DEL - Delete one or more files

 Purpose:    Erase one file, a group of files, or entire subdirectories. 
             
 Format:     DEL [/A:[[-]rhsda] /E /F /N /P /Q /S /T /W /X /Y /Z] file ... 
             
                 or 
             ERASE [/A:[[-]rhsda] /E /F /N /P /Q /S /T /W /X /Y /Z] file 
             ... 
             
             file :  The file, subdirectory, or list of files or 
             subdirectories to erase. 
             

             /A: (ttribute select)           /S(ubdirectories) 
             /E (no Error messages)          /T(otal) 
             /F(orce delete)                 /W(ipe) 
             /N(othing)                      /X (remove empty 
                                             subdirectories) 
             /P(rompt)                       /Y(es to all prompts) 
             /Q(uiet)                        /Z(ap hidden and read-only 
                                             files) 
 
 File Selection 

 Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include 
 lists. 

 Usage 

 DEL and ERASE are synonyms, you can use either one. 

 Use the DEL and ERASE commands with caution; the files and subdirectories 
 that you erase may be impossible to recover without specialized utilities 
 and a lot of work. 

 To erase a single file, simply enter the file name: 

 
         [c:\] del letters.txt
 

 You can also erase multiple files in a single command.  For example, to 
 erase all the files in the current directory with a .BAK or .PRN 
 extension: 

 
         [c:\] del *.bak *.prn
 

 When you use DEL on an HPFS drive, you must quote any file names which 
 contain whitespace or special characters.  See File Names for additional 
 details. 

 To exclude files from a DEL command, use a file exclusion range.  For 
 example, to delete all files in the current directory except those whose 
 extension is .TXT, use a command like this: 

 
         [c:\] del /[!*.TXT] *.*
 

 When using exclusion ranges or other more complex options you may want to 
 use the /N switch first, to preview the effects of the DEL without 
 actually deleting any files. 

 If you enter a subdirectory name, or a filename composed only of 
 wildcards (* and/or ?), DEL asks for confirmation (Y or N) unless you 
 specified the /Y option.  If you respond with a Y, DEL will delete all 
 the files in that subdirectory (hidden, system, and read-only files are 
 only deleted if you use the /Z option). 

 DEL displays the amount of disk space recovered, unless the /Q option is 
 used (see below).  It does so by comparing the amount of free disk space 
 before and after the DEL command is executed.  This amount may be 
 incorrect if you are using a deletion tracking system which stores 
 deleted files in a hidden directory, or if, under a multitasking system, 
 another program performs a file operation while the DEL command is 
 executing. 

 Remember that DEL removes file descriptions along with files.  Most 
 deletion tracking systems will not be able to save or recover a file's 
 description, even if they can save or recover the data in a file. 

 When a file is deleted, its disk space is returned to the operating 
 system for use by other files.  However, the contents of the file remain 
 on the disk until they are overwritten by another file.  If you wish to 
 obliterate a file or wipe its contents clean, use DEL /W, which 
 overwrites the file with zeros before deleting it.  Use this option with 
 caution -- once a file is obliterated, it is impossible to recover. 

 DEL returns a non-zero exit code if no files are deleted, or if another 
 error occurs.  You can test this exit code with the %_? environment 
 variable, and use it with the conditional commands && and ||). 

 Options 

    /A::    (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the 
            specified attribute(s) set.  Preceding the attribute character 
            with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that 
            attribute set.  The colon [:] after /A is required.  The 
            attributes are: 

               R  Read-only 
               H  Hidden 
               S  System 
               D  Subdirectory 
               A  Archive 
 

 If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., DEL /A: ...), DEL will select 
 all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files.  If 
 attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a 
 file to be selected. For example, /A:RHS will select only those files 
 with all three attributes set. /E:(No error messages) Suppress all 
 non-fatal error messages, such as "File Not Found."  Fatal error 
 messages, such as "Drive not ready," will still be displayed.  This 
 option is most useful in batch files and aliases. /F:(Force delete) This 
 option forces deletion of the file without saving it to the DELDIR 
 directory (if DELDIR is not in use, /F has no effect). /N:(Nothing) Do 
 everything except actually delete the file(s).  This is useful for 
 testing what the result of a DEL would be. /P:(Prompt) Prompt the user to 
 confirm each erasure.  Your options at the prompt are explained in detail 
 under Page and File Prompts. /Q:(Quiet) Don't display filenames as they 
 are deleted, or the number of files deleted or bytes freed.  See also /T. 
 /S:(Subdirectories) Delete the specified files in this directory and all 
 of its subdirectories.  This can be used to delete all the files in a 
 subdirectory tree or even a whole disk.  It should be used with caution! 
 /T:(Total) Don't display filenames as they are deleted, but display the 
 total number of files deleted plus the amount of free disk space 
 recovered.  Unlike /Q, the /T option will not speed up deletions under 
 DOS. /W:(Wipe) Clear the file to zeros before deleting it.  Use this 
 option to completely obliterate a file's contents from your disk.  Once 
 you have used this option it is impossible to recover the file even if 
 you are using an undelete utility, because the contents of the file are 
 destroyed before it is deleted.  /W overwrites the file only once; it 
 does not adhere to security standards which require multiple overwrites 
 with varying data when destroying sensitive information. /X:(Remove empty 
 subdirectories) Remove empty subdirectories after deleting (only useful 
 when used with /S).  If DEL deletes one or more directories, they will be 
 removed automatically from the extended directory search database. 
 /Y:(Yes) The reverse of /P -- it assumes a Y response to everything, 
 including deleting an entire subdirectory tree.  CMD.EXE normally prompts 
 before deleting files when the name consists only of wildcards or a 
 subdirectory name (see above); /Y overrides this protection, and should 
 be used with extreme caution! /Z:(Zap) Delete read-only, hidden, and 
 system files as well as normal files.  Files with the read-only, hidden, 
 or system attribute set are normally protected from deletion; /Z 
 overrides this protection, and should be used with caution.  Because 
 EXCEPT works by hiding files, /Z will override an EXCEPT command. 
  However, files specified in a file exclusion range will not be deleted 
 by DEL /Z. 

 For example, to delete the entire subdirectory tree starting with 
 C:\UTIL, including hidden and read-only files, without prompting (use 
 this command with CAUTION!): 

 
         [c:\] del /sxyz c:\util\