Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Cloud
  • 5G
  • Big Data
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Cloud
  • 5G
  • Big Data
  • See All Topics
  • Sponsored
  • Newsletters
  • Forums
  • Resource Library
TechRepublic Premium
Join / Sign In
Data Management

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

By greg shultz March 12, 2012, 12:41 PM PDT

Image
1
of 30

slide1.jpg
slide1.jpg
Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

Image: NVIDIA

nt 

n

ntBack in the early DOS days you actually performed all of your file management operations by typing cryptic commands on a prompt line. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before DOS File Managers with mouse support came along and made it much easier to work with your files. Take a trip down memory lane and look at these DOS File Managers from the early days of computing 

n

ntBourbaki 1 dir+ 

n

ntMS-DOS Shell 4

n

ntExecutive Systems

n

ntXTree Gold

n

ntMS-DOS Shell 5

n

ntNorton Commander

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

n

nt 

Image: NVIDIA
Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntThe first DOS File Manager that I ever used was called the 1dir from Bourbaki. I got a copy back in 1985 when I was still running DOS 2.11 on my old Kaypro 16. I still have the original package—a 6×9 binder-like folder that contained the 5.25-inch floppy disk and the manuals.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntThe package included the User’s Manual, a Quick Reference Card, and a little booklet that explained how File Management Systems work.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntI later upgraded to 1dir+ which offered some new features and color. The standard display provided the file list, lots of status details, and the menu across the bottom of the screen.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntWhen you accessed the File Mgt menu, you could use the arrow keys or the mouse to select a file and then choose one of the file management commands such as Copy.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntTo make copying files from one location to another, 1dir+ offered a dual pane view.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntThe Tree view made it easy to see and move around your directory structure.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

nt1dir+ provided a basic file viewer and editor for working with ASCII files.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntWhen Microsoft introduced DOS 4, one of the many new features in the operating system was the MS-DOS Shell, which was designed to negate the need to add a third-party file manager to the operating system.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntThe MS-DOS Shell provided a dual pane view to make copying and moving files from one location to another easier.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntThe menu system provided easy access to a host of DOS commands and much more.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntCopying files was an easy operation.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntThe Executive Systems’ DOS File Manager products, XTree (1985) all the way up to XTreeGold (1993) were very popular in their day. Every version of the product offered great features and made managing files a piece of cake. Xtree was so popular that to this day, the product’s most ardent fans maintain a Web site dedicated to the product called XTree Fan Page. While visiting the page I learned that in 1993, XTree was sold to Central Point Software, which in 1994 was acquired by Symantec. By 1995 the XTree product was discontinued.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntXTreeGold had a dual pane view to facilitate copying files from one location to another.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntCopying files XTreeGold was a simple task.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntA very nice feature in XTreeGold was the built-in Undelete command.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntThe menu system in XTreeGold only appeared on the screen when you clicked on the top line of the screen.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntWhen MS-DOS 5 came out, it sported an improved version of the MS-DOS Shell. In the basic version, the mouse pointer, shown in the center, was a simple rectangular block.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntIf you had an EGA or VGA graphics system, you could change the Screen Display Mode to a higher resolution. When you did, you got a mouse pointer that looked similar to the one in Windows.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntAt a higher resolution, MS-DOS Shell 5 even allowed drag and drop for copy and move operations.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntHowever, you could use the menu system to access all the common DOS commands.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntThe MS-DOS Shell 5 also had a Program menu (titled Main) that contained a set of DOS programs, such as the Edit program. You could also add programs to the menu.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntOf course, my favorite DOS File Manager was the Norton Commander with its standard dual pane view. I never upgraded past 1993’s version 4, shown here, but for me it did everything that I needed it to do.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntCopying files from one location to another was as easy as pressing [F5].

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntThe Norton Commander came with more than 30 file viewers that allowed you to view anything from an ASCII text file to a Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet.

n

ntJust to name a few:  WordPerfect, Dbase, Word, Write, Works, Wordstar, Xywrite, Excel, Symphony, Quattro, Rbase, Paradox, Foxbase, Clipper, Reflex

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntClicking on the top line of the screen revealed a set of menus that contained a wide range of commands and special features.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntThe Norton Commander came with a basic connectivity tool called Commander Link. Using a serial or parallel cable to connect two computers, each running Norton Commander, you could easily copy and move files between the two systems using the dual pane view which showed directories on both systems.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntBuilt in support for compressing and decompressing standard Zip files was a great asset at the time.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntAnother handy feature in Norton Commander was the detailed System Information display.

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

nt 

n

ntWhat’s your take on File Manager’s from the DOS days?

n

ntImage created by Greg Shultz for TechRepublic.

  • Data Management
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers

    Your email has been sent

Share: Dinosaur Sightings: DOS File Managers
Image of greg shultz
By greg shultz
My first computer was a Kaypro 16 \"luggable\" running MS-DOS 2.11 which I obtained while studying computer science in 1986. After two years, I discovered that I had a knack for writing documentation and shifted my focus over to technical writing.
  • Account Information

    Contact greg shultz

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of greg's content

TechRepublic Premium

  • TechRepublic Premium

    Checklist: Network and systems security

    Cybersecurity demands and the stakes of failing to properly secure systems and networks are high. While every organization’s specific security needs form a unique and complex blend of interconnected requirements, numerous security fundamentals almost always apply to each of these groups. It stands to reason that cybersecurity pros who effectively identify network and systems risks ...

    Published:  June 1, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  June 2, 2023, 7:48 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    How to host multiple websites on Linux with Apache

    In this guide from TechRepublic Premium we’re going to explore the various things you can do with a Linux server. We won’t leave out any steps, so you won’t have to refer to another tutorial to complete the process. The only step we will leave out is the installation of Linux, as we’ll assume you ...

    Downloads
    Published:  May 31, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  June 1, 2023, 7:45 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    How to deploy an application with Kubernetes

    If you want to deploy applications into a Kubernetes cluster, be warned — it’s not the easiest task. There are a lot of moving pieces that go into these scalable containers. Don’t you wish you had a complete roadmap, from start to finish, to walk you through the process of deploying the Kubernetes cluster, deploying ...

    Downloads
    Published:  May 31, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  June 1, 2023, 7:51 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Cross-training tool kit

    The more flexibility you can create in your technology workforce, the better you’ll be equipped to manage tomorrow, whatever the future brings. Too often, we focus on helping our teams become technical specialists who know volumes about a single technology, but quickly lose sight of how that technology connects with others. This makes their skills ...

    Downloads
    Published:  May 30, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  May 31, 2023, 4:50 PM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium

Services

  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information

Explore

  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Twitter
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on Flipboard
© 2023 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Property of TechnologyAdvice