Beginners Guides: WindowsXP Command Prompt-Part 3

Switches and Command Help Instructions are available for every command prompt command, and can be accessed simply by typing the command followed by ' /?'. For example, to obtain a help listing for the CD command,
type: cd /?

Note there is a space between the command and the switch. These help files will give you a quick blurb on the command's purpose, a guide to the proper syntax for using it, and a list of switches and other options that can be used with the command.

Switches are optional extra settings that can be used with command prompt commands to make them behave differently. For example, by default, the DIR command will list the contents of your current location in one continuous scrolling list. If you are in a directory that contains many files, like C:\windows\system32, this is not very useful. By adding the /p switch, you can make the list pause after every full screen of information is displayed, making the results easier to browse. In a similar fashion, 'DIR /w' will cause the folder contents to be listed in several columns, so you can fit more on a single screen. Switches come between the command itself and the target, like this;
type: dir /p windows\system32
More than one switch can be used with a command, like this;
type: dir /s /w /p windows\system32
Use the help (/?) switch for each command to find more useful switches and options!