Scott Mueller is president of Mueller Technical Research (MTR), an international research and corporate training firm. Since 1982, MTR has produced the industry’s most in-depth, accurate, and effective seminars, books, articles, videos, and FAQs covering PC hardware and data recovery. MTR maintains a client list that includes Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. and foreign governments, major software and hardware corporations, as well as PC enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. His seminars have been presented to several thousands of PC support professionals throughout the world.
Scott is best known as the author of the longest-running, most popular, and most comprehensive PC hardware book in the world, Upgrading and Repairing PCs, which has not only been produced in more than 18 editions, but has also become the core of an entire series of books. Scott has authored many books for more than 20 years, including Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 1st through 18th editions; Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, 1st and 2nd editions; Upgrading and Repairing PCs: A+ Certification Study Guide, 1st and 2nd editions; Upgrading and Repairing PCs Field Guide; Killer PC Utilities; The IBM PS/2 Handbook; and Que’s Guide to Data Recovery. Scott recently completed Upgrading and Repairing PCs: Build a PC with Scott Mueller, a 2-hour DVD and 100-page book, which shows viewers how to build a computer, step-by-step. Contact MTR directly if you have a unique book, article, or video project in mind, or if you want Scott to conduct a custom PC troubleshooting, repair, maintenance, upgrade, or data-recovery seminar tailored for your organization:
Mueller Technical Research
3700 Grayhawk Drive
Algonquin, IL 60102-6325
847-854-6794
847-854-6795 Fax
Email: scottmueller@compuserve.com
Web: http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com
http://www.scottmueller.com
http://forum.scottmueller.com
Scott’s premiere work, Upgrading and Repairing PCs, has sold more than 2 million copies, making it by far the most popular and longest-running PC hardware book on the market today. Scott has been featured in Forbes magazine and has written several articles for PC World magazine, Maximum PC magazine, several newsletters, and the Upgrading and Repairing PCs website.
If you have suggestions for the next edition of this book, any comments about the book in general, or new book or article topics you would like to see covered, send them to Scott via email at scottmueller@compuserve.com or visit http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com. Scott has a forum exlusively for those who have purchased one of his books or DVDs. Visit http://forum.scottmueller.com to view the forum.
Brian Knittel has been a software developer for nearly 30 years. After doing graduate work in medical imaging technologies, he began a career as an independent consultant. An eclectic mix of clients has led to long-term projects in medical documentation, workflow management, realtime industrial system control, and most importantly, more than 15 years of real-world experience with MS-DOS, Windows, and computer networking in the business world. He is the author of Windows XP Under the Hood: Hardcore Scripting and Command Line Power, and is co-author of several other Que books including Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows editions covering XP Home, XP Professional, and Windows 2000 Professional. Brian lives in Albany, California, halfway between the tidal wave zone and the earthquake fault. He spends his free time snowboarding, restoring antique computers (check out www.ibm1130.org), and trying to perfect his wood-fired pizza recipes.
Mark Edward Soper has taught computer troubleshooting and other technical subjects to thousands of students from Maine to Hawaii since 1992. He is a longtime contributor to Upgrading and Repairing PCs, working on the 11th though 16th editions. He has contributed chapters to Upgrading and Repairing Networks, Second Edition, Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows, Millennium Edition, and Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP (both Home and Pro editions).
Mark coauthored both the first and second editions of Upgrading and Repairing PCs, Technician’s Portable Reference, and Upgrading and Repairing PCs: Field Guide and cowrote Upgrading and Repairing PCs: A+ Study Certification Guide, Second Edition. Mark also authored Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Home Networking, Absolute Beginner’s Guide to A+ Certification and currently is writing Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Home Automation. He is a regular contributor to Maximum PC magazine.
Mark Reddin is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and A+ Certified PC technician. In his younger days he enjoyed tinkering with computers during the time of the early Commodore and Atari systems (with all those wonderful games). Mark delved more seriously into computer technology during his undergraduate studies at Ball State University and has since been involved in the industry in various capacities. His experience with computers and networks has ranged from consulting to owning and operating a sales and repair shop. Additionally, he has been involved as both a technical and development editor with numerous Que publications over the past 5 years, including Upgrading and Repairing PCs and How Computers Work.
The ultimate guide for anyone who wants to know how Windows ticks and how to keep it ticking.
Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, Second Edition, is the book hardcore Windows Vista and XP users have been clamoring for. Mueller, author of the bestselling Upgrading and Repairing PCs, and Knittel, famous for his bestselling Special Edition Using Windows books, now bring you an equally in-depth guide to Windows troubleshooting and repair. This comprehensive resource includes information on:
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Installation
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Licensing issues
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Managing security
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Optimizing performance
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Backing up and recovering data
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Networking your Vista and XP computers
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Dealing with annoying User Account (UAC) prompts
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Configuring settings and the registry
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Protecting Windows from viruses and spyware
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Multibooting Vista with other operating systems
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Automated Windows deployment for IT professionals
Touted as the greatest operating system to ever be released, Vista is considered by many to be a vast improvement over its predecessors, such as XP and 95/98. All that power, however, comes at a price. As with most major OS revisions, Vista is rife with usability and compatibility issues that frustrate even the most seasoned system techs. If you only buy one book on Windows, this is the one. You won’t find tried and true Vista coverage anywhere else. Find out how to make Windows work with you and not against you with Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, Second Edition.
On the DVD
The DVD contains two hours of all new, studio quality video–playable in your set-top DVD player and your computer! Scott digs deep into both Windows Vista and Windows XP. Topics include the differences between all of the various Windows editions and versions, coverage of the most important improvements in Vista, and reasons why you might even want to stay with
XP instead. Also covered are Vista and XP installation tips and tricks, updating Windows, dealing with product activation,
and more.
Scott Mueller is the most trusted, authoritative hardware voice in the industry. In addition to teaching hardware repair to thousands of computer professionals and enthusiasts, he has sold more than 2.2 million copies of Upgrading and Repairing PCs, making him the most world-renowned hardware author in history. Scott has taught hardware repair to a host of agencies in the U.S. and foreign governments and to corporations in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. Scott also has appeared on Computer America, TechTV, and numerous local and national radio programs and serves as an industry expert for the news media.
Brian Knittel has been a software developer for 30 years, with more than 20 years of real-world experience with MS-DOS, Windows, and computer networking in the business world. Previously, he wrote Windows XP Under the Hood: Hardcore Scripting and Command Line Power and is coauthor of several other Que books including Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows editions covering Vista, XP Home, XP Professional, and Windows 2000 Professional.
www.informit.com/upgrading
If you don’t have a DVD player or only have a set-top DVD, visit the site to download all the video from the DVD in Windows Media Player format!
Category Windows Operating System
Covers Microsoft Windows Vista and XP
User Level Intermediate–Advanced
IntroductionIntroduction
Welcome to Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, Second Edition. This is the book for people who want to know more about how to use and support Microsoft Windows than most other books dare to detail. While covering all versions in many respects, this book devotes most coverage to Windows Vista and XP. Whether you want to install, manage, or troubleshoot the Windows operating system, this book goes far deeper than just the basics. Whether you support a large network of Windows machines, a few Windows PCs in a small office/home office environment, or just a single at-home system, this book can quickly turn you into an advanced Windows power user.
Is This Book for You?
Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, Second Edition is designed for people who want a thorough understanding of Windows and how it works without wasting time and pages on endless handholding through basic, everyday tasks. Each section fully explains management and troubleshooting issues related to Windows, including user management, networking, and security issues. Over the course of this book you'll develop a feel for what goes on behind the stylish graphical user interface so you can rely on your own judgment and observations and not some table of canned troubleshooting steps.
Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, Second Edition is written for people who will install, configure, maintain, and repair systems they use personally or in a corporate environment. To accomplish these tasks, you need a level of knowledge much higher than that of an average system user. You must know exactly which tool to use for a task and how to use the tool correctly. This book can help you achieve this level of knowledge.
Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown
Chapter 1, "Windows Version History," examines the very beginnings of PC operating systems from DOS all the way through Windows XP and Vista, including the latest Service Packs. Microsoft operating systems have had quite a wild ride over the years and it's amazing to see how the operating system we all use almost every day has become what it is.
Chapter 2, "Windows Boot (Startup)," details the Windows startup process, including what takes place between power-up and the appearance of the Welcome screen. In addition, it includes detailed information about Windows services, which are processes that run in the background to provide support for Windows networking, searching, authentication, and management.
Chapter 3, "Installing Windows," explains procedures and issues regarding the preparation and installation of Windows. It includes detailed steps for baseline installations for single desktops as well as in a more complex networked environment.
Chapter 4, "Upgrading Windows," discusses how to upgrade Windows to a new version. You look at paths for upgrading existing systems to either Windows XP or Vista. Also shown are methods for migrating user settings and documents to new Windows computers.
