LFN Tools

The LFN Tools are a collection of alternative DOS commands that support long file names. The following commands are provided:

• LCOPY (copy files and directories)
• LDIR (display contents of a directory)
• LCD (change working directory)
• LCHK (drive information)
• LREN (rename a file)
• LMD (create a directory)
• LRD (remove directory)

Note that these utilities do not provide access to long filenames to other programs (e.g. your editor will still see only short filenames, unless it has LFN support itself). If you want long filenames in other programs, take a look at LFNDOS, which implements the Windows 95 LFN API under DOS. This allows programs that handle long filenames under Windows to handle them under DOS as well.

If LFNDOS gives access to long filenames from any program, why have the LFN Tools at all? Well, the LFN Tools also handle long filenames on CD-ROM, and some versions of DOS (notably FreeDOS) do not support long filenames (i.e. DIR will display only short names, even if LFNDOS is loaded). For these cases, you may want to use the LFN Tools.

Download

Click one of the links below to download

• version 1.79, English (277 KB)
• version 1.79, Deutsch (280 KB)
• version 1.79, Source (121 KB)

Documentation

• readme.txt (English documentation)
• liesmich.txt (Deutsche Dokumentation)

Discussion

You can use the forums for discussions about the LFN Tools.

The old forum has been discontinued. However, an archived version is available.

Links

• The SourceForge project page
• LFNDOS provides the Win95 LFN API under DOS
• FreeDOS is an open-source DOS implementation
• This LFN emulators page gives a good overview of available LFN software for DOS
• Interesting DOS programs is a list of good software for DOS
• LBACK is a backup/restore utility based on the LFN Tools

Thanks

Thanks go to:

• Ortwin Glück for the original development and maintenance of the LFN Tools
• for hosting this project