the file to delete. Wildcards and multiple filenames can be given 2. del /p prompts for confirmation before deleting the specified file(s).cdcdmdd

dir

Use the dir command to display a list of files and subdirectories in a directory. COmmon switches used with dir are : 1. dir /p pauses output at every page. 2. dir /s displays information in subdirectories. 3. dir /a[xx] displays files with the specified attributes: 1. Options may be combined, such as /arh, to show read only, hidden files. 2. Use - to show files without an attribute. For example, dir /a-r shows files that are not read only.

md, mkdir

Use the md and mkdir commands to creats (make) a directory. COmmon switches used with md are: 1. md [directory] creates a new directory in the current directory. 2. md[path][directory] creates a new directory in the directory specified by the path.

rd

Use the rd command to delete (remove) a directory. COmmon switches used with rd are: 1. rd [directory] removes the specified directory within the current directory 2. rd [path][directory] removes the directory specified in the path. 3. rd /s removes subdirectories in addition to files in the current directory 4. rd /q will not prompt you before each deletion.

xcopy

Use the xcopy command to copy files and directory trees. COmmon switches used with xcopy are: 1. xcopy /a copies files with the archive attribute set and doesn't change the attribute 2. xcopy /m copies files with the archive attribute set and turns off the archive attribute. 3. xcopy /d copies files changes on or after the specified date. if not date is given, it copies only those files whose source time is newer that the destination time. 4. xcopy /p prompts you before creating each destination file 5. xcopy /s copies directories and subdirectories (except empty ones). 6. xcopy /e copies directories and subdirectories, including empty ones 7. xcopy /h copies hidden and system files also 8. xcopy /r copies attributes. Normal xcopy will reset read-only attributes 9. xcopy /k copies attributes. Normal xcopy will reset read-only attributes. 10. xcopy /y overwrites existing files without prompting

attrib

use the attrib command to change or view the attribute of one or more files 1. Use the attrib command by itself to display a list of all files in the current directory 2. Attributes that can be set or removed are identified by the attribute letter: 1. R= read-only,2.A= archive, S=system, H=hidden, I=not indexed You cannot encrypt files using the attrib command. Instead, use the cipher command or edit the properties of the file. 3. use attrib+ to add an attribute to a file. FOr example, the following command sets the R attribute for the myfile.txt file: attrib +r myfile.txt 4. Use attrib- to remove an attribute from a file. FOr example, the following command removes the R attribute from a file: attrib -r myfile.txt Multiple attributes can be assigned or removed at a time. For example , the following command assigns both R and S attributes to the file: attrib +r +s myfile.txt. You can also change attributes by right-clicking a file and selecting Properties from the menue

copy

use the copy command to copy files from one location to another. COmmon switches used with copy are: 1. copy[source] [destination] copies the specified file to the new location. 2. copy [folder] [*.*] [path] [destination] copies all files with extension in folder to the new location. 3. copy /a specifies that the file is an ASCII text file. 4. copy /b specifies that the file is binary file. 5. copy /n copies files using short filenames. 6. copy /y will not prompt you before each overwrite operation copy /v verifies files after they are copied. Be aware of the following for how moving (copying) files between partitions affects the file attributes: 1. When copying files form FAT32 partition to another partition, the file attributes are retained 2. When copying files from an NTFS partition to a FAT32 partition, attributes such as encryption and permissions that are not available in FAT32 are removed

edit

use the edit command to view, create, or modify files. common switches use with edit are: 1. edit [file] specifies initial files(s) to load. Wildcards and multiple file specs can be given. 2. edit /r load file(s) in read-only mode