What is command line

Majority computer users know little about the command line. While more experienced and advanced users quite often use it to perform various tasks.

Very often, the command line is used by administrators to perform the same type and routine tasks, when administering servers and other things.
Command line migrated to Windows since the days of MS-DOS and allows users to interact directly with the Windows operating system.

The command line or, as it is called the console, looks unremarkable and to interact with the operating system, you need to enter commands, observing a certain syntax.

That is why it is used to create batch files (BAT-files) that perform a certain sequence of operations to perform a given task.

What are the benefits of using the command line

As already noted, the command line is mainly used by advanced users and administrators. With its help, the user can automate the execution of certain tasks of the same type.

That is, if you need to copy or rename files under certain conditions, then this is easily organized by creating special batch files that contain command line commands. Moreover, such operations will be performed without user intervention.

The advantage of the command line is easy to see if you need to perform the same type of operations on large quantity files. For example, you need to move or copy (or delete) certain types of files to a particular location.

Administrators using the command line get the necessary information about the operation of network devices and can judge possible reasons malfunctions and failures. Network administrators will be able to obtain information about network activity and its health.

How to open command prompt

To open a command prompt window, just open the Start menu and type Command Prompt in the search bar, then double-click on the corresponding result.

You can also just go to the All Programs section and in the Accessories folder and there will be a command line shortcut. Finally, you can use the Run utility by pressing the Win + R key combination or launch the Run utility from the Start menu. Now type in the Open cmd line and press Enter.

The command line executable itself is located at system drive to the following path: Windows/System32/cmd.exe.

Customizing the command line window

The standard command prompt window is presented as a black background with white font. However, this is not convenient for everyone, especially if the user often resorts to the command line. Settings like appearance, and others additional settings command line will allow you to work more comfortably with the console.

To do this, just click on the window icon in its left part with the left mouse button (or press Alt + Space). A context menu will appear where, by selecting Properties, you can make basic settings for the appearance, mouse cursor, size and location of the window.

Options such as Mouse Selection will allow you to copy the selected command line text, the number of buffers determines how many lines on the command line will be available for viewing by the user. The buffer size allows the user to scroll through previously typed commands using the Up or Down Arrow keys.

Command line commands available to users

The command line has many commands, the list of which you can get in the command line itself. To do this, just enter the HELP command and the screen will display a complete list of commands with explanations:

