boot to a command prompt

[Bill]

Is it possible to boot up top a command prompt w/o loading windows
completely? I know you can boot to safe mode w/ command prompt and you can
run it from within windows normal mode. And before anyone tells me, I know
there is no DOS in XP, and that's fine I don't want DOS, just a command
prompt outside of the windows environment. All suggestions that don't
suggest I want DOS are greatly appreciated. TIA

--

 

[David Jones]

What is the end goal you're trying to achieve by doing
this? There may be suggestions folks can give if they
know that.

 

[danish]

You could use a bootable floppy disk. But that will only
work if your hard drive file system is FAT32. If it is
NTFS, then you will not be able to access your hard drive.

hope that helps.

danish

 

[Bill]

There is no particular end result, many or none, it's something I've always
wanted to know and haven't found yet. One goal I'd like to achieve if it's
possible would be to run the defrag from a command line outside of windows
so possibly it can get more of my drive defragged than what I can get from
within windows. If that's not possible, I'm ok with that, but I'd still like
to know if I can get a command prompt outside of the windows environment.



--

 

[Pavel]

You could try to rename the Explorer.exe to something else and then rename
CMD.EXE to Explorer.exe. I never done this so there is no guarantee that it
will work so make sure you have a way to undo this if it does not work. Few
times I needed to have CMD running with out Explorer and the way I did is
was by loading CMD first then removed Explorer.exe from memory trough
taskmanager.

 

[David Jones]

The defrag that comes with XP is a Windows application,
it requires Windows to run.

"Command Prompt" is a feature of an OS. DOS, for
example, only provided a command prompt. Unix varients
provide a command prompt, as well as a windowing
environment. The command prompt you get in XP is a DOS
emulator, for example.

In almost all cases, a separate command prompt isn't
really needed. It really comes down to what the goal is.

XP is designed as a windowing OS, and does not provide a
direct "DOS-like" command prompt without loading part of
the OS. You can access a limited command prompt by
booting from the XP CD and entering the recovery console,
but I don't think that's what you're looking for.

Likewise, you can get a command prompt from inside
Windows, as you know.

It seems like you're looking for a way to do general
maintainence tasks without loading Windows - there's not
really a way to do this, as the tasks that are a part of
XP are generally Windows applications themselves (even
those that you run from a command prompt).

However, in my opinion, there's not really a need to do
so that I've found.

-----Original Message-----
There is no particular end result, many or none, it's something I've always
wanted to know and haven't found yet. One goal I'd like to achieve if it's
possible would be to run the defrag from a command line outside of windows
so possibly it can get more of my drive defragged than what I can get from
within windows. If that's not possible, I'm ok with that, but I'd still like
to know if I can get a command prompt outside of the windows environment.



--
--------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
-----
Remember life is not a box of chocolates it's a jar of
jalapenos...what you do today could burn your ass
tomorrow!!!
--------------------------------------------------------- -------------------
-----

What is the end goal you're trying to achieve by doing
this? There may be suggestions folks can give if they
know that.

-----Original Message-----
Is it possible to boot up top a command prompt w/o loading windows
completely? I know you can boot to safe mode w/

command
prompt and you can

run it from within windows normal mode. And before anyone tells me, I know
there is no DOS in XP, and that's fine I don't want

DOS,
just a command

prompt outside of the windows environment. All suggestions that don't
suggest I want DOS are greatly appreciated. TIA

---
-------------------

-----
Remember life is not a box of chocolates it's a jar of
jalapenos...what you do today could burn your ass
tomorrow!!!
------------------------------------------------------

---
-------------------

.

 

[Bill]

Is there a web page that lists the tasks available from the recovery
console's limited command prompt?

--

 

[David Candy]

Start - Help and Support or type help in recovery console.

 

[Kelly]

Hi Bill,

Suggestion: Use as an example/guideline:

Normal, Safe Mode and Command Prompt.

[boot loader]
timeout =15
default = multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS = "Windows XP Normal"
/fastdetect /sos)

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS = "Windows XP SAFE
Mode"/safeboot:minimal)

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS = "XP SAFE Mode with Command
Prompt" /safeboot:minimal(alternateshell)

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Is it possible to boot up top a command prompt w/o loading windows
completely? I know you can boot to safe mode w/ command prompt and
you can run it from within windows normal mode. And before anyone
tells me, I know there is no DOS in XP, and that's fine I don't want
DOS, just a command prompt outside of the windows environment. All
suggestions that don't suggest I want DOS are greatly

appreciated.


Sorry, but there is no such thing as a command prompt outside of
the windows environment except for some flavor of DOS.

 

[Jon]

Put a blank floppy in your floppy drive when in Windows

Right-click the drive in say My Computer > Format
Check the box which says "Create an MS DOS startup disk" and click ok

Then boot your computer with the floppy in the floppy drive

Hope this helps

Jon

 

[Plato]

Is it possible to boot up top a command prompt w/o loading windows
completely? I know you can boot to safe mode w/ command prompt and you can

To boot to real dos you need to use a real dos bootdisk. If you want a
command prompt in XP then XP has to be running.

 

[Bill]

Thank you all for your suggestions. Almost all of you helped a lot. To Jon,
not to be rude, but don't you read the whole message? I'm not interested in
DOS in any way shape or form. Once again Thanks to everyone who assisted me.
I Love this place!! lol

--

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

You can't.

There is no way to reboot a WinXP PC into Real Mode DOS unless
you've set up a dual-boot system. The WinNT family of 32-bit
graphical operating systems, of which WinXP is the latest generation,
has never used or included MS-DOS. The closest they have is the
Command Prompt window.

WinXP, like its predecessors WinNT & Win2K, is a pure 32-bit GUI
OS, and does not include or "ride upon" any version of DOS, as did
Win3.x & Win9x/Me. WinXP does include a command-line emulator for
those times when GUI applets are unnecessary/redundant, but it cannot
be started in "DOS mode."


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Bill]

lmao * thinking an eye exam is probably in order for Bruce* once again i'm
not interested in DOS in any way shape or form Bruce, I'm well aware that
DOS doesn't exist in XP or any NT based OS, but thanks anyways, my
question's already been answered.

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
Remember life is not a box of chocolates it's a jar of
jalapenos...what you do today could burn your ass
tomorrow!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----

Greetings --

You can't.

There is no way to reboot a WinXP PC into Real Mode DOS unless
you've set up a dual-boot system. The WinNT family of 32-bit
graphical operating systems, of which WinXP is the latest generation,
has never used or included MS-DOS. The closest they have is the
Command Prompt window.

WinXP, like its predecessors WinNT & Win2K, is a pure 32-bit GUI
OS, and does not include or "ride upon" any version of DOS, as did
Win3.x & Win9x/Me. WinXP does include a command-line emulator for
those times when GUI applets are unnecessary/redundant, but it cannot
be started in "DOS mode."


Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

 

[Buz [MSFT]]

Go to regedit and change the shell value in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
from Explorer.exe to cmd.exe

Buz Brodin
MCSE NT4 / Win2K
Microsoft Enterprise Domain Support

Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security

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