Command Prompt: Basic Commands You Should Know (CMD)
A quick guide to basic cmd commands.
NOTE: All command shared in this tutorial applies to Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.
01. Lists Installed Drivers (driverquery)
Drivers are very important in your PC. Missing a important driver can hamper your work. Use driverquery command to get a full list of installed drivers in your pc. It’ll help you to find the missing driver.
Use driverquery -v to obtain more information.
02. Networking Information (ipconfig)
ipconfig will provide you your ip address along with your local network.
03. List Hardware Information (systeminfo)
Use systeminfo to know very basic information about your pc’s hardware, like – motherboard, processor & ram.
04. Check if Server is Reachable (ping)
The ping command sends packets of data to a specific IP address (or domain) on a network and then lets you know how long it took to transmit that data and get a response.
If you get the response properly then the connection of the device is working properly if not a particular server or your online connection is blocking communication between your computer and another.
ping <ip or domain>
05. Scan and Repare System Files (sfc /scannow)
sfc /scannow will scan and repare windown system files. But you must be run the console as an administrator.
06. List Currently Running Tusk (tasklist)
Use tasklist to get currant list of all tasks running on your pc.
Use tasklist -v to obtain more detail of all tasks.
07. Change the Directory / Folder (cd)
Use cd\ to go to the top of the directory tree.
If you need to go to a specific folder from this drive run the command CD Folder. The subfolders must be separated by a backslash character: \.
Use the cd.. command to go one folder up.
08. Change the Drive
If you wanted to change the drive from “C:” to “D:”, type d: and then press Enter.
If you are now on the “D:” drive and you want to go to the Windows folder from the”C:” drive, you should type cd /d C:\Windows and press Enter.
09. Create a New Directory / Folder (mkdir)
You can make a new folder using the mkdir (Make Directory) command. The syntax of these commands is mkdir Folder.
To test if it worked, use the dir command. The newly created folder appears in the list.
If you are working on the “C:” drive and you want to create a new folder in “D:,” called Google, type mkdir d:\Google and then press Enter.
10. Clear Screen (cls)
To clear the existing commands in prompts type cls and press Enter.
