How to access an MS-DOS prompt or Windows command line

/ Windows / By

Updated 4/5/2019 from

Below are the steps to access an MS-DOS prompt or the Windows command line in all versions of Microsoft operating systems.

Access a command prompt in Windows 10

  • Click Start.
  • Type cmd and press Enter.

    • advice

    For some commands and options to work in the Windows 10 command line, you must run the command line as an administrator. To do this, right-click the cmd icon and select Introduce yourself as an administrator.

    Access a command prompt in Windows 8

  • Access the home screen
  • Type cmd and press Enter.

    • – OR –

  • Move the mouse pointer to the bottom left corner of the screen and right-click or press Windows key + X.
  • From the power user’s task menu, select one of the two command prompt or Command Prompt (Admin).

    • Access a command prompt in Windows Vista and 7

  • Click Start.
  • Type cmd and press Enter.

    • advice

    For some commands and options to work on the Windows Vista and 7 command line, you must run the command line as an administrator. To do this, right-click the cmd icon and select Introduce yourself as an administrator.

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    If you are trying to type an MS-DOS prompt to troubleshoot the computer, start the computer in Safe mode.

    Access to a command prompt in Windows NT, 2000 and XP

  • Click Start.
  • Click Run.
  • Type cmd or ordered and press Enter.

    • If you are trying to access an MS-DOS prompt to troubleshoot computer problems, start the computer in Safe mode.

    advice

    Windows 2000 and XP users who cannot start their computer in normal Windows mode or in Safe mode can also access the Recovery Console and use it to manage their computer from a command prompt. See: How to use Windows Recovery Console.

    Finally, if you are having trouble accessing Windows NT, 2000, or XP, you may need to perform the troubleshooting steps at an MS-DOS prompt. We recommend that the network administrator access it using either a standard MS-DOS boot disk or the ERD disks created after installing Windows NT. It can also access MS-DOS by booting from a Windows XP CD.

    Access a command prompt in Windows 95, 98 and ME

    If you have access to Windows 95, 98, or ME, you can access an MS-DOS prompt by following the steps below.

  • Click on “Start
  • Click Run
  • Type “command” and press Enter.

    • Following the steps above will open an MS-DOS shell. However, if you are trying to troubleshoot a computer problem and are using Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98, we recommend that you restart the computer into MS-DOS. To do this, follow the steps below.

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  • Click on “Start
  • Click Close
  • Choose the option to restart the computer at an MS-DOS prompt.

    • If you cannot log into Windows 95 or Windows 98 to access an MS-DOS prompt, follow the instructions below (Windows ME does not have this option).

  • Restart the computer
  • When the computer boots up, press the button F8 if you hear a beep or if “Starting Windows 95” or “Starting Windows 98” is displayed. Windows 98 users sometimes find it easier to hold down the left Ctrl key while the computer is booting.
  • If done correctly, the user should come to a screen similar to the one below.

    • Microsoft Windows 95 Boot Menu ============================ 1. Normal 2. Logged (BOOTLOG.TXT) 3. Safe Mode 4 Stepped Confirmation 5. Command Prompt Only 6. Safe Mode Prompt Only Type a choice: 1 F5=Safe Mode Shift+F5=Command Prompt Shift+F8= Step by step confirmation [N]

  • Select the option for Command Prompt only in Safe Mode.

    • Go to MS DOS

    If you are using MS-DOS without any other operating system, the computer should start automatically at the MS-DOS prompt unless a shell or other program is automatically loaded.

    If the computer cannot load MS-DOS, restart the computer and press the F5 key as the computer starts up when you see the “Starting MS-DOS” message or the MS-DOS version. Pressing this button should load the MS-DOS defaults.

    If this opens an MS-DOS prompt and you want to prevent further occurrences, edit the autoexec.bat or config.sys file and note any offending lines.

    Access MS-DOS on Windows 3.x

    If you are using Windows 3.x, the computer will probably automatically boot into Windows and bypass the MS-DOS prompt. When the computer loads successfully into Windows, to exit the MS-DOS prompt, click the File menu in Program Manager and choose Exit.

    If the computer cannot load MS-DOS, restart the computer and press the F5 key as the computer starts up when you see the “Starting MS-DOS” message or the MS-DOS version. Pressing this button should load the MS-DOS defaults.

    If you don’t want Windows 3.x to automatically load in Windows 3.x, edit the autoexec.bat file and remove the “win” line.

    Other operating system

    advice

    If you want a command line, you most likely want to access your operating system’s shell or terminal, not MS-DOS.

    If you are using another operating system (such as the OS/2 or Linux variant) and need access to an MS-DOS prompt, use an MS-DOS boot disk unless you are booting the duplicate computer . Remember that booting from an MS-DOS floppy disk does not allow you to access files used with other operating systems. However, if you erase everything and start over, you can erase all the information you already have and start over.