The complete list of possible commands is quite large. Collected here is a selection of those that I believe are likely to be the most applicable to home PC use.
Many of the commands listed below are also discussed in more detail elsewhere on this site as is indicated by the link "details here". Most commands have switches that are not given in the table. For more information, open a command prompt and enter "commandname /?" (without quotes). Detailed information about these commands and a larger list is available at this Microsoft reference. These commands are in Windows XP, Vista, andWindows 7.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| assoc | Displays or modifies file name extension associations. Used alone, displays a list of all the current file name associations | details here |
| at | Schedules commands and programs to run on a computer at a specified time and date. Requires the Schedule service. Superseded by schtasks | |
| attrib | Configures file attributes read only, hidden, system | details here |
| bootcfg | Used to repair or edit the boot.ini file | details here |
| cd or chdir | Displays the name of the current directory or changes the current folder | cd folderpath |
| chkdsk | Checks hard drives for errors. With switches,does repairs. | details here |
| cls | Clears the screen | cls |
| copy | Copies a file from one location to another | copy somefile somefolder |
| del | Deletes one or more files | details here |
| dir | Displays a list of a folder's files and subfolders | details here |
| diskpart | Disk management shell. A suite of various commands | details here |
| driverquery | Displays a list of all installed device drivers and their properties. Requires administrator privileges. (Not available in Windows XP Home) | Example here |
| echo | Used to display a message or to turn off/on messages in batch scripts | echo message |
| exit | Exits batch script or current command control | exit |
| fc | Compares two files and displays the differences between them | fc file1 file2 |
| find | Searches for a text string in a file or files. Can also be used with output from another command. | |
| findstr | Searches for text string patterns in a file using regular expressions | |
| for | Runs a specified command for each item in a set | details here |
| fsutil | Displays and configures certain file system properties. A suite of various commands | details here |
| ftype | Displays or modifies file types used in file name extension associations | details here |
| getmac | Returns the media access control (MAC) address for your network card | getmac |
| goto | Directs the Windows command interpreter to a labeled line in a batch program | details here |
| if | Performs conditional processing in batch programs | details here |
| ipconfig | Displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values and refreshes Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) settings | details here |
| md or mkdir | Creates a directory (folder) or subdirectory (subfolder) | details here |
| more | Displays one screen of output at a time. Used with another command that has extensive output | details here |
| move | Moves a file from one folder to another | details here |
| net | A suite of various networking and service commands | details here |
| netsh | Network services shell . Complex suite of commands. | details here |
| netstat | Displays active TCP connections, ports on which the computer is listening, Ethernet statistics, the IP routing table, statistics for the IP, ICMP, TCP, and UDP protocols | details here |
| path | Sets the command path in the PATH environment variable, which is the set of directories used to search for executable files | details here |
| pathping | Provides information about network performance and conditions at intermediate hops between a source and destination | details here |
| pause | Used in batch scripts | pause |
| ping | Checks connectivity to other networked computers, routers, or Internet sites | details here |
| popd, pushd | Changes the directory being referenced in a command prompt. Pushd changes the directory and stores the previous directory. Popd changes the current directory to the directory stored by the pushd command | pushd somefolder popd |
| powercfg | Manages the power settings such as hibernation. Has numerous switches | |
| reg | Adds, changes, and displays registry entries. A suite of various commands | details here |
| rd or rmdir | Deletes a directory (folder) | details here |
| ren or rename | Changes the name of a file or a set of files | details here |
| sc | Used to obtain information about services and to configure them. A suite of various commands | details here |
| schtasks | Schedules commands and programs to run periodically or at a specific time | |
| set | Displays, sets, or removes environment variables | details hereand alsohere |
| sfc | System file checker scans and verifies the versions of all protected system files | sfc /scannow |
| shutdown | Shuts down or restarts a computer | details here |
| sort | Alphabetizes strings from a text file or the output of a command. | |
| start | Starts an application or opens a new command window | details here |
| subst | Associates a folder with a drive letter | details here |
| systeminfo | Displays detailed configuration information about a computer and its operating system | systeminfo | more |
| taskkill | Ends one or more tasks or processes | details here |
| tasklist | Displays a list of applications and services with their Process ID (PID) for all tasks running | details here |
| tree | Graphically displays the directory structure of a folder or drive | tree somefolder |
| type | Displays the contents of a text file | type somefile.txt |
| vssadmin | For administering and configuring volume shadow copies | details here |
| xcopy | Powerful command with many switches for copying and backing up files and folders | details here |