Windows Command Prompt Shortcuts/Time-Savers

     You can get a lot done on the command prompt in Windows. Quickly getting a command prompt open in windows in the directory you need can sometimes take a while depending on how deep the file structure goes. Luckily, there are a few quick and cool shortcuts to make life easier.

In Windows 7, there is the open command prompt here feature. This lets you right-click on a folder to access a command prompt that points to that directory. To try it out:

Hold shift and then right-click on a folder and this will bring up the sub menu and you will see that an option for open command prompt here is now listed:

Holding Shift + Right-Click

Another cool trick is to bring up the explorer window for the area you want a command prompt in and simply type 'cmd' into the address bar. This will open up a command prompt in the current path you're in. For example, if I was in My Documents > My Games folder and went to the address bar and typed in cmd and hit enter, the command prompt would automatically appear targeting My Documents > My Games:

Typing 'cmd' in the Address Bar of Explorer Window

Sometimes it is necessary to run the command prompt as admin. Try this next time you need to:

Start Menu > Run > Type: runas /user:administrator cmd.exe and hit enter. It should then prompt you for your credentials if necessary. 

Another time saver for administrator command prompt would be making shortcut to cmd and then right-clicking it to bring up the properties. Look for the advanced button on the shortcut tab and check run as administrator. Awesome. 

Hopefully some of these tips will come in handy for you. I would also recommend checking out this great resource - An A-Z index of the Windows cmd command line at:

http://ss64.com/nt/