Windows Commands

Find the Manufacturer, Model, Name and System Type using the Command Prompt
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Finding out information like the Computer Manufacturer, Computer Model, Computer Name and System type using the command prompt is easy to do using the wmic command. Open a Command Prompt Type the following command: wmic computersystem get model,name,manufacturer,systemtype This command can be issued without Administrative Privileges and in RMM remote consoles etc…

How to Add a TCP Firewall Rule in Windows using the Command Prompt using NETSH
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There are many different types of firewall rules which can be controlled using “NETSH ADVFIREWALL FIREWALL”.  It replaced the old “netsh firewall” which was available in Windows XP and earlier. To add a firewall rule in Windows using the command line to open a specific incoming port enter the following command: netsh advfirewall firewall add […]

How to Restart the Print Spooler from the Command Prompt
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To restart the print spooler from the command prompt: Step 1 Open a Command Prompt Step 2 Type in the following command net stop spooler (wait for confirmation that the print spooler has stopped) Step 3 Type in the following command net start spooler (wait for confirmation that the printer spooler has started again)

How To Restart Windows In To Safe Mode Using the Command Prompt
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This article will demonstrate how to restart a Windows computer in to safe mode using the command prompt. Step 1 From the command prompt type in the following and press Enter bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal If you want to restart using Safe Mode with Networking type in: bcdedit /set {current} safeboot network Step 2 […]

How To Log Off A User From The Command Line in Windows Remotely
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There are multiple ways to log off the current user on a Windows system using the command line.  The version of the commands below will depend on the Windows version, the interface you are using to log off the user (e.g. Remote Command Prompt, RMM, Local Command Prompt) etc..   The command to force the […]

Shortcut to LM Hosts file on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10
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This command will open the folder containing the LM Hosts file in Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10. Step 1.  Click on Start Step 2. In the search box type or paste the following command: %SystemRoot%\System32\Drivers\Etc The folder containing the LM Hosts file will open. Please Note: This is a “QUICK SUPPORT” article. The […]

Check a NTP Server Date and Time Using the Windows Command Prompt
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Here’s how to check if a NTP Server is reporting the correct time and date using the Windows command line. Open a command prompt and type the following: w32tm /stripchart /computer:IPADDRESSORDNSNAME /dataonly /samples:5 Where IPADDRESSORDNSNAME equals the IP Address or DNS name of the NTP time server you wish to check. Applies to: All Current Windows Versions […]

Robocopy Wildcard Examples
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Robocopy is used via the command prompt in Windows for copying and moving files.  Here are some of the most common Robocopy Wildcard Examples.  Wild Cards can only be used in the source when they are used in the file name.  You can not use wild cards in the folder names. Robocopy Examples – Wildcard […]

How to Delete a Directory (Folder) from the Command Prompt
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Sometimes deleting a folder and it’s contents from Windows Explorer can take an eternity especially when dealing with large folders as it deletes each file one by one.  The faster way is to delete the folder from the windows command prompt. To delete a directory or folder and all it’s contents from the command prompt: […]

Windows 8 VPN – Error 0x8007003B: An Unexpected Network Error Occured
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Symptoms When copying files across a VPN in Windows 8 or higher you may receive the following errors: 1 Interrupted Action An unexpected error is keeping you from copying this folder.  If you continue to receive this error, you can use the error code to search for help with this problem Error 0x8007003B: An unexpected […]

How to Uninstall Windows Updates using the Command Prompt
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Using the WUSA command we can uninstall Windows Updates from the command prompt either using a remote command prompt in either your RMM software or using PSEXEC.  This article applies to Windows 7, Windows Update, Windows 2008 Server and Windows 2012 server. Step 1. Find out the KB for the Windows Update you wish to uninstall […]

How to List Running Services in Windows Using the Command Line
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In this article we will look at how you can display the currently running servers on a Windows computer or Server.  Further on we will show you how you can use the net start command to output the results to a text file. From the Windows command prompt, you can use the following command to […]

How to Fix SFC /SCANNOW There is a System Repair Pending
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If you are trying to run sfc /scannow and you may receive the following error message: “There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run sfc again.” Here is how to resolve the error and get sfc /scannow to run again. Step 1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt You […]

How to Install Telnet using the Command Line on Windows Server
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Here’s how to install Telnet on Windows Server using the Command Line on Windows Server.  Applicable to Windows Server 2008 and Server 2008R2.  Most likely applicable to later version of Windows Server but has not been tested or confirmed. Step 1 Open a command prompt as an administrator Step 2 Type in the following: pkgmgr […]

How to Delete a Windows Service from the Command Line
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If you need to delete a windows service from the command line it is a two step process if the service is currently started.  If you don’t know the service name that you wish to delete you can find it out by typing the following command in a command prompt: sc query | find “SERVICE_NAME” […]

Start a Stopped Service from the Command Line
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In this article we are going to look at how to Start a stopped windows service using the command line.  This article assumes that you don’t know the exact name of the service and will need to find that out first. Step 1 – List Inactive Services We will need to list all services which […]

NET TIME Could Not Locate a Time Server
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If you are using the command prompt to set the time and type in the net time command you may receive the following message: Could not locate a time-server.  More help is available by typing NET HELPMSG 3912. If you are using a later version of windows such as 8.1 it is more than likely […]