ASSOC Screen display or modification of file name extension mappings.
ATTRIB View and modify file attributes.
BREAK Enables or disables the ability to use CTRL+C on a DOS system.
BCDEDIT Sets properties in the boot database that allow you to control the bootstrap.
CACLS Displays data and modifies file access control lists (ACLs).
CALL Calls one batch file from another and can also pass input arguments.
CD Displays the pathname or moves to another folder.
CHCP Output or set encoding.
CHDIR Displays the title or moves to another folder.
CHKDSK Diagnostics of the drive for errors.
CHKNTFS Shows or changes the drive diagnostics during boot.
CLSO cleaning the display of all characters.
cmd Starts a Windows command line program. You can run an infinite number of them on one computer. They will work independently of each other.
COLOR Changes and sets the main background of the window and the fonts themselves.
COMP Shows the differences and compares the contents of two files.
COMPACT Changes and shows file compression in NTFS.
CONVERT Changes FAT disk volumes to NTFS. The current drive cannot be changed.
COPY Creates a copy of a file or files and places them in the specified location.
DATE Shows or sets the current date.
DEL Destroys one or more files at once.
DIR Shows the names of files and folders with their creation date, located in the current folder or specified in the folder options.
DISKCOMP Compares and shows the differences between 2 floppy drives.
DISKCOPY Creates a copy of the contents of one floppy drive to another.
DISKPART Shows and changes the properties of a disk partition.
DOSKEY Modifies and re-invokes command lines; creates macros.
DRIVERQUERY Displays information about the "state of affairs" and attributes of the device driver.
ECHO Displays textual information and changes the display mode of commands on the screen.
ENDLOCAL Ends environment localization for a batch file.
ERASE Destroys a file or files.
EXIT Terminates a command line program
FC Shows differences between two files or two sets of files and compares them
FIND Searches for a text string in files or in a single file.
FINDSTR Advanced search for text strings in files.
FOR Cycle. Repeats the execution of the same command the specified number of times
FORMAT Formatting the drive for Windows.
FSUTIL Displays and sets file system attributes.
FTYPE Provides the ability to edit and view file types, which are primarily used in file name extension matching.
GOTO Transfers control to another specified command.
GPRESULT Displays information about group policy for a computer or user.
GRAFTABL Allows Windows to display the extended character set in graphics mode.
HELP Displays all data about existing Windows console commands.
ICACLS Shows, modifies, archives or restores ACLs for files and folders.
IF Executes commands based on a given condition.
LABEL Creates, modifies, and destroys volume labels for drives.
MD Creates an empty directory.
MKDIR Creates an empty directory.
MKLINK Creates symbolic and hard links
MODE Configures system devices.
MORE Sequentially displays information in blocks of one screen size.
MOVE Moves files from one location to another.
OPENFILES Shows files that are open on shared folder remote user.
PATH Displays or sets the full path to executable files.
PAUSE Terminates the execution of command line commands and prints informative text.
POPD Restores the previous active folder value that was saved using the PUSHD command.
PRINT Prints the contents of a text file.
PROMPT Modifies the prompt on the Windows command line.
PUSHD Saves the active folder value and navigates to another folder.
RD Deletes a folder.
RECOVER Resurrects readable data from a bad or damaged hard drive.
REM Puts comments in batch files and the CONFIG.SYS file.
REN Changes the name of both files and folders.
RENAME Similar to the REN command.
REPLACE Swaps files.
RMDIR Destroys a directory.
ROBOCOPY Advanced tool for copying files and entire folders
SET Shows, sets, and destroys Windows environment variables.
SETLOCAL Localizes environment changes in a batch file.
SC Allows you to work with services
SCHTASKS Allows you to run any program and sequentially execute the necessary commands according to a given plan
SHIFT Changes the position (shift) of the inline parameters for the batch file.
SHUTDOWN Shuts down the computer.
SORT Sorts the input according to the given parameters.
START Launches a program or command in a new window.
SUBST Assigns a drive name to the specified path.
SYSTEMINFO Displays information about the operating system and configuration of the computer.
TASKLIST Shows a list of all running processes with their IDs.
TASKKILL Terminates a process or application.
TIME Sets and displays the system time.
TITLE Sets the name of the window for the current session of the CMD.EXE command line interpreter
TREE Displays the directories of the drive in a convenient visual form.
TYPE Displays the contents of text files.
VER Displays brief information about Windows versions.
VERIFY Checks for file write errors on the drive.
VOL Displays the labels and serial number of the drive's volume.
XCOPY Creates a copy of files.
WMIC Displays WMI on the command line.

For novice users, knowing the command names is too little. According to the above list, you can only evaluate the capabilities of the command line. To use a particular command, you must follow the syntax for writing commands. You can again find out the syntax for any command using the command line itself. To do this, enter the command and after its name add /? and press Enter. The command HELP COMMAND_NAME will give the same result. For instance:
COPY /? or HELP COPY

As a result, you will get a detailed syntax of the specified command with an explanation of all arguments.

In order not to repeatedly type the same command with different arguments, use the UP-DOWN arrow keys on the keyboard. Thus, the previous commands entered into the console will be displayed in the window.

When working with the command line, many note that the usual key combinations for copying and pasting do not work, and this is true. To copy the selected text and then paste it, you must use the context menu called by pressing Alt+Space.

