The DIR command

Windows NT 4/Windows 2000 Syntax

Note: The parts of this text that are displayed in magenta are valid for Windows 2000 only

Displays a list of files and subdirectories in a directory.

DIR [drive:][path][filename] [/P] [/W] [/D] [/A[[:]attributes]] [/O[[:]sortorder]] [/T[[:]timefield]] [/S] [/B] [/L] [/N] [/X] [/C]
[drive:][path][filename] Specifies drive, directory, and/or files to list.
/A Displays files with specified attributes.
attributes A Files ready for archiving
  D Directories
  H Hidden files
  R Read-only files
  S System files
  - Prefix meaning not
/B Uses bare format (no heading information or summary).
/C Display the thousand separator in file sizes.
This is the default. Use /-C to disable display of separator.
/D Same as wide but files are list sorted by column.
/L Uses lowercase.
/N New long list format where filenames are on the far right.
/O List by files in sorted order.
sortorder D By date & time (earliest first)
  E By extension (alphabetic)
  G Group directories first
  N By name (alphabetic)
  S By size (smallest first)
  - Prefix to reverse order
/P Pauses after each screenful of information.
/Q Displays the owner of the file.
/S Displays files in specified directory and all subdirectories.
/T Controls which time field displayed or used for sorting
timefield A Last Access
  C Creation
  W Last Written
/W Uses wide list format.
/X This displays the short names generated for non-8dot3 file names.
The format is that of /N with the short name inserted before the long name.
If no short name is present, blanks are displayed in its place.
/4 Displays four-digit years.

Switches may be preset in the DIRCMD environment variable.
Override preset switches by prefixing any switch with - (hyphen) -- for example, /-W.

As explained in my "general" DIR page, a safer way to override is first setting a switch and then override it -- for example /W/-W.