Command line or as it is also called cmd in the Windows 8 operating system is the same as in younger versions of Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, it follows that the same commands work the same in all versions.
So let's first figure out how to launch the command line. To do this, you must have a working computer with an operating system.
Some commands, if you are running under a regular user account, may not have enough rights to execute them for security reasons, so always run the command prompt with administrator rights. There are 2 ways to launch the command line:
In the window that appears, write cmd and click OK.
A command prompt window will open with a black background.
2) A faster way: through the hot keys Win + R, here also in the window that appears we write cmd, press ok.
In Windows 8, you can only use method 2, since there is no Start menu. Let's write our first help command, which will display a list of all available commands with brief explanations.
List of all existing Windows command line commands:
ASSOC
Print to screen or modify mappings based on file name extensions.
ATTRIB View and modify file properties.
BREAK Locks or unlocks enhanced CTRL+C processing in DOS.
BCDEDIT Sets properties in the boot database that allows you to control the initial boot.
CACLS Lists data and modifies access control lists (ACLs) on files.
CALL Calls one batch file from another, and can also pass input arguments.
CD
CHCP Output or set encoding.
CHDIR Displays the name or moves to another folder.
CHKDSK Diagnostics of the drive for errors.
CHKNTFS Shows or changes drive diagnostics during boot.
CLSO clearing the display of all symbols.
CMD Launches 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 differences and compares the contents of two files.
COMPACT Changes and shows file compression in NTFS.
CONVERT Converts 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 settings.
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 status and attributes of a device driver.
ECHO Displays text information and changes the display mode of commands on the screen.
ENDLOCAL Brings the environment localization to a close for the batch file.
ERASE Destroys a file or files.
EXIT Terminates the command line program
F.C. Shows the differences between two files or two sets of files and also compares them
FIND Searches for a text string in files or in one file.
FINDSTR Advanced search for text strings in files.
FOR Cycle. Repeats execution of the same command a specified number of times
FORMAT Formatting the drive for use with Windows.
FSUTIL Shows and sets file system attributes.
FTYPE Allows you to change and view file types, which are mainly used when matching by file name extensions.
GOTO Transfers control to another specified command.
GPRESULT Displays Group Policy information for a computer or user.
GRAFTABL Allows Windows to display extended characters in graphical mode.
HELP Lists all data about existing Windows 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.
M.D. 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 the size of one screen.
MOVE Moves files from one location to another.
OPENFILES Shows files that are open on a shared folder by a remote user.
PATH Displays or sets the full path to executable files.
PAUSE Stops executing command line commands and displays informational 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 Windows command line prompt.
PUSHD Saves the active folder value and moves to another folder.
R.D. Destroys a directory.
RECOVER Revives readable data from a bad or damaged hard drive.
R.E.M. Places comments in batch files and the CONFIG.SYS file.
REN Changes the name of both files and folders.
RENAME Similar team REN.
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.
S.C. Allows you to work with services
SCHTASKS Allows you to run any programs and sequentially execute the necessary commands according to a given plan
SHIFT Changes the position (shift) of substituted parameters for a batch file.
SHUTDOWN Shuts down the computer.
SORT Sorts input according to specified 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 computer configuration.
TASKLIST Shows a list of all running processes with their IDs.
TASKKILL“Kills” or stops the process.
TIME Sets and displays the system time.
TITLE Sets the window name for the current session of the command line interpreter CMD.EXE
TREE Displays drive directories in a convenient visual form.
TYPE Displays the contents of text files.
VER Displays brief information about the Windows version.
VERIFY Checks for file writing errors on the drive.
VOL Displays the labels and serial number of the drive volume.
XCOPY Creates a copy of files.
WMIC Prints WMI on the command line.
The command line in the Windows 7 operating system is a special feature of this operating system. It can be used to enter MS-DOS commands and various other computer commands.
What is the advantage of the command line? Using it, you can quickly perform various actions without using the main interface of the operating system.
There are several ways to launch the command line.
You can open the Command Prompt using a keyboard shortcut. To do this, press the following combination on your keyboard "Win" + "R". Key "Win"- this is a button with an operating system icon or, in simple terms, the “start” key.
After this, the Run window will open. In the active line of this window you must enter the following "cmd". 
This will open a Windows 7 command prompt window. 
If you need to perform operations on the command line as an administrator, you will need to go to "Start" — "All programs" — "Standard" — "Command line". Next you need to right-click and select "Run as administrator".
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; — switching between insert and rewrite modes (as in Word); — delete the entered text.
