®® Microsoft Windows 7 for Power Users Tutorial 13 Using the Command-Line Environment.

®®Microsoft Windows 7 for Power Users

Tutorial 13Using the Command-Line

Environment

XPXPXPXPXPXPObjectives• Learn about the importance of command-line

skills• Use internal and external commands• Customize a command-line window• Pipe output to the More filter• Compile information about a computer and its

power usage

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XPXPXPXPXPXPObjectives• Display a directory tree, change directories,

and view directory listings• View file attributes• Create a directory and copy files• Use wildcards to streamline command

operations• View the Windows environment and create an

environment variable

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XPXPXPXPXPXPCommand Help

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XPXPXPXPXPXPThe Importance of Command-Line Skills• Provides a way to operate your computer

without a graphical user interface• Essential for those who manage networks or

provide technical support• Helps to understand how the Windows

operating system works

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XPXPXPXPXPXPWorking with the Command Interpreter• To work in a command-line environment under

Windows 7, you first open a command-line window

• A command interpreter is a program that interprets commands entered at the command prompt, locates the appropriate program in memory or on disk, loads the program (if necessary), and then executes the program

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XPXPXPXPXPXPOpening and Closing a Command Prompt Window• From the Start menu, point to All Programs, click

Accessories, and then click Command Prompt. Or from the Start menu, type CMD in the Search programs and files box, and then press the Enter key

• If you want to open a Command Prompt window with Administrator credentials, right-click Command Prompt on the Accessories menu, click the Run as administrator check box (and add a check mark), and then specify Administrator credentials

• To close the Command Prompt window, type EXIT and then press the Enter key

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XPXPXPXPXPXPWorking with the Command Interpreter

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XPXPXPXPXPXPWorking with the Command Interpreter• Once you open a Command Prompt window, you can

enter commands at the command prompt to perform specific operations– Internal commands (common and important types

of operations)– External commands (program code resides in a

specific file on disk)• To locate Help information about the use of the

internal and external commands, you can use the Help switch (/?) or the HELP command

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XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing Help to Specify Console Colors• Default background color is black, and text

color is white• Use the COLOR command to customize the

Command Prompt window

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XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing Help to Specify Console Colors

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XPXPXPXPXPXPRecalling Commands from the Command History• To recall the previously entered command in a

Command Prompt window, press the Up Arrow key or press the F3 key

• To display the command history, press the F7 function key, use the Up Arrow key or Down Arrow key to select the command you want to use, and then press the Enter key

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XPXPXPXPXPXPRecalling Commands from the Command History

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XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing External Commands• You can use the LABEL command to assign a

volume label to a drive

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XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing the Pipe Operator to Display a Command-Line Reference List• HELP | MORE– Pipe operator redirects

the output to the MORE filter• Produces paged

output– Entire command is

called a pipeline

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XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing the SystemInfo Command• Displays configuration information about a

computer and its operating system• Clear the screen, type systeminfo | more and

then press the Enter key

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XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing the SystemInfo Command

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XPXPXPXPXPXPProducing a Power-Efficiency Diagnostics Report• The external POWERCFG (Power Configuration)

command is a command-line tool for controlling power settings on a computer

• Type powercfg -energy (with a space before the switch), and then press the Enter key

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XPXPXPXPXPXPProducing a Power-Efficiency Diagnostics Report

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XPXPXPXPXPXPNavigation

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XPXPXPXPXPXPWorking with Directories and Files• TREE command displays directory structure of

current directory and subdirectories

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XPXPXPXPXPXPWorking with Directories and Files• Change to the root directory by typing cd \ and

then pressing the Enter key

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XPXPXPXPXPXPViewing the Contents of a Directory• DIR command lists subdirectories and files within a

directory– /a attribute switch includes hidden directories and

files• /ad only shows directories

– /O lists subdirectories first in alphabetical order– /P displays one screen of output at a time• Press SPACEBAR to view next page

• cd directoryname changes directory to name specified

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XPXPXPXPXPXPViewing File Attributes• ATTRIB command lists attributes assigned to

files–Also can be used to change file attributes

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XPXPXPXPXPXPViewing File Attributes

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XPXPXPXPXPXPCreating a Directory• MD (Make Directory) command creates a

directory on a disk–md “directoryname”

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XPXPXPXPXPXPCopying Files• The COPY command copies files from one

location to another–COPY source destination

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XPXPXPXPXPXPChanging Drives• Change drives by typing the drive name at the

command prompt and then press the Enter key

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XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing Wildcards in File Specifications• A file specification is a notation for selecting

one or more files in a command operation• A wildcard is a symbol used to select a group

of files–Asterisk wildcard (*)• Substitutes for all or part of a filename

–Question mark wildcard (?)• Substitutes for a single character in a

filename

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XPXPXPXPXPXPUsing Wildcards in File Specifications

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XPXPXPXPXPXPViewing the Windows Environment• The Windows path (PATH environment

variable) locates the program files for external commands

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XPXPXPXPXPXPViewing the Windows Environment• The DIRCMD variable allows you to use the DIR

command without having to specify the same set of switches each time

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XPXPXPXPXPXPCreating a Batch Program• A batch program (or batch file) is a user-

defined program that contains a list of executable commands–Uses the .bat file extension

• Each command is listed on a different line

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