How can I get a command prompt on my own computer?

The following tells you how to get a command prompt on your own computer, not on our servers.

You may need to get a command prompt on your own computer on occasion in order to do ping, nslookup, traces or other tests, or to get to a place where you can issue a telnet command to reach our systems.

The procedure for getting a command prompt on your own computer depends on your own operating system:

  • On Windows 95/98 click Start, then Programs, then click the "MsDos Prompt" icon.
  • On Windows 2000 or upper,  click Start, then Run, and then type: cmd.exe and click OK.
    • Window Vista or Windows 7 Operation System: click Start, then type “cmd” in Start Search and press Enter

    • On any unix system, open a terminal window or get a console.

Desktop version