In my Windows 7 standard build, I have Command Prompt shortcuts on the Desktop & Start Menu that open in D:\Temp. After upgrading the build to Windows 10, if I pin them to the Start Menu they open in my user profile, which is utterly useless as I never store anything there. I've tried several different things, but nothing has worked except changing the shortcut in ...
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories
... but that will change *all* Command Prompts, which definitely is NOT what I want.
This is over and beyond the previously well advertised bug that in Windows 10 if you open any command prompt as an Administrator, it always opens in ...
C:\Windows\System32
... regardless of where the shortcut tells it to open, and no longer accepts dragging and dropping of directory or file names to add their text to a command, so you have to go through the tedious process of dragging them to the Run box, copying it from there, and pasting it into the Command Prompt.
Can anyone suggest a solution to this?
In the meantime, yet again I ask: "Where do they go to find such dregs of humanity that their work is as crap as this?"
In my Windows 7 standard build, I have Command Prompt shortcuts on the Desktop & Start Menu that open in D:\Temp. After upgrading the build to Windows 10, if I pin them to the Start Menu they open in my user
profile, which is utterly useless as I never store anything there. I've tried several different things, but nothing has worked except changing
the shortcut in ...
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories
... but that will change *all* Command Prompts, which definitely is NOT
what I want.
This is over and beyond the previously well advertised bug that in
Windows 10 if you open any command prompt as an Administrator, it always opens in ...
C:\Windows\System32
... regardless of where the shortcut tells it to open, and no longer
accepts dragging and dropping of directory or file names to add their
text to a command, so you have to go through the tedious process of
dragging them to the Run box, copying it from there, and pasting it into
the Command Prompt.
Can anyone suggest a solution to this?
In the meantime, yet again I ask: "Where do they go to find such dregs
of humanity that their work is as crap as this?"
In my Windows 7 standard build, I have Command Prompt shortcuts on the >Desktop & Start Menu that open in D:\Temp. After upgrading the build to >Windows 10, if I pin them to the Start Menu they open in my user
profile, which is utterly useless as I never store anything there. I've >tried several different things, but nothing has worked except changing
the shortcut in ...
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories
... but that will change *all* Command Prompts, which definitely is NOT
what I want.
This is over and beyond the previously well advertised bug that in
Windows 10 if you open any command prompt as an Administrator, it always >opens in ...
C:\Windows\System32
... regardless of where the shortcut tells it to open, and no longer
accepts dragging and dropping of directory or file names to add their
text to a command, so you have to go through the tedious process of
dragging them to the Run box, copying it from there, and pasting it into
the Command Prompt.
Have you looked into creating a "permanent alias" that allows you to CD
over to D:\Temp with a keystroke or two, or even none?
In my Windows 7 standard build, I have Command Prompt shortcuts on the >Desktop & Start Menu that open in D:\Temp. After upgrading the build to >Windows 10, if I pin them to the Start Menu they open in my user
profile, which is utterly useless as I never store anything there. I've >tried several different things, but nothing has worked except changing
the shortcut in ...
On 07/10/2025 22:44, Char Jackson wrote:
Have you looked into creating a "permanent alias" that allows you
to CD over to D:\Temp with a keystroke or two, or even none?
You don't need to do any of that. Just launch Windows File
Explorer and navigate to the folder in which you want the command
prompt window to open. When you are in that folder, type 'cmd'
into the address bar and the command prompt will open there. No
fiddling needed! See this beautiful image:
<https://i.postimg.cc/YSNtZq2y/2025-10-08-01-40-14.png>
On 07 Oct 2025, Image Poster <image.poster@invalid.invalid> wrote in alt.comp.os.windows-10:
On 07/10/2025 22:44, Char Jackson wrote:
Have you looked into creating a "permanent alias" that allows you
to CD over to D:\Temp with a keystroke or two, or even none?
You don't need to do any of that. Just launch Windows File
Explorer and navigate to the folder in which you want the command
prompt window to open. When you are in that folder, type 'cmd'
into the address bar and the command prompt will open there. No
fiddling needed! See this beautiful image:
<https://i.postimg.cc/YSNtZq2y/2025-10-08-01-40-14.png>
I did not know that! It acts much like the Run... command box. Thanks,
this will be useful to me.
