ERASE.COM
| Company type | Command |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computing / Software |
| Products | File deletion utility |
In the realm of computing, the del command (also known as erase) is utilized within command-line interpreters such as COMMAND.COM, cmd.exe, 4DOS, NDOS, 4OS2, 4NT, and Windows PowerShell. Its primary function is to remove one or multiple files or directories from a file system.
Implementations
This command is supported by a range of operating systems including DOS, Microware OS-9, IBM OS/2, Microsoft Windows, and ReactOS. It serves a similar purpose to the Unix rm command as well as the delete_file and delete_dir commands found in Stratus OpenVOS.
Digital Equipment Corporation’s operating systems—RT-11, OS/8, RSX-11, and OpenVMS—offer the delete command, frequently abbreviated as del. Additionally, AmigaDOS and Technical Systems Consultants’ FLEX provide a delete command.
The erase command was first introduced by Seattle Computer Products under Tim Paterson’s development of 86-DOS and has been included since the initial release of MS-DOS. This command is also present in DOSBox, an open-source MS-DOS emulator.
Datalight ROM-DOS implements both del and erase. Digital Research’s DR-DOS supports these commands along with shortened versions such as era, which originates from CP/M conventions, and extended forms like delq/eraq, which incorporate query options.
THEOS/OASIS and FlexOS exclusively support the erase command.
Within PowerShell, both del and erase function as aliases for the Remove-Item cmdlet, providing identical capabilities.
Syntax
<syntaxhighlight lang="doscon"> >del filename >erase filename </syntaxhighlight>