The document provides a reference for DOS commands and batch file commands that can be used at the command prompt, listing over 40 support tools and commands from A to Z that can be used to diagnose and resolve computer problems. It also provides information on using batch files to simplify repetitive tasks by running command sequences from a text file, and includes details on commands like ECHO, IF, GOTO, and FOR that allow conditional batch file processing.
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Doscommands
1. DOS Commands (DOS Prompt)
Command -line reference A-Z
To find information about a command, on the A- Z button menu at the top of this page, click the letter that the command starts with,
and then click the command name.
In addition to the tools installed with Windows XP , there are over 40 support tools included on the Windows XP CD. You can use these
tools to diagnose and resolve computer problems. For more information about these support tools, see Windows Support Tools For
information about installing support tools, see Install Windows Support Tools
For more information about changes to the functionality of MS- DOS commands, new command-line tools, command shell functionality,
configuring the command prompt, and automating commmand -line tasks, see Command-line reference
Command-line tools must be run at the prompt of the Cmd.exe command interpreter. To open Command Prompt, click Start , click
Run, type cmd , and then click OK . To view help at the command-line, at the command prompt, type the following:
CommandName /?
A
Arp
Assoc
At
Atmadm
Attrib
B
Batch files
Bootcfg
Break
C
Cacls
Call
Certreq
Certutil
Change
Chcp
Chdir
Chkdsk
Chkntfs
Cipher
Cls
Cluadmin
Cluster
Cmd
2. Cmstp
Color
Command shell overview
Comp
Compact
Convert
Convlog
Copy
Cprofile
CScript overview
CSVDE
D
Date
DCGPOFix
Defrag
Del
Dfscmd
Dir
Diskcomp
Diskcopy
DiskPart
Doskey
Driverquery
Ds (directory service)
Dsadd
Dsget
Dsmod
Dsmove
Dsquery
Dsrm
E
Echo
Endlocal
Eventcreate
Eventquery
Eventtriggers
3. Evntcmd
Exit
Expand
F
Fc
Filter commands
Find
Findstr
Finger
Flattemp
For
Format
Fsutil
Ftp
Ftp subcommands
Ftype
G
Getmac
Goto
Gpresult
Gpupdate
Graftabl
H
Help
Helpctr
Hostname
I
If
Iisapp
Iisback
Iiscnfg
Iisftp
Iisftpdr
Iisreset
Iisvdir
4. Iisweb
Ipconfig
Ipxroute
Irftp
L
Label
Ldifde
Lodctr
Logman
Lpq
Lpr
M
Macfile
Mkdir (md)
Mmc
Mode
More
Mountvol
Move
Mrinfo
MS -DOS subsystem configuration commands
Msiexec
Msinfo32
N
Nbtstat
Net services overview
Net services commands
Netsh
Netsh commands for AAAA
Netsh commands for DHCP
Netsh diagnostic (diag) commands
Netsh commands for IP
Netsh commands for RAS
Netsh commands for Routing
Netsh commands for WINS
6. Recover
Redirection operators
Reg
Regsvr32
Relog
Rem
Rename
Replace
Reset session
Rexec
Risetup
Rmdir
Route
Rsh
Rsm
Rss
Runas
S
Sc
Schtasks
Secedit
Set
Setlocal
Shift
Shutdown
Sort
Start
Subst
Systeminfo
System File Checker (sfc)
T
Tapicfg
Taskkill
Tasklist
Tcmsetup
TCP/IP utilities and services
7. Telnet commands
Terminal Services commands
Tftp
Time
Title
Tracerpt
Tracert
Tree
Tsecimp
Type
Typeperf
U
Unlodctr
V
Ver
Verify
Vol
Vssadmin
W
W32tm
Winnt
Winnt32
Wlbs
WMIC overview
X
Xcopy
8. Batch Files
Using batch files
With batch files, which are also called batch programs or scripts , you can simplify routine or repetitive tasks. A batch file is an
unformatted text file that contains one or more commands and has a .bat or .cmd file name extension. When you type the file name at
the command prompt, Cmd.exe runs the commands sequentially as they appear in the file.
You can include any command in a batch file. Certain commands, such as for, goto , and if , enable you to do conditional processing of
the commands in the batch file. For example, the if command carries out a command based on the results of a condition. Other
commands allow you to control input and output and call other batch files.
The standard error codes that most applications return are 0 if no error occurred and 1 (or higher value) if an error occurred. Please
refer to your application help documentation to determine the meaning of specific error codes.
For more information about batch file operations, see the following topics:
? Using batch parameters
? Using filters
? Using command redirection operators
For more information about commands that you can use in batch files, click a command:
? Call
? Echo
? Endlocal
? For
? Goto
? If
? Pause
? Rem
? Setlocal
? Shift
9. Batch Files: Echo
Echo
Turns the command -echoing feature on or off, or displays a message. Used without parameters, echo displays the current echo
setting.
Syntax
echo [{on |off}] [ message]
Parameters
{on|off }
Specifies whether to turn the command- echoing feature on or off.
message
Specifies text you want to display on the screen.
/?
Displays help at the command prompt.
Remarks
? The echo message command is useful when echo is turned off. To display a message that is several lines long without displaying
other commands, you can include several echo message commands after the echo off command in your batch program.
? If you use echo off, the command prompt does not appear on your screen. To display the command prompt, type echo on.
? To prevent echoing of a line, insert an at sign (@) in front of a command in a batch program.
? To echo a blank line on the screen, type:
echo.
