Using the Command Line Utility
Many computer users never use the Command Line Utility. Learning how to use it successfully can lead to some interesting stuff.
Using some of these commands can lead to catastrophic results. For example: delete and format. Be careful! Study the commands before using them. Google the commands if you need extra help.
Start by reading the “help” command information.
Setup:
Item # / Instructions: /1 / Left click the Start button
2a / For XP: Enter “cmd” without the quotes in the run box, press enter.
2b / For Vista, Windows 7 or W8.1: Enter “cmd” without the quotes in the search box. When “cmd.exe” appears in the results box, hover over the file name and right click. Left click on “Run as Administrator”.
3 / Left click on the square in the upper right corner to maximize the screen size.
4 / Run a program in the Command Line Utility screen. See suggestions below.
5 / When finished type Exit or left click on the “X” in the upper right corner of the screen.
Suggestions:
Cmd: / Instructions: (don’t add double quotes when entering command) /cls / Enter this command when you want to clear the screen.
/? / Any command followed by “/?” will display help for that command. Example: “cls /?”
cd / Displays the name of or changes the current directory. Example: Go to the “C” drive root directory. “cd c:\”
help / At the blinking cursor type “help” and press enter. The list of commands runs off the screen. Wouldn’t it be nice to have this list in a file or print it for easier reading?
To save in a file run the command again as follows:
help > c:\cmd-help-info.txt
Select then copy the above line using “ctrl-c” then right click in the cmd screen. The paste command is inside the drop down menu. The above line will save the text file to the root directory. Change the above line to save in another folder.
You can view or print the file by using notepad.
dir / This command will display a list of files. Enter “help dir” and see all the available options for this command.
To save the root directory in a file run the command again as follows:
cd c:\ (Press enter)
dir > c:\cmd-dir-c-root.txt (Press enter)
clip / The clip command redirects output of command line tools to the Windows clipboard. This text output can then be pasted into other programs.
Examples:
DIR | CLIP
Places a copy of the current directory listing into the Windows clipboard.
CLIP < README.TXT
Places a copy of the text from readme.txt onto the Windows clipboard.
ipconfig / IP Configuration: (A special Command Line Utility.)
The default for this command is to display only the IP address, subnet mask and default gateway for each adapter bound to TCP/IP.
Display ipconfig instructions as follows:
ipconfig /?
To save those instructions enter:
ipconfig /? > c:\cmd-ipconfig-info.txt
To save your IP Configuration in a file run the command again as follows:
ipconfig /all > c:\cmd-ipconfig-2012-03-17.txt
Question / If you have a question about the Windows Command Line Utility there is an excellent web site:
http://www.commandwindows.com
Tuesday, December 23, 2014, 11:19 AM 3 of 3