At a time when everyone uses a graphical interface, the regular command line (console) is still relevant. This is the ancestor of the human-computer communication interface. In this article I will tell you what it is and in what ways the Windows 7/10 command line is launched.

The console is one of the types of text interface that became available to a wide range of users along with the MS DOS operating system. The essence of working with this type of interface is that all commands are executed by entering them from the keyboard.

Most people consider the command line to be a relic of the past, destined to fade into oblivion along with DOS itself. After all, the Windows graphical interface is much more convenient, visual and understandable for most people. But do not forget that the command line is not DOS, although the external similarity is certainly present - the same black window with a blinking cursor.

The console remains an indispensable management method, the need to use which may often arise not only for the system administrator, but also for the average user.

A short video on how to launch the command line and how to execute commands:

Running the command line

Despite the fact that the user sees everything graphically, the console has been and remains one of the main elements of computer control. Of course, the average user does not need to know commands at the IT level, but the basics of management will be useful to everyone.

To start the command line you need to go to the menu “Start -> Run”, write the word “cmd” in the window and press “Enter”. In Windows 8/10 (or if there is no Run menu item), press the key combination “Win ​​+ R”.

By the way, for the “Run” option to appear in Windows, you need to right-click on the button “Start -> Properties -> Customize” and check the box:

Open the console with admin rights

Sometimes you need to open a command prompt as an administrator. This is necessary to execute commands that require elevated access rights to the system. To do this, in the search bar of the Start menu, write “cmd” and in the search results, right-click on the found “cmd” program and select “Run as administrator”

In Windows 10 they made it a little easier, you need to right-click on the “Start” menu and select “Command Prompt (Admin)”

If necessary, the console can be found at the standard address "C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe" and call it from there in normal mode, or through the right button with administrator rights. You can create a shortcut for yourself on your desktop by simply dragging it from the menu “Start -> Accessories -> Command Prompt”. By the way, the “Run” input field is also a command line.

To open the console every time with administrator rights, you need to:

• click on the shortcut, select “Properties”
• On the “Shortcut” tab, click the “Advanced” button
• check the box “Run as administrator”

Here is the console itself. As you can see, there is nothing superfluous, everything is done quite ascetically. In the window you can see the usual “copyright” sign, indicating that the software belongs to Microsoft, below is the current directory and a cursor indicating readiness to start working:

The appearance can be given some changes to make it more suitable for a particular user. This can be done by right-clicking on the window title and selecting “Properties”. There you can customize colors, font, layout and some other appearance parameters:

How to copy and paste text

The developers screwed us over because the standard “Ctrl+C/V” and “Ctrl/Shift+Insert” buttons do not work in Windows XP/7. To copy text you need:

• right click on the window
• select “Mark”
• select text with left mouse button
• right click mouse

And to paste text from the clipboard into the console window, you need to right-click and select “Paste.” But there are two options in the Properties window:

If you check the “Select with mouse” checkbox, then we can immediately select text with the mouse, without selecting the “Mark” item, and we will simply insert text by clicking the right button. If you uncheck the “Quick Paste” checkbox, the text will be inserted on top of the existing one without moving it to the right. In Windows 10, this all already works by default.

Buttons for working on the command line

For more comfortable work with the console, you can use the following hotkeys:

• The Up/Down arrows help you navigate through the history of entered commands;
• – enter the last command letter by letter;
• – output of the previous command;
• – displaying a numbered list of commands (usually the system remembers the last 50 commands, although it can be configured differently);
• — moving the cursor to the beginning/end of the line;
• — move back/forward one word;
• — switching between insert and rewrite modes (as in Word);
• — delete the entered text.

Read which ones in a separate article.

The Windows 7 Command Prompt is a feature of Windows that allows you to enter MS-DOS and other computer commands. The importance of this command line is that it allows you to perform tasks without the help of the Windows GUI. Typically, the command line is only used by advanced users.

When working with the command line, the term command line itself also denotes the closing angle bracket (>). This indicates that the command line interface can accept commands.

The current working directory where the command will be executed can be specified on the command line. For example, if when you open a command prompt window, the text “C:\>” and a blinking cursor to the right of the angle bracket (>) are displayed on this line, then this means that the entered command will be executed on the C drive of this computer.

There are several ways to launch the command line. Let's consider launching the Command Prompt from the current user account:

• Press Win+R (Start - Run), enter cmd and click Ok

As you can see, the command line has been launched with the rights of the current user! To see a list of frequently used commands, at the command prompt, type help and press ENTER. To display more information about each of these commands, enter help command_name, where command_name is the name of the command about which you want more information (For example, help ping).

Innovations in cmd in Windows 10 - I would like to note on my own that there are many more ways to open the command line in Windows 10 and you can choose more convenient options for yourself (read the life hack by following the link).

Run Command Prompt as Administrator

Some commands may require administrator rights to run. To run the command prompt with administrator rights, you must do the following.

The Command Prompt is a feature of Windows that allows you to enter MS-DOS and other computer commands. The importance of this command line is that it allows you to perform tasks without the help of the Windows GUI. Typically, the command line is only used by advanced users.