I frequently run MS DOS programs
I frequently run MS DOS programs, so have desktop icons for them with shortcuts, but these do no shop up if you are already running a
Windows program.
In my Windows 7 standard build, I have Command Prompt shortcuts on the Desktop & Start Menu that open in D:\Temp. After upgrading the build to Windows 10, if I pin them to the Start Menu they open in my user
profile, which is utterly useless as I never store anything there. I've tried several different things, but nothing has worked except changing
the shortcut in ...
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessories
... but that will change *all* Command Prompts, which definitely is NOT
what I want.
This is over and beyond the previously well advertised bug that in
Windows 10 if you open any command prompt as an Administrator, it always opens in ...
C:\Windows\System32
... regardless of where the shortcut tells it to open, and no longer
accepts dragging and dropping of directory or file names to add their
text to a command, so you have to go through the tedious process of
dragging them to the Run box, copying it from there, and pasting it into
the Command Prompt.
Can anyone suggest a solution to this?
In the meantime, yet again I ask: "Where do they go to find such dregs
of humanity that their work is as crap as this?"
On 07/10/2025 22:44, Char Jackson wrote:
Have you looked into creating a "permanent alias" that allows you to CD
over to D:\Temp with a keystroke or two, or even none?
You don't need to do any of that. Just launch Windows File Explorer and navigate to the folder in which you want the command prompt window to
open. When you are in that folder, type 'cmd' into the address bar and
the command prompt will open there. No fiddling needed! See this
beautiful image:
<https://i.postimg.cc/YSNtZq2y/2025-10-08-01-40-14.png>
On 07/10/2025 22:44, Char Jackson wrote:
Have you looked into creating a "permanent alias" that allows you to CD
over to D:\Temp with a keystroke or two, or even none?
You don't need to do any of that. Just launch Windows File Explorer and navigate to the folder in which you want the command prompt window to
open. When you are in that folder, type 'cmd' into the address bar and
the command prompt will open there. No fiddling needed! See this
beautiful image:
<https://i.postimg.cc/YSNtZq2y/2025-10-08-01-40-14.png>
On Tue, 7 Oct 2025 18:18:51 +0100, Java Jive <java@evij.com.invalid>
wrote:
In my Windows 7 standard build, I have Command Prompt shortcuts on the
Desktop & Start Menu that open in D:\Temp. After upgrading the build to
Windows 10, if I pin them to the Start Menu they open in my user
profile, which is utterly useless as I never store anything there. I've
tried several different things, but nothing has worked except changing
the shortcut in ...
Here is something I do, which you might be able to adapt.
I frequently run MS DOS programs, so have desktop icons for them with shortcuts, but these do no shop up if you are already running a
Windows program.
So I open the command prompt and run a batch file like this:
@echo off
cls
e:
cd \asksam
as %1
Which runs the program from the command prompt.
You could use batchfiles to get it to change to whichever directory
you like.
On 08/10/2025 01:51, Image Poster wrote:
On 07/10/2025 22:44, Char Jackson wrote:Even easier. Just launch Windows File Explorer and navigate to the
Have you looked into creating a "permanent alias" that allows you to CD
over to D:\Temp with a keystroke or two, or even none?
You don't need to do any of that. Just launch Windows File Explorer and
navigate to the folder in which you want the command prompt window to
open. When you are in that folder, type 'cmd' into the address bar and
the command prompt will open there. No fiddling needed! See this
beautiful image:
<https://i.postimg.cc/YSNtZq2y/2025-10-08-01-40-14.png>
folder in which you want the command prompt window to open. Right click
the folder and select "Open in Terminal".
So the whole thing is a bloody, buggy mess, but yes, I think the answer
is going to have to be to define a short batch file to set the folder,
and with luck the window will then have the correct dimensions also.
In the meantime, yet again I ask: "Where do they go to find such dregs
of humanity that their work is as crap as this?"
Indeed.
Thanks again to all.