Read which ones in a separate article.
Rolling back the OS allows you to restore normal operation of Windows if it is damaged as a result of malicious software, installation of low-quality drivers, software updates, unintentional user actions, and in other cases. To start system recovery, just go to the “Start” menu and in the “System” section activate the corresponding application.
If Windows does not start, then the command line comes to the rescue. With its help, you can reanimate the operating system bootloader, thereby restoring its functionality and allowing the user to perform a thorough search for the cause of the malfunction.
How to enter command input mode
There are several ways to launch the command line in Windows 7:
- through the standard menu;
- using safe mode;
- via boot disk.
The first method is relevant when the operating system boots in stationary mode. In this case, you need to open the “Run” tab through the “Start” menu and enter the cmd command. 
To enable safe mode, you need to press the F8 function key while restarting the computer and activate the corresponding line in the boot options selection window. Further actions will be the same as in the first case.
If the system damage is so serious that safe mode does not turn on, a boot disk or USB flash drive with Windows 7 comes to the rescue. In this case, its assembly must match the one installed on the computer.
To run the command line through the boot disk you need to:
Resuscitating Windows OS using the rstrui.exe command
The rstrui.exe command launches the familiar graphical shell of the recovery procedure. However, to use it, you must have checkpoints enabled on your computer. For the Windows system partition, such points are created automatically. For other volumes, they must be activated manually.
System recovery via rstrui.exe is performed as follows:
Using the Chkdsk command
The correct syntax for the Chkdsk utility via the command line is shown in the image. 
Restoring the bootloader using Bootrec.exe
This utility allows you to restore a damaged Windows 7 bootloader and, accordingly, start the OS in normal mode to find the cause of the problem. If you enter Bootrec on the command line, you will see a list with all the keys that work with this command, as well as their brief description. 
Let's look at each key in more detail:
Using the BCDboot.exe command
If you were unable to restore your Windows 7 system using the above commands, you can try using the BCDboot.exe utility. This program also allows you to revive a damaged boot sector or create a new one.
The command line is a special program that allows you to control the operating system using text commands entered in the application window. Its interface is completely text-based, in contrast to the usual appearance of the operating system.
Performing actions using text expressions, of course, is not as convenient as clicking on icons on the screen, selecting menu items, or opening program windows. But sometimes it is simply necessary to open the command line, for example, when there are problems in the system, when working with network and equipment settings, or when calling system applications. Here are some examples of its use:
- The systeminfo command allows you to collect system information, including installed updates and network information. The graphical interface does not provide for receiving such data.
- chkdsk - checks the disk for errors and generates a report.
- sfc /scannow is a useful command to start scanning and repairing damaged files.
- ipconfig - allows you to find out the IP address of your computer in a split second.
- ping - check the network operation in case of problems with the router.
- help - the command line will display a list of possible commands with brief information about them.
These are just a few examples of the useful uses of this application. In addition, through the program window you can quite successfully work on the computer without using a mouse.
Switching methods
There are several options to open the Windows Command Prompt:
In versions higher than Windows 8, in order to apply this method, you need to click on the magnifying glass next to the user name.
You can also create a desktop shortcut and hotkeys for quick launch. You can create a shortcut like this:
- In the Explorer window, find the “Windows\System32” folder, right-click on the cmd.exe file in it, then “Create a shortcut” and select a name for it.
- Right-click on an empty space on the screen and find “Create shortcut” in the context menu. In the field that appears, type C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe. Next, select a name and click OK.
Now you can assign hotkeys. Call the context menu of the created shortcut, click “Properties”, “Shortcut” tab, enter the required combination in the “Shortcut” field.
Please note that when launched using the shortcut, search box and Explorer, the command line is launched from the System32 folder, and using the “Run” item of the Start menu from the Users folder of your computer.
Opening with extended rights
Among the methods discussed, some allow you to enable the command line as an administrator. The fact is that even if you use the Administrator account in your current work, you do not have full rights to manage the system. This is done to improve reliability and reduce the risk of damage from malware.
Running as an administrator is a different concept than an administrator account. It involves increasing the level of rights, giving the program the highest access to changing the system. This way, more functions will become available in the application (in our case, on the command line). When opened normally they are simply locked. For example, if you want to disable User Account Control via cmd.exe, this will not be available in normal mode, only as an administrator.
Thus, the command line is a kind of universal Windows system management tool that allows you to perform various tasks without switching between many windows, menus, and programs. All commands are directed through the text window, you can quickly change network settings, security settings, check or format drives and perform many other functions in seconds.
