If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
What does % mean?
What does % mean when used in reference with Run box commands?
Example: In the Run box or at any command prompt, type %systemdrive%\documents and settings. (from XP Inside Out, Ed Bott,et all). I see the % sign in many XP instructions. Are you actually suppose to type in the % sign when you are entering a Run command, or is the author using % like "quotes"? Call me newbie! -- ezbit |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
In ,
ezbit had this to say: My reply is at the bottom of your sent message: What does % mean when used in reference with Run box commands? Example: In the Run box or at any command prompt, type %systemdrive%\documents and settings. (from XP Inside Out, Ed Bott,et all). I see the % sign in many XP instructions. Are you actually suppose to type in the % sign when you are entering a Run command, or is the author using % like "quotes"? Call me newbie! % means, basically, that it's an environment variable (I think.) You can see a bunch of them he http://home.earthlink.net/~rlively/M.../ENV/INDEX.HTM Yes you type them as well. If you wanted, here's a shortcut, you can just type %temp% into the run box and it will open your temp folder. There's also %systemroot% and %windir% and many more. Usually I've used them for installers to send something, for instance, to %WinDir%\system32 for instance to make sure that it works on ANY Windows based computer even if it's installed on X drive. Galen -- "And that recommendation, with the exaggerated estimate of my ability with which he prefaced it, was, if you will believe me, Watson, the very first thing which ever made me feel that a profession might be made out of what had up to that time been the merest hobby." Sherlock Holmes |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Good question. The "%" symbols are delimiters, which means they mark the
beginning and end of a defined term. In this case, the term is "systemdrive". The term "systemdrive" is understood by Windows to mean the drive on which Windows is installed. Typically, Windows is installed on the C drive, but there's no law saying it has to be. If you type %systemdrive% in a command, you don't have to worry whether Windows is installed on C or D or whatever...Windows will take care of it. So yes, you do type the symbols. But if you know that Windows is installed on the C drive on your computer, you can save your fingers some keystrokes by replacing %systemdrive% with C:\ -- Ted Zieglar "You can do it if you try." "ezbit" wrote in message ... What does % mean when used in reference with Run box commands? Example: In the Run box or at any command prompt, type %systemdrive%\documents and settings. (from XP Inside Out, Ed Bott,et all). I see the % sign in many XP instructions. Are you actually suppose to type in the % sign when you are entering a Run command, or is the author using % like "quotes"? Call me newbie! -- ezbit |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks for your responses. It makes sense to me now.
I did try a few searches at different tech sites before my post, but was unable to find anything. Delimiter may become my new favorite word! -- ezbit "Ted Zieglar" wrote: Good question. The "%" symbols are delimiters, which means they mark the beginning and end of a defined term. In this case, the term is "systemdrive". The term "systemdrive" is understood by Windows to mean the drive on which Windows is installed. Typically, Windows is installed on the C drive, but there's no law saying it has to be. If you type %systemdrive% in a command, you don't have to worry whether Windows is installed on C or D or whatever...Windows will take care of it. So yes, you do type the symbols. But if you know that Windows is installed on the C drive on your computer, you can save your fingers some keystrokes by replacing %systemdrive% with C:\ -- Ted Zieglar "You can do it if you try." "ezbit" wrote in message ... What does % mean when used in reference with Run box commands? Example: In the Run box or at any command prompt, type %systemdrive%\documents and settings. (from XP Inside Out, Ed Bott,et all). I see the % sign in many XP instructions. Are you actually suppose to type in the % sign when you are entering a Run command, or is the author using % like "quotes"? Call me newbie! -- ezbit |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
"Backup" should be your favorite word. "Delimiter" is up there, alright, but
"backup" tops them all. For computing, at least. -- Ted Zieglar "You can do it if you try." "ezbit" wrote in message ... Thanks for your responses. It makes sense to me now. I did try a few searches at different tech sites before my post, but was unable to find anything. Delimiter may become my new favorite word! -- ezbit "Ted Zieglar" wrote: Good question. The "%" symbols are delimiters, which means they mark the beginning and end of a defined term. In this case, the term is "systemdrive". The term "systemdrive" is understood by Windows to mean the drive on which Windows is installed. Typically, Windows is installed on the C drive, but there's no law saying it has to be. If you type %systemdrive% in a command, you don't have to worry whether Windows is installed on C or D or whatever...Windows will take care of it. So yes, you do type the symbols. But if you know that Windows is installed on the C drive on your computer, you can save your fingers some keystrokes by replacing %systemdrive% with C:\ -- Ted Zieglar "You can do it if you try." "ezbit" wrote in message ... What does % mean when used in reference with Run box commands? Example: In the Run box or at any command prompt, type %systemdrive%\documents and settings. (from XP Inside Out, Ed Bott,et all). I see the % sign in many XP instructions. Are you actually suppose to type in the % sign when you are entering a Run command, or is the author using % like "quotes"? Call me newbie! -- ezbit |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Coincidently UPS just delivered NovaBackup v7.2 about 10 minutes ago. I have
not used a backup applc before. I thought I needed separate applcs for data and system. This one apparently is not drive-imaging, but it is still suppose to backup my system as well as data. I think it is file based, which probably means a complete system restore would take a lot longer? Backup is tonight's learning experience! -- ezbit "Ted Zieglar" wrote: "Backup" should be your favorite word. "Delimiter" is up there, alright, but "backup" tops them all. For computing, at least. -- Ted Zieglar "You can do it if you try." "ezbit" wrote in message ... Thanks for your responses. It makes sense to me now. I did try a few searches at different tech sites before my post, but was unable to find anything. Delimiter may become my new favorite word! -- ezbit "Ted Zieglar" wrote: Good question. The "%" symbols are delimiters, which means they mark the beginning and end of a defined term. In this case, the term is "systemdrive". The term "systemdrive" is understood by Windows to mean the drive on which Windows is installed. Typically, Windows is installed on the C drive, but there's no law saying it has to be. If you type %systemdrive% in a command, you don't have to worry whether Windows is installed on C or D or whatever...Windows will take care of it. So yes, you do type the symbols. But if you know that Windows is installed on the C drive on your computer, you can save your fingers some keystrokes by replacing %systemdrive% with C:\ -- Ted Zieglar "You can do it if you try." "ezbit" wrote in message ... What does % mean when used in reference with Run box commands? Example: In the Run box or at any command prompt, type %systemdrive%\documents and settings. (from XP Inside Out, Ed Bott,et all). I see the % sign in many XP instructions. Are you actually suppose to type in the % sign when you are entering a Run command, or is the author using % like "quotes"? Call me newbie! -- ezbit |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|