According to my server stats, 90+ percent of you use the Windows operating system. I would be willing to bet that at least half of those people have never used a command line interface for a computer.

Command-Line interface - A non-graphical user interface that utilizes text commands entered at a prompt to complete operating system tasks. Windows is on the left, Linux/UNIX on the left (click for bigger picture)

Windows, under normal circumstances, never requires the use of a command line. If you are an advanced Windows user (or a cross-OS user familiar with the UNIX or Linux command line) you may well know that certain things can be done faster and more efficiently at the command line level. System and network administrators often utilize the command line to perform system-wide functions that would takes ages to do in a graphical interface.For those of you running Linux or Unix, I would bet that you have at least a working knowledge of the command line. It’s almost a necessity and sure comes in handy when your new graphics drivers from NVidia crash your X-Server. For those of you running Windows machines, take some time and learn how to use the interface.; it can be an invaluable resource.
To bring up the Windows command line perform the following steps: Click Start -> Run -> type “cmd” (without quotes) into the Run box. You should be presented with a box similar to the one shown above. I will start you off with two commands, “cls” and “exit” (without the quotes) Type them in and see what happens.Instead of writing my own tutorial, I’m going direct you to a site called commandwindows.com , an entire site dedicated to the Windows XP command line. The information at the site is accurate and extensive.

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