Self-Study Lesson: Windows 7 Command Line

Objective: Learn to use 25 of the most commonly used Windows 7 command line (CLI) commands to navigate, manage files, troubleshoot, and control system behavior.

🧰 Getting Started

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt:

Click Start → type cmd → press Enter

You will see a black window with a blinking cursor. That is your command line interface (CLI).

📁 Section 1: File and Directory Management

dir – List directory contents
dir C:\Users
cd – Change directory
cd C:\Users\YourName\Documents
mkdir – Create directory
mkdir CLI_Test
rmdir – Remove directory
rmdir CLI_Test
copy – Copy a file
copy file1.txt C:\Users\YourName\Desktop
move – Move a file
move file1.txt C:\Users\YourName\Downloads
del – Delete a file
del file1.txt
attrib – Set file attributes
attrib +h file2.txt and attrib -h file2.txt

Practice Task:
Navigate to your Documents folder, create a folder called PracticeCLI, create a file, move it, hide it, and delete it using only the CLI.

🌐 Section 2: Networking and System Info

ipconfig – View IP configuration
ipconfig /all
ping – Test connection
ping google.com
tracert – Trace route
tracert google.com
netstat – View active network connections
netstat
systeminfo – System details
systeminfo
chkdsk – Check disk errors
chkdsk C:
sfc – Scan and fix system files
sfc /scannow
shutdown – Shut down/restart
shutdown /r /t 30
cls – Clear the screen
cls

Practice Task:
Trace the route to microsoft.com, view your system specs, and clear the screen using cls.

🧠 Section 3: Process and User Management

tasklist – List running processes
tasklist
taskkill – Kill a process
taskkill /IM notepad.exe
net user – View user accounts
net user
net localgroup – View groups
net localgroup administrators
runas – Run program as another user
runas /user:Administrator cmd

Practice Task:
Open Notepad, find it using tasklist, and close it using taskkill.

🔄 Section 4: Advanced Copying Tools

xcopy – Copy entire directories
xcopy C:\Folder1 C:\BackupFolder /E /I
robocopy – Robust file copy
robocopy C:\Folder1 C:\BackupFolder /MIR

Practice Task:
Create a folder with several files and use xcopy or robocopy to copy the entire folder to a backup location.

📘 Section 5: Getting Help

help – List or describe commands
help or command /?

Final Task:
Use help or /? to learn more about tasklist, attrib, and shutdown. Write down 2 things you learned for each.