Introduction
CMD commands have been going out of fashion and Microsoft has slowly shoved them away with newer updates. However, plenty of them remain pretty useful and work on both Windows 8 and 10. According to Handy, these text-based commands that have withstood the purge from Microsoft can be really useful for Windows users even in 2020.
The Commands
Let’s check out a few of them below:
- Cipher – When you delete a file from your mechanical hard drive it isn’t really gone. Instead, it sits as inaccessible data while the space they took up is marked as free. They remain in that fashion until they are overwritten with new data.
With the cipher command, you can overwrite and wipe out that deleted data from a directory without the risk of affecting any undeleted data. Just use the command “cipher/w:c” to get the job done.
- Assoc – Files in Windows usually have a specific program associated with them. Remembering all of them can be tough at best and impossible at worst. With the assoc command, you can get a full list of filename extensions and programs associated with them.
You can also change the command to get associations for specific file types. For instance, “assoc.txt=” will change the text file association to the program of your choice. Just enter the program name after the “=” sign.
- Ipconfig – Ipconfig allows you to relay the IP address of your computer. However, since your computer is connected to your router, the command will display the router’s local network address. However, everything changes with the extensions of this command.
For instance, use “ipconfig/release” and follow with “ipconfig/renew” to ask for a new IP address for your PC. You can also refresh the DNS address with the “ipconfig/flushdns” command. These extensions really show their use when your network troubleshooter can’t figure out the problem.
- Driverquery – Drivers are one of the most important software for windows and will remain so for a good few years into the future. If drivers are missing or aren’t configured properly, you may have a lot of problems. With “driverquery” you can solve those issues. It can even show you valuable information like the directory in which a driver is installed with extensions like “driverquery -v”.
- Ping – This program is really useful in numerous situations. It shows you whether data packets are reaching specific network devices. It also used to be a rudimentary way and fun trick for kids back in the day to check the status of their internet connection.
Type “ping” followed by a web domain or data address to send a series of test packets to that address. If the test packets aren’t returned you know that there is some obstruction between the specified address and your computer.
Conclusion
Handy believes that you should try out these commands on your PC to test their utility. These commands can introduce you to Windows commands and further fuel your thirst for knowledge on this subject.
