Tag Archives: command line

Open command prompt fullscreen in Windows 10

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In previous versions of Windows, you had the ability to enter fullscreen mode for the command prompt. Windows XP was the last version where this worked. In Windows Vista, Microsoft removed the fullscreen mode leaving us with a small black window. Recently, I covered that in Windows 10, the command prompt has been improved significantly by adding lots of new features. Now, with build 9879 of Windows 10, Microsoft has restored the ability to go fullscreen for the command prompt. Let's see how.
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How to open the printer queue from the command line or with a shortcut

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If you have a local or network printer connected to your PC, you may need to open its queue or printing status window occasionally to remove print jobs which have got stuck or pause printing. I would like to share with you a tip which will allow you to access the printing queue directly with one click. It is possible with the help of a special rundll32 command. Let's see how it can be done.
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How to change the power plan from the command line or with a shortcut

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In Windows 8, Windows 7 and earlier, you can choose from predefined power plans which are a group of several power-related settings. If you are running a laptop on battery, you can choose the "Power Saver" plan. If you are running a desktop PC which is on AC power, you can set the "High Performance" plan. To switch the power plan, Windows gives you only two options if you use the notification area power icon. One of them is always the "Balanced" plan. This is not ideal because you have to open the Control Panel and go to Control Panel\System and Security\Power Options to access all the available power plans. Today, we will show you how to save your time and switch the power plan directly from the command line or with a shortcut so you don't need to open Power Options Control Panel every time.
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How to check in a batch file if you are running it elevated

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Sometimes it is useful to check in a batch file if it was started from an elevated command prompt or as an administrator. I would like to share with you a trick which I am using to do this. The main idea of my trick is based on the value of the special environment variable %errorlevel% which stores the exit code for most console apps and commands. Let's see this in action.
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How to run new Opera versions in private mode from the command line or a shortcut

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Private browsing mode is a feature of the Opera browser designed to not record the history of your web surfing. When you open a new private window, Opera does not keep cookies, temporary internet files, history, and other data related to your browsing activities. When the Private browsing session window is closed, this data is cleared. Private Browsing mode can be started with Ctrl + Shift + N keys, however, you might want to run Opera directly in private mode with a shortcut. Let's see how it can be done.
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How to run Google Chrome in incognito mode from the command line or a shortcut

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Incognito mode is a feature of Google Chrome designed to not record the history of your web surfing. It is similar to the Private browsing mode in Firefox and Internet Explorer. When you open a new Incognito window, Chrome does not retain cookies, temporary internet files, history, and other data related to your browsing activities. When the Incognito mode session window is closed, this data is cleared. Incognito mode can be started via the sandwich menu button or using the keyboard by pressing Ctrl + Shift + N shortcut keys. However, you might want to run Chrome directly in incognito mode via a shortcut or command line. Here's how to do it.
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How to run Firefox in private browsing mode from the command line or a shortcut

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Private browsing mode is a feature of the Firefox browser designed to not record the history of your web surfing. When you open a new private window, Firefox does not retain cookies, temporary internet files, history, and other data related to your browsing activities. When the Private browsing session window is closed, this data is cleared. Additionally, Firefox will reset the clipboard content for better privacy. Private Browsing mode can be activated in settings, there you can enable it permanently so Firefox always runs in private mode. However, you might want to run it usually in normal mode and only have a shortcut instead to run Firefox in private mode.
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