I am going to introduce you to another command line utility as offered by the Windows Operating System. It is the format utility.
I have in time past tried to format an old removable media using the default format utility in My Computer, but to no avail. Not until a friend introduces me to this method.
Remember how we fire up the command line interface? I case you've forgotten, this is it.
To start with, we'll see how we call up the command line interface on your Windows Operating System.
1. Click Start then select Run. Alternatively, hold down the Windows Key and then press R
2. Type in the space provided "cmd" and press the Enter key.
Congratulations! You have entered the command line interface.
One this interface type format /?. The computer will display for you the function of the format utility as well as the switches you can use with it.
To format the drive, simply type
C:\> format [drive letter]:
f
For example:
C:\> format H:
You can find out the letter for the drive you intend to format by opening My Computer then check the letter assigned to the drive.
Some interesting switches I'll like us to look at are
1. /FS:filesystem - this enables you to specify the file system you want on the drive. For pen drives, flash drives, memory cards, we could use the FAT32 file system which is the default filing system used for formatting.
2. /X - this switch allows the forceful dismount of the drive so that it can be opened for formatting. This switch is what you can use to revive a dead or dying drive.
Put these few into practice and get back to me if you have any issues.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
WindowsTask Manager
In my previous post, I showed you how to use the dir command to list the content of a directory.
In this post, we are going to look at something different that I expect will be more useful to you.
Sometimes while working on your computer, a running program may develop an error and the machine comes to a stand still. Everything seizes to work. Most users are patient enough to wait till the error resolves itself, but in some cases it may seem like you are waiting forever.
When you are faced with an issue like this, this is what you have to do. There is a key combination know as Ctrl + Alt + Del (pronounced as Control, Alternate, Delete).
With this key combination you will be able to access a portion of your Operating System known as the "Task Manager".
With the Task Manager you can see all currently running programs and their status. If you use Windows XP or earlier OS, the Task Manager pops out as a tabbed interface but for users of Windows Vista and Windows 7, a page appear containing Five options, the last of which is "Start Task Manager". Click on it.
When you identify the non-responsive program, Right Click on it and select from the pop-up menu, "Go to Process".
The Process Tab opened with the process controlling the non-responsive program selected. At the base of the interface, you'll see a button on which is written "End Process", clicking on this button will force the non-responsive to end.
Note: All unsaved data on the closed program will be lost.
In this post, we are going to look at something different that I expect will be more useful to you.
Sometimes while working on your computer, a running program may develop an error and the machine comes to a stand still. Everything seizes to work. Most users are patient enough to wait till the error resolves itself, but in some cases it may seem like you are waiting forever.
When you are faced with an issue like this, this is what you have to do. There is a key combination know as Ctrl + Alt + Del (pronounced as Control, Alternate, Delete).
With this key combination you will be able to access a portion of your Operating System known as the "Task Manager".
With the Task Manager you can see all currently running programs and their status. If you use Windows XP or earlier OS, the Task Manager pops out as a tabbed interface but for users of Windows Vista and Windows 7, a page appear containing Five options, the last of which is "Start Task Manager". Click on it.
When you identify the non-responsive program, Right Click on it and select from the pop-up menu, "Go to Process".
The Process Tab opened with the process controlling the non-responsive program selected. At the base of the interface, you'll see a button on which is written "End Process", clicking on this button will force the non-responsive to end.
Note: All unsaved data on the closed program will be lost.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
DOS Commands
Have you ever tried formatting a pen drive from your computer GUI, that is Graphical User Interface and were unable to do so? Have you also tried stopping a program that had become unresponsive, to no avail? Then it is time you learn some things about your computer back door.
The DOS environment is a Command Line Interface where all transactions are done via typed commands. I will introduce you to some of the commands that will be most useful to you in your day to day activities.
To start with, we'll see how we call up the command line interface on your Windows Operating System.
1. Click Start then select Run
2. Type in the space provided "cmd" and press the Enter key.
Congratulations! You have entered the command line interface.
The first command we will examine is the "dir" command. This command list the content of the directory that you are currently within. It has a number of switches that it works with. Switches help to make the work of the command more precise.
To view all available switches that can be used with the dir command, simply type at the prompt
C:\dir /?
A list of available switches will be displayed alongside their functions.
Tomorrow we will be taking a closer look at these switches and how they can be effective in real life computing challenges.
The DOS environment is a Command Line Interface where all transactions are done via typed commands. I will introduce you to some of the commands that will be most useful to you in your day to day activities.
To start with, we'll see how we call up the command line interface on your Windows Operating System.
1. Click Start then select Run
2. Type in the space provided "cmd" and press the Enter key.
Congratulations! You have entered the command line interface.
The first command we will examine is the "dir" command. This command list the content of the directory that you are currently within. It has a number of switches that it works with. Switches help to make the work of the command more precise.
To view all available switches that can be used with the dir command, simply type at the prompt
C:\dir /?
A list of available switches will be displayed alongside their functions.
Tomorrow we will be taking a closer look at these switches and how they can be effective in real life computing challenges.
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