Chapter 5, "Tweaking and Tuning Windows," shows you how to configure Windows for peak performance and usability, using the Windows configuration dialogs and special-purpose tools such as TweakUI and the Registry Editor. In addition, we'll give you a checklist you can use to identify and fix the most common Windows performance bottlenecks.
Chapter 6, "Networking Windows," tells you how to configure Windows to run a reliable and secure network at home or at the office. Whether you have two computers or two hundred, a network can immediately pay for itself—many times over—by letting you share printers, giving you access to files from any computer, and letting you share a single Internet connection among several computers.
Chapter 7, "Protecting and Securing Windows," covers the steps you can take to ensure your Windows PC is well protected from outside intrusion. Have you lost your administrator account password? Would you like some help protecting your computer from spyware and viruses? We'll help you learn how to recover lost passwords, use firewalls to block intruders, and protect your computer from viruses, spyware, and trojans. Learn how to take an active approach to security and harden your existing security to stop attacks before they start.
In Chapter 8, "Managing Windows," we cover the most important Windows management functions: adding and managing user accounts, hardware, device drivers, and hard disks. In addition, Chapter 8 gets down and dirty with Windows Backup, showing you how make essential backups of your precious data and how to restore those backups should the data on your hard drive be lost or corrupted.
In Chapter 9, "Windows Commands and Scripting," we cover Windows scripting essentials and the oft-forgotten-but-highly-useful world of the command prompt. The command prompt environment not only runs old MS-DOS programs, but also gives you access to a large number of efficient, concise, and powerful Windows management and operating tools. The chapter covers the general principles of command-line programs, configuration settings, and several important commands, as well as scripting and batch file procedures that you can use to automate complex jobs.
Chapter 10, "Windows File Systems," covers file systems. If you're currently running FAT32 drives and deciding whether to switch to NTFS, or if you just want to know everything there is to know about the file system, this is the place to look.
Chapter 11, "Windows Data Recovery," covers data recovery procedures. If you can't access your drive because of a corrupted master boot record (MBR) or volume boot record (VBR), you'll find information you can use to recover these sectors and regain access to your valuable data.
Chapter 12, "Windows Troubleshooting," looks at some of the more common problems encountered with Windows. Troubleshooting software is one part skill, one part craft, and one part knowing where to look for information. In this chapter, you'll look at how to identify Windows problems, and what tools and methods you should use to solve them. This chapter includes an extensive look at how to deal with a system that cannot stably boot, and how to use both the System Restore feature and the arcane but powerful XP Recovery Console and Vista Recovery Environment when you can't even log in to your user account.
This edition of Upgrading and Repairing Windows also includes online content that can be found at http://www.informit.com/title/9780789736956.
Appendix A, "Windows Tool Reference," describes several useful categories of Windows management, maintenance, configuration, monitoring, and data processing tools that you may not be familiar with. Most of them are not installed by Windows Setup but instead are hidden away in obscure folders on your Windows Setup CD-ROM. Several more are available from Microsoft via free download over the Internet, and some others must be purchased. In any case, we think you should know about all of them.
Appendix B, "Windows Command Reference," lists all the executable programs provided with Windows 9x/Me, NT/2000, and the various versions of XP and Vista, including application programs, services, system components, built-in commands, Control Panel applets, MMC Management snap-ins, and screen savers. You can browse this listing to find useful programs you might not be familiar with, or to help identify the many obscure programs that are run automatically by Windows.
Appendix C, "Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance," shows you how to set up the Windows Remote Desktop feature so that you can access your computer from anywhere in the world. It also includes information on third-party remote connection tools that offer alternatives to using Remote Desktop.
Getting the Most from This Book
Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, Second Edition is not a book that you read through once and never touch again. In fact, this is not a book that needs to be read straight through at all, although any Windows user will learn a great deal from doing just that.
This book is, in fact, a detailed and valuable reference that should be kept next to your PC (and your copy of the latest edition of Upgrading and Repairing PCs) at all times. The information shoehorned into every line of every page of this tome will help you put Windows to work the way it was meant to and keep it running for the long term.
Scott's Website— http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com
Don't miss my book website at http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com! Here, you'll find a cache of helpful material to go along with the book you're holding. I've loaded this site with tons of material, from video clips to monthly book updates. I use this spot to keep you updated throughout the year on major changes in both the PC hardware industry and the evolution of Windows. Each month, I write new articles covering new technologies released after this book was printed. These articles are archived so you can refer to them anytime.
You'll also find exclusive video clips available nowhere else!
