8.3 filenames

[sonuteklists]

This is a new machine on which XP Pro was installed. During installation only the basic options were chosen.
After installation, when I open a MS-DOS prompt, the file and folder names have a truncated view like, document~. Everything after the 8th character is replaced by ~. The file and folder names remain the same in Windows explorer and this happens only in MS-DOS Prompt. I use the DOS prompt a lot for a number of things and this can get very tricky sometimes. For example if I have 3 files, filename1, filename2, filename3 all that a dir command displays is,
filename~
filename~
filename~
I have no way of knowing which is which. Is there any setting I can set to display the full file and folder names.
Thanks.

 

[mwiner]

try using cmd instead of command

 

[dbMark]

Cmd.exe is the actual complete OS command line interpreter (CLI). Command.com is similar, but older and limited in its capabilities. One of those limitations is that it can handle only 8.3 file names, which is just fine to maintain compatibility with older DOS programs. To see which one you're using you can right click on the icon and look at its properties. Also, the visual difference is that Cmd.exe has a black box icon and Command.com has the colorful MSDOS text icon.