What follows is a short list of useful AmigaDOS commands:
[The Immortal Boing Ball]


BASICS:

df0: - the first floppy drive.
df1: - the second floppy drive.
dh0: (sometimes hd0:) - the first hard drive or partition.
dh1: (sometimes hd1:) - the second hard drive or partition.
cd0: - the first CDROM drive.


CTRL C To stop a command.


Using the command cd:

cd dirname - go to the directory called "dirname".

cd df0: - go to floppy drive df0:

cd dh1: - go to the hard drive called dh1:

cd devs - goes to the devs directory.

cd dh0: - returns you to the root directory of the hard drive called dh0:

Note: If you're using AmigaDOS 2.x or newer, you don't need to type cd to change to a different drive.

endcli - closes the CLI or Shell.


/ To move up one directory.
cd / Use this command instead if using AmigaDOS 1.2 or 1.3.

: To go to the root directory.

/// To move up three directories.


Note: if a directory or filename has a space in it, it must be surrounded by quotes.


To copy a file to df0:
copy file.ext df0:

Copying a file that has a space in its name. For example, copy a file called jack rabbit to the ram disk:
copy "jack rabbit" ram:

To copy all files in the current folder to the ram disk:
copy #? ram:

For a directory listing:
list

To pause the listing as it scrolls:
Click and hold the Right Mouse Button.

List all directories and their files:
dir all

To list all files that contain the characters "ami" :
list sub ami#?

To delete a file:
delete file.ext

Deleting a protected file:
delete file.ext force

To delete a directory and its contents:
delete directoryname all

To make a new folder called darkstar, type:
makedir darkstar

To clean up the command line shell:
clear

Delete all files starting with micros
delete micros#?

Copy the diskette in the first drive to the diskette in the second drive:
diskcopy df0: df1:

Press Ctrl C if you decide not to actually perform the copy.


[Another Boing Ball]


MORE COMMANDS:

To make a diskette bootable (OFS Original File System):
install df0:

To make a diskette bootable (FFS Fast File System):
install df0: ffs

To make a disk non-bootable:
install df0: noboot

To search for a file called "Schmuck" in the DH1:Graphics/pics directory:
search dh1:graphics/pics schmuck

To search the entire drive DH1:, type:
search dh1:filename file all


Make a quick way to get to a folder within folders:
assign short: hd1:folder1/folder2/folder3

In this case, I can now simply type the word short and press enter to get to folder3


copy * to myfile
After entering this line, whatever you type will be copied to a file named myfile.


To set your prompt to say "By your command:"
PROMPT By your command:

To send the contents of the file named "myfile" to the printer, type:
type >prt:myfile

To append all files in a directory with the same extension -- e.g.) .pic
LIST >rename.script WORK:PICTURES LFORMAT RENAME %S%S %S%S.pic
EXECUTE rename.script

----------------------------------------------------

mount - activate a device like a CDROM drive. ex) Mount CD0:

Say - to activate the Amiga's speech synthesizer.
To set the synth up in Dos 2.x and up, copy the file called "SAY" from
the Dos 1.3 "Utilities" directory, to you hard drive "Utilities" directory.
Then copy the 1.3 "Speak-Handler" from the 1.3 "L" directory to
your HD "L" directory. Next, copy the file called "Narrator.device"
from the 1.3 Devs directory to your hard drive's "Devs" directory.

----------------------------------------------------

The Up Arrow - scrolls through the previously typed commands (DOS 2.x and up).

Shift Arrow - Moves cursor to beginning or end of a line of text.

Ctrl X - Deletes all text on the command line.

Ctrl U - Deletes all text prior to the cursor position.

Ctrl K - Deletes all text after the cursor.

Right-Amiga C - Copy mouse-highlighted text from command line.

Right-Amiga V - Paste text into command line (it'll be stored in a buffer for other apps to use as well).