On 2025-10-08 01:51, Image Poster wrote:
On 07/10/2025 22:44, Char Jackson wrote:
Have you looked into creating a "permanent alias" that allows you to CD
over to D:\Temp with a keystroke or two, or even none?
You don't need to do any of that. Just launch Windows File Explorer and
navigate to the folder in which you want the command prompt window to
open. When you are in that folder, type 'cmd' into the address bar and
the command prompt will open there. No fiddling needed! See this
beautiful image:
<https://i.postimg.cc/YSNtZq2y/2025-10-08-01-40-14.png>
I'm with the others who didn't know about this potentially useful trick.
Has to be local folder though, it doesn't work with a network one.
Thanks for ALL the replies, I've read and appreciate them all, but I[...]
realise now that the problem is slightly more complicated than first I described ...
Many have suggested running a batch file or command with the /K switch,
and I do this with another command prompt which runs GetIPlayer, and,
even when pinned to the Start Menu, this actually still works in every respect. The command in the shortcut for this is ...
%ComSpec% /K C:\Programs\GFV-GIP-Init.bat
... which BATch file first changes the directory and then defines some DosKey abbreviations for commands to launch GetIPlayer, GetFlashVideos
(but I haven't used those for a long while, because I don't think it
works any more), YouTubeDownload, and YouTubeDownloadPlus. But what is
most relevant here is that every aspect of the original shortcut is preserved, including the different background colour of the command
prompt and the dimensions of its window. With the subject of my
original complaint, none of this happens, besides opening in the wrong directory, the window is also the wrong size, the default of the
original windows shortcuts.
'Run as administrator'.
On 2025-10-08 10:14, Java Jive wrote:
So the whole thing is a bloody, buggy mess, but yes, I think the
answer is going to have to be to define a short batch file to set the
folder, and with luck the window will then have the correct dimensions
also.
This works, launching with the correct window dimensions in the correct directory BUT ...
The pinned item is blank within the Start menu. So I curse, click
Change Icon in the properties, navigate to shell32.dll, only to find
there are no suitable icons there, thence to moricons.dll where the only remotely suitable ones have MSDOS on a blue background, hardly
appropriate 20 years on from MSDOS, but that and others very similar are
all there are that are in any way suitable, so I choose the first of
them, unpin and pin anew the shortcut to the Start menu, still no icon.
By contrast, the GIP shortcut referred to in my previous post has the correct icon originally designated in the shortcut properties.
Further, the Start menu blank iconless button is not generated in the
space conveniently left for it, but is generated in a new group below,
so I drag it into the space, and now it becomes non-functional, it
doesn't respond either to a mouse-over or a click.
If we could each charge Microsoft, say even just Ь25/hr, for our collectively wasted time, they'd be broke, and we'd be a lot richer.
Steve Hayes wrote:
I frequently run MS DOS programs
How? The last Windows version that supported DOS was Windows XP 32 bit.
On 2025/10/8 4:15:49, Steve Hayes wrote:
[]
I frequently run MS DOS programs, so have desktop icons for them with
shortcuts, but these do no shop up if you are already running a
Windows program.
[]
Presumably you always run your Windows prog.s full-screen, or otherwise >obscuring the shortcuts?
I (a) don't run _most_ things full-screen (b)
put shortcuts on the right of my desktop. (That's where I don't have
them pinned to the taskbar [I have a double-height taskbar]. I have one >command prompt pinned, which opens in the directory of the command I use
a lot. Not sure if I can do that with more than one such.)--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()ALIS-Ch++(p)Ar++T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
On 10/07/2025 11:15 PM, Steve Hayes wrote:
On Tue, 7 Oct 2025 18:18:51 +0100, Java Jive <java@evij.com.invalid>what if you make a short cut to the batch file instead of the program >itself. The batch file would contain the program and directory you want.
wrote:
In my Windows 7 standard build, I have Command Prompt shortcuts on the
Desktop & Start Menu that open in D:\Temp. After upgrading the build to >>> Windows 10, if I pin them to the Start Menu they open in my user
profile, which is utterly useless as I never store anything there. I've >>> tried several different things, but nothing has worked except changing
the shortcut in ...
