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Run commands automatically when a console opens

Windows provides a handful of means to control the way console sessions start and function. For

example, you can click a console's Control menu, select Properties, and configure properties such

as cursor size, display options, font, and layout.



Besides configuring properties, you might also want to execute commands automatically when you

open a console. For example, you might want to load a device driver, switch to a particular directory,

set the command prompt, or execute a batch file.



Adding a command string to the registry is one simple solution. Open the Registry Editor to the

following key and enter a command string as its value:



HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor\Autorun



Cmd.exe executes this command string at startup for all command console sessions.



You can include a command string for a specific console session by starting the session with the /K

switch. For example, the following example would start a console session and change to the

\Documents and Settings folder:



Cmd.exe /K "CD \Documents and Settings"



Note: Editing the registry is risky. Before making any changes, back up the registry so you can

restore it if something goes wrong.

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