After that, you need to go to the Edit section. Further, if mouse selection is not enabled in the settings, select the Mark and select the desired fragment of the console text. Then again go to the context menu and in the Edit section select Copy, or just press Enter, and to paste into context menu select Paste.

Create command line batch files

Batch files are files with multiple lines of commands that will be executed sequentially automatically. Batch files are convenient to use for performing routine and similar tasks.

To create such a file, you need to text editor Notepad write one or more commands, following the syntax of the command line. After saving the file, you need to change its extension from TXT to BAT.

After running such a file, automatic execution commands written in it. In this case, a command prompt window will appear while the commands are being executed.

None dialog boxes or the results of the execution of the command are not displayed to the user, except for those provided by some commands.
An example of a simple batch file:
DEL C:Temp /Q
PAUSE

This file will clear the temporary Temp folder, located in the root of drive C. Moreover, a request to delete files will not be displayed (switch / Q). The PAUSE command here will allow you not to close the command prompt window after cleaning up the folder. That is, the user will be able to see the result of cleaning the temporary folder. After pressing any key, the command prompt window will be closed.
The PAUSE command is very often used specifically for debugging various scripts and checking the operation of batch files.

To exit the command line, simply close the window with the mouse or enter the EXIT command into the console.

Hello everyone. In this article, we will talk about topics such as:

Command Prompt (CMD)- it separate program, which allows the user to directly interact with the operating system. Command line is based on an environment in which applications and utilities are run using a text-based interface, and the result of the execution is displayed on the screen.

Command line Windows uses the command interpreter cmd.exe, which allows you to download applications and directs the flow of data between them, in other words, translates user commands into a form understandable to the system. command line console integrated into all versions of Windows OS. At first sight command interface frightens the user spoiled by the graphical interface of the same Windows, but as a rule command interface, is much faster and has mass additional features, which cannot be implemented in the GUI.

Launch Methods:

1. Start / All Programs / Accessories / Command Prompt.
2. Start / Run / in the line we enter cmd.exe
3. Run from the system folder: C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe

cmd commands.

Below I will give you a plate with a complete list command line commands, and after the tablet we will analyze in more detail the main cmd commands.

Command	Description
ASSOC	Display or change associations for file name extensions.
AT	Execute commands and run programs on schedule.
ATTRIB	Display and change file attributes.
BREAK	Enable/disable the processing mode of the CTRL+C key combination.
CACLS	Display/edit access control lists (ACL) to files.
CALL	Calling one batch file from another.
CD
CHCP	Display or set the active code page.
CHDIR	Display the name or change the current folder.
CHKDSK	Checking the disk and displaying statistics.
CHKNTFS	Display or change the check disk run during boot.
CLS	Screen cleaning.
cmd	Launching another Windows command line interpreter.
COLOR	Sets the default text and background colors.
COMP	Compare the contents of two files or two sets of files.
COMPACT	Display/change file compression on NTFS partitions.
CONVERT	Converting FAT to NTFS disk volumes. You cannot convert the current active disk.
COPY	Copy one or more files to another location.
DATE	Display or set the current date.
DEL
DIR	Listing files and subfolders from the specified folder.
DISKCOMP	Comparing the contents of two floppy disks.
DISKCOPY	Copying the contents of one floppy disk to another.
DOSKEY	Editing and callback command lines; creating macros.
ECHO	Displaying messages and switching the mode of displaying commands on the screen.
ENDLOCAL	End local changes batch file environment.
ERASE	Delete one or more files.
EXIT	Exiting the program CMD.EXE (command line interpreter).
FC	Compare two files or two sets of files and output the differences between them.
FIND	Search for a text string in one or more files.
FINDSTR	Finding strings in files.
FOR	Run the specified command on each of the files in the set.
FORMAT	Formatting a drive for Windows.
FTYPE	Display or change the file types used in file name extension matching.
GOTO	Transfer control to the marked line of the batch file.
GRAFTABL	Allows Windows to display the extended character set in graphics mode.
HELP	Displays help information about Windows commands.
IF	Conditional execution statement for commands in a batch file.
LABEL	Create, modify, and delete volume labels for disks.
MD	Create a folder.
MKDIR	Create a folder.
MODE	Configuring system devices.
MORE	Sequential output of data in parts of one screen.
MOVE	Move one or more files from one folder to another.
PATH	Display or set the search path for executable files.
PAUSE	Pause the execution of a batch file and display a message.
POPD	Restore the previous value of the current active folder saved using the PUSHD command.
PRINT	Printing the contents of text files.
PROMPT	Changing the prompt on the Windows command line.
PUSHD	Save the value of the current active folder and move to another folder.
RD	Deleting a folder.
RECOVER	Recovery of readable information from a bad or damaged disk.
REM	Putting comments in batch files and the CONFIG.SYS file.
REN
RENAME	Renaming files and folders.
REPLACE	File replacement.
RMDIR	Deleting a folder.
SET	Listing, setting and removing Windows environment variables.
SETLOCAL	Start local environment changes for a batch file.
SHIFT	Changing the content (shift) of inline parameters for a batch file.
SORT	Sort input.
START	Launching a program or command in a separate window.
SUBST	Matches the specified path with a drive name.
TIME	Output and setting the system time.
TITLE	Assigning a window title to the current session of the CMD.EXE command line interpreter.
TREE	Graphical display of the folder structure of a given drive or a given folder.
TYPE	Displaying the contents of text files.
VER	Display information about the version of Windows.
VERIFY	Sets the mode for checking the correctness of writing files to disk.
VOL	label output and serial number disk volumes.
XCOPY	Copying files and folder tree.

