Shells and Terminals¶

Official Shell Overview

Using shell to manage the operating system is an essential task and therefore, we start with the terminals and shells. In the history of Windows and DOS, there were many shell or built-in script interpreters, and also numerous terminal applications. Here, we only cover the shells and terminals relevant to the most recent versions of Windows.

There are two shells in Windows:

command prompt (Command shell) (cmd.exe)
- very simple and limited functionality
- successor of COMMAND.COM
- For Command shell solutions/guides, check the Command shell manual.
PowerShell
- Modern shell with many features
- Supports all the Windows commands (commands from the Command shell)
- For PowerShell solutions/guides, check the PoweShell manual.

There are two terminal applications in Windows:

Windows Console Host (conhost.exe): an old terminal application present in Windows for years
- startup program is the command prompt
- default terminal application in Windows 10 and older
- no longer relevant in Windows 11
Windows Terminal (wt.exe): a new terminal application that is still in development.
- startup program can be configured (PowerShell by default)
- default terminal application in Windows 11, available in the Microsoft Store in older versions of Windows
- modern terminal, almost Linux-like experience

Run a non-default terminal application¶

It is not an easy task to manually run a shell in a non-default terminal application. To do it, we need to execute the terminal application executable:

Windows Terminal: wt.exe
Windows Console Host: conhost.exe

Windows Terminal¶

The Windows Terminal is a new terminal application with many great features:

multiple tabs
smart text selection

To configure Windows Terminal, click the v button in the top bar and select Settings. There are two kinds of settings:

Global settings sorted in categories in the left panel
Profile settings for each profile. The profiles are listed in the left panel. After selecting a profile, the settings are displayed in the right panel. Nonbasic settings are sorted in categories under the Additonal settings header.

Windows terminal pass stdout to text editor instead displaying it¶

This can happen if the output is too long or wide for the terminal.

If a command outputs a text in Windows console host but passes it to a text editor in Windows Terminal, the possible cause is the font size. The default size in Windows Terminal is 12, which is much larger than the 16 in Windows Console Host (default). To fix it, change the font size in Windows Terminal to 10 which corresponds to the 16 in Windows Console Host.

Command Prompt¶

Compared to PowerShell or Linux shells, the Command Prompt is very limited. Therefore, we describe only the most important commands. For more advanced commands, use PowerShell.

To change the current directory, use the cd command. However, in the Command Prompt, this command cannot be used to change the drive. To change the drive, use the drive letter followed by a colon, e.g., command D: changes the drive to D:.

Character Encoding¶

By default, Windows use the local ANSI code page for the character encoding, both in Command Prompt and PowerShell. We can change this encoding in an active console window, for example, command chcp 65001 changes the encoding to UTF-8 in Command Prompt. To do a permanent change, we have to edit Windows settings:

Open the Windows settings
Go to Time & language -> Language & region -> Administrative language settings
Click on the Change system locale... button
Check the Beta: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support checkbox

Execution of Programs, Scripts, Commands and similar¶

The execution of programs, scripts, commands and other executable files is a common, yet mysterious task in almost every operating system. To prevent confusion, it is absolutely essential to know what, and under what conditions is executed. The most important lesson is that the two Windows shells, Command Prompt and PowerShell, has a different approach to execution, and also, the executables can be run outside a shell with, yet different, mechanisms.

The table below (source) presents the basics of the Windows execution logic when we execute the program by its name:

Executable type

Local Directory

on PATH

with extension

without extension

with extension

without extension

sys¹

cmd

pwsh²

sys¹

cmd

pwsh²

sys¹

cmd

pwsh

sys¹

cmd

pwsh

application (*.exe)

yes

batch file (*.bat, *.cmd)

yes

PowerShell script (*.ps1)³

yes

Notes:

The system (CreateProcessW function) only considers native executables (.exe files).
PowerShell never search local directory when executing program by name, due to security reasons.
- This can be changed by adding . (current directory) to the PATH environment variable (not recommended).
PowerShell scripts are not considered as executables by Command Shell, again, due to security reasons.
- This can be changed by modifying the PATHEXT environment variable that lists the executable file extensions considered by cmd.exe and system (not recommended).

