| A | B |
|---|
| 8.3 naming system | File-naming convention that specified a maximum of eight characters for a filename, followed by a 3-character file extension. Has been replaced by LFN (long filename) supports. |
| American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) | Industry-standard 8-bit characters used to define text characters, consisting of 96 upper- and lowercase letter, plus 32 nonprinting control characters, each of which is numbered. These numbers were designed to achieve uniformity among computer devices for printing and the exchange of simple text documents. |
| ATTRIB.EXE | Command used to view the specific properties of a file; can also be used to modify or remove file properties, such as read-only, system, or archive |
| attributes | Values in a file that determine the hidden, read-only, system, and archive status of the file. |
| CD (CHDIR) command | Shorthand for “Change Directory.” Allows you to change the focus of the command prompt from one directory to another |
| CHKDSK (Checkdisk) command | Hard drive error detection and, and to a certain extent, correction utility in Windows. Originally a DOS command (CHKDSK.EXE); also the executable for the graphical Error-checking tool. |
| COPY command | Command in the command-line interface for making a copy of a file and pasting it in another location. |
| DEL (ERASE) command | Command in the command-line interface used to delete/erase files |
| DIR command | Command used in the command-line interface to display the entire contents of the current working directory |
| FORMAT command | Command in the command-line interface used to format a storage device |
| MD (MKDIR) command | Command in the command-line interface used to create directories |
| MOVE command | Command in the command-line interface used to move a file from one location to another. |
| path | Route the operating system must follow to find an executable program stored in a subdirectory |
| prompt | A character or message provided by an operating system or program to indicate that it is ready to accept input |
| read-only attribute | File attribute that does not allow a file to be altered or modified. Helpful when protecting system files that should not be edited |
| RD (RMDIR) command | Command in the command-line interface used to remove directories |
| REN (RENAME) command | Command in the command-line interface used to rename files and folders. |
| root directory | Directory that contains all other directories |
| Run dialog box | Command box in which users can enter the name of a particular program to run; an alternative to locating the icon in Windows. |
| SFC (System File Checker) | Scans, detects, and restores Windows system files, folders, and paths |
| switch | Device that filters and forwards traffic based on some criteria. A bridge and a router are both examples of switches. |
| syntax | The proper way to write a command-line command so that it functions and does what it’s supposed to do. |
| Unicode | 16-bit code that covers every character of the most common languages, plus several thousand symbols. |
| wildcard | Character used during a search to represent search criteria. For instance, searching for *.doc will return a list of all files with a .doc extension, regardless of the filename. the * is the wildcard in that search. |
| XCOPY command | Command in the command-line interface used to copy multiple directories at once, which the COPY command could not do. |