When working with the command line, the term command line itself also denotes the closing angle bracket (>, otherwise: the greater than symbol). This indicates that the command line interface can accept commands. Other important information, such as the current working directory (or location) where the command will be executed, can also be specified on the command line. For example, if, when you open a Command Prompt window, the text “C:\>” is displayed on this line and a blinking cursor to the right of the closing angle bracket (>), this means that the command you entered will be executed on the entire C drive of this computer

Launching Command Line

There are several ways to launch the command line:

Some commands may require administrator rights to run. To run with administrator rights, you must do the following: Start - All Programs - Accessories - Command Prompt. Press the right key and select.

Teams

To see a list of frequently used commands, at the command prompt, type help and press ENTER

To display more information about each of these commands, enter help command_name, where command_name is the name of the command about which you want more information, for example for command ATTRIB. This command allows you to view, set, or clear file or directory attributes such as Read Only, Archive, System, and Hidden. The attrib command, executed without parameters, displays the attributes of all files in the current directory

Example: there is a file Report.txt, which is on another E drive, and to give it a read-only attribute, the command should be like this

1. attrib- team name
2. + - adding an attribute
3. r- attribute name "Read Only"
4. report.txt- file name

If the command is entered correctly, then after pressing Enter, the command line should look like this

Additionally

For more information about specific commands, see the following Command Prompt Help topics on the Microsoft website:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=66683
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=63080
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=95301

It is hardly possible to imagine functional work on a computer without using the command line. Whether you like it or not, sooner or later you will still have to use it to make settings in the operating system, absolutely regardless of whether Windows XP, 7 or 8 is installed on your PC. However, where computer geniuses ate the dog, novice users have to be content painful questions. And the main one among them is how to launch the command line on the now popular Windows 8 and 7 operating systems? Perhaps it would be simply cruel not to answer it.

Method No. 1: Launch through the search menu

Using the search is the simplest method, which can be used equally effectively to launch the command line on computers running Windows versions 7, XP and 8. However, the execution options will be somewhat different from each other.

Windows 7 OS:

Open the Start menu and type the word “command” into the search bar. As a result, the system will perform a search on its own and display the command line shortcut. All you have to do is right-click on it and select “Run as...” from the menu that appears:

In addition, you can use another search value, for example, by entering the word cmd in the search bar:

In any case, no matter what method you choose, as a result of such actions, the system will open the command line needed for work:

In this version of the Microsoft operating system, you can use the cmd command using the search bar in Metro. To do this, open the Windows 8 start screen and enter cmd into the search. As a result, the “Command Prompt” icon should appear on the left. Right-click on it and click the “Run as …” tab at the bottom of the screen:

Method #2: Using Task Manager

For some reason, this method is used infrequently by users, although in terms of efficiency and speed it is not inferior to the method described above. True, as in launching the command line using the cmd command through the “Run” or “Search” utility, you will have to act somewhat differently in Windows 7 and 8.

Windows 7 OS:

To launch the task manager, press Esc, Shift and Ctrl on the keyboard at the same time. Next, in the window that opens, find the “File” tab and select the “New task (Run...)” option in it by clicking the left mouse button:

As a result, the “Create a new task” window will appear. In this case, you also cannot do without the cmd command. To execute it and launch the command line accordingly, enter the cmd value in the empty field of the system window and confirm your choice by simply pressing the OK button:

Windows 8 OS:

To begin, just like on computers with Windows 7 installed on them, simultaneously press the Shift, Ctrl and Esc buttons on the keyboard. After that, in the window that opens, select the “File” tab, and in it the “Run a new task” section. As a result, the “Create task” utility will open. It is quite appropriate to use the cmd command in it. Enter the word cmd in the “Open” line, and then click OK:

Method No. 3: Launch using Explorer

This method does not require running a cmd command or running third-party programs. To launch the command line on your computer in this case, it will be enough to use the “Explorer” function provided by the developers of Windows 7 and 8.

Open “My Computer” and enter Work Disk C. Then enter “Command Prompt” into the search and press Enter. As a result, the system will find the shortcut we need. After that, all that remains is to right-click on it and select “Run as...” from the proposed menu:

While in the Metro UI, click the Windows Explorer tab, then go to Computer and select drive C. Then open “File”, find the “Open command line…” item in the menu and select the required option to log in:

Let's reveal a little secret here. Once you have entered the command line, you can use the help command to get all the necessary help information about it:

This trick can come in handy if you accidentally forget the meaning of a particular command or are initially unsure of its effectiveness.

Method number 4: Start from a folder

For those who want to launch a command line on a PC to configure a specific folder, it is enough to use this method. Startup time is reduced by half.

All we need is to find the required folder and, while holding down the Shift button on the keyboard, right-click on this folder, and then select “Open command window” in the proposed menu:

Everything is much simpler in this OS. All you need to do is go to the desired folder and press the Alt and 2 buttons on your keyboard without changing the keystroke sequence.

Method No. 5: Launching through the Run utility

This method is great for computers with Windows 7 and previous versions of the OS. In this case, we will again need the benefits of the cmd command, but first we still need to call the Run utility. This can be done by simultaneously pressing the R and buttons on the keyboard. After the utility starts, enter the cmd value into the empty field in the window and press OK on the screen or Enter on the keyboard.