DELTREE

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DELTREE (short for English delete tree , like this: [directory] tree delete ) is a command line program in some Microsoft operating systems to recursively delete files in subdirectories .

background

File directories were not yet supported under PC DOS 1.0 or MS-DOS 1.0, which IBM and Microsoft introduced. Only DOS 2.0 allow the creation of directory trees ( english directory trees ). However, it was not yet possible to delete entire directory trees in one step using standard tools. Up to and including MS-DOS 5.0, all files in the entire directory tree had to be deleted first, directory by directory, using DEL , and then the directories themselves had to be deleted individually with RMDIR . In 1991 the competing product DR-DOS offered the possibility of deleting entire directory trees recursively with Xdel , which was positively evaluated. With MS-DOS 6.0 Microsoft followed suit and introduced the DELTREE command line command.

Implementation and use

DELTREE is an external command and therefore not implemented in COMMAND.COM . When using this command, a security question appears in which the user must confirm that he wants to delete the entire tree. This security query can be suppressed by a command line parameter. In contrast to most other command line programs that trigger actions in the file system, DELTREE allows multiple directories to be assigned as command line parameters at the same time. If a is passed at the end of a directory /, the directory itself is not deleted, but this function is not documented. Theoretically, deleted directories and files can be restored with DELTREE.

Use in malicious programs for sabotage

DELTREE ignores all file attributes ( hidden , read-only or system ). Therefore the command was classified as "potentially dangerous" because it is able to delete hundreds of files at the same time. Therefore, DELTREE was used together with the PURGE command (which makes it impossible to restore files that have been deleted in this way) in malicious programs for computer sabotage.

Detachment

DELTREE was supplied with all MS-DOS-based 32-bit Windows versions ( Windows 95 , Windows 98 and Windows ME ).

Windows NT -based operating systems ( NT , 2000 , XP and newer) no longer include DELTREE. Instead, RMDIR was expanded to include the switch /S, which took over the function of DELTREE. The switch /Qenables the security query to be suppressed.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ John Dickinson: Stalking the Elusive Subdirectory Path . In: PC Magazine , May 28, 1985, p. 231. 
  2. ↑ Brett Glass: MS-DOS 5: Reigning OS improves its value . In: InfoWorld , July 8, 1991, pp. 64-66. 
  3. ^ A b c Jim Cooper: Using MS-DOS 6.22 . Special, 3rd ed. Que, Indianapolis, Ind 2002, ISBN 0-7897-2573-8 , pp. 120–121 ( books.google.de - Restricted preview).
  4. ^ Christopher A. Crayton: The A + Exams Guide: Preparation Guide for the CompTIA Essentials . 2nd ed. Charles River Media / Course Technology, Boston, MA 2008, ISBN 978-1-58450-566-2 , pp. 336 ( books.google.com ).
  5. ^ A b John Paul Mueller: Windows administration at the command line for Windows Vista, Windows 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 . Sybex / Wiley Pub, Indianapolis, Ind 2007, ISBN 978-0-470-04616-6 , pp. 28-29 ( books.google.com ).
  6. ^ A b Neil J. Rubenking: User-to-User . In: PC Magazine , November 19, 1996, p. 247. 
  7. ↑ Brett Glass: How to safely defuse an ANSI bomb; video scan converters . In: InfoWorld , May 2, 1994, p. 40. 
  8. ^ Sharon Gaudin, Case Study of Insider Sabotage. The Tim Lloyd / Omega Case Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Computer Security Journal . 16.3, 2000, pp. 1-8. Retrieved September 21, 2016.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.craigchamberlain.com
  9. ↑ Michele CS Lange, Kristin Nimsger: Electronic Evidence and Discovery. What every lawyer should know . ABA, 2004, ISBN 1-59031-334-8 , pp. 15 ( books.google.de ). and United States v. Lloyd, 269 F.3d 228 (3rd Cir. 201). law.resource.org, accessed September 21, 2016 .
  10. ↑ No Deltree Command? ( Memento from January 11, 2010 in the Internet Archive )