Command Prompt

Sometimes it is useful to add a "Command Prompt" option to the context menu in Windows Explorer. However in Windows Vista/7 you can just hold the shift key down and right-click in a blank area of Windows Explorer, in that directory and select "Open command window here".

Preferences

I have two "preferences" that I set for Command Prompts on every machine I use. I like to turn "Quick Edit" mode on and increase the buffer size. This means copying and pasting with the command prompt is much easier and it remembers more history from commands with a lot of output. The changes are made as follows:

  1. Start the Command Prompt
  2. click on the Window's system menu (top left corner on the title bar) and select "Delfaults"
  3. Options Tab: check "Quick Edit Mode"
  4. Layout Tab: change the Screen Buffer Size Height to 3000, the default is 300, so just add a zero
  5. click OK and the job is done!

Advanced

From here on, we are moving into "Advanced Stuff", so, if you don't understand anything from here on, then please, don't do it!

Personally though I have got used to right clicking on directories and selecting something like "Command Prompt...". In Windows 95 there was a Power Toy that added this, however it simply makes change to the Windows Registry.

With Windows XP and beyond the following process will work to do what the Power Toy did. Rather than provide a file to download, you need to do the following.

  1. Start Notepad++ (see my Notepad++ page)
  2. Create a new file and save it as CommandPrompt.reg
  3. Add the following into the file and save it
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\CommandPrompt]
    @="C&ommand Prompt..."
    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\CommandPrompt\Command]
    @="cmd.exe /k cd /d %1"
    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\CommandPrompt]
    @="C&ommand Prompt..."
    [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\CommandPrompt\Command]
    @="cmd.exe /k cd /d %1"
  4. Double Click CommandPrompt.reg in Windows Explorer
It is also possible to use a .reg file to remove this change, just save save the following as a file and double click it in a similar way to the above steps
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\CommandPrompt]
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\CommandPrompt]
I trust this will work for you all and be helpful. However do note that it is an improvement on what some other people have posted online.