I also use this site to tell you about some of the other fantastic Upgrading and Repairing PCs products, including
Upgrading and Repairing PCs
Upgrading and Repairing PCs: Build a PC with Scott Mueller
Upgrading and Repairing Laptops
Upgrading and Repairing Servers
Upgrading and Repairing Networks
If you have technical questions, use my forum at http://forum.scottmueller.com. You can read the forum to see existing questions and answers, or sign up to post a question yourself.
Laptops have become the largest growing segment of PCs, and my new book Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, 3rd Edition covers these systems in great detail and is due out in spring 2008. Be sure to check the upgradingandrepairingpcs.com website for more information on all my latest books, videos, articles, and more!
© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
Introduction 1
1 Windows Version History 5
A Brief History of PC Operating Systems......................... 5
DOS History............................................................... 5
Evolution of DOS....................................................... 6
MS-DOS Versus PC DOS...................................... 10
DOS Versions.......................................................... 12
MS-DOS Alternatives............................................... 18
The Evolution of Microsoft Windows............................... 19
16-Bit Windows....................................................... 20
The Windows 9x Family.......................................... 26
The Windows NT Family......................................... 30
Alternative CPU OS Versions: Intel, Alpha, MIPS, and Motorola 40
Service Packs, Hotfixes, and Rollups..................... 42
2 Windows Boot (Startup) 45
System Layers................................................................. 45
Hardware Layers..................................................... 46
BIOS........................................................................ 46
Hardware Abstraction Layer.................................... 48
Device Drivers......................................................... 50
File Systems and Filters.......................................... 51
Services................................................................... 52
The Startup Process....................................................... 52
BIOS Startup............................................................ 52
Bootstrap Loaders................................................... 54
Windows XP/2000/NT Startup................................. 56
Windows Vista Startup............................................ 57
The Windows NT Kernel......................................... 58
The Logon Process................................................. 60
Windows Boot Options.................................................... 63
Boot.ini and the Boot Menu (Windows NT Through XP) 64
Windows Vista Boot Configuration Data Store....... 71
Adjusting Boot Options with MSConfig.................... 76
Windows Advanced Options Menu (Safe Mode)..... 77
Installing a Multibooting System............................... 82
Windows Services........................................................... 83
List of Windows Services........................................ 87
Using the Services Manager.................................. 125
Managing Services from the Command Line........ 127
Device Drivers and the sc Command................... 128
3 Installing Windows 129
Preinstallation Considerations....................................... 129
System Requirements for Windows XP Professional 130
System Requirements for Windows Vista............ 131
Checking Hardware and Software Compatibility... 131
Known Compatibility Issues for Windows XP....... 132
Known Compatibility Issues for Windows Vista.... 132
Migrating Files and Settings to New Installations.. 135
Getting the Network Configuration......................... 139
Choosing a File System........................................ 141
Installation Types........................................................... 144
Upgrade Installations to Windows XP................... 144
Upgrade Installations to Windows Vista................ 147
Clean Installations.................................................. 148
Repair Installations................................................ 149
Using Installation Switches for a Windows XP Installation 151
Using Installation Switches to Install Windows Vista 154
Clean Install Procedures............................................... 158
Windows XP Clean Install..................................... 158
Windows Vista Clean Install.................................. 164
Multibooting Other Operating Systems......................... 169
Using Multiple Partitions......................................... 169
Using a Single Partition.......................................... 170
Using a Third-Party Boot Loader........................... 171
Using Virtual Machines.......................................... 171
Clean Install Summary.......................................... 176
Installation Problems with Windows...................... 177
Automated Deployments............................................... 177
Adding and Using the Deployment Tools for Windows XP 178
Windows Installation Tools for Windows Vista..... 188
Installation Tools for Windows XP and Windows Vista 195
Windows Copy Protection............................................. 204
Product Activation for Windows XP....................... 205
Windows Vista Product Activation with MAK and KMS 211
Windows Genuine Advantage for Windows XP and Vista 212
4 Upgrading Windows 215
Windows XP Upgrade Installations............................... 215
Deciding Whether an Upgrade to Windows XP Is Worthwhile 216
Upgrade Scenarios................................................ 218
Troubleshooting a Failed Upgrade......................... 224
Uninstalling Windows XP....................................... 225
Windows Vista Upgrade Installations............................ 226
Deciding Whether an Upgrade to Vista Is Worthwhile 227
Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista... 230
Troubleshooting a Failed Upgrade to Windows Vista 234
Reverting to Windows XP After Upgrading to Windows Vista 235
Migrating Existing Installations....................................... 237
Moving to a New Drive........................................... 237
Moving a Windows Installation to a New Motherboard 240
Moving Data to a New System.............................. 242
Moving Applications............................................... 248
Installing Service Packs................................................. 252
Installing Service Packs for Windows XP............. 252
Installing Service Packs for Windows Vista.......... 255
