Command Prompt Is Still A Great Tool For Windows. Here’s A Look At Some Of The Most Commonly Used CMD Commands That Every Windows User Should Know.

Command prompts are slowly disappearing from the Windows interface for logical reasons: CMD commands are the most unnecessary Windows utility, primarily text-based inputs. However, many of these commands are still widely used, and we even see the addition of new features to them in Windows 8 and 10.

Below we have compiled the essential commands that every Windows user should know.

Windows command prompt commands

1- Assoc

Most files in Windows are associated with a specific program and open with that program by default. Too often, remembering these connections can be confusing. If you have this problem, you can enter the Assoc command to display a complete list of filename extensions and related programs.

You can even change file connections to programs with the same command. For example, command = Assoc. txt changes the relationship of text files to any program you put after the “=” sign. The Assoc command detects both extension letters and application letters.

Windows 10 can quickly change file relationships with different programs in a more user-friendly interface. To do this, go to Settings (Windows + I)> Apps> Default apps> Choose default app by file type.

2- Cipher

Deleting files on a mechanical hard drive does not completely erase them. Those files that you delete are labeled as those files or files that are no longer available, and the space they occupy is freed up. Will still retrieve Files until the system overwrites them with new data, which can be time-consuming.

However, the Cipher command clears a random path or data written to it. For example, use the cipher / w: d command to remove the C drive. Running it clears free or empty space on the drive. Of course, this command does not write anything to the deleted data, so running this command will not delete the files you need.

3- Driverquery

Drivers are still one of the most important software installed on a computer. Drivers that are not correctly configured, are missing, or even outdated drivers can cause any model you can think of it. So it’s best to have access to a list of all the things you have on your computer.

It is what Driverquery does. You can run this command as driver query -v for even more information.

4- File Compare

You can use this command to identify differences in the text between two files. Just type the knowledge in FC with the directory path and file name of the two files you want to compare. This command is more advantageous for programmers to find small changes between two file versions.

You can run this command in several different ways to get more information. If you type with b /, only the binary output is compared. If you use with / / only the ski text is reached.

For example, you can use it as follows:

fc / l “C: \ Program Files (x86) \ example1.doc” “C: \ Program Files (x86) \ example2.doc”

The above command compares skeletal text in two Word files.

5- Ipconfig

This command displays the IP address that your computer is currently using. If you use a router, you will see the router’s local network address.

The Ipconfig command is handy because of its plugins. Ipconfig / release first ipconfig / renew then forces the computer to request a new IP address; this is when the laptop claims one of them is not available. You can use the ipconfig / flushdns command to refresh DNS.

6- Netstat

Entering the netstat -an command displays a list of currently open ports and their IP addresses. It even tells you the port’s status, whether it is listening, set up, or closed.

This command is handy when looking for a problem with devices connected to a computer or afraid that a trojan has infected your system. You are trying to detect a malicious connection.

7- Ping

Sometimes you need to know if packets reach a specific device on the network. It is where Ping comes in handy.

Type ping with an IP address or web address to send a series of test packets to the specified address. If they reach their destination and return, the device can communicate with the router. But if they do not get their goal, you will notice that something is in the way of communication between the device and the computer.

8- Pathping

If there are multiple routers between your computer and the device you are testing, you can use Pathping. This command is a more advanced version of the ping command. Just type it in the IP address, but unlike ping, it will display the test packets’ path information.

9- Tracert

This command is similar to pathping. Type it with the IP address or domain you want. You will receive information about each step of the journey between your computer and the destination. However, the difference between tracert and pathping is that tracert tracks the time between each hop between servers or devices in milliseconds.

10- Powercfg

The powercfg command is compelling for managing and monitoring how much energy your computer consumes. You can work hibernation using the powercfg hibernate on and powercfg off orders. View power saving statuses currently available on your computer using the powercfg / a command.

Another command used is powercfg / device query s1_supported, which displays a list of all the devices on the computer that support connected standby. When enabled, you can use these devices to take your laptop off standby, even remotely.

You can activate it by selecting the device in Device Manager, opening the properties, going to the Power Management tab, and checking to Allow this device to wake the computer.

The Powercfg / last wake command indicates which device last woke up the computer.

Use the powercfg / energy command to create a complete and detailed report of the power consumption of your computer. After completing the order, the relevant information is stored in the specified directory.

This report alerts you to any system errors that increase the system’s power consumption. Like when devices block specific sleep modes.

Windows 8 added the powercfg / battery report command, which provides a detailed analysis of the time and length of charge and discharge cycles, average battery life, and estimated battery capacity.

11- Shutdown

The Shutdown command used to shut down the system has been added to Windows 8.

The shutdown / r / o command restarts the computer and displays the Advanced Start Options menu.

12- Systeminfo

This command gives an accurate report of your computer configuration. The list includes operating systems and hardware. For example, you can see the exact date of installation of Windows, the time of the last boot of the system, the BIOS version, general and available memory, installed patches, network card settings, and so on.

Use the system info / s command with the computer’s hostname or local area network to retrieve information about that system. Of course, you may need to enter a few extra keys for your domain, username, and password:

systeminfo / s [host_name] / u [domain] \ [user_name] / p [user_password]

13 – System File Checker

This command runs the AutoScan and Restore tool, which focuses on Windows system files.

You must have administrator privileges to execute this command. Enter the SFC / scannow command. If it finds corrupted or missing files, it will automatically replace them with cached copies stored by Windows for that purpose only.

14- Tasklist

Use the tasklist command to get a list of everything that runs on your computer.

If you use the command as Tasklist -svc Services related to each task are displayed, Tasklist -v shows more details on each job. Tasklist -m lists the DLL files associated with each active duty. These commands are widely used for advanced troubleshooting.

15- Chkdsk

Windows automatically marks the drive to scan chkdsk when it indicates that the local sector drive has a broken sector, missing clusters, or other physical or logical errors.

If you think the hard drive is broken, you can scan it yourself. The most basic command is chkdsk c, which quickly scans the C drive without restarting the computer. If you use parameters such as f / or r / or x / or b / as: chkdsk / f / r / x / bc, chkdsk corrects all errors, recovers data, or clears the list of bad sectors.