Here is something I do, which you might be able to adapt.
I frequently run MS DOS programs, so have desktop icons for them with
shortcuts, but these do no shop up if you are already running a
Windows program.
So I open the command prompt and run a batch file like this:
@echo off
cls
e:
cd \asksam
as %1
Which runs the program from the command prompt.
You could use batchfiles to get it to change to whichever directory
you like.
On Wed, 8 Oct 2025 09:26:30 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>e
wrote:
On 2025/10/8 4:15:49, Steve Hayes wrote:
[]
I frequently run MS DOS programs, so have desktop icons for them with
shortcuts, but these do no shop up if you are already running a
Windows program.
[]
Presumably you always run your Windows prog.s full-screen, or otherwis
obscuring the shortcuts?
Yes, I usually do. MS Office 97 had a useful toolbar which shows the
desktop icons in a line across the top or down the side of the screen,
but I don't have that on my Win 10 computer, so it's easier to run
those programs Command Prompt --> Batch File as described.
But no matter what the reason, changing directoris using a two-letter
batch file is a lot easier than than typing a path name, particularly
if it's long. So if the command prompt always opens in the wrong
directory, just type a couple of letters to get to the right one.
On Wed, 8 Oct 2025 07:25:32 -0400, knuttle <keith_nuttle@yahoo.com>
wrote:
nt.what if you make a short cut to the batch file instead of the program
itself. The batch file would contain the program and directory you wa
Why would one want to do that?
If the shortcut to the program is visible and works, it would be
quicker than having a short-cut to to the batch file.
The main reason for having the batch file is to be able to run the
program quickly when the Command Prompt icon is visible and the
shortcut icon for the program is not.
How? The last Windows version that supported DOS was Windows XP 32 bit.
No, the last one is Windows 10, which I use.
On Wed, 08 Oct 2025 10:24:28 +0200, Joerg Walther
<joerg.walther@magenta.de> wrote:
[quoted text muted]
I frequently run MS DOS programs
How? The last Windows version that supported DOS was Windows XP 32 bit.
No, the last one is Windows 10, which I use.
Windows 11 doesn't support running DOS programs, which is why I won't
be downgrading to it next week.
On Thu, 09 Oct 2025 03:30:48 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:
On Wed, 08 Oct 2025 10:24:28 +0200, Joerg Walther
<joerg.walther@magenta.de> wrote:
[quoted text muted]
I frequently run MS DOS programs
How? The last Windows version that supported DOS was Windows XP 32 bit.
No, the last one is Windows 10, which I use.
Windows 11 doesn't support running DOS programs, which is why I won't
be downgrading to it next week.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by "DOS programs". If you mean >non-Windows-aware programs written to be run in a command prompt, I
run several quite frequently, in Windows 10 and 11. But the command
prompt is not DOS.
On 2025/10/9 2:43:56, Steve Hayes wrote:
On Wed, 8 Oct 2025 09:26:30 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>
wrote:
On 2025/10/8 4:15:49, Steve Hayes wrote:
[]
I frequently run MS DOS programs, so have desktop icons for them with
shortcuts, but these do no shop up if you are already running a
Windows program.
[]
Presumably you always run your Windows prog.s full-screen, or otherwise
obscuring the shortcuts?
Yes, I usually do. MS Office 97 had a useful toolbar which shows the
Wow, Office 97! I had that (well, a '98 upgrade, "Burgundy Edition"). I
don't remember that toolbar though. I use 2003, though the only
advantage it has for me over older ones is better positioning of cell >contents in tables, and - probably more important - the plugins that let
it open .docx and .xlsx documents. (I never _save_ in those formats.)
desktop icons in a line across the top or down the side of the screen,_Can_ you pin more than one command prompt to the taskbar? (Open one,
but I don't have that on my Win 10 computer, so it's easier to run
those programs Command Prompt --> Batch File as described.
But no matter what the reason, changing directoris using a two-letter
batch file is a lot easier than than typing a path name, particularly
if it's long. So if the command prompt always opens in the wrong
directory, just type a couple of letters to get to the right one.
then right-click on it in the taskbar and select pin.) I only have one,
but have it set to open in the directory I want (where I keep my
yt-dlp). [I have a y.bat file there - I used to have just yt-dlp.exe
there renamed to y.exe, but - actually created by ChatGPT! - y.bat now
does a lot more than just call yt-dlp.]