Command line commands.

Now let's talk in more detail about the most commonly used commands, but first I'll tell you a little about the keys that can be used with commands for a more functional action. For example, take the RD (remove directory) command when applied to empty folder, then it will be deleted, but if there are files in the folder, then nothing will happen. So, in order to delete a folder along with the files in it, you need to use the key together with the RD command /s.

That is, for example, there is a kat directory and find any files in it, in order to delete the directory along with the files, you need to write RD/s cat. The list of keys to any command can be found by typing the command name with a slash followed by a question: command_name/?.

Basic commands for working with directories:

• MD - Create directory. Syntax: (MD directory name, it is possible to specify the location path).
• RD - Delete directory. Syntax: (RD directory name, it is possible to specify the location path). Note, RD without keys allows you to delete only an empty directory.
• CD - Change current directory. Syntax: (CD directory name, it is possible to specify the location path). CD\ - Change to the root directory. CD.. - Changes to the parent directory.
• DIR - View a directory as a list. Syntax: (DIR directory name, it is possible to specify the location path).
• TREE - Display directories in a graphical representation. Syntax: (TREE directory name, it is possible to specify the location path).
• MOVE - Move \ Rename directory. Syntax: .
• XCOPY - Copy directory structures. Syntax: (XCOPY what_copy where_copy, it is possible to specify the location path).

File commands:

• COPY CON - Create a file. Syntax: (COPY CON file_name_with_extension, it is possible to specify the location path).
• TYPE - Display the contents of the file on the screen. Syntax: (TYPE file_name_with_extension, it is possible to specify the location path).
• DEL - Delete file. Syntax: (DEL file_name_with_extension, it is possible to specify the location path).
• COPY - Copying a file\Combining files. Syntax(copy): (COPY what_copy where_copy, it is possible to specify the location path). Syntax (combine): (COPY file_name + file_name + file_name ... union_file_name, it is possible to specify the location path).
• EDIT - Create\Edit a file. Syntax: (EDIT file name, it is possible to specify the location path).
• MOVE - Move\Rename file. Syntax: (MOVE what_we move where_we move, it is possible to specify the location path).
• REN - Renaming files. Syntax: (REN what_rename to what_rename, it is possible to specify the location path).
• FC - Compare files. (FC file_name file_name file_name…, it is possible to specify the location path).

