System Information & Management
Command Usage
systeminfo Displays detailed system configuration (OS, BIOS, RAM, etc.)
hostname Shows the computer name
ver Displays the Windows version
set Shows all environment variables
setx VAR VALUE Sets a permanent environment variable
echo %VAR% Displays the value of an environment variable
tasklist Lists all running processes
taskkill /IM process.exe /F Force-kills a specific process
wmic os get caption Displays OS name
whoami Shows current user
date /t & time /t Shows current date and time
🟨 2. File & Folder Operations
Command Usage
dir Lists files and folders in the current directory
cd foldername Changes to a directory
cd .. Moves up one directory level
md foldername / mkdir foldername Creates a new folder
rmdir foldername Removes an empty folder
rmdir /S /Q foldername Deletes a folder and its contents silently
del filename Deletes a file
copy file1 file2 Copies files
xcopy source dest /E /I Copies entire directories (deprecated but common)
robocopy source dest /E Robust copy for folders, preserves attributes
move file1 folder Moves or renames files
ren oldname newname Renames files or folders
attrib +r file.txt Sets file as read-only (-r to remove)
🟧 3. Networking Commands
Command Usage
ipconfig Shows IP configuration
ipconfig /all Shows full network adapter details
ipconfig /release Releases IP address
ipconfig /renew Renews IP address
ping hostname Checks network connectivity
tracert hostname Traces route packets take to destination
nslookup domain Looks up DNS information
netstat -ano Lists network connections & ports with PIDs
netsh wlan show profiles Lists saved Wi-Fi profiles
netsh wlan show profile name="SSID" key=clear Shows Wi-Fi password for a network
ftp Opens FTP session (old but still used)
telnet host port Tests connectivity to a specific port (if Telnet Client installed)
🟩 4. Disk & File System Commands
Command Usage
chkdsk C: Checks disk for errors
chkdsk C: /F /R Fixes errors and recovers bad sectors
diskpart Opens disk partitioning tool (advanced)
label Changes volume label
vol Shows volume label and serial number
fsutil fsinfo drives Lists all drives
format X: Formats a drive (⚠ destructive)
sfc /scannow Scans and repairs system files
defrag C: Defragments a disk
🟪 5. User & Security Commands
Command Usage
net user Lists all user accounts
net user username Shows details about a user
net user newuser password /add Creates a new user
net localgroup administrators username /add Adds user to Administrators group
net accounts Shows password policies
runas /user:domain\user cmd Runs a command as another user
cipher /w:C:\ Securely wipes free space on drive
shutdown /r /t 0 Reboots computer immediately
shutdown /s /t 60 Shuts down after 60 seconds
shutdown /a Aborts a scheduled shutdown
🟥 6. System Configuration & Troubleshooting
Command Usage
msconfig Opens System Configuration GUI
regedit Opens Windows Registry Editor
eventvwr Opens Event Viewer
services.msc Opens Services console
devmgmt.msc Opens Device Manager
driverquery Lists installed drivers
driverquery /si Lists signed driver info
bcdedit Edits boot configuration data
sfc /verifyonly Verifies system files without fixing
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth Repairs Windows image
⚙ 7. Batch Scripting Essentials
Command Usage
echo text Displays text
@echo off Turns off command echo in batch scripts
pause Waits for user input
cls Clears the screen
call Calls another batch file
if / else Conditional execution
for /L %%i in (1,1,5) do ... Looping in batch
goto label Jumps to label
exit Exits the command prompt or script
📝 Bonus: Useful One-Liners
Command Description
tree /f Displays folder structure including files
fc file1 file2 Compares two text files
clip < file.txt Copies file content to clipboard
type nul > filename.txt Creates an empty file
assoc / ftype View/change file associations
title MyPrompt Changes the CMD window title
color 0A Changes CMD text and background color (here: black bg, green text)
Posts