Uninstalling Vista SP1............................................ 258
Making Vista SP1 Installation Permanent.............. 258
5 Tweaking and Tuning Windows 259
Configuration Settings................................................... 259
Display Settings..................................................... 261
Start Menu Settings............................................... 270
Tuning System Properties..................................... 272
Managing Startup Programs.................................. 283
Internet Explorer..................................................... 287
TweakUI and TweakVI................................................... 288
Using TweakUI to…............................................... 289
Other Useful XP PowerToys................................. 291
Vista Tweaking Tools............................................. 291
The Windows Registry.................................................. 291
Structure of the Registry........................................ 292
Backing Up and Restoring the Registry................ 293
Editing the Registry................................................ 296
Editing the Registry Remotely............................... 297
Editing a Hive File.................................................. 298
Deploying Registry Settings.................................. 299
Managing Windows Services........................................ 302
Managing Services with the GUI............................ 303
Managing Services on Another Computer............. 307
Managing Services from the Command Line........ 307
Running Your Own Program as a Service............ 308
Monitoring Your System to Identify Bottlenecks............ 310
Using the Task Manager........................................ 310
Using the Performance Monitor............................. 311
Tuning for Maximum Performance................................ 314
Installing Sufficient Memory (RAM)........................ 315
Placing the Page File............................................. 318
Defragment the Disk.............................................. 319
Disk Interface Tuning............................................. 320
What to Enable and Disable.................................. 321
Improving Startup and Logon Time....................... 322
6 Networking Windows 325
Setting Up a Network..................................................... 325
Network Hardware......................................................... 326
Wireless Versus Wired......................................... 327
Network Interface Adapters................................... 328
Cabling................................................................... 328
Hubs and Switches................................................ 329
Wireless Access Points........................................ 330
Gateways and Routers.......................................... 330
Wireless Networking...................................................... 331
Wireless Network Basics...................................... 332
Wireless Network Security.................................... 333
Creating a Random Encryption Key...................... 334
Setting Up a Wireless Network Access Point....... 335
Using the Wireless Network Setup Wizard........... 336
Joining a Wireless Network................................... 340
Configuring a Workgroup Network................................ 341
Setting Up a Network on XP.................................. 341
Setting Up a Network on Vista............................... 344
IP Addressing Options........................................... 347
Configuring Additional Useful Network Services... 351
Designating a Master Browser.............................. 355
Simple File Sharing........................................................ 356
Sharing Resources........................................................ 358
Sharing Folders and Drives................................... 359
Sharing Printers..................................................... 362
Sharing Fax Modems and Other Devices............. 364
Avoiding Firewall Issues........................................ 364
Providing Shared Internet Access................................. 365
Adding a Connection-Sharing Router.................... 367
Using Windows Internet Connection Sharing........ 369
Setting Up Remote Access to Your Computer............. 370
7 Protecting and Securing Windows 371
It Takes More Than Just Software................................. 371
Reduce Your Exposure......................................... 372
Take Advantage of the Tools You Have................. 373
Keep Abreast of Updates....................................... 374
Be Skeptical........................................................... 375
Keep Backups....................................................... 376
Apply Defense in Depth......................................... 376
Windows Passwords.................................................... 376
Setting Up a Password.......................................... 377
Improving Password Security................................ 378
User Account Control.................................................... 379
Windows Update........................................................... 382
Using Windows Update......................................... 383
Configuring Automatic Updates............................. 384
Firewalls......................................................................... 386
How Software Firewalls Protect Your PC from Attacks 387
Windows Firewall.................................................. 388
Third-Party Firewalls.............................................. 391
Antivirus and Antispyware Software–Which Do You Need? 393
Antivirus Software.................................................. 396
Third-Party Antivirus Programs............................. 396
Antispyware Software.................................................... 398
Windows Defender................................................ 398
Third-Party Spyware Removal Programs............. 401
Cleaning an Infected Computer..................................... 402
Identifying Spyware................................................ 402
Installing and Running Antispyware Software....... 403
Recovering from Browser Hijacks......................... 404
What to Do If the Automated Utilities Fail.............. 405
Bootable Tools........................................................... 407
8 Managing Windows 409
Managing Users............................................................. 409
Domain and Workgroup Environments................. 410
Account Types....................................................... 412
Which Type of Account to Use?............................ 414
Default Accounts and Groups............................... 415
Security Principals................................................. 417
