Command Prompt Basics

Here, basic knowledge on the Windows Command Prompt is briefly summarized. This is not intended to be used for learning Windows Command Prompt. For this purpose, consult appropriate information on web pages.
The Command Prompt is an extention of the text-based operating system, MS-DOS, which is a predecessor of Windows. It is used to execute old promgrams, or the numerical calculation programs with text-based input/output. Thus, many of the instructions here are common with the MS-DOS.

Starting a Command Prompt

A Command Prompt can be started from the Start menu. For a frequent usage, shortcut may be placed on your Desktop. On its startup, by default, the current directory (see the Basic Concenpts below) is Users\username on the boot drive. This can be changed by editing the [Working folder] in the [Property]* of the shortcut to the Command Prompt.
* Consult the Windows Help or informations on the web about the Windows shortcut and how to edit its property.

Starting a Command Prompt with Current Directory Set to the Folder Open

On Windows 11, a context menu will appear by right-clicking a folder (or a folder pane), and then click "Open in terminal" and open PowerShell window. Then type cmd [enter] to invoke the Command Interpreter (Command Prompt).
On Windows 10, a context menu will appear by right-clicking a folder (or a folder pane) while pressing [SHIFT] key, and then click "Open PowerShell Window Here" and open PowerShell window. Then type cmd [enter] to invoke the Command Interpreter (Command Prompt).

Basic Concepts

Path

To execute an executable file, it must be reside in the current directory or in the directories specified by the "path". To run numerical calculations in different directories, one may copy the executable files as many times as required, but it is wise to set the path. A computer-wide path can be set from the [Environment Variables] in the [Details] tab of the [My Computer]'s [Property].

Handling Files and Directories

Major file and directory handling commands are summarized below. Before issuing a command, check and understand the details by using the help command etc.

Commands

`dir`	Display files and/or directories
`copy`	Copy files or directories
`move`	Move files or directories
`ren`	Rename files
`del`	Remove files or directories
`mkdir`	Create a directory
`rmdir`	Remove a directory
`cd`	Change the current directory

Wildcards

The letters * and ? are used to specify multiple files in commands above. Use with sufficient understanding.