System commands:

• CLS - Cleaning the screen.
• DATE - View and display changes to the current date.
• VER - Output information about current version operating system.
• VOL - Display information about the volume-logical partition of the disk.
• SYSTEMINFO - Display information about system configurations.
• EXIT - Exit from the command line.

These were the most used command line commands.

On this this article I finish, I hope you have fully understood the topics: CMD Commands, Command Line Commands, Command Line.

Until the moment when operating systems learned to “communicate” with users using graphic images that are familiar to us, information was entered and output to a computer exclusively using text.

Of course, there are still operating systems that use the so-called interface to communicate with users. command line. But they are usually used by professional programmers, system administrators and other employees of the IT industry. For ordinary users manufacturers operating systems created a convenient GUI, which allows you to "communicate" with a computer or, say, a smartphone using a mouse or pressing buttons on the screen.

Despite this, every operating system (including Windows XP, 7, 8, and so on) still supports input and output of information through text commands . Command Windows string is a clear example of this. Let's figure out what it is.

What is command line

First of all, it is a program cmd.exe, located in the system32 directory of the operating system folder. Location options: C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe. The path may differ depending on the version of Windows and where it is installed.

In general terms, the command line is operating system tool, which usually consists of an OS shell and a text interface. The shell provides the user with the tools to " communication» with the operating system, which, in this case, act text commands.

The command line of Windows operating systems, starting with XP, is designed to provide users with the ability to use MS-DOS and many other computer commands. Its important feature is that it is capable of performing custom commands without the help of a GUI. The need to understand and know all these commands makes it difficult for ordinary users to use the command line to control the operating system. However, it is not so difficult as it seems at first glance.

By understanding the basic principles of the command line, any user who is more or less familiar with the computer will be able to manage the command line without much difficulty.

In what situations can the command line be useful?

There are a number of reasons for using the command line. There are also situations in which it is simply impossible to do without its use. And in some cases, the fulfillment of certain Windows features, as well as setting up the operating system through the command line is more convenient and faster.

Let's take the situation with viruses. There are virus programs that completely block the graphical interface user (so-called SMS banners). As a rule, these viruses display a window on the computer screen in which a message is written, such as " Your computer is blocked by the Ministry of Internal Affairs" or " Your data is at risk" etc. Such SMS banners cannot be closed by any conventional means - neither with the mouse, nor with the help of hot keys on the keyboard.

In such situations, the command line comes to the rescue. Of course, in order to call it, you need to do certain actions with the computer, but this is not about that now.

One more situation. Let's say Windows XP (or any other version) is just stopped working, and important data remained on the hard disk, which urgently need to copy to a flash drive. If you have at least installation disk with Windows, then at a certain point in the installation of the operating system (without waiting for the installation to complete), you can call command line and copy this data. This feature often comes in handy in the case of a damaged disk, when, for example, Windows installation stops while copying installation files to the hard drive.

The command line is also capable of quickly calling various standard master tuners operating system (such as Network Configuration Wizard) or system tools such as Registry Editor, Component Services, and others. It can also be used to produce direct various parameter settings Windows, exercise file management, run programs and do many other things.

How to use the command line

On various computer forums and websites, you can find hundreds of manuals on using certain programs, performing some system settings and a host of other articles in which the authors call for the use of the command line. Many inexperienced users are immediately lost when they see the phrase " Run Command Prompt...". If you are also one of them, it will be very useful for you to familiarize yourself with the work of this useful tool. Let's start with how to call it.

How to call the command line

Starting from Windows XP and up latest version this family of operating systems, the command line is invoked through the dialog " Run» (« Run”), in which you need to enter the command - “ cmd". This dialog is launched by pressing the Win keys simultaneously. + R:

In Windows XP (unlike later versions) in the menu " Start" there is a special label, which is called " Execute...". If you click on it, the dialog will also start.

