In this video you will learn about various Microsoft command line tools.
Command Prompt
The command line, also called the Windows command line, is a user interface that’s navigated by typing commands at prompts, instead of using a mouse. Unlike a GUI operating system, a command line only uses a keyboard to navigate by entering commands & does not utilize a mouse for navigation.
Command Prompt
Accessing Command Prompt
Command prompt can be accessed by on a Windows computer by clicking the Command Prompt option in the Start menu.
Command Prompt
In Windows 8/8.1 & 10, you can press Windows+X & then click Command Prompt to run in standard mode (Command Prompt (Admin)) to run in administrator mode. You can also press Windows+R to open the “Run” box. Type “cmd” & then press OK to open a command prompt.
Command prompt is often used to do the following by technicians:
Data recovery from systems that cannot boot manually
Reinstall lost or corrupted system files
Print file listings
Copy, move, & delete data
Display or configure operating system settings
Basic Windows Commands
Keep in mind that commands can be entered in lowercase, uppercase, or mixed case.
Navigation
DIR — displays list of the current folder’s files & subfolders
CD(CHDIR) — changes the working directory
CD .. — navigates to the previous directory
IPCONFIG — displays TCP/IP network information on a computer
PING — sends IP packets to check network connectivity
TRACERT — similar to PING but returns path information to an IP address destination; in macOS & Linux the command is TRACEROUTE
NETSTAT — displays a list of active TCP connections on a local network
NSLOOKUP — gathers the network’s DNS (domain name system/server) information
SFC — System File Checker; scans system files & replaces damaged or missing files (must be run in admin mode)
CHKDSK — scans specified drive for errors & repairs them (must be run in admin mode)
DISKPART — creates, removes, & manages disk partitions (must be run in admin mode)
TASKKILL — stops specified tasks on a local or remote computer
GPUPDATE — refreshes group policy on local or Active Directory systems
GPRESULT — displays the resultant set of policy for the specified computer & user
FORMAT — creates or recreates the specified file system on recordable or rewritable storage (magnetic, flash, or optical) & overwrites the contents of the drive
COPY — copies one or more files to another folder or drive
XCOPY — copies one or more files & folders to another folder or drive
ROBOCOPY — Robust File Copy; copies or moves files/folders
NET USE — connects to shared folders; similar to mapping a network drive
NET USER — manages user accounts (add, remove, change)
[Command]/? — displays help for a specified command
XCOPYAdvantages
XCOPY can be used in place of COPY to provide the following advantages:
Faster operation on a group of files: XCOPY reads the specified files into RAM before copying them to their destination.
Creates folders as needed: Specifying a destination folder name in the XCOPY command line will create a destination folder if needed.
Used as a backup utility: Can be used to change the archive bit from on to off on files to allow XCOPY to be used in place of commercial backup programs.
ROBOCOPY
ROBOCOPY functionally replaces XCOPY with more options such as:
Capability to tolerate pauses in network connections
Capability to mirror contents of the source & destination folders by removing & copying files
Capability to perform multithreaded copies for faster copying on multicore PCs
Can log copy processes
Can list or copy files matching specified criteria including minimum file sizes