The table above cover only what can and what cannot be executed by the name. However, when duplicate names are present, the resolution order becomes important. Also, there may be various ways how to execute the same executable in the same shell. For details, check the respective sections of the manual for each execution environment:

If we execute using the path, the execution is consistent among all three execution environments (cmd, pwsh and system).

After the executable is found by the name or path, it is executed in an environment determinded by its file type association, which is by default:

program: execute the program itself (there is some bootstrapping logic, but it is not important for us)
batch script: cmd.exe
PowerShell script: notepad.exe. It is very useful to reconfiure this association to PowerShell.

System (Out of the shell) execution¶

The system execution is realized by calling the CreateProcessW function.

The executable path resolution is as follows:

If the executable is a path, the path is evaluated. Otherwise, the name is searched in the locations below (in order):

The directory of the calling process
Current working directory of the calling process
System directories
1. 32-bit system directory
2. 16-bit system directory
3. Windows directory
Directories listed in the PATH environment variable, in the order they are listed

Unlike Command Shell and PowerShell, the system execution does not consider script files, only native executables. Only the .exe extension is considered if the file name is specified without the extension.

Keyboard Shortcuts¶

Alt + Shift: change input language
Win + Space: change keyboard input method

Wireless Network¶

Problem: Can't connect to this network¶

Solution: Forget the connection and connect to the network manually

Connect to a Network Manually¶

Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center
Set up a new connection or network
Manually connect to a wireless network
Fill the credentials:
- Network name: SSID
- Security type: depends, try WPA2 personal
- Security key: password
Click next
Close the dialog
Click the wifi icon in the taskbar and connect to the network

There are various usefull comands. For most of the commands, you need to open PowerShell as admin.

Show All Network Profiles¶

This command show network configurations stored on the device.

netsh wlan show profile

Various Wifi Reports in HTML¶

netsh wlan show wlanreport

Bluetooth¶

Troiubleshooting¶

Cannot connect to the device¶

Try to remove the device and pair it with the PC again
If it does not help, proceeed to the next section (even if the pairing is successfull)

Cannot pair with the device¶

Turn off the device and unplug it from the electricity/remove batteries. Then plug it back after ~10 seconds, power it of, and try to pair with it again.

Bluetooth Command Line Tools¶

https://bluetoothinstaller.com/bluetooth-command-line-tools

Bluetooth Command Line Tools is a set off tools that enables command line interaction with blootooth services. Basic usage:

discover and list available devices: btdiscovery -s

Filesytem¶

Standard folder structure¶

In Windows, the standard folder structure is completely different for system and user instalation. Details are listed below, but the main difference is that the system instalations are stored in a single root folder for each application (similarly to Android), while the user instalations' files are distributed among multiple folders, depending on the type of the file (similarly to Linux).

The standard folders can be quick-accessed by aliases written in the form %alias%. These aliases works in Windows Explorer and Command Prompt. To use them in PowerShell, we have to access them as environment variables, e.g. $env:alias.

User home folder¶

The user home folder is located in C:\Users\<username> by default. It is aliased as %userprofile%.

System instalation folders¶

If an application is installed for all users, all its files are usually installed in a single folder per application. The location of the folder depends on the type of the application:

C:\Program Files: 64-bit applications
C:\Program Files (x86): 32-bit applications

If the application needs to store some data, they are usually stored in the C:\ProgramData (aliased as %programdata%) folder.

User instalation folders¶

User instalations are stored in multiple folders, depending on the type of the file. All these folders are located in the user's home folder, which is C:\Users\<username> by default. The folders are:

~\AppData\Local: Program data and sometimes also executables
~\AppData\Local\Promgrams: program files and executables
~\AppData\LocalLow:
~\AppData\Roaming (aliased as %appdata%):

The user specific shortcuts are stored in: %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs.

