Special Edition Using Microsoft

Appendix B. Command-Line Administration

<feature><title>In this appendix</title>

• Command-Line Overview 716

• Generic Command-Line Techniques 716

• Command-Line Reference 716

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Command-Line Overview

A decade ago, most computer administration was done entirely from the command-line. The Windows operating systems, of course, would seem to make the command-line obsolete; why bother remembering a bunch of arcane command-line syntax when you can just click a few buttons or select options from a menu? Command-line administration is alive and well because of the things a graphical user interface can’t do:

• A command-line is often the easiest way to schedule automated or repetitive tasks. A number of tools, including Windows’s own Task Scheduler, make it ...