On 2025/10/9 2:50:46, Steve Hayes wrote:
On Wed, 8 Oct 2025 07:25:32 -0400, knuttle <keith_nuttle@yahoo.com>
wrote:
[]
what if you make a short cut to the batch file instead of the programWhy would one want to do that?
itself. The batch file would contain the program and directory you want. >>
If the shortcut to the program is visible and works, it would be
quicker than having a short-cut to to the batch file.
Because the shortcut to the program might call up the program executable >directly, but any output from the program might not necessarily go to
the directory you want it to. that's one reason, anyway.>
The main reason for having the batch file is to be able to run thePresumably only if the batch file is in the directory the command prompt
program quickly when the Command Prompt icon is visible and the
shortcut icon for the program is not.
is open in - or, if you keep all your two-letter batch files in a folder >you've added to your path.
On Thu, 9 Oct 2025 10:43:26 -0700, Stan Brown <someone@example.com>
wrote:
On Thu, 09 Oct 2025 03:30:48 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:
On Wed, 08 Oct 2025 10:24:28 +0200, Joerg Walther
<joerg.walther@magenta.de> wrote:
[quoted text muted]No, the last one is Windows 10, which I use.
I frequently run MS DOS programs
How? The last Windows version that supported DOS was Windows XP 32 bit. >>>
Windows 11 doesn't support running DOS programs, which is why I won't
be downgrading to it next week.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by "DOS programs". If you mean
non-Windows-aware programs written to be run in a command prompt, I
run several quite frequently, in Windows 10 and 11. But the command
prompt is not DOS.
I mean programs that I used to run ubnder MS-Dos 4, 5, & 6, in aDOS
Window in OS/2, and in Windows 98 and Windows 7.
And I still run them in Windows XP on my desktop computer and in
Windows 10 on my laptop computer.
The ones I use most frequently (ie every day) are
Inmagic
askSam for DOS (I also have a Windows version, which is not as
powerful)
XyWrite
There are others I run less frequently.
The reason I have batch files to call them when running Windows 10 is
that they do not show up on the Start Menu when a Windows program is
running full screen.
On 11/10/2025 2:54 am, Steve Hayes wrote:
On Thu, 9 Oct 2025 10:28:22 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk>
wrote:
<Snip>
Presumably only if the batch file is in the directory the command prompt >>> is open in - or, if you keep all your two-letter batch files in a folder >>> you've added to your path.
Yes, I have a directory called belfry, where I keep all my .bat files,
and it's in the path.
".bat files" in your "belfry"?? Yuck! Yuck! Yuck. Does that mean you are
a bit "batty"??
(Hmm!! I would have thought it was "bellfry" ... but NO!!)
On Fri, 10/10/2025 11:41 AM, Steve Hayes wrote:
The ones I use most frequently (ie every day) are
Inmagic
askSam for DOS (I also have a Windows version, which is not as
powerful)
XyWrite
There are others I run less frequently.
The reason I have batch files to call them when running Windows 10 is
that they do not show up on the Start Menu when a Windows program is
running full screen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XyWrite
"In 2015, work started on using XyWrite within the vDos program shell
in 32 and 64 bit windows. This was successful in October 2016, resulting
in an x86 PC and DOS emulator for Windows based on Jos Schaars's vDos.
Formerly known as vDos-lfn, vDosPlus allows XyWrite 4, XyWrite III+,
and Nota Bene for DOS to run under the latest versions of
Microsoft Windows (including 64-bit Windows). VdosPlus.org[21][22]
shows the various functions, and XyWWWeb[23] shows usage.
| Sysop: | Tetrazocine |
|---|---|
| Location: | Melbourne, VIC, Australia |
| Users: | 13 |
| Nodes: | 8 (0 / 8) |
| Uptime: | 148:48:07 |
| Calls: | 177 |
| Files: | 21,502 |
| Messages: | 79,014 |
