Special devices

Special devices
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Syntax

Name	Use
`\\.\a:`	The diskette as a raw device. (Not available on Windows 9x.)
`\\.\tape0`	The tape drive as a raw device. (Not available on Windows 9x.)
`aux`	The auxiliary port.
`con`	The console device. This is the text window the shell is running in. Reading from it reads the keyboard; writing to it writes to the screen.
`conin$`	The Win32 console keyboard. A read-only device.
`conout$`	The Win32 console display. A write-only device.
`com1` to `com7`	The various async communication ports you may have. They can be read or written.
`lpt1` to `lpt4`	The line printer ports.
`nul`	The null device. Reads return end-of-file; writes are discarded.
`prn`	The print spooler queue.

Usage

Hamilton C shell recognizes the Windows special device names regardless of whether they are typed in upper or lower case and regardless of whether there is a trailing colon. For example, COM1:, COM1 and com1 all refer to the same device. Not all devices will be installed on any particular machine.