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Q80751: MS-DOS EXPAND.EXE Functionality

Article: Q80751
Product(s): Microsoft Disk Operating System
Version(s): MS-DOS:5.x,6.0,6.2,6.21,6.22
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 17-DEC-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft MS-DOS operating system versions 5.0, 5.0a, 6.0, 6.2, 6.21, 6.22 
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SUMMARY
=======

Most of the Microsoft MS-DOS operating system files are compressed on disk. The
MS-DOS Setup program decompresses these files when you install MS-DOS.

The MS-DOS EXPAND command is available to decompress and copy files individually.
EXPAND is described in the "Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference" for
versions 5.x and in online help for MS-DOS versions 6.0 and later.

The following increased functionality was added to the EXPAND command beginning
with MS-DOS version 5.0a:

- Displays two status messages

- Allows multiple source file arguments

- Has interactive user input

- Wildcard capability for the last character of an extension

MORE INFORMATION
================

When you decompress a file in MS-DOS 5.0a or later, EXPAND prints two status
messages: one that details the full path of the source and target files, and one
that details how many files were expanded.

In MS-DOS 5.0, if you enter the command "EXPAND" (without the quotation marks)
with no parameters, it displays the same help information as if you had entered
the command "EXPAND /?" (without the quotation marks). However, in versions 5.0a
and later, EXPAND is interactive. It prompts for the name of the compressed file
and the name it should have in expanded form. For example:

  c:\>EXPAND
  Type the location and name of the
  compressed file you want to expand.
  (Example: A:\EGA.SY_)

  Compressed file: a:\himem.sy_

  Type the location and/or name you
  want to give the expanded file.
  (Example: C:\DOS\EGA.SYS)

  Expanded file: c:\dos\himem.sys

  A:\HIMEM.SY_  ->  C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
     1 file expanded

Although the MS-DOS asterisk (*) and question mark (?) wildcards are not
supported by the EXPAND command, a limited but useful form of wildcards has been
introduced. If the specified source file does not exist, EXPAND attempts to find
a file with the same name and extension, except that it changes the last
character of the extension to an underscore (_). For example, if the file
A:\EXAMPLE.BIN does not exist, the command

  expand a:\example.bi_ c:\example.bin

has the same effect as:

  expand a:\example.bin c:\example.bin

  -or-

  expand a:\example.bin c:\ 

If the target file is not specified, the EXPAND command in versions 5.0a and
later uses the same name as the source.

Multiple source parameters are allowed. If multiple source parameters are used,
the target must specify a single drive or directory. You can still use the
following commands to re-expand the entire Shell for a VGA system in MS-DOS
5.0:

  a:\>expand dosshell.co_         c:\dos\dosshell.com
  a:\>expand dosshell.ex_         c:\dos\dosshell.exe
  a:\>expand dosswap.ex_          c:\dos\dosswap.exe
  a:\>expand vga.vi_              c:\dos\dosshell.vid
  a:\>expand vga.gr_              c:\dos\dosshell.grb
  a:\>expand ega.in_              c:\dos\dosshell.ini

However, you can also use the following sequence with 5.0a and later as follows:

1. At the A: prompt, enter the following command on a single line:

  " expand dosshell.com dosshell.exe dosswap.exe vga.vid vga.grb
  ega.ini c:\dos " (without the quotation marks)

  The following is displayed:

       DOSSHELL.CO_  ->  C:\DOS\DOSSHELL.COM
     DOSSHELL.EX_  -> C:\DOS\DOSSHELL.EXE
     DOSSWAP.EX_  ->  C:\DOS\DOSSWAP.EXE
     VGA.VI_  ->  C:\DOS\VGA.VID
     VGA.GR_  ->  C:\DOS\VGA.GRB
     EGA.IN_  ->  C:\DOS\EGA.INI
             6 files expanded

2. At the A: prompt, enter the following command

  " copy c:\dos\?ga.* c:\dos\dosshell.* " (without the quotation marks)

  and the following is displayed:

     C:\DOS\VGA.VID
     C:\DOS\VGA.GRB
     C:\DOS\EGA.INI
        3 file(s) copied

Additional query words: 6.22 5.00 5.00a 6.00 6.20 uncompress

======================================================================
Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbMSDOSSearch kbMSDOS621 kbMSDOS622 kbMSDOS620 kbMSDOS600 kbMSDOS500 kbMSDOS500a
Version           : MS-DOS:5.x,6.0,6.2,6.21,6.22

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