del MS-DOS Command

Type: Internal (1.0 and later)

Syntax:

DEL (ERASE) [d:][path]filename [/P]

Purpose: Deletes (erases) files from disk.

Discussion

You can use wildcard characters (? and *) to delete groups of files. If you don’t specify a pathname, the program assumes the files to be deleted are on the drive and directory you are currently using. The /P option prompts you to enter a Y or N for each file selected for deletion.

CAUTION
:Be careful when you use this command with wildcard characters: groups of files can be erased with one command entry. For example, if you enter del t*.* all files in the current directory that begin with the letter T will be immediately erased.

Examples

To erase the file LETTER3.TXT from the LETTERS directory on the diskette in drive B, enter del b:\letters\letter3.txt To erase all the files in the current directory, enter del *.* If you use this form of the command (to delete all files in a directory), the program will display the prompt Are you sure (Y/N)?

If you are sure you are deleting the files you want to delete, press the letter Y key to start the erasing process.