deltree c:\*.* with windows 95/98

[matthew13l]

When you are in windows 95 or 98, and go to a dos prompt and type deltree c:\*.*, does it really make all the desktop icons and wallpaper start disappearing and then crashes the computer and wont boot back into windows? Or does windows 95/98 have a protection against that?

[Midknyte]

are you serious? deltree will erase your hard drive. there is no protection from that.

http://www.easydos.com/deltree.html

[mireland]

Originally posted by matthew13l
When you are in windows 95 or 98, and go to a dos prompt and type deltree c:\*.*, does it really make all the desktop icons and wallpaper start disappearing and then crashes the computer and wont boot back into windows? Or does windows 95/98 have a protection against that?

Holy **** man..don't type that!!!

[matthew13l]

I know what it does, lol. I was just wondering if it will actually delete everything while you are still in windows.

[Midknyte]

you can try it if you want.

[BipolarBill]

That particular command will fail unless switches and arguments are added to the line. It will stop at files that are in use. I don't believe that the command will work in the root directory either, but I'm not going to try it. I believe that it will only work on folders below the root level (C:\Windows). The FORMAT command takes care of the root.

I don't think that a wildcard works with DELTREE (*.*). You specify the folder and go.

[Midknyte]

I still wouldn't recommend that he try it.

When using wildcards with the DELTREE command you should be extremely cautious because both directories and files with names that match the wildcard will be deleted.

[BipolarBill]

Hmmm...how good is DELTREE is you must specify filenames? DEL does that.

[NDD]

deltree c:\*.* will erase ALL contents of the ROOT, including all files and directories. Hidden/system files and directories WILL NOT be removed. You must APPROVE every DIRECTORY deletion.
Sharing Violation still applies, I don't know about desktop icons disappearing , but until it goes there your Windows will be destroyed.

[leprechaun_40]

Yep, that command will remove that nasty Win95/98 virus from your machine,

[mireland]

God, just imagine if someone, as a joke, told some one to use the Deltree command or the format c: command to fix a problem..Man oh man that would be just MEAN wouldn't it..LOL! (and I swear I've never done that joke)

[Swordfish]

try doing a smartdrv 1000000 before that and c everything disappear in seconds.

deltree sometimes helps if you don't want to format the harddrive to perform a clean install.

[stix_kua]

how does this smartdrv 1000000000 thing work...

[Swordfish]

Smartdrv significantly improves disk caching and hence, the speed at which files are copied or moved.

i dunno somewhere i heard that if you have 48MB or more ram installed you can give smartdrv 32000 to speed up data transfer in DOS.

i thought why not use more than 32000....i found 1000000 faster than anythin.

in older days it was used during Windows NT installation under DOS just to speed up the file operations in DOS.

may be you can use higher value...i haven't tried that though.

[NDD]

Smartdrv won't accept more then "30000" in a command line, as far as I know.
Smartdrv is still being activated before WinXP install.