The system wide shortcuts are stored in: %programdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs.

Read Only Files and Folders¶

An ancient form of file protection on Windows is the read only flag that can be set on files and folders. It is not a real protection, as it can be easily removed by the user, but it can be used to prevent accidental changes.

Most of the programs can ignore this flag and work with the file anyway. However, some programs (e.g. Python) can have problems with it.

Formatting a drive/partition or disk¶

When we want to delete all data from a drive/partition or disk and start over, we use the procedure called formatting. There are various tools for that, with different trade-offs between capabilities and complexity.

In all tools, there are two variants of formatting:

Quick Format: All files are forgotten, but they data is not overwritten. Best choice most of the time but:
- other people can still recover the data using special software, and
- when bootable disk is formatted this way, the BIOS can still boot from it, confusing the user.
Full Format: All files are forgotten and the data is overwritten with zeros. This is the safe option, but it can take a long time.

There are several tools for formatting:

properties window of the drive in File Explorer:
- can only format mounted drives
Disk Management tool in Computer Management
diskpart command line tool

Sugarsync¶

Quick orientation in the desktop app:

for file changes, check left menu -> Activity
for deleted files, check left menu -> Deleted Items

Solving sync problems¶

check if the file is updated in cloud using web browser
if not, check the activity log on the computer with the updated file
if the change is not in the log, a simple hack can help: copy the file outside SugarSync folder and back.

Useful Commands¶

Get Motherboard Info¶

wmic baseboard get product,Manufacturer,version,serialnumber

Copy multiple files/dirs¶

robocopy is the best command for that. Usefull params:

/e: Copy subdirectories, including empty ones
/b: Copy in the backup mode, so that even files with a different owner can be copied
/xc: Excludes changed files.
/xn: Excludes newer files.
/xo: Excludes older files.
/r:<n>: Specifies the number of retries on failed copies. The default value of n is 1,000,000 (one million retries).
/w:<n>: Specifies the wait time between retries, in seconds. The default value of n is 30 (wait time 30 seconds).

`echoargs`: Print arguments as passed to the script¶

Sometimes, it is hard to see what are the exact arguments passed to an executable. To debug it quickly, we can use the echoargs.exe tool present in Portable Programs or at ss64. Usage:

echoargs <command> <arguments>

User info¶

Information about users can be obtained with the Get-LocalUser command. By default, the command lists all users. Some useful params:

-Name: Specifies the user account names of the users to get.
-SID: Specifies the security identifier (SID) of the users to get.

Installation¶

Windows can be installed from bootable USB created by a tool downloaded from the official Miccosoft website. There is a single image for all Windows editions, a particular version is choosen based on the license key.

The license can be purchased online either from Microsoft (be sure to buy it on CZ website, it cannot be bought on the US website) or from a retailer (e.g., Alza). Licenses are transferable, not OEM, unless specified otherwise. The Home version is typically sufficient.

Installation Steps:

Get a license key
Download the install tool from Microsoft
Run the tool and create a bootable USB
Start the installation
Fill in the licence key
Choose where to install Windows
Complete the installation guide

Post Installation Steps¶

Import the disks from previous installations.

Import disks¶

After installation, only the main disk and newly installed disk are initialized. Other disks will be marked as foreign in the disk management tool, and the drives on them will not show up in File Explorer.

To import the disks:

Go to Computer Management -> Storage -> Disk Management
Right click on disk marked as foreign and select Import foreign disks

Installation Problems¶

We couldn’t create a partition or locate an existing one¶

Ensure that the boot priority of the drive where the Windows should be installed is right behind the installation USB priority.

windows installation encountered an unexpected error 0x80042444 - 0x4002F¶

This error is triggered by SATA drives from a different OS installation. There are two solutions:

Use the legacy Windows installer that can be started from a small link on one of the initial installation screens.
disconnect the SATA drives from previous installations, either physically, or in BIOS/UEFI

Configuration¶

Changing the input method¶

It is possible to let the system have a different input method for each app. It is not possible however, to remember the input method (after app/OS restart).

