I'm having a strange problem with the cmd.exe
window. When I open the cmd window it
closes as soon as it opens, not allowing me
to enter any commands.
Is there anything in the event logs that is related to the CMD shell being
closed?
How are you attempting to open the CMD window? There are several ways to do
so and whether or not they all show the same symptom will help identify the
cause of the problem. You can open the CMD window by:
* <Pearl> -> Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt (or <Pearl> -> All
Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt if you're using the Toys-R-Us
version of the START menu)
* <whatever> -> RUN and type CMD
* <whatever> -> RUN and type C:\Windows\System32\cmd
Also, does the failure occur when you're logged in as a different user?
If only the link under ACCESSORIES fails, the shortcut is probably broken.
Open its properties (you can do this directly from the START menu) and look
at the settings; among other items the target for the shortcut should be
%SystemRoot%\system32\cmd.exe (with no switches)and the "Start in" field
should read %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH% and it should be set to run in a normal
window.
If all invocations of CMD fail, try running CMD from the RUN dialog, but
include the /D switch (i.e., enter "CMD /D" without the quotes). If this
works, look at the Registry settings in the two keys
HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Command Processor
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Command Processor
and see if either (or both) have a value named "AutoRun". If the AutoRun
data item exists, rename it to something else (e.g., "FUBAR") and try
opening the CMD shell again. By default, neither key will have this data
item, but I've seen some malware that among other things cripples the CMD
interface.
Good luck.
Joe Morris
