Users with less computer experience when they see the Windows command prompt interface get scared, losing every reference point and being helpless in front of the black screen with a blinking cursor. In reality it is only an operating environment ready to receive commands to start programs.
There are those who think that this command line is no longer used, there are those who think that it is not necessary to know how to use it, but in reality there are still several hidden tools in Windows that can only be used from there, by typing the right command.
To run programs and tools on the Windows command line then, start the command prompt with administrator privileges by looking for it in the Start Menu or, in Windows 8, by pressing the right mouse button on the lower left corner.
Here are the top 5 most useful hidden tools to know to start with the command line in Windows .
READ ALSO: Command prompt guide on Windows
1) SFC: System File Checker
This tool is very important to use when there are system errors.
It is not uncommon for the computer to malfunction because Windows detects a missing or damaged file.
Thanks to this tool, which can only be started from the command prompt, a check can be made
the Windows installation system files, comparing them to the original versions.
If a mismatch is detected, the file is replaced with the original.
Depending on how Windows is installed, it may be necessary to have the installation disc in the drive, even if it is not usually needed.
To run this tool, you must write the SFC command followed by a space and then one of the following common options.
SFC / Scannow performs an immediate system scan and replaces the corrupt or missing files with the original ones.
SFC / Scanonce performs a scan the next time you restart your computer.
SFC / Scanboot to schedule a scan each time the system is restarted; in practice it serves to return the computer every time as before, ignoring any changes.
READ ALSO: Solution "file not found or corrupt" if Windows does not work: SFC
2) CHKDSK - Check Disk
Checkdisk is the Windows tool for checking file system errors, identifying bad sectors on the hard disk and recovering readable information from those bad sectors.
The disk check is very long, especially if you scan the entire hard disk, including free space.
Windows does its best to fix these disk problems if possible and there are no external programs more effective than chackdisk.
You can start a disk scan in errors by typing the chkdsk command at the command prompt, followed by a space, and one of the following options:
chkdsk drive letter: for example chkdsk c: to check the whole disk C.
chkdsk filename to check a single file or group of files.
chkdsk / F to correct errors during the scan.
chkdsk / R to force CHKDSK to identify bad sectors and recover information.
With the latter option, if you check the system disk, you will be prompted to restart your computer.
For example, type in command line: chkdsk C: / R / F for more in-depth control with error correction.
As already explained in the past, there is a graphical interface to use the Check Disk that Windows calls Scandisk to check the errors in the hard disks.
But if you are worried that something is wrong with the disk, it is worth using one of the hard disk check programs , health status, performance and performance of the hard disk
3) Ipconfig
Ipconfig is the command that everyone should know because the one that allows you to immediately view the network IP address of the computer and all the details of the connection, including the gateway, the MAC address and the DNS addresses.
To use it, just type ipconfig from the command line.
You can add one of the following options to the ipconfig network tool by typing ipconfig, followed by a space, and then the option.
ipconfig / all to see all the network addresses.
ipconfig / release is used to free all IP addresses assigned by DHCP.
It is a command to be used to renew the network address, to be used before ipconfig / renew .
ipconfig / renew to have a new IP address assigned by DHCP.
This is probably the most used option, as it forces the computer to reconnect to the router and helps solve connectivity problems.
ipconfig / flushdns is an option to clear the local DNS cache.
DNS is used to translate computer names on the network (such as 12.22.34.34) into words that can be remembered as internet addresses (such as www.navigaweb.net).
The cache stored on the computer is used to speed up this association without having to look for it again.
Clearing the DNS cache is used to resolve network connectivity problems if you are unable to reach some computers or websites.
4) Cipher
The Cipher command is used to permanently delete files and folders on disks with NTFS format.
cipher / W: path is used to permanently delete some data.
If you point to the entire disk C as a path, you can delete all the deleted files using the recycle bin so that they are no longer recoverable.
I talked about this in the guide on how to overwrite free disk space in Windows
This tool only works on traditional hard drives and not on SSD drives because when you delete files from an SSD, the files are removed immediately.
5) Driverquery
The driverquery command generates a list of all hardware drivers installed on Windows.
This is useful for saving the list in a printable sheet.
As usual, there are options:
driverquery / S allows you to specify the name or IP address of a remote computer to investigate installed drivers.
driverquery / SI shows digitally signed information for drivers.
driverquery / fo allows you to specify the format in which information is displayed so that it can be saved in a table.
After typing / fo add TABLE to save the list in a table, LIST for a list and CSV to view the data as comma separated values.
At the end, add a symbol> followed by the name of the file in which to save the list.
For example: driverquery / fo CSV> drivers.csv
The list of all the commands and tools that can be launched at the command line from the Windows prompt is on a page on the Microsoft technet site.
READ ALSO: Best Tricks for Command Prompt (CMD)