? To display a pipe (|) or redirection character (< or >) when you are using echo, use a caret character immediately before the
pipe or redirection character (for example, ^>, ^<, or ^| ). If you need to use the caret character (^), type two (^^).
Examples
The following example is a batch program that includes a three -line message preceded by and then followed by a blank line:
echo off
echo.
echo This batch program
echo formats and checks
echo new disks
echo.
If you want to turn echo off and you do not want to echo the echo command, type an at sign (@) before the command as follows:
@echo off
You can use the if and echo commands on the same command line. For example:
if exist *.rpt echo The report has arrived.
Formatting legend
Format Meaning
Italic Information that the user must supply
Bold Elements that the user must type exactly as shown
Parameter that can be repeated several times in a command
Ellipsis (...)
line
Between brackets ([]) Optional items
Between braces ({}); choices separated by pipe (|). Example:
Set of choices from which the user must choose only one
{even|odd}
Courier font Code or program output
Pause
10. Batch Files: If
If
Performs conditional processing in batch programs.
Syntax
if [ not] errorlevel number command [else expression ]
if [ not] string1 ==string2 command [else expression ]
if [ not] exist filename command [else expression ]
If command extensions are enabled, use the following syntax:
if [ /i] string1 CompareOp string2 command [ else expression ]
if cmdextversion number command [else expression ]
if defined variable command [ else expression ]
Parameters
not
Specifies that the command should be carried out only if the condition is false.
errorlevel number
Specifies a true condition only if the previous program run by Cmd.exe returned an exit code equal to or greater than number.
command
Specifies the command that should be carried out if the preceding condition is met.
string1 ==string2
Specifies a true condition only if string1 and string2 are the same. These values can be literal strings or batch variables (for
example, %1). You do not need to use quotation marks around literal strings.
exist filename
Specifies a true condition if filename exists.
CompareOp
Specifies a three-letter comparison operator. The following table lists valid values for CompareOp .
Operator Description
EQU equal to
NEQ not equal to
LSS less than
LEQ less than or equal to
GTR greater than
GEQ greater than or equal to
/i
Forces string comparisons to ignore case. You can use /i on the string1 ==string2 form of if. These comparisons are generic, in
that if both string1 and string2 are both comprised of all numeric digits, the strings are converted to numbers and a numeric
comparison is performed.
cmdextversion number
Specifies a true condition only if the internal version number associated with the Command Extensions feature of Cmd.exe is equal
to or greater than number . The first version is 1. It is incremented by one when significant enhancements are added to the
command extensions. The cmdextversion conditional is never true when command extensions are disabled (by default, command
extensions are enabled).
defined variable
Specifies a true condition if variable is defined.
expression
Specifies a command- line command and any parameters to be passed to the command in an else clause.
/?
Displays help at the command prompt.
11. Remarks
? If the condition specified in an if command is true, the command that follows the condition is carried out. If the condition is
false, the command in the if clause is ignored, and executes any command in the else clause, if one has been specified.
? When a program stops, it returns an exit code. You can use exit codes as conditions by using the errorlevel parameter.
? Using defined variable
If you use defined variable , the following three variables are added: %errorlevel% , %cmdcmdline% , and %
cmdextversion% .
%errorlevel% expands into a string representation of the current value of errorlevel , provided that there is not already an
environment variable with the name ERRORLEVEL, in which case you get the ERRORLEVEL value instead. The following example
illustrates how you can use errorlevel after running a batch program:
goto answer%errorlevel%
:answer0
echo Program had return code 0
:answer1
echo Program had return code 1
goto end
:end
echo done!
You can also use the CompareOp comparison operators as follows:
if %errorlevel% LEQ 1 goto okay
%cmdcmdline% expands into the original command line passed to Cmd.exe prior to any processing by Cmd.exe, provided that
there is not already an environment variable with the name cmdcmdline, in which case you get the cmdcmdline value instead.
%cmdextversion% expands into the a string representation of the current value of cmdextversion, provided that there is not
already an environment variable with the name CMDEXTVERSION, in which case you get the CMDEXTVERSION value instead.
? Using the else clause
You must use the else clause on the same line as the command after the if. For example:
IF EXIST filename. (
del filename.
) ELSE (
echo filename. missing.
)
The following code does not work because you must terminate the del command by a new line:
IF EXIST filename. del filename. ELSE echo filename. missing
The following code does not work because you must use the else clause on the same line as the end of the if command:
IF EXIST filename. del filename.
ELSE echo filename. missing
If you want to format it all on a single line, use the following form of the original statement:
IF EXIST filename. (del filename.) ELSE echo filename. missing
Examples
If the file Product.dat cannot be found, the following message appears:
if not exist product.dat echo Can't find data file
If an error occurs during the formatting of the disk in drive A, the following example displays an error message:
:begin
@echo off
format a: /s
12. if not errorlevel 1 goto end
echo An error occurred during formatting.
:end
echo End of batch program.
If no error occurs, the error message does not appear.
You cannot use the if command to test directly for a directory, but the null (NUL) device does exist in every directory. As a result, you
can test for the null device to determine whether a directory exists. The following example tests for the existence of a directory:
if exist c:mydirnul goto process
Formatting legend
Format Meaning
Italic Information that the user must supply
Bold Elements that the user must type exactly as shown
Parameter that can be repeated several times in a command
Ellipsis (...)
line
Between brackets ([]) Optional items
Between braces ({}); choices separated by pipe (|). Example:
Set of choices from which the user must choose only one
{even|odd}
Courier font Code or program output