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Activity
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Comp
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Quarter
2, Week
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Learning Activity Sheets for Computer 3, Quarter 2, Week 1

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Name:_________________________Grade & Section:_______________Date:_______

3.1 Describing DOS

In this learning activity sheet, you will learn about the DOS (Disk Operating System) and the two
types of DOS commands.

Learning Competencies- At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

3.1 Describe DOS

3.2 Identify the Two Types of DOS Commands

Computer Concepts

DOS (Disk Operating System)

An Operating System (OS) is a program with a set of instructions that the computer follows to perform tasks easily. In
Windows, we can open and use many programs at the same time. You can open and use a program by simply double-
clicking the icons. Icons are small pictures that represent a program.

Two Types of DOS Commands

DOS Commands are divided into 2 types:

1. Internal Commands

These are for performing basic operations on files and directories and they do not need any external file support.

2. External Commands

These external commands are for performing advanced tasks and they do need some external file support as they are not
stored in COMMAND.COM

Why are internal and external commands needed?

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Internal commands are more commonly used and important to the operation and use of the Windows operating system. By
embedding them in the command.com file, they can be quickly accessed and always available in MS-DOS and to Windows
when needed.

External commands are powerful. They help fix problems, improve performance, and perform other actions as well.
External commands usually have higher resource requirements than internal commands. Keeping them in separate files,
separated from internal commands, helps to reduce the load on Windows. They can also be added to Windows whenever
needed by copying the external command's file to the computer. The syntax for some frequently used internal commands
follows.

Most Commonly Used Internal DOS Commands

TIME This command is used to displays or set the system time.

COPY CON It is used to create a file in the existing directory. Here CON is a DOS reserved word which stands for
console.

TYPE This command is used to display the contents of a text file or files

CLS It is used to clear the screen.

REN This command is used to change/modify the name of a file or files.

DIR This command displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.

PATH This command displays the path that how we have come to the present position or sets a search path for
executable files.

VER This command displays the version of the Microsoft Windows running on your computer.

VOL It displays the disk volume label and serial number, if they exist for the drive specified. If no drive is specified it
displays for the active drive.

DEL/ERASE Used to delete one or more files.

COPY This command is useful in copying one or more files to another file or location.

MD, CD and RD

MD (or MKDIR) command stand for make directory and it is used to create a directory.

CD (or CHDIR) stands for create or change directory and it allows to display the name of or change the current directory or
rather we can say come out of a directory.

RD (or RMDIR) command removes or deletes a directory. There are two conditions to remove any directory – (1) Directory
to be removed should be empty. and (2) We should be outside the directory we are commanding to delete.

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PROMPT This changes the cmd.exe command prompt. By default the prompt is always set to the name of current
drive followed by > sign.

Most Commonly Used External DOS Commands

XCOPY This command is used to copy files and directory trees from one disk to another disk.

LABEL It is used to create, change, or delete the volume label of a disk.

DISKCOPY This command copies the contents of one floppy from the source drive to a formatted or un-formatted
floppy disk in the destination drive. This command copies the data from particular position on the source disk to exactly the
same position on the destination disk.

CHKDSK This command is used to check a disk and display a status report with properties of disk like serial
number, volume label, memory and other properties along with errors on the disk if any.

TREE This command is very useful to view the list of directories and subdirectories present on the disk in graphical form.
If you wanted to include files also with directories and subdirectories, then you’ll have to give the command line as tree/f
which presents the tree view of all the content on your disk. Here is the syntax for this command with allowed switches:

DELTREE This command is used to remove a directory along with its contents.

DOSKEY This command is generally used to edits command lines and recalls commands.

FIND This command searches for a specific text string in a file or files.

SORT This command is used to arrange the data of a file in alphabetical order (A-Z, 0-9) or reverse alphabetical order.

FORMAT This command creates a new root directory and a File Allocation Table (FAT) for the disk. In order for MS-
DOS to be able to use a new disk you must use this command to format the disk.

BACKUP The Backup command backs up one or more files from one disk to another. You can backup files onto either
a hard disk or on a floppy disk.

RESTORE The RESTORE command restores files that were backed up by using BACKUP command.

Activity 1- Identify the following. Write your answers on the blanks provided.

______________1. These are for performing advanced tasks and they do need some external file support as they are not
stored in COMMAND.COM

______________2. It is an operating system that runs from a hard disk drive.

______________3. These are instructions to perform tasks on files and directories very useful to Windows users.

______________4. It is a program with a set of instructions that the computer follows to perform tasks easily.

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______________5. These are for performing basic operations on files and directories and they do not need any external
file support.

Activity 2-Identify the following internal DOS commands. Write your answers on the blanks provided.
________6. This command is useful in copying one or more files to another file or location.

________7. This command is used to display the contents of a text file or files

________8. This command displays the path that how we have come to the present position or sets a search path for
executable files.

________9. This command is used to displays or set the system time.

________10. Used to delete one or more files.

Activity 3-Identify the following external DOS commands. Write your answers on the blanks provided.
________11. This command backs up one or more files from one disk to another. You can backup files onto either a hard
disk or on a floppy disk.

________12. This command searches for a specific text string in a file or files.

________13. This command is used to arrange the data of a file in alphabetical order (A-Z, 0-9) or reverse alphabetical
order.

________14. This command restores files that were backed up by using BACKUP command.

________15. This command creates a new root directory and a File Allocation Table (FAT) for the disk. In order for MS-DOS
to be able to use a new disk you must use this command to format the disk.

Reflections: Answer the questions below.

1. What is DOS?

2. What are the two types of DOS Commands?

3. What difficulties did you encounter while studying the lesson or answering the activities?

References:

Special Science in Elementary School (SSES) Competencies in Computer Education for Grade 3

https://www.tech-wonders.com/2011/06/most-commonly-used-internal-and.html

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Answer Key:

ACTIVITY 1

1. External Commands

2. DOS or Disk Operating System

3. DOS Commands

4. OS or Operating System

5. Internal Commands

ACTIVITY 2

6. COPY

7. TYPE

8. PATH

9. TIME

10. DEL/ERASE

ACTIVITY 3

11. BACKUP

12. FIND

13. SORT

14. RESTORE

15. FORMAT