Command prompt keyboard shortcuts in XP?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Spike
  • Start date Start date
S

Spike

Hi!

Are the command prompt editing keyboards available in XP?
In the dark ages I could use F3 to complete a previous
command and the arrow keys were quite helpful.

These keys don't seem to work at a command prompt in XP Home
Edition. Any ideas on how to enable them?

Thanks!

Spike
 
Hi!

Are the command prompt editing keyboards available in XP?
In the dark ages I could use F3 to complete a previous
command and the arrow keys were quite helpful.

These keys don't seem to work at a command prompt in XP Home
Edition. Any ideas on how to enable them?

Thanks!

Spike
Click to expand...


You're not thinking of the good old days of 'Edlin' are you?

Once you have entered a command or two in a command window the up/down
arrow keys allow you to scroll through those commands.

You can also enter partial names and use the tab key for auto
completion (for files/folders in the current folder).
 
Are you running command.com or cmd.exe? You should normally use the latter
in XP. It supports F1 and F3 the same old way. Additionally F7 (list
command queue) and F9 (select command by queue number).
 
if you are running cmd.exe try these:
F1 Repeats the letters of the last command line, one by one
F2 Displays a dialog asking user to "enter the char to copy up to" of the
last command line
F3 Repeats the last command line
F4 Displays a dialog asking user to "enter the char to delete up to" of the
last command line
F5 Goes back one command line
F6 Enters the traditional CTRL+Z (^z)
F7 Displays a menu with the command line history
F8 Cycles back through previous command lines (beginning with most recent)
F9 Displays a dialog asking user to enter a command number, where 0 is for
first command line entered

hth

george
 
Hi, George.

Thank you! And GTS, too!

I've been working with MS-DOS since the early 1980s and spend much of each
day in WinXP's "DOS" window, but I never knew about F7 and F9 - and some of
those others. I've wished for such functions, but didn't know they were
there.

RC
 
You're welcome.
One additional remark though.

There are two command processors in Win XP (or W2K or NT4 for that matter)

One is called cmd.exe which basically is a regular WIN XP process
fire it up and you'll see:
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\george
That's the one that 'knows' about these F-keys.

The other one is a Virtual DOS machine (ie. environment; visible as the
process called NTVDM.EXE) that mimics MS-DOS behaviour and is called
command.com.
Fire it up and you'll see:
Microsoft(R) Windows DOS
(C)Copyright Microsoft Corp 1990-2001.

C:\DOCUME~1\GEORGE>
As such it basically does only 'know' about things that MS-DOS 'knew' about
(see the 8.3 short-names)
The F-keys behave as in MS-DOS and up/down arrow keys don't cycle through
the command history either.


:-))

george
 
Oh yeah,

it also requires 'extra' handling when closing it.
Try closing it withthe X (top right hand).
The OS guards you against a possible app still running that was started
through this command window.
You either have to aknowledge the termination of the command window or
explicitely type exit in it.

george
 
Hi, George.

Yeah, I know about Cmd.exe and Command.com. As I said, I have at least one
"DOS" window open most of the day. (Dir /s /a works a heck of a lot quicker
than WinXP's Search - and actually finds files!)

But I didn't know about F7 and some of those others.

RC
 
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