Ms-Dos Files; What Is A File? - Sanyo MBC-550 Series User Manual

MS-DOS FILES
What Is A File?
A file is a collection of related information. A file
on your disk can be compared to a file folder in a desk
drawer. For example, one file folder might contain the
names and addresses of the employees who work for a
company. This file could be named the Employee Master
File. A file on your disk could also contain the names
and addresses of employees in a company and could also
be named Employee Master File.
All programs, text, and data on your disk reside in
files and each file has a unique name to distinquish it
form other files.
The names of files are kept in directories on a disk.
These directories also contain information on the size
of the files, their location (where they are stored) on
the disk, and the dates they where created and updated.
The directory you are working in is called your current
or working directory.
An additional system area is called the File Allocation
Table. It keeps track of the location of your files on
the disk. It also allocates the free space on your
disks so that you can create new files.
These two system areas, the directories and the File
Allocation Table, enable MS-DOS to recognize and
organize the files on your disks.
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