You can call the command line in other ways. Here they are:

Performing one of the above actions will lead to the launch of a black window with a blinking cursor - this is the command line. Let's see how to work with it.

V . As well as in the 10-ke, about the features of which you can learn more.

Working on the command line

To " cmd"executed this or that command, it is enough to enter it into the window, and then press the Enter key. To check, you can enter " help» - this command will display a list of all available standard commands.

As you can see, there are many of them. However, these are not all commands that can be executed using the command line. There are many different programs that can also be controlled through this console. Basically, " cmd" is an extensible shell, which indicates the possibility of adding more and more commands to the list of actions performed by it.

You also need to know that most commands can only be executed if additional mandatory parameters, others support keys (optional). Let's try using the command line to perform some actions on files and folders in which such commands will be involved.

Let's try to move from one local disk on the other, let's view its contents, then create a folder, go to it, and in it we will create another folder and delete it. Interesting problem? The main thing is that to perform each individual action, you will need to use different commands. Let's start.

After starting the command line, you may have noticed the address in front of the blinking cursor: " C:/Users/Username" (in our case - here " Reptile"). The name of the last folder means your current location (the same as if you went to this folder through Conductor). And "C:\" is the local drive you are on. To change the current local drive, just enter its letter and a colon immediately after it - for example, "D:".

This will take you to the "D:\" drive (or whatever). To view disk contents(or in general any folders) use the command " dir". Enter it right here and you will see a list of files and folders available on the "D:\" drive.

Now create a folder right at the root of the disk. To do this, use the command - " mkdir”, and as a parameter, separated by a space, you need to enter the name of the future folder, for example, “ mkdirxp". In this case, a folder named " xp».

After creating it, you can enter through the explorer to your disk and make sure that the folder has been created. Now let's go into it.

To go to a particular folder, use the command " cd". Here, the name of the directory to navigate to is also used as an argument. Let's introduce " cd xp” and get inside the folder ( make this folder current).

Let's create another folder in the folder using the command " mkdir". Let this be the folder 123 ».

Now delete her. To do this, enter " rmdir 123". Execute now in the directory " xp» command « dir" and you will see that the folders " 123 " no more.

If you want to learn more about the description of a particular command, just enter the "/?" immediately after the command, and a prompt will be displayed on the screen. For example, enter " dir/?". Another option to launch a prompt: " help directory».

Remembering all existing commands is not easy - there are a lot of them. The official Microsoft website has the most complete guide on the command line, although the descriptions issued by the command help quite enough.

Related videos

Using commands CMD Windows you can launch system utilities much faster than doing it in the usual way. And, although not everyone understands the meaning of this text-based interface, considering it outdated, in fact, the tool is quite useful.

And not only for professionals, but also for ordinary users. Although, to run most commands, you should run the command line (cmd) as an administrator.

The need to use the command line

The cmd line, which is standard tool Windows platforms, is no different in different versions operating systems - and in the seventh, and in the eighth, and in the tenth, and even in XP. And all teams work the same in each of them.

The advantage of using a string is to speed up work - sometimes typing the desired command is much faster than searching in system folders the corresponding file. Moreover, to speed up work with CMD, a link to it can be displayed on the desktop - or even on the quick launch bar.

The disadvantages of the interface can be called:

• manual command input from the keyboard;
• the need to run CMD as an administrator (otherwise, most commands do not run);
• quite a large list of commands that are difficult to remember.

Externally, the command line in many ways resembles the interface of the DOS system. And, although it allows you to solve many more tasks, some commands overlap with the legacy platform. For example, "format", "cd" and "dir", which are necessary for working with folders and disks.