Troubleshooting¶

Nothing happens after clicking on the input method in the taskbar (windows 10)¶

restrat the computer :)

There is a new right click menu in Windows 11, which is much less practical than the old one. To bring the old one back, we have to edit the registry:

reg.exe add "HKCU\Software\Classes\CLSID\{86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}\InprocServer32" /f /ve

Unfortunatelly, the right click menu is not directly configurable in Windows. Usually, the actions are enabled by the application installation (sometimes, this can be disabled in the installation process), and can only be removed by editing the registry or uninstalling the application. Below, we list instructions for each specific action.

in an elevated PowerShell, run: PowerShell REG ADD "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Shell Extensions\Blocked" /v "{776DBC8D-7347-478C-8D71-791E12EF49D8}" /d Skype
restart the Explorer

PowerToys modules¶

These can be removed by deactivating the specific modules in the PowerToys settings.

Edit with Notepad¶

Just Uninstall the Notepad. Yes, it can be done.

Scan with Microsoft Defender¶

The following commands removes four entries from the registry that are related to this icon:

REG DELETE "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\EPP"
REG DELETE "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{09A47860-11B0-4DA5-AFA5-26D86198A780}"
REG DELETE "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\EPP"
REG DELETE "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\EPP"

Source

Translate with Deepl¶

Haven't found a way to remove it yet. Even uninstalling the Deepl does not help.

Diskpart¶

documentation

Diskpart is a useful command line tool for work with disks, partitions, etc. We start it by running diskpart command, and then, we use other commands to manage the disks.

Basic general commands:

list disk: list all disks
exit: exit diskpart
select disk <disk number>: select the disk to manage

When a disk is selected, we can use other commands:

list partition: list all partitions on the selected disk
list volume: list all volumes on the selected disk. A volume is a mount point for a partition.
select partition <partition number>: select the partition to manage

Find out wheteher a disk is MBR or GPT¶

Open Command Promp from the Windows 10 USB¶

Insert the USB stick
Wait till the first installation screen
shift + F10

Firewall¶

Generate firewall logs¶

Go to Windows firewall and select properties on the right
At the top, choose the profile corresponding to the current network profile
In the logging section, click to customizze
set both DROP and ACCEPT to yes

Do not forgot to turn of the logging after the investigation!

SSH¶

For ssh, we can use the standard ssh commannd available in Windows (check Linux manual for more info). If the command is not available, it can be installed in Apps & Features -> Optional features.

One thing that differs from Linux is that the Windows ssh does not support the <addres>:<port> syntax. To specify the port, it is necessary to use the -p parameter

For more features, we can use other programs

KiTTY for credentials storage, automatic reconection, etc.
WinSCP for file manipulation

KiTTY¶

It is best to use the portable version, so that nothing is stored in the Windows registry. Configurtation:

copy the PuTTY credentials: .\kitty_portable-0.76.1.3.exe -convert-dir
auto reconnect: Connection -> auto reconnect on connection failure and auto reconnect on system wakeup

WinSCP¶

WinSCP is a graphical tool for file manipulation. Ii can be used both for local and remote files, and it supports various protocols (FTP, SFTP, SCP, WebDAV, etc.).

Adding a new connection¶

There is a simple New Site button on the left, which opens a straightforward dialog. The only complicated thing can be the SSH key. To add it, click on the Advanced button and go to the SSH -> Authentication tab. There, we can select the private key file.

Bookmarks¶

To add bookmarks, go to Local/Remote -> Add Path to Bookmarks or press Ctrl + B.

