Keeping The Command Prompt Open

by on Apr 2, 2007 | 2 comments

One thing which is really annoying regarding launching a command prompt utility from the Windows Start > Run prompt is the command prompt window is immediately closed once the process is done. This means you can’t see any of the output produced which may include error messages. Of course you could save the output to a file, but then you have to go open the file which creates extra steps.

Instead, if you need to see the output, preface the command in the Start > Run prompt with “cmd /k”. For example, enter this in the Run prompt:

cmd /k ping google.com

You will see the ping command runs, but once it is done, the command prompt stays open so you can either review the output or run more commands.

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  • Carl Walters

    Another way to go is off the Start button i.e. Start – All Programs – Accessories – Command Prompt. This will allow you to input commands and see the response. This also keeps the window open until you type “exit”, then hit enter.

  • Al King

    A more common way is to type cmd at the run command, then enter the desired command. This will keep the command window open until you close it.
    But the /k switch is interesting, I didnt know about it.

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