Sunday, 18 March 2012

Windows command-line interface

All versions of Microsoft Windows accept had an MS-DOS like command-line interface (CLI). This could run abounding DOS and abnormally Win32, OS/2 1.x and Posix command band utilities in the aforementioned command-line session, acceptance brim amid commands. The user interface, and the figure up to Windows 2000, followed the built-in MS-DOS interface.

Consumer Windows (up to 3.11, Win9x, WinME) ran as a Graphical User Interface (GUI) active on top of MS-DOS. With Windows 95, 98, and ME the MS-DOS allotment was integrated, alleviative both operating systems as a complete package. The command band accessed the DOS command band (usually command.com), through a Windows bore (winoldap.mod).

A fresh band of Windows, (Windows NT), cossack through a atom whose sole purpose is to amount Windows: there is no character-mode cossack agnate to Consumer Windows, OS/2 or UNIX). The animate runs as a Win32 session, with the absence processor cmd.exe actuality a feature-reduced adaptation of OS/2's version. The command affair permits active of assorted accurate command band utilities from Win32, MS-DOS, OS/2 1.x and POSIX.

The 32-bit Windows can run MS-DOS programs through the use of the NTVDM (NT Virtual DOS Machine). This launches a barbate adaptation of MS-DOS 5.0. Launching any DOS appliance such as the DOS command processor command.com creates a 16-bit sub-system accouterment best of the college akin DOS APIs for DOS programs to run and alike acquaint with anniversary other.

The 32-bit CLI is usually referred to as the MS-DOS prompt. Although the bifold interface is no best that begin in PC DOS etc., it is an 'interface', and not an API. The commands typed here, the batches etc., all resemble those of MS-DOS/PC DOS in abundant the aforementioned way that the Linux/UNIX commands resemble anniversary added after basal bifold compatibility.

All versions of Windows for x86-64 and Itanium architectures no best accommodate the NTVDM and can accordingly no best natively run MS-DOS or 16-bit Windows applications. There are alternatives in the anatomy of Virtual apparatus emulators such as Microsoft's own Virtual PC, as able-bodied as VMware, DOSBox, and others.

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