Account Permissions............................................ 419
Adding and Deleting User Accounts from the Control Panel 425
Setting Local Security Policy................................. 432
Local Accounts and Password Reset Disks......... 432
Managing Users from the Management Console.. 433
The Windows 2000 User Manager, for Vista and XP, Too 435
Managing Users from the Command Prompt....... 437
Automating User Management.............................. 438
Managing User Profiles.......................................... 439
Controlling How Users Log On and Off................. 445
Logging on as Administrator.................................. 447
Showing and Hiding Accounts on the Welcome Screen 448
Fast User Switching.............................................. 450
Enabling Automatic Logon..................................... 451
Dealing with a Lost Password............................... 452
Managing Hardware....................................................... 454
Using Device Manager........................................... 454
Forcing Detection and Reinstallation..................... 457
Dealing with the Blue Screen of Death.................. 457
Updating Device Drivers........................................ 458
Replacing Hardware.............................................. 461
Using Driver Rollback............................................ 461
Disk Management.......................................................... 462
Partitioning and Formatting with the Disk Management Console 464
Moving Dynamic Disks to Another Computer....... 470
Resizing Partitions................................................. 470
Converting FAT16/FAT32 File Systems to NTFS. 472
Hard Drive Cleaning............................................... 473
Defragmenting for Greater Speed......................... 475
Backing Up Your Disk.................................................... 478
Backup Integrity..................................................... 479
Volume Shadow Copy........................................... 480
Backup Files and Folders on Vista........................ 482
Previous Versions.................................................. 487
Complete PC Backup on Vista.............................. 489
Automated System Recovery on XP..................... 493
Using NTBackup Backup on XP............................ 493
Third-Party Backup Solutions................................ 499
System Restore............................................................. 500
What Restore Points Actually Restore.................. 500
Creating Restore Points........................................ 502
Restoring a Restore Point..................................... 503
9 Windows Commands and Scripting 505
The Windows Command Prompt................................. 505
What the Command Prompt Really Does............ 506
Environment Variables........................................... 507
Executable Program Types................................... 509
Program Subsystems........................................... 510
Interpreting Command-Line Syntax....................... 513
Environment Variable Substitution......................... 515
Input and Output Redirection................................. 515
Command Pipelines.............................................. 518
Command Separators........................................... 519
Command-Line Quoting........................................ 520
Escaping Special Characters................................ 520
Editing Command Lines........................................ 521
Name Completion.................................................. 522
Copy and Paste in Command Prompt Windows.. 523
DOSKEY Macros................................................... 525
Command Extensions........................................... 527
Printing in the Command-Line Environment......... 528
Stopping Runaway Programs............................... 530
Configuring the Command-Line Environment............... 531
Console Window Properties.................................. 531
Changing the Search Path.................................... 531
Predefined and Virtual Environment Variables...... 532
Setting Default Environment Variables.................. 535
AutoRun................................................................. 537
Configuring the MS-DOS Command Environment 538
User Account Control and the Command Line............. 548
Opening an Elevated Command Prompt.............. 549
Useful and Important Commands................................. 550
cd........................................................................... 550
pushd and popd..................................................... 551
dir........................................................................... 551
more....................................................................... 552
runas...................................................................... 553
start........................................................................ 554
control.................................................................... 555
net.......................................................................... 557
findstr..................................................................... 560
Other Programs..................................................... 562
Batch Files..................................................................... 562
Creating and Editing Batch Files........................... 563
Batch File Programming........................................ 564
Argument Substitution........................................... 565
Argument Editing................................................... 566
Conditional Processing with if............................... 568
Processing Multiple Arguments............................. 571
Working with Environment Variables..................... 574
Processing Multiple Items with the for Command. 576
Using Batch File Subroutines................................ 580
Prompting for Input................................................ 581
Running GUI Applications from a Batch File......... 583
Scripting with Windows Script Host.............................. 583
Script Languages................................................... 584
Creating and Editing Scripts.................................. 585
Security Issues...................................................... 586
Running Scripts..................................................... 587
Scripting and COM Objects................................... 588
Sample Scripts...................................................... 590
Learning More About Scripting............................... 592
Windows PowerShell.................................................... 592
PowerShell Concepts............................................ 593
Downloading
