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Windows 95 and DOS - Tricks with DOS and START

SUMMARY: Use the START command with Windows 95 DOS to run applications or documents from a prompt.

Like its predecessor, Windows 95 allows you to have one or multiple DOS prompts running while the GUI is still active. General DOS commands can be entered and executed as long as they do not attempt major modifications to the system. The similarity of DOS prompts, however, ends there, as Windows 95 takes several steps forward. Win95's DOS prompt is more stable when dealing with malicious code, there are more options available to aid running DOS games and various utilities which may want a varying degree of control over the system, and the prompt allows Windows 95 programs to be entered and ran directly from the prompt.

While running commands is a very nice feature (you can see it in action in previous tips as NOTEPAD can be run easily from a batch file), DOS still can not recognize what you are wanting to do if you enter in the name of a shortcut, or a wave file... or can it? By using the START program (START.EXE in the \WINDOWS directory), you can run just about any file in Windows 95 by typing in its name in the DOS prompt.

To do so, first start a DOS prompt session. For the command string, type in START, a space, and the name of the filename which you wish to run (and this can be a shortcut, a wave file, a midi, or anything else for which Win95 has a program association).

Using this trick can allow a greater variety of batch files to be written, and can also aid those who still have a good feel with the DOS prompt and may wish to view files hidden under a multitude of folders by simply typing in "START" and the filename.