The command line is a text-based shell that connects the computer user with the functions of the operating system. With the help of special commands entered into it, you can get additional information about the computer, perform various operations, view network data, and so on.
Necessary
access to the computer
Instructions
Step 1
To open a command prompt in Windows XP and earlier, find the corresponding menu item in the list of standard programs or use the Run utility. In the window that opens, write down cmd.exe and press the Enter key. For Windows Vista and Windows Seven operating systems, just write this command in the search bar. A medium-sized window should appear on your screen.
Step 2
To go to the required directory on your computer, start entering the command with cd, then write the path to the directory or the name of the program with the extension.exe through a space. If you need to perform any operation that supports work with the command line, enter its name along with the extension, specify the command, for example, print, drive and directory to the file with its name and extension.
Step 3
Note that using the command line, you can get more information about the configuration of your computer and the network to which it is connected. For example, the ipconfig / all command shows the IP address of the computer on the Internet and your home network, systeminfo will help you view the parameters of your operating system, using the ping command and the computer name, you can check if another person’s computer is on the network, and so on.
Step 4
To get help with working with the command line of Windows operating systems, start it and enter help, after which you will see help for this program shell. For more information about the commands entered in the string and their purpose, write down help and the name of the computer. After entering commands, be sure to press the Enter key to execute them. Moving through directories is carried out using the / sign; after writing the disk name, a colon is always used.
