DOStips

Mark Bendig

doi:10.1108/eb055931

DOStips

Bendig, Mark

1989-04-01 00:00:00

Mark Bendig Reference and Enhanced Information Services Dept. you don't have a disc in the drive, you'll Using Disk Labels get the DOS extension error Here's a tip about labels for your disks. (No, disks I format today will be labeled CDR101: Read failed not the ones you stick on the outside of MWB890625. This way, I can tell with a (or) the disk.) I'm talking about the internal disk glance at the DIR listing which diskettes are Not ready reading drive D: label (one for each disk) that DOS keeps "mine" and when they were formatted. (Of Abort, Retry, Ignore track of. When you issue a DIRectory course you can assign a label to your hard command at the DOS prompt, the resulting disk as well: just use the command "LABEL and your search will be aborted. (At least display begins with something like Volume C:".) A final note: Don't use the LABEL mine had to be when using a Philips drive; in drive A is DATA25 or, more commonly, command on disk drives that have been I was able to successfully Retry using a Volume in drive A has no label. What is SUBSTed [which CAT ME users may have— Hitachi drive) To avoid hanging your this label and where did it come from? see OCLC Micro, vol. 4, no. 1, pp . 5-6] or system up on the way to a legitimate ASSIGNed by DOS commands, or to label program, put the reference to the CD-ROM The internal disk label is actually network drives; the results are unpredict drive last in the PATH. (Of course, if you've recorded on the disk itself, in one of able in these cases. sent DOS off to find a program that doesn't several sectors reserved for DOS to use. Even if you delete all the files from the exist, you'll encounter an error message disk, the label remains the same (or remains too.) Another solution may be to always Dow n th e Garden PATH absent) until you reformat the disk or keep a disc in the CD-ROM drive change the label using the DOS LABEL Most serious PC users are aware of the command. Let's look at these two ways of PATH command and its general function. Anothe r Pathy changing the disk label. Usually found in a system's AUTOEXEC.BAT When you use the DOS FORMAT file, the PATH command specifies a series Observatio n command to initialize a disk, you can use of subdirectories that DOS will check (after As I just mentioned, the PATH command is the /V switch, as in the following example checking the current subdirectory) in search often placed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, of an executable file (i.e., one with a BAT, FORMAT A: /V where it is executed each time the machine COM, or EXE extension). A typical PATH is powered up or rebooted. Interestingly, The /V switch causes the FORMAT command looks something like this: the position of the PATH command within command to ask you for a Volume Name PATH = \DOS;\UTILS;\MSC\BIN;\ (i.e., a label) after it's formatted the disk. the AUTOEXEC.BAT file can affect the You may enter up to 11 characters for the amount of usable memory in the machine, With this PATH in place, if you enter, say, Volume Name, which becomes the disk depending on the other commands in the AXOLOTL at the DOS prompt, DOS will file Specifically, certain commands invoke label that's reported in DIR listings of files try to locate a file called AXOLOTL.BAT, programs that have a resident portion (i.e., on that disk. AXOLOTL.COM, or AXOLOTL.EXE in the a portion of the program that remains in current subdirectory. If the search is To change the label of a disk without memory even after the command has reformatting it, use the DOS LABEL unsuccessful, DOS will then search the finished executing). These programs include command. (Note: The LABEL command is \DOS subdirectory, the \UTILS MODE, PRINT, and GRAPHICS—all only available in DOS versions 3.0 and subdirectory, the \MSC\BIN subdirectory, supplied with DOS—as well as a variety of and finally the root directory (represented later; in earlier versions, the only way to "memory-resident" utility programs many by \) . The important thing to note is that change the disk label is to reformat the "power" users find handy. A copy of the the specified subdirectories are searched in disk.) As an example of the LABEL environment (including the PATH) is stored command, let's say you have a diskette in the order in which they appear in the with the resident portion of each of these drive A and that this disk has no label. You PATH command. Consequently, you can programs. Consequently, running these want to change the label to "DATA25". speed up processing by making sure that programs before a large PATH is set saves the subdirectories in your PATH command Here's the command usable system memory. are listed in decreasing order of priority. LABEL A: DATA25 First list the subdirectories whose contents NOTE: You may encounter a problem (The space after the A: is optional.) That's are used most often or the ones requiring in which moving the PATH statement to a all it takes. To delete a label, just enter fastest access. Put less important subdirec point following, say, a MODE command "LABEL A:". When you're asked for the tories at the end of the command. Those of causes DOS to be unable to find the MODE new label, just press < Enter > , then you with CD-ROM drives and the MS-DOS command file (since the PATH isn't set). respond to the message Delete current extensions should be aware that you can The solution: Use a full PATH name to run volume label (Y/N)? by typing "Y" and add the CD-ROM drive designator to your the MODE command, for example, pressing < Enter > . PATH. However, if the DOS extension \DOS\MODE instead of just MODE. In my own work, I label each diskette follows the PATH to the CD-ROM drive and that I format with a special code containing my initials and the date For example,

