Basic windows command line

To change this control character, run regedit. Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. Before making the following changes to the registry, you should back up any valued data on the computer. Set these values to that of the control character you wish to use. See virtual key codes for a complete list. To disable a particular completion character in the registry, use the value for space 0x20 as it is not a valid control character.

You can also enable or disable file and directory name completion per instance of a Command shell by running cmd. User-specified settings take precedence over computer settings, and command-line options take precedence over registry settings.

To find information about a specific command, in the following A-Z menu, select the letter that the command starts with, and then select the command name. But the command prompt is also found via the apps here. In this way, you can find the command prompt in the normal execution as well as the administrator version. CMD functions via defined commands. The same goes for parameters that you link to the commands.

Individual commands can be extended using options such as arguments. CMD also allows placeholders. While the latter replaces a single character i. In the command prompt and commands, you also frequently have to work with path specifications. You need these to navigate through your directories or specify exact positions in commands. Individual CMD commands can be combined with one another. Through a pipe , the output of the first command is interpreted as input for the following command.

In the command prompt, commands are linked to one another with a vertical line. This line itself is called a pipe, but officially is known as a vertical bar. Vertical bars pass data from one command to the next:. Finally, Windows command line commands can also be connected in such a way that they run directly after one other. Each command has its own syntax and individual options.

Using the up and down arrow keys on the keyboard, you can recall your earlier entries. This is usually done with the mouse instead. Command, file names or path specifications, as well as arguments, are separated from one another using spaces. Get found with your own domain. Build trust with your own email address.

Reach visitors with your own website. Over the decades, some commands have been kept around, some have only recently been added with newer versions of Windows, and others have been removed or replaced.

In our comprehensive list, we explain what the different commands mean and on which Windows versions they run. This way, you can quickly look up whether the CMD commands that you know still function with Windows The information on the functionality of various Windows versions should only be understood as orientation information.

In some cases, you have to adjust certain settings beforehand so that the commands are effective. You also will need access rights as an administrator for some CMD commands. At this point, Windows knows three different commands for copying files and directories.

But the range of functions of the individual Windows CMD commands have been partially extended: For example, xcopy is stronger than copy, and robocopy in turn has a larger scope than xcopy. The infamous blue screen of death usually shows up without any warning. If Windows can no longer be run as a result of such a problem, then the forced shutdown takes place in the form of a blue screen containing an error message.

This may cause unsaved files and documents to be lost. The most important thing with Those who want to access computer systems and applications in networks need host or rather, domain names. As long as the Domain Name System, which is responsible for the name conversions, is functioning normally, users remain unaware that machine-readable IP addresses are hidden behind these names.

However, if complications with the DNS and the involved name servers arise, they can be quickly Windows offers a variety of features to ensure that the system functions over the long term. For example, the operating system generates a backup folder called Windows. In our article, you will learn about the circumstances in which you can remove Windows.

In Windows, you can adapt frequently required shutdown routines to your individual needs in many different ways. For this, Windows provides an appropriate tool in the command line, which is also referred to as the prompt — CMD or cmd.

We introduce shutdowns via CMD, which can handle efficient, simple, but also more complex shutdown routines. Command Prompt in Windows is used to enter command line instructions. The Microsoft operating system provides several options to launch Command Prompt. The method you choose ultimately depends on your personal user habits. You can also open Command Prompt in a special mode with administrator privileges if required for certain system tasks. With a real estate website, you can set yourself apart from the competition With the right tools, a homepage for tradesmen can be created quickly and legally compliant Why wait?

Grab your favorite domain name today! Matching email. SSL certificate. Save now. How does a command line work? How do you open the command prompt? How do you enter commands in the command prompt? Only available for compatibility reasons in Windows. The command has no effect if entered directly into CMD instead of in a batch file.

Use cd.. Use chdir.. The color lies between 0 black and F white. DOS fastopen Writes the position of a program into a specified list, which is in the working memory and should accelerate the start of programs. XP bit graftabl Enables the option to use extended characters of a specific code page in graphics mode.

Replaces the old command keyb. Replaced by kb16 in newer Windows versions. Also allows you to end sessions on servers. All Win md Creates a new directory on the specified path. You can also use the command to split the output of another command into pages.

You can write the username into the command or create files in which usernames are saved. The files can then be included in the command with filename.

XP path Creates and displays the path for searching executable files. The user is then prompted in a message to continue by pressing a key. The command is mainly part of batch files and scripts. The device to be used for printing has to be specified. You can change to this directory with popd. This must not contain any files, even hidden ones. For example, you can run a command as an administrator from a normal user account as long as you know the password.

The program searches data carriers for errors. You can create, delete, change, and display all scheduled tasks. EXE and lets you configure them. All Win subst Assigns a drive letter to a path to create a virtual drive.

The process ID also has to be specified, which is required for the taskkill command, for example. The command Is used in batch files and scripts.

Spaces are allowed, but not all special characters such as a slash, for example, because they may be interpreted as instructions for a parameter. The command takes into account all subdirectories starting from the given path. You can use the asterisk as a wild card. After the command, changes are applied to the entire system again localization is started with setlocal.

The program is part of Internet Explorer, but can also be used in the command prompt. This command is usually used in batch and script files. If you like this article then please share it with your friends so that they can also take benefit of this article and you will also help me to reach more people.

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Skip to content. Helloooooo Techies, The first step for any developers or those who want to do development work is to master the terminal and do everything through commands. Page Contents. Command Prompt. Change the working directory.

Go back to the parent folder. Make new directory. When renaming any file, make sure the file has the same file extension. If you were to rename the. Also, keep in mind that renaming the file to a different file extension does not convert the file. For example, if you renamed the file as an.

MP3, it may look like an MP3 in Windows, but it's not going to play music. Now that we've had our fun with our new file, delete the file with the del command.

Type del first. If successful, you are returned to the prompt with no errors, and the dir command shows no files in the current directory. When deleting files, you can also use wildcards to delete multiple files at once. For example, if the directory contained several. Go back one directory to get back to the test directory using the cd.. Now, rename our dir2 directory to something else using the same rename command we used earlier. At the prompt, type rename dir2 hope to rename the directory to "hope.

While still in the test directory, remove the hope directory using the rmdir command. At the prompt, type rmdir hope to remove the hope directory. If the directory you are trying to remove contains any files or directories, you'll receive an error.

For example, if the hope directory still had the first. Any executable file can run from the command line by typing the name of the file. For example, if you listed files using the dir command and see a file named "myfile. After getting a good understanding of using the command line from the steps shown above, you can move on to other available commands by typing help at the command line.

Typing "help" displays a list of available commands with a brief description of each command. After you are done with the Windows command line, you can type exit to close the window. Now you have a good understanding of how to navigate the command line, create directories and files, rename directories and files, and delete.

As mentioned earlier, there are hundreds of other commands you can use at the command line. If you want to expand your knowledge further, we recommend looking at the options available for each command above and reviewing our commands overview page. You can also use our search to find any command by the name of the command or by the action it performs.