Shift Backspace - Deletes all text before the cursor in one keystroke (applies to the
Execute Command field and to some apps but not the shell).


To close the shell, type:
endshell


Tip: Linux/UNIX users might want to add the following to their user-startup file in the S directory.

alias ls list


Now ls will do what the AmigaOS list command does.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Click the following to see an AmigaOS tutorial series

------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The link below is an archive containing some text files explaining how to use a stock Amiga 1200 or 4000, along with
folders containing numerous library files, fonts, and utilities from a Workbench 3.0 Amiga 4000/040.

Also included is information on how to link an Amiga to a Windows 98se PC using a 25-pin parallel cable.

AmigaOS-stuff.zip


If you're working with an older Amiga with AmigaDOS/Workbench 1.2 or 1.3 on it and you can't see an icon for a
folder or a program that you want to access, I've included a Workbench boot disk that has some generic icons that
you can use. Simply copy the icon to the location where the progam or folder is and rename it to match the program
or folder that you want an icon for. One icon is intended for folders and the other is intended for programs.

WB133andIcons.adf


[Boing Ball Purple]


INFORMATION:

Designed by Amiga corporation in 1983/4 and released in early 1985, the AMIGA was originally intended to be a kick-ass gaming console. However, recognizing the potential of the system being developed, the five designers of the machine decided to give it added expansion possibilities by adding on serial and parallel ports, more RAM, a keyboard port, etc.... The video game console was growing into a fully-fledged computer. While this was a very forward-thinking idea (the video game console market was about to crash -- in favor of home computers), the costs of developing a computer system greatly outstripped the initial sum of money supplied by the investors. Soon out of money, things were beginning to look pretty grim for the team at Amiga Corporation. Despite this the brave (and brilliant) men who designed the Amiga continued to develop the hardware and software, until a runnable system was ready for the soon-to-arrive consumer electronics show. Included on their design team were the two design leads of the Atari 2600 console and the Atari 800 computer as well as one of the programmers of the arcade game Sinistar.

A functioning Amiga was indeed at the summer 1984 consumer electronics show... barely.
Since they didn't have the time or money to press the chipset to silicon, the designers strung the chip designs up on breadboards, placed them on an anti-static mat, and wired them up to a monitor. The reaction to the high-resolution graphics bouncing around on the screen was very positive -- to say the least. One suitably impressed company was Commodore, who purchased the technology and rights, allowing the designers of the system to run out and buy themselves each a Sun workstation (and something to eat).

Unfortunately, Commodore allocated relatively little money to future research and development for the Amiga and had the short-sightedness to alienate the designers. Hence the machine slowly lost its industry lead over the next decade. Some very intelligent and dedicated people continued to work on the Amiga over the years, but with a tiny fraction of the resources available to Apple and IBM.

Every Amiga is based on a multi-processor arrangement, with specific-purpose processors taking care of many of the tasks that typical computer systems assigned to the Central Processing Unit. This arrangement allowed for separate RAM and DMA for these custom chips and, in some cases, a higher-priority level for the graphics processor over the CPU itself. As well, the graphics circuitry (or Blitter) was cycle-interleaved with the CPU, adding to the efficiency of its use of system RAM.
The audio chip assisted in managing drive access, while providing digital 8-bit, 4-channel direct memory access state-machine synthesizer/sample handling, with superior filtering for its time, plus the option to combine two channels for ~14-bit audio.

In addition, the Amiga used a highly sophisticated autodetection system for all expansion cards (true plug and play, long before Windows 9x) and included a full 32-bit pre-emptive multitasking operating system right from day one. This O/S provided both GUI and command-line interfaces (much like X-Window) and the ability to write scripts in order to automate operating system functions.



[Boing Ball Blue!  Okay, this is getting kinda' Mac-ish...]


[Amiga Games page]


[Amiga Audio page]


[Magazine Articles]


High-rez Amiga photos

[High-rez Amiga photos]






[Blitter.Com]