Could anyone tell me what this command says? I used this command when I couldn't find my files on my flash drive. but I don't know what it is saying, I only know -h and -r which remove the hidden and read-only attribute, respectively.

attrib -h -r -s /s /d g:\*.*

2 Answers

DavidPostill's answer lists the meanings of all attrib's switches. Let's use that to interpret that specific command:

• -h removes the hidden attribute (so the items will show up in Explorer)
• -r removes the read-only attribute
• -s removes the system attribute (also so the items will show up in Explorer)
• /s makes the command look in all subfolders recursively
• /d makes it apply the attributes to folders too (not just files)
• g:\*.* is the path to apply the changes on

So, I conclude that the command was meant to unset all attributes from everything on the G drive (*.* means all files with an extension; * is a wildcard that matches one or more characters. The /s makes it do everything in all folders under your starting directory, g:\.)

If you're trying to find a file, that command might make stuff show up in Explorer (assuming you're not showing hidden/system files anyway), but it won't magically tell you the location of whatever you're looking for. To find a specific file, try Explorer's search feature.

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What does this command mean?

attrib -h -r -s /s /d g:\*.*

Run attrib /? to get help:

F:\test>attrib /?
Displays or changes file attributes.
ATTRIB [+R | -R] [+A | -A ] [+S | -S] [+H | -H] [+I | -I] [drive:][path][filename] [/S [/D] [/L]] + Sets an attribute. - Clears an attribute. R Read-only file attribute. A Archive file attribute. S System file attribute. H Hidden file attribute. I Not content indexed file attribute. [drive:][path][filename] Specifies a file or files for attrib to process. /S Processes matching files in the current folder and all subfolders. /D Processes folders as well. /L Work on the attributes of the Symbolic Link versus the target of the Symbolic Link

Notes:

• attrib goes into a lot more detail about the attrib command.

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Further Reading

• An A-Z Index of the Windows CMD command line - An excellent reference for all things Windows cmd line related.
• attrib - Display or change file attributes.

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