Windows 7 / Getting Started

Obtaining Command Line Help with the Help Utility

In most cases, you'll type the name of a utility, followed by the /? command line switch to learn more about it. However, Microsoft decided to make things difficult in some cases. For example, some utilities require that you use the /Help command line switch instead or you might have to use the Help utility to learn more about the command or utility in question. To see a list of commands and utilities that Help supports, type Help and press Enter. This utility uses the following syntax:

HELP [command]

The following describes the command line argument.

command Specifies the name of the command for which you want to obtain more information. If you type Help by itself and press Enter, you'll see a list of all of the available commands. You can then choose a specific command to learn more about with the Help utility.

Working with the System Time Using the Time Command

The Time command displays or sets the system time. This command uses the following syntax:

TIME [/T | time]

The following list describes each of the command line arguments.

/T Displays the date without prompting for a new time. This command line switch only works when you enable command extensions.

time Specifies the new system time.

Changing the Command Window Title with the Title Command

The title that a command window displays might not seem important at first, but it can be important for two reasons. First, if you have multiple command windows open, using a descriptive title can make it easier to locate the correct command window on the Windows Taskbar. Second, it's important to remember that Windows associates settings changes you make with the command window title. Changing the title affects how Windows stores the settings changes you make. The Title command can change the title of a command window. This command uses the following syntax:

TITLE [string]

The following describes the command line argument.

string Contains the text for the command window.

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In this tutorial:

  1. CMD and BAT Files
  2. Starting the Command Interpreter
  3. Using the CMD Switches
  4. Working with the Command Interpreter in the Registry
  5. Modifying Config.NT
  6. Displaying the Config.NT Commands
  7. Modifying AutoExec.NT
  8. Saving Memory Using the LH Command
  9. Defining Application Compatibility with the SetVer Utility
  10. Using Common DOS Utilities
  11. Formatting a Disk with the Format Utility
  12. Terminating a Session Using the Logoff Utility
  13. Managing Environment Variables with the Set Command
  14. Managing Environment Variables with the SetX Utility
  15. Using Debugging Utilities
  16. Working at the Command Prompt
  17. Managing Usernames and Passwords with CmdKey
  18. Changing Screen Colors with the Color Command
  19. Obtaining Command Line Help with the Help Utility
  20. Creating Batch Files
  21. Using the Choice Command
  22. Using the For Command
  23. Using the Goto Command
  24. Using the Prompt Command
  25. Using the WaitFor Utility