Command prompt

From HelpDeskWiki

A Command prompt, otherwise known as a DOS shell, is a DOS emulation window or, in Windows NT/2000/XP/2003, a console window that also supports DOS emulation. It is used to run both legacy DOS applications and Windows console mode applications. Windows Vista is expected to drop support for legacy DOS applications, and may also drop support for batch files (legacy script files), although it will likely keep support for CMD files.

To open, in Windows 95/98, open the Start menu, click on Programs, then click on DOS prompt. This opens the DOS emulation window. (See note)

In Windows 2000/XP/2003, open the Start menu, click on All Programs, click on Accessories, then click on Command prompt. This opens the console window, which also supports DOS applications. (See note)

To open the DOS emulation window in any version of Windows up to Windows 2003, open the Start menu, click on Run, type COMMAND, then press ENTER.

Another way to open the console window in Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 is to open the Start menu, click on Run, type CMD, then press ENTER.

To close the window, either type EXIT and press ENTER or, if you're not at the prompt, you can click on the X in the corner. Note that DOS applications are usually not Windows-compatible, so may not terminate cleanly when the X in the corner is used.

Note: As of this revision, the directions for opening command prompts from the start menu have only been confirmed with Windows XP.