To open a bookmark, go to Local/Remote -> Go To -> Open Drirectory/bookmark or press Ctrl + O.

SSH key agent¶

To enable the ssh-agent on Windows, one extra step is needed: we need to start the ssh-agent service. To do that, open the services manager and start the OpenSSH Authentication Agent service.

Git¶

Most of the git functionality is the same as in Linux, so check the Linux manual for more info. However, there are some important differences mostly resulting from the fact that Git is not a native Windows application, but it runs in MinGW.

Git on Windows and SSH¶

As the git on Windows runs in MinGW, it does not use the Windows SSH command. That can be problematic if we want to debug the SSH connection using the env variable or configuring an ssh key agent. To force git to use the Windows SSH, we need to set the sshCommand config variable to the path to the Windows SSH:

git config --global core.sshCommand C:/Windows/System32/OpenSSH/ssh.exe

VPN¶

VPN is natively supported in Windows. It can be set up in two ways:

using a system dialog
in PowerShell

If the system dialog does not work, try the PowerShell method.

WSL¶

Translate Windows Path to Linux Path¶

To translate a Windows path to a Linux path, we can use the wslpath command, which is available in Ubuntu WSL distributions.

Execute commands from the Windows¶

We can directly execute commands in the WSL from the Windows command line without logging into the WSL with the wsl command. The syntax is:

wsl <command>

Important arguments:

-u <user>, --user <user>: run the command as the specified user. This can be useful for running the command as the root user.

Dual Boot¶

Make Windows Work after Linux Uninstall if the Bootloader is Grub¶

Get rid of the Grub bootloader
Set the Windows bootloader as the primary partition
- it is the small partition at the beginning of the main disk

Shims¶

Shims are small programs that are used to replace the original program, typically to run it with some additional parameters. On Windows, the shims can be easilly integrated into the system by adding the folder with the shims to the beginning of the PATH environment variable.

As a shim, we can use:

any executable file (*.exe)
a batch file (*.bat, *.cmd)
a PowerShell script (*.ps1)
- note that the PowerShell script shims works only for PowerShell. To make it work outside PowerShell, we need to accommpany it with a batch file that runs the PowerShell script: batch @echo off powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0\script.ps1" %*

Notepad++¶

Configuration¶

Usually, it is a good idea to configure autosave. This functionality is available in a plugin called Autosave.

Problems¶

Note that updated Windows 10 disabled anonymous sharing, so password protected sharing has to be turned on.

To login, use the credentials for the computer with the shared folder.

Below is a list of possible problems, together with solutions.

The user name or password is incorrect¶

Check whether the computer can be seen in the network. If not, resolve this issue first.
- quick check by running net view <IP address>
Check that you are using the right username. You need to use the username and password of the computer you are connecting to.
- Check that the user name is correct by running net user on the target computer
- Check that the folder is shared with you in: right click on the folder -> Properties -> Sharing -> Advanced Sharing... -> Permisions. Note that your full name can be there instead of your username, which is OK.
Check that you are using the right password. You have to use the password associated with your microsoft account. Note that it can differ from the password (PIN) you are using to log in to the computer!
check it on the command line: net use * \\<IP address>\<drive letter>$ /use:<username> <password>

Folder right and ownership cannot be read¶

Try to clear the windows filecache (CCcleaner or restart)

Computer does not see itself in Network section in File Explorer¶

Solution to this problem is to restart the service called Function Discovery Resource Publication. Either restart it in Computer Management -> Services, or by:

net stop FDResPub
net start FDResPub

PC wakes up or cannot enter sleep¶

1 Find the source¶

Using the Event viwer

open the event viewer
go to windows logs -> system
In case of wake up
1. inspect the logs when the wake up happened and search for the Information log with the message "The system has returned from a low power state."
2. There is a wake up source in the end of the log message. If the soure is Unknown go to the command line section
In case of not entering sleep
1. Search for the any kernel power event
2. If there is an event stating: The system is entering connected standby, it means that the modern fake sleep is present in the system, replacing the real sleep mode.