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OCLC Micro Emerald Publishing

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$Mark Bendig Reference and Enhanced Information Services Dept. you don't have a disc in the drive, you'll Using Disk Labels get the DOS extension error Here's a tip about labels for your disks. (No, disks I format today will be labeled CDR101: Read failed not the ones you stick on the outside of MWB890625. This way, I can tell with a (or) the disk.) I'm talking about the internal disk glance at the DIR listing which diskettes are Not ready reading drive D: label (one for each disk) that DOS keeps "mine" and when they were formatted. (Of Abort, Retry, Ignore track of. When you issue a DIRectory course you can assign a label to your hard command at the DOS prompt, the resulting disk as well: just use the command "LABEL and your search will be aborted. (At least display begins with something like Volume C:".) A final note: Don't use the LABEL mine had to be when using a Philips drive; in drive A is DATA25 or, more commonly, command on disk drives that have been I was able to successfully Retry using a Volume in drive A has no label. What is SUBSTed [which CAT ME users may have— Hitachi drive) To avoid hanging your this label and where did it come from? see OCLC Micro, vol. 4, no. 1, pp . 5-6] or system up on the way to a legitimate ASSIGNed by DOS commands, or to label program, put the reference to the CD-ROM The internal disk label is actually network drives; the results are unpredict drive last in the PATH. (Of course, if you've recorded on the disk itself, in one of able in these cases. sent DOS off to find a program that doesn't several sectors reserved for DOS to use. Even if you delete all the files from the exist, you'll encounter an error message disk, the label remains the same (or remains too.) Another solution may be to always Dow n th e Garden PATH absent) until you reformat the disk or keep a disc in the CD-ROM drive change the label using the DOS LABEL Most serious PC users are aware of the command. Let's look at these two ways of PATH command and its general function. Anothe r Pathy changing the disk label. Usually found in a system's AUTOEXEC.BAT When you use the DOS FORMAT file, the PATH command specifies a series Observatio n command to initialize a disk, you can use of subdirectories that DOS will check (after As I just mentioned, the PATH command is the /V switch, as in the following example checking the current subdirectory) in search often placed in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, of an executable file (i.e., one with a BAT, FORMAT A: /V where it is executed each time the machine COM, or EXE extension). A typical PATH is powered up or rebooted. Interestingly, The /V switch causes the FORMAT command looks something like this: the position of the PATH command within command to ask you for a Volume Name PATH = \DOS;\UTILS;\MSC\BIN;\ (i.e., a label) after it's formatted the disk. the AUTOEXEC.BAT file can affect the You may enter up to 11 characters for the amount of usable memory in the machine, With this PATH in place, if you enter, say, Volume Name, which becomes the disk depending on the other commands in the AXOLOTL at the DOS prompt, DOS will file Specifically, certain commands invoke label that's reported in DIR listings of files try to locate a file called AXOLOTL.BAT, programs that have a resident portion (i.e., on that disk. AXOLOTL.COM, or AXOLOTL.EXE in the a portion of the program that remains in current subdirectory. If the search is To change the label of a disk without memory even after the command has reformatting it, use the DOS LABEL unsuccessful, DOS will then search the finished executing). These programs include command. (Note: The LABEL command is \DOS subdirectory, the \UTILS MODE, PRINT, and GRAPHICS—all only available in DOS versions 3.0 and subdirectory, the \MSC\BIN subdirectory, supplied with DOS—as well as a variety of and finally the root directory (represented later; in earlier versions, the only way to "memory-resident" utility programs many by \) . The important thing to note is that change the disk label is to reformat the "power" users find handy. A copy of the the specified subdirectories are searched in disk.) As an example of the LABEL environment (including the PATH) is stored command, let's say you have a diskette in the order in which they appear in the with the resident portion of each of these drive A and that this disk has no label. You PATH command. Consequently, you can programs. Consequently, running these want to change the label to "DATA25". speed up processing by making sure that programs before a large PATH is set saves the subdirectories in your PATH command Here's the command usable system memory. are listed in decreasing order of priority. LABEL A: DATA25 First list the subdirectories whose contents NOTE: You may encounter a problem (The space after the A: is optional.) That's are used most often or the ones requiring in which moving the PATH statement to a all it takes. To delete a label, just enter fastest access. Put less important subdirec point following, say, a MODE command "LABEL A:". When you're asked for the tories at the end of the command. Those of causes DOS to be unable to find the MODE new label, just press < Enter > , then you with CD-ROM drives and the MS-DOS command file (since the PATH isn't set). respond to the message Delete current extensions should be aware that you can The solution: Use a full PATH name to run volume label (Y/N)? by typing "Y" and add the CD-ROM drive designator to your the MODE command, for example, pressing < Enter > . PATH. However, if the DOS extension \DOS\MODE instead of just MODE. In my own work, I label each diskette follows the PATH to the CD-ROM drive and that I format with a special code containing my initials and the date For example,$

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