You can still download IBM FileCommand - https://winworldpc.com/product/filecommand/100 Still the fastest, least restrictive file manager around nearly 40 years later.
Mike
Mike
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Any recommendations for a good DOS file manager?
- Thread starter dreniarb
- Start date
1ST1
Veteran Member
Why not using the original, if promoting the side by side mode?
Norton Commander
NC newer versions even supports serial and parallel port (laplink cable) support for file fiewing and transfer between two computers.NC is mostly my favorite, specially when typing mode co80,50 before starting it. If you need even more screen space, try DCC on VGA machines (but it does not support link to other PCs).
Caluser2000
Banned
I used Xtree or Xtree Gold in Dos because it had a command PRUNE in which you could delete the whole directory including the nestled directories within it as well as all the hidden files within them.Other file managers I had use prior would refused to to delete a directory if there was any content in it.
Agent Orange
Veteran Member
For the record so does QDOS.
Agent Orange
Veteran Member
For me it's the difference between a stick shift and an automatic. :-D
Chuck(G)
25k Member
How many of the above understand DOS 7+ long file names?
CLI is the basic interface to many operating systems (Unix/Linux) DOS, OS/2, even Windows NT and 9x. It's pretty much all I've ever used when developing code.
CLI is the basic interface to many operating systems (Unix/Linux) DOS, OS/2, even Windows NT and 9x. It's pretty much all I've ever used when developing code.
bear
Veteran Member
The two I used most back in the day were QDOS II (already mentioned), and PathMinder.
Doesn't tab completion allow you to navigate around on the command line quickly even if the filenames are long?
EDIT: https://www.computerhope.com/tips/tip176.htm
Chuck(G)
25k Member
Under DOS 7+ or FeeDOS, I get a list of the 8.3 "mangled" names.
That is, instead of "Development" I get "DEVEL~YX"; if I type "cd Development", of course that works.
Debian Linux gives you a list of names after the second tab press--it's just as easy to use wildcards there. Of course, wildcards don't work the same in DOS--I can't say "cd Dev*" and expect anything but an error.
That is, instead of "Development" I get "DEVEL~YX"; if I type "cd Development", of course that works.
Debian Linux gives you a list of names after the second tab press--it's just as easy to use wildcards there. Of course, wildcards don't work the same in DOS--I can't say "cd Dev*" and expect anything but an error.
Agent Orange
Veteran Member
A long file name under QDOS with give you "YadaYaY~". Note the "~". It will in no way change or alter the original file name.
dhau
Experienced Member
Volkov Commander 4.05 - works very well even @ 4.77MHz
Chuck(G)
25k Member
On DOS, I suppose that it boils down to "Do any of these file managers have the smarts to use the extended name APIs?" (i.e. DOS interrup 21h, 71xx calls). Evidently not.
Dwight Elvey
Veteran Member
For me, it comes down to "Where did I put that?" or "Which is the most up to date?" or Which has the feature I need now?".
I could spend hour at the command line and still miss one path. If all I did was run code from various vendors, the command line would be fine. I write many tools I use, myself. I do this because I often ask for things that are not always included in the commercially available tools. I do this because I can.
Some times, I need to find a particular feature that I used in a special case. I need to find that version and it may not be the most current version. Although, not good file management, I tend to copy tools to the current working project directory and modify them as I need for that project.
Using a tool like Xtree, I can keep my bad habits and still be productive.
Dwight
What happens if you type "cd dev", press tab, and then press enter?
You can say "cd dev*" in linux only if there aren't multiple directories which begin with "dev". For example, in my /usr directory, I have this:
If I were to say, "cd lib*" and press enter I would get response "bash: cd: too many arguments" because the shell would automatically expand that expression to "cd lib lib32 lib64 libexec libx32". If I type "cd lib" and press tab nothing will happen because there are multiple possibilities. If I then press tab twice, it will show me my options. If, after seeing my options, I then type "3", making my command "cd lib3" and press tab, it completes to "cd lib32/" and I can press enter. This is a pretty simple example given that the file names are all short but the same approach works with longer names. I usually find myself doing this:
1) Type "cd " and the first few characters and press tab
2) If a slash appears at the end of the name, then there were no ambiguities and I can press enter
3) If a slash does not appear at the end of the name then there is an ambiguity and I press tab twice more to see my options
4) Type another character from the folder I want and repeat steps 2 and 3 as necessary
I can only test in Dosbox at the moment but DOS tab completion seems to be very similar to Linux except that, when you press tab twice, instead of showing you your options, it automatically expands to your first option and you just press tab repeatedly until you see the folder you want and then press enter. I tend to prefer the Linux approach but both work just fine.
1ST1
Veteran Member
Volkov is nice, but I still prefer, the original Norton Commander because it contains serial/parallel port file transfer. And together with the Norton Utilities tools collection it is unbeatable. The other one I like, spcially on VGA machines is DCC, the nice thing on this is that it supports VGA text modes bigger than 80x25 / 80x50.
Chuck(G)
25k Member
Under *nix, using wildcards is an art. If I typed "cd l*32", I would get what I wanted for "lib32".
I guess you have to live in CLI mode to appreciate it. The nuances of the *nix "find" command, for example, don't have any corresponding facility in GUI.
I guess you have to live in CLI mode to appreciate it. The nuances of the *nix "find" command, for example, don't have any corresponding facility in GUI.
Agent Orange
Veteran Member
One thing here is that in their heyday these old file managers were mainly dealing with "12345678.XXX". Their usefulness dwindled with the advent of Windows except maybe for the hardrock DOS people of the day.