Control Panel Quick Commands

I’d like to Credit Tim Fisher who compiled this list and wrote this article over at Lifewire.

Source:

https://www.lifewire.com/command-line-commands-for-control-panel-applets-2626060

Control Panel Command Line Commands in Windows

Control Panel Applet	Command	OS Version
Accessibility Options	control access.cpl	XP
Action Center	control /name Microsoft.ActionCenter	8, 7
	control wscui.cpl	8, 7
Add Features to Windows 8	control /name Microsoft.WindowsAnytimeUpgrade	8
Add Hardware	control /name Microsoft.AddHardware	Vista
	control hdwwiz.cpl	XP
Add or Remove Programs	control appwiz.cpl	XP
Administrative Tools	control /name Microsoft.AdministrativeTools	8, 7, Vista
	control admintools	8, 7, Vista, XP
Automatic Updates	control wuaucpl.cpl	XP
AutoPlay	control /name Microsoft.AutoPlay	8, 7, Vista
Backup and Restore Center	control /name Microsoft.BackupAndRestoreCenter	Vista
Backup and Restore	control /name Microsoft.BackupAndRestore	7
Biometric Devices	control /name Microsoft.BiometricDevices	8, 7
BitLocker Drive Encryption	control /name Microsoft.BitLockerDriveEncryption	8, 7, Vista
Bluetooth Devices	control bthprops.cpl13	8, 7, Vista
	control /name Microsoft.BluetoothDevices	Vista
Color Management	control /name Microsoft.ColorManagement	8, 7, Vista
Color1	WinColor.exe2	XP
Credential Manager	control /name Microsoft.CredentialManager	8, 7
Client Service for NetWare	control nwc.cpl	XP
Date and Time	control /name Microsoft.DateAndTime	8, 7, Vista
	control timedate.cpl	8, 7, Vista
	control date/time	8, 7, Vista, XP
Default Location	control /name Microsoft.DefaultLocation	7
Default Programs	control /name Microsoft.DefaultPrograms	8, 7, Vista
Desktop Gadgets	control /name Microsoft.DesktopGadgets	7
Device Manager	control /name Microsoft.DeviceManager	8, 7, Vista
	control hdwwiz.cpl	8, 7, Vista
	devmgmt.msc	8, 7, Vista, XP3
Devices and Printers	control /name Microsoft.DevicesAndPrinters	8, 7
	control printers	8, 7
Display	control /name Microsoft.Display	8, 7
	control desk.cpl	XP
	control desktop	XP
Ease of Access Center	control /name Microsoft.EaseOfAccessCenter	8, 7, Vista
	control access.cpl	8, 7, Vista
Family Safety	control /name Microsoft.ParentalControls	8
File History	control /name Microsoft.FileHistory	8
Flash Player Settings Manager	control flashplayercplapp.cpl	8
Folder Options	control /name Microsoft.FolderOptions	8, 7, Vista
	control folders	8, 7, Vista, XP
Fonts	control /name Microsoft.Fonts	8, 7, Vista
	control fonts	8, 7, Vista, XP
Game Controllers	control /name Microsoft.GameControllers	8, 7, Vista
	control joy.cpl	8, 7, Vista, XP
Get Programs	control /name Microsoft.GetPrograms	8, 7, Vista
Getting Started	control /name Microsoft.GettingStarted	7
Home Group	control /name Microsoft.HomeGroup	8, 7
Indexing Options	control /name Microsoft.IndexingOptions	8, 7, Vista
	rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL srchadmin.dll	8, 7, Vista, XP
Infrared	control /name Microsoft.Infrared	8, 7
	control irprops.cpl	8, 7, Vista
	control /name Microsoft.InfraredOptions	Vista
Internet Options	control /name Microsoft.InternetOptions	8, 7, Vista
	control inetcpl.cpl	8, 7, Vista, XP
iSCSI Initiator	control /name Microsoft.iSCSIInitiator	8, 7, Vista
Keyboard	control /name Microsoft.Keyboard	8, 7, Vista
	control keyboard	8, 7, Vista, XP
Language	control /name Microsoft.Language	8
Location and Other Sensors	control /name Microsoft.LocationAndOtherSensors	7
Location Settings	control /name Microsoft.LocationSettings	8
Mail4	control mlcfg32.cpl5	8, 7, Vista, XP
Mouse	control /name Microsoft.Mouse	8, 7, Vista
	control main.cpl	8, 7, Vista
	control mouse	8, 7, Vista, XP
Network and Sharing Center	control /name Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter	8, 7, Vista
Network Connections	control ncpa.cpl	8, 7, Vista
	control netconnections	8, 7, Vista, XP
Network Setup Wizard	control netsetup.cpl	8, 7, Vista, XP
Notification Area Icons	control /name Microsoft.NotificationAreaIcons	8, 7
ODBC Data Source Administrator	control odbccp32.cpl	XP6
Offline Files	control /name Microsoft.OfflineFiles	8, 7, Vista
Parental Controls	control /name Microsoft.ParentalControls	7, Vista
Pen and Input Devices	control /name Microsoft.PenAndInputDevices	Vista
	control tabletpc.cpl	Vista
Pen and Touch	control /name Microsoft.PenAndTouch	8, 7
	control tabletpc.cpl	8, 7
People Near Me	control /name Microsoft.PeopleNearMe	7, Vista
	control collab.cpl	7, Vista
Performance Information and Tools	control /name Microsoft.PerformanceInformationAndTools	8, 7, Vista
Personalization	control /name Microsoft.Personalization	8, 7, Vista
	control desktop	8, 7, Vista
Phone and Modem Options	control /name Microsoft.PhoneAndModemOptions	Vista
	control telephon.cpl	Vista, XP
Phone and Modem	control /name Microsoft.PhoneAndModem	8, 7
	control telephon.cpl	8, 7
Power Options	control /name Microsoft.PowerOptions	8, 7, Vista
	control powercfg.cpl	8, 7, Vista, XP
Printers and Faxes	control printers	XP
Printers	control /name