Using command line (admin):

Try powercfg -lastwake
If the results are not know, try to call powercfg -devicequery wake_armed to get the list of devices that can wake the computer

2 Solve the problem¶

Device waken up by network adapter¶

Open device manager and search for the specific network adapter
right click -> Properties -> Power Management
Check Only allow a magic packet to wake up the computer

The real sleep mode is not available on the system¶

If this is the case, use the hibernate mode instead. To add it to the start menu:

go to Control panel -> Hardware and sound -> Power options
click on the left panel to Choose what the power buttons does
click on Change settings that are currently unavailable
check the hibernate checkbox below

Camera problem¶

Symptoms: the screen is blank, black, single color, in all apps and there are no problems reported in device manager Cause: it can be caused by some external cameras (now disconnected) that are still selected in the apps using the camera. Go Solution: Go to the app setting and select the correct camera

Phone app cannot see the connected cell phone¶

It can be due to the fucked up Windows N edition. Just install the normal edition.

`vmmem` process uses a lot of CPU¶

This process represents all virtual systems. One cultprit is therefore WSL. Try to shutdown the WSL using

wsl --shutdown

Keys	Action
`?`	Open this help
`n`	Next page
`p`	Previous page
`s`	Search

Shells and Terminals¶

Run a non-default terminal application¶

Windows Terminal¶

Windows terminal pass stdout to text editor instead displaying it¶

Command Prompt¶

Character Encoding¶

Execution of Programs, Scripts, Commands and similar¶

System (Out of the shell) execution¶

Keyboard Shortcuts¶

Wireless Network¶

Problem: Can't connect to this network¶

Connect to a Network Manually¶

Various Commands Related to the Wifi¶

Show All Network Profiles¶

Various Wifi Reports in HTML¶

Bluetooth¶

Troiubleshooting¶

Cannot connect to the device¶

Cannot pair with the device¶

Bluetooth Command Line Tools¶

Filesytem¶

Standard folder structure¶

User home folder¶

System instalation folders¶

User instalation folders¶

Start Menu folder¶

Read Only Files and Folders¶

Formatting a drive/partition or disk¶

Sugarsync¶

Solving sync problems¶

Useful Commands¶

Get Motherboard Info¶

Copy multiple files/dirs¶

echoargs: Print arguments as passed to the script¶

User info¶

Installation¶

Post Installation Steps¶

Import disks¶

Installation Problems¶

We couldn’t create a partition or locate an existing one¶

windows installation encountered an unexpected error 0x80042444 - 0x4002F¶

Configuration¶

Changing the input method¶

Troubleshooting¶

Nothing happens after clicking on the input method in the taskbar (windows 10)¶

Right Click Menu¶

Bring the old right click menu back to Windows 11¶

Configure the items in the right click menu¶

Share with Skype¶

PowerToys modules¶

Edit with Notepad¶

Scan with Microsoft Defender¶

Translate with Deepl¶

Diskpart¶

Find out wheteher a disk is MBR or GPT¶

Open Command Promp from the Windows 10 USB¶

Firewall¶

Generate firewall logs¶

SSH¶

KiTTY¶

WinSCP¶

Adding a new connection¶

Bookmarks¶

SSH key agent¶

Git¶

Git on Windows and SSH¶

VPN¶

WSL¶

Translate Windows Path to Linux Path¶

Execute commands from the Windows¶

Dual Boot¶

Make Windows Work after Linux Uninstall if the Bootloader is Grub¶

Shims¶

Notepad++¶

Configuration¶

Problems¶

Folder Sharing Problems¶

The user name or password is incorrect¶

Folder right and ownership cannot be read¶

Computer does not see itself in Network section in File Explorer¶

`echoargs`: Print arguments as passed to the script¶

`vmmem` process uses a lot of CPU¶