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Zubair Alexander

Explanation of Shell Command in Windows Vista

What is a shell command in Windows Vista?

by Zubair Alexander

11/12/2008 -- The shell command in Vista gives you quick access to various folders. To access the shell command you use Start, Run and then type "shell:command." If you try to use the shell:command at the command prompt (cmd.exe) it will fail because shell:command is not recognized by the command interpreter.

To open the Downloads folder, type "shell:downloads" at Start, Run. If you want to look at the folder where Internet Explorer saves cookies, instead of going through Windows Explorer and locating the folder, you can quickly access it by typing "shell:cookies."

There's a long list of shell commands that can be used in Vista, though obviously you'll find some more useful than the others. Once you open the folder with the shell command, you may want to create a shortcut for it for future use if you'd like to access it frequently.

Also, I should point out that there are some shell commands that only work in 64-bit Vista, so don't be surprised if all the shell commands don't work for your 32-bit Vista.

Here are some of the more common commands that you might be interested in:

shell:contacts
shell:cookies
shell:favorites
shell:fonts
shell:gadgets
shell:history
shell:my music
shell:my pictures
shell:profile
shell:recent
shell:start menu
shell:startup
shell:system
shell:userprofiles (Notice that there's no space between the words "user" and "profiles" in this command.)

Zubair Alexander, MCSE, MCT, MCSA and Microsoft MVP is the founder of SeattlePro Enterprises, an IT training and consulting business. His experience covers a wide range of spectrum: trainer, consultant, systems administrator, security architect, network engineer, author, technical editor, college instructor and public speaker. Zubair holds more than 25 technical certifications and Bachelor of Science degrees in Aeronautics & Astronautics Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Information Systems. His Web site, www.techgalaxy.net, is dedicated to technical resources for IT professionals. Zubair may be reached at alexander@techgalaxy.net.

More articles by Zubair Alexander:
FrontPage Server Extensions on 64-bit Windows Server 2008

Synching Outlook 2007 Contacts with SharePoint

Saving SharePoint Files to the Server

Moving, Deleting a File That's Always in Use

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