Essential Windows Command Line Tools and File Systems

Chkdsk

This program scans a hard drive for corrupted files or bad data sectors.

disk management

The program is accessed from Command and can list Disk, Volume, and Partition data from connected drives.

diskpart

This program can be accessed from Command or disk management to erase data on a drive and to establish a file system.

regedit

Program allows you to view and change Windows and application settings, including CD keys.

FAT32

This is an older hard drive format introduced with Windows 95. It is highly compatible, and nearly every operating system can read it. However, file sizes are limited to 4GB. Most flash drives are in this format by default.

Tracert

This program can show a packet's path to reach a website or IP address.

EXT 4

The hard drive format used by Linux operating systems, including Ubuntu.

IP config

This program displays network information (from Command).

format

If a new hard drive does not appear in My Computer, you probably need to use this module to initialize and format the disk (from Windows).

dfrugi

This program condenses and organizes data on a spinning metal hard disk to improve efficiency.

Sfc

This program analyzes Windows files to check for corrupt files and drivers.

Taskmgr

From Windows, this program is generally where you go to force quit a program that is not responding.

PID

Used to identify an instance of a program. For example, if you have multiple windows or tabs of Chrome open, each one would have a separate one of these.

tasklist

If Taskmgr does not work, you would use this command in Command to locate the PID of an application that you want to close.

task kill

If Taskmgr cannot close a program after obtaining PID from tasklist, you can use this command to close a process or program.

Event viewer

This module can be used to read logs and is most useful for tracking down error messages.

exFAT

A new hard drive format that is not the default file system for almost any operating system. It is a new version of FAT32 and has very high compatibility though not as high as the original.

NTFS

The hard drive format used by Windows since Windows XP.

devmgmt

This module shows what components are in a computer and can be used to ensure drivers are installed correctly. Those that are not installed correctly will be labeled as unknown devices.

APFS

The hard drive format used by Apple computers.

Ping

This program sends small data packets to a destination address to see if it's reachable or not.

XCOPY

A program/command in command that allows you to duplicate a directory.

msconfig

The module utilized to modify boot settings. What services start automatically can be modified here, and in older versions of Windows, this is where a user can change what programs are loaded on Startup.

perfmon

This program allows you to view CPU, RAM, hard disk, that work at GPU utilization.