Manager Showed Off His DOS Prowess - With a Command That Wiped Data
The Register, Monday, July 27th, 2026
A construction manager accidentally deleted all files on a colleague's PC using the DOS command DEL *.* during the 1980s.
In this Who, Me? column, a reader recalls a 1980s incident on a Swedish construction site when, as the most junior manager, he asked to try a junior engineer's PC during lunch.
Having only one DOS command in his arsenal, Clay typed DEL *.* and deleted everything in the directory. Thankfully, his colleague was very relaxed and forgave him, so he got to keep his job.
The anecdote serves as a cautionary tale about granting computer access to non-technical users, especially those in management positions.