What is MaxDIR?

Foreward:

MaxDIR was first created back in 1995 as an alternative to the DOS DIR
command.  I was then a user of HOT Directory v2.0 (C)1987  (A program by
Robert Woeger and Tony Overfeild), which showed DOS directories in a much
better format, and allowed the user to view files in columns and with file
extensions colored by their type.  I was hooked after about a dozen uses.
To me, it was a revolution for DOS users at the time, which is no small
feat in the computer programming world.

However, HOTDIR 2.0 had several drawbacks, which tends to happen after only
a few years for any given program.  First, it did not put commas in the Bytes
Free and Disk consumption.  It takes a little extra time to figure out just
how much disk space is free or used up by files when there are no commas.
Second, it displayed incorrect info on larger hard drives, and it gave a
(divide error) on cd-roms.  I could not find a later version to purchase
from the makers of HOTDIR, so I began working on what I now call MaxDIR,
and I planned many a cool idea to implement in this new program.  After
consulting with some friends, I also decided to offer it for free, since
they "didn't wanna pay for it" !  :)  After thinking about it for a while,
I decided that I didn't mind making a free program that DOS and Windows users
all over would find very useful in their day-to-day activities.  I've found
that MaxDIR has an overwhelmingly positive effect on computer users when they
use it instead of the  DOS DIR command.  That in itself, is satisfaction
enough for me, to keep expanding  upon this program and to make it available
to you for free.


What is MaxDIR?

MaxDIR is a DOS DIR command "Alternative".  It is just that.


What you get with DOS's DIR Command:

When you type DIR at a DOS prompt (C:\dir) or (A:\dir) and press Enter, you
get a listing of all the files in the directory.  The regular DIR command
shows you the disk's name and serial number and a listing of its files.  If
there are more than 20 files, the screen begins to scroll and you begin to
lose whatever was at the beginning.  You can type DIR /P to force the listing
to pause when the screen fills up.  That way, you get a chance to see what
was at the beginning before it begins to scroll up.  Or, if you type
DIR /P /W, it shows you the files in columns, but without any other
information about the files, like their size.  What you end up spending
most of your time doing,  is scanning the computer screen looking for what
file you want, or typing DIR with wildcards to find more info about any
given file.  None of this is enough when you have more than 20 or 30 files
(or more) in any directory.


What you get with MaxDIR:

MaxDIR makes all of this simple with one easy command.  DI.EXE.   MaxDIR
shows you a directory of files, alphabetized and colored by file type, and
in 4 columns, which utilizes the entire screen to show you up to 200 file
 at a time.  Since you'll know what  the color is for each file type, and
you'll know they are alphabet ized, you can look at a directory listing and
instantly find what you are looking for.  Also, MaxDIR shows each file's
size, which makes it even more useful.  MaxDIR shows you Bytes Free on the
disk, the Disk Type, the space used by the files listed, and, it shows how
much of your disk the files actually used, by looking at "Cluster" sizes and
then calculating the actual space "consumed" by each file, which it totals
for you at the bottom of the listing.  MaxDIR shows you how many files there
are, how many directories there are, and the percentage full of the disk,
along with the other standard information.  It also allows you to tailor the
listing to your tastes by using Command switches.  For instance, if you
don't want color, just type di /c and press Enter.  To get a listing of all
available command switches, type di /?.  The rest is simple.

Please view the MaxDIR FAQ and Readme (or the FastRead) for more info!