[comp.sys.ibm.pc] Dumb/easy question

butterworth@mscf.med.upenn.edu (10/31/89)

How does one delete hidden files?

 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
			      David N. Butterworth
   			   UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
			Office of Information Technology
			 1R N.E.B. -- 420 Service Drive
			  Philadelphia, PA  19104-6020

Internet: butterworth@a1.mscf.upenn.edu         "Which shoes are those?" -- f.f.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

unkydave@shumv1.uucp (David Bank) (11/01/89)

In article <140@mscf.med.upenn.edu> butterworth@mscf.med.upenn.edu writes:
>How does one delete hidden files?
>


    In DOS, "Hidden" files are nominally protected from normal disk
operations such as DIR, DEL, and the like. These files differ from
"normal" files only in that the "Hidden" bit has been set ON in the
File Attribute part of the directory entry.

     Using something like PC-Tools, you can delete hidden files without
any problems. If you don;t have and/or can't afford such a program or
one like it, you can use the DOS program ATTRIB to alter the file
attribute bits and make it a non-Hidden file and then erase it normally.

     Hope this helps....

DISCLAIMER: The information presented above constitutes an honest
            effort on my part to disseminate knowledge I know or
            reasonably know to be true. All other interpretations
            are erroneous.

Unky Dave
unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu
> 

wozniak@utkux1.utk.edu (Bryon Lape) (11/02/89)

In article <140@mscf.med.upenn.edu> butterworth@mscf.med.upenn.edu writes:
>How does one delete hidden files?
>
> 
	The only way that I am sure of is the following:

		Use a utility like Norton or PC-Tools to make the file
Un-hidden then delete is from DOS.  But I think that PC-Tools will let
you delete files from within itself (I am not sure here because I have
not used it for a long time).  I do not think that the DOS attribute
command will work here, but who knows.


-bryon-

butterworth@mscf.med.upenn.edu (11/03/89)

Thanks to all those (and there were many) who told me how to go about 
deleting hidden files ... as well as to all those who told me that the 
question wasn't particularly dumb, or easy for that matter!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
			      David N. Butterworth
   			   UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
			Office of Information Technology
			 1R N.E.B. -- 420 Service Drive
			  Philadelphia, PA  19104-6020

Internet: butterworth@a1.mscf.upenn.edu         "Which shoes are those?" -- f.f.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

djm@castle.ed.ac.uk (D Murphy) (11/03/89)

In article <4376@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu (David Bank) writes:
>         If you don;t have and/or can't afford such a program or
>one like it, you can use the DOS program ATTRIB to alter the file
>attribute bits and make it a non-Hidden file and then erase it normally.
>
>Unky Dave
>unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu
>> 

Umm - I'm not sure this is true. I think ATTRIB will only allow you to
change the read-only and archive bits. If you try using, say, ATTRIB +H 
it doesn't hide the file.


Murff..... "If you'd thought about moving you would't bother to stop."

woody@eos.UUCP (Wayne Wood) (11/07/89)

In article <954@castle.ed.ac.uk> djm@castle.ed.ac.uk (D Murphy) writes:
>In article <4376@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu (David Bank) writes:
>>         If you don;t have and/or can't afford such a program or
>>one like it, you can use the DOS program ATTRIB to alter the file
>>attribute bits and make it a non-Hidden file and then erase it normally.
>>
>>Unky Dave
>>unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu
>>> 
>
>Umm - I'm not sure this is true. I think ATTRIB will only allow you to
>change the read-only and archive bits. If you try using, say, ATTRIB +H 
>it doesn't hide the file.
>
>
my DOS  [3.1] has chmod which will do the job...




f
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/***   woody   ****************************************************************
*** ...tongue tied and twisted, just an earth bound misfit, I...            ***
*** -- David Gilmour, Pink Floyd                                            ***
****** woody@eos.arc.nasa.gov *** my opinions, like my mind, are my own ******/

cs4g6ag@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Stephen M. Dunn) (11/07/89)

In article <954@castle.ed.ac.uk> djm@castle.ed.ac.uk (D Murphy) writes:
$In article <4376@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu (David Bank) writes:
$>         If you don;t have and/or can't afford such a program or
$>one like it, you can use the DOS program ATTRIB to alter the file
$>attribute bits and make it a non-Hidden file and then erase it normally.
$Umm - I'm not sure this is true. I think ATTRIB will only allow you to
$change the read-only and archive bits. If you try using, say, ATTRIB +H 
$it doesn't hide the file.

   It depends on the version of ATTRIB you have.  I'm using MS-DOS 3.20
and it will only allow me to twiddle the Read-only and Archive bits.
However, I seem to recall having seen in the documentation for a later
version (either PC-DOS 3.30 or PC-DOS 4.01, but MS-DOS should be the
same) that you can change all of the four common attributes (R,A, Hidden,
and System).

   I could be wrong, though ... I have PC-DOS 3.30 lying around here, but
I don't feel like rebooting just to try it.  Please, no e-mail telling
me if I'm right or wrong, I couldn't care less personally.
-- 
Stephen M. Dunn                               cs4g6ag@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca
          <std_disclaimer.h> = "\nI'm only an undergraduate!!!\n";
****************************************************************************
They say the best in life is free // but if you don't pay then you don't eat

unkydave@shumv1.uucp (David Bank) (11/08/89)

In article <954@castle.ed.ac.uk> djm@castle.ed.ac.uk (D Murphy) writes:
>In article <4376@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu (David Bank) writes:
>>         If you don;t have and/or can't afford such a program or
>>one like it, you can use the DOS program ATTRIB to alter the file
>>attribute bits and make it a non-Hidden file and then erase it normally.
>>
>Umm - I'm not sure this is true. I think ATTRIB will only allow you to
>change the read-only and archive bits. If you try using, say, ATTRIB +H 
>it doesn't hide the file.
>

   Hmmm...you could be right. I normally use ATTR and don't mess with
ATTRIB. DOS's utilities tend to be pathetic anyway. Not having a DOS
manual handy I really can't say either way.

   Perhaps someone more versed in the more arcane of DOS's utilities
programs can offer some help???

Unky Dave
unkydave@shumv1.ncsu.edu

DISCLAIMER: The above message constitutes an honest effort by the author
            to impart information he knows or reasonably knows to be
              true. All other interpretations are erroneous.