---
title: "Conversation – Mail Bag"
type: "article"
slug: "conversation-mail-bag"
url: "http://localhost/article/conversation-mail-bag/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/article/conversation-mail-bag.md"
published_at: "2025-07-27T01:28:28+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-06-21T23:36:43+00:00"
featured_image:
  url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/20230809-041332.jpg"
excerpt: "I read the \"new\" ASK CHUCK column for this month. I was curious about the DEL.EXE or ERA.EXE which is similar to my DEL..COM and ERA. I, too can call up only certain files on the directory if I ask for those. Then I can erase them all at one time, or one at a…"
category:
  - name: "The Data Expansion"
    slug: "the-data-expansion"
    taxonomy: "category"
    url: "http://localhost/category/periodicals/the-data-expansion/"
post_tag:
  - name: "Full Text"
    slug: "fulltext"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/fulltext/"
publication_r:
  id: 50143
  title: "The Data Expansion"
  type: "periodical"
  url: "http://localhost/periodical/the-data-expansion/"
volume: "5"
issue: "3"
issues_articles:
  - id: 50245
    title: "The Data Expansion v5 n3"
    type: "issue"
    url: "http://localhost/issue/the-data-expansion-v5-n3/"
pages: "11"
pubdate: "March 1988"
archive_link: false
---

I read the “new” ASK CHUCK column for this month. I was curious about the DEL.EXE or ERA.EXE which is similar to my DEL..COM and ERA. I, too can call up only certain files on the directory if I ask for those. Then I can erase them all at one time, or one at a time if there are programs that I wish to keep among those I wish to delete. However, in one particular program that I use, albeit infrequently. I can also DELETE a number of programs, but I can ajd an extra command in using it to request that I confirm each deletion before the system actually deletes that particular file. If I da not place that extra command when I call the program, it will delete or erase all those programs. This can be a mixed blessing. If it always did this, the program would take too long to function properly for speed. Since I can add it if-necessary, it is a boon for dispensing with unnecessary files. Chuck sent me his answer, but also gave me some interesting information about the Timex version for the Zebra FDD that I was not familiar with.