2.2
AN INTRODUCTION TO DOS
DOS
makes file management easy. Instead of you having to learn
the complex details
of
how to operate a computer and its disk drives
(the
DOS
already “knows” this), all you have to do is learn how to
issue a few commands that tell
DOS
what you want done.
DOS
will
do the job for
you.
MEMORY AND STORAGE
There are two ways in which your computer can store information;
it can store it in its random access memory, or it can store it on a
magnetic recording medium. One
of
the primary differences between
these two forms of storage
is
permanency. The computer’s random
access memory (often referred to as
RAM)
cannot store information
permanently
-
any time you turn the power off or even any time
you experience a brief power failure, your computer’s random access
memory will be erased. However, information can be kept indefinitely
if it is transferred from random access memory to a magnetic disk
before power is turned off. Once stored on a disk, information is
always available for you to refer back to, use, alter, manipulate, or
erase.
WORKING WITH DOS
Typically, you will command
DOS
to
retrieve an applications pro-
gram (word processing, for example) from a disk and transfer it to
the computer’s random access memory. You will then interact directly
with the applications program. (In this example, that simply means
you do word processing.) The applications program will interact with
DOS
to
manage your files. (In this example, the files are made up
of the words and paragraphs
you
have typed on your word processor.)
In Chapter 1, you learned how to use several
of
the
DOS
commands.
By giving these commands, you had the computer take the infor-
mation on the
DOS
diskette and duplicate it on fixed disk and on a
backup diskette.
2-3
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