Working with the interface

Before you start working with the command line, you must first start it. To do this, you can use several methods:

1. Open the "Run" menu (by pressing Win + R at the same time) and enter the command cmd.exe;
2. Go to Windows folder on the system drive, open the System32 directory and run the file called cmd.exe. You can simplify the task by creating a shortcut that launches the same application and install it on the desktop;
3. Open the "Start" menu, go to the "All Programs" section, then to the "Accessories" subsection and find the command prompt.

Things to know: After the first launch through the Start menu, CMD appears at the top of it - in the list of most frequently launched applications and utilities. And you can open the line while working in any application (even in the game), just by pressing the Win button on the keyboard.

Rice. 1. Command line of the Windows operating system.

The standard view of the command line is a black window with white text. If this option does not suit the user, he can change the colors depending on his preferences.

To do this, right-click on the top of the window and go to the properties of CMD. In the window that opens, you can choose the location of the line, and the colors of the text or window, and even the font sizes. Here it is also possible to expand the interface to almost the entire screen, increasing the level of convenience of working with it.

Rice. 2. Change command line settings

Commands to help you work with CMD

Keyboard shortcuts help make using the command line even easier - although they are not the same as the usual Windows shortcuts. Instead of pressing standard sets Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V, copying and pasting text is done as follows:

1. Click on the selected line open window CMD right click;
2. Select "Mark";
3. Select text with the left button;
4. Right click again. After that, all information is in the operating system clipboard.

In order to paste the copied information, press the same right button and select the "Paste" item. You can simplify the copying of data by checking the box "Select by mouse" in the properties of the command line.

After that, the text can be immediately selected with the left button. If you uncheck the quick insert item, the data is inserted over the already written commands.

Hotkey List

When working with the command line, use the following "hot keys":

• up and down arrows allow you to move the cursor around the window, including already entered commands;
• Home and End move the cursor to the beginning and end of the line, respectively;
• left and right arrows together with pressed at the same time Ctrl key allow you to move the cursor in a given direction by a whole word;
• Insert, as well as in any text editor, switches the modes of inserting text with a shift to the right and overwriting over the written data;
• Esc deletes the selected information;
• F1 provides the input of the last recorded command one character at a time;
• F5 prints the previous command;
• F7 lists multiple recent entries. By default, their number is 50.

Basic commands

The list of basic commands that most users need is relatively small and consists of commands that perform the following actions:

• work with directories;
• issue statistics on the operation of various applications, the network and the operating system as a whole;
• restore drivers;
• turn off the computer.

Using the command line, you can even format the drive (including the system drive, which is not formatted from the Windows system by any other means) and even stop the process. And yet, using CMD, the user gets much faster access to the registry editor and the window for changing the system configuration.

Working with directories

The main command for working with directories is dir. With its help, you can check the contents of an open directory. And, if you want to open another folder, you should additionally specify the path to it. For example, select "dir C:\" or "dir D:\".

Rice. 3. Content check logical drive C.

The second command for working with directories is cd. With its help, you can go to any selected folder. For example, by writing "cd C:\Windows" at the command line, go to system directory. To open a folder on a drive that is already selected, issue a command like "cd /D D:\".

Rice. 4. Move from local drive C to drive D.

The mkdir command creates a new folder. And the parameter that is set after it determines the name of the directory. So, after entering "mkdir D:\New_Folder", the corresponding directory appears on drive D. If the user specifies several directories in the list at once (for example, "E:\New\Games\Fallout_3"), an entire folder tree can be created.

Rice. 5. Create a new folder from the command line.

Executing the rmdir command allows you to remove a directory by specifying the full path to it. For example, by writing "rmdir D:\New_Folder" you can delete the newly created folder. Although, if there are other files inside the directory, a message appears on the screen stating that it is not empty. You can delete a non-empty folder by typing rmdir /S in the command line. Before deleting, select the item "Y" (Yes), confirming your action.

Rice. 6. Deleting a folder using the rmdir command.

