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Windows 2000 and DOS

Change the Colors Programmatically

SUMMARY: Create Windows 2000 batch files that can really get your attention by changing the DOS prompt colors.

Need a batch file to really grab your attention, such as when an error condition occurs? Use the COLOR command to change the colors of the DOS prompt text and background. The COLOR takes a two-character argument. The first character signifies the color of the background, the second character, the text color. The characters are as follows:

0 = Black
1 = Blue
2 = Green
3 = Aqua
4 = Red
5 = Purple
6 = Yellow
7 = White
8 = Gray
9 = Light Blue
A = Light Green
B = Light Aqua
C = Light Red
D = Light Purple
E = Light Yellow
F = Bright White

For example, if your batch file needs to report an error condition, consider making the command prompt background red, and show the text in bright white. The following does the trick:

COLOR 4f