Turning off the computer

Using the shutdown command, you can turn off the computer - moreover, either immediately, or by setting a timer:

• shutdown /s simply terminates the operating system, closing all pending processes;
• when you select the shutdown /s /t 3600 command, the timer will be set to exactly one hour. If you want to set any other time, instead of 3600, the corresponding number of seconds is written;

Rice. 7. Enable automatic shutdown of the system.

• to cancel already set timer introduced shutdown command/a.

Rice. 8. Cancel shutdown.

The commands work the same on any operating system. The only difference is in the labels that appear. So, for example, for Windows 7 messages are located in the lower right corner of the desktop.

View statistics

Viewing computer statistics begins with the systeminfo command. It gives the maximum amount of information about Windows system. Although, to obtain information, it is more efficient to use not a system utility, but special applications.

For example, AIDA64 is a general-purpose data-gathering program whose only drawback is a shareware license. A month after use, you will have to pay for the utility - from 1400 to 2200 rubles. per computer, depending on the number of purchased licenses.

Rice. 9. Obtaining information about the computer and operating system.

The driverquery utility allows you to get acquainted with the list of drivers and their properties. In the list that appears on the screen, you can see the type of control program, the date of reference and the name of the module.

Rice. 10. Displaying a list of drivers.

A utility called pathping, when run, shows information about the data lost in transit between the start and end points. This command calculates the loss factors for various routers. And according to the results of the work, the utilities determine access problems for individual routers.

Rice. 11. A utility that checks network operation.

The Netstat application shows information about active connections and statistics for various network protocols. If you run the command without specifying specific parameters, only TCP connections are displayed.

Rice. 12. Verification active connections TCP.

The tasklist command displays a list of all processes launched by the system. It can be used to access data from remote computer. Although, if additional parameters are not specified, information is displayed only about the current device.

The ipconfig utility displays information about the IP address and other parameters network adapter. Additional options are used along with the command, such as /all, which allows you to get information about each of the adapters.

Rice. 13. Getting information about network connections.

Changing system settings

The msconfig utility allows you to call up a menu with which you can change the configuration of the operating system:

• a list of programs automatically loaded with the system;
• launch options;
• Windows boot options.

Most often, the command is used to remove or add an application to the startup tab. And sometimes they make changes to the boot order of operating systems - if two of them are installed on the computer (for example, Windows 10 and Windows XP, each of which may be more convenient for a particular user).

Rice. 14. Call the menu for changing the system configuration.

Running the regedit utility opens the editor system registry- one of the most useful applications to get rid of leftovers remote programs, make changes to services, and fix problems. It is worth noting that changing any values ​​​​(not to mention deleting) is required very carefully. Errors in the registry can lead to system crashes and even reinstallation. Read also our material: TOP 3 cleaning programs Windows Registry 7.

Rice. 16. Start checking files on the system drive.

The format command, which has not changed for decades, allows you to format any disk, including USB flash drives. Selecting "format C:" formats system partition. And with the help additional options can be determined file system(/fs), set the volume label (/y), and even assign cluster sizes (/a). Without setting certain conditions, the cluster is installed automatically.

Rice. 17. Formatting disk H through the command line.

Stopping processes

The command can be used to stop a specific process. For this, an identifier can be used (for example, 2616, if we are talking about the graphical editor Paint) and the /pid parameter. In addition, when stopping, the name of the process itself and another /im parameter can be used. The same editor is closed with the taskkill /im MSPaint.exe command.

Rice. 19. A utility that restores damaged system files.

Screen cleaning

After executing several commands, the window is filled with text, which may be an obstacle for further work. You can get rid of unnecessary data using the CLS (Clear Screen) command. After its launch, the screen is completely cleared, leaving room for further user actions.

conclusions

With the constant use of basic commands, they are easily remembered by the user. And in order to learn about new utilities or remember the names of old ones, you need to enter /help on the command line. A list of possible commands will appear on the screen, which are unlikely to be useful for the average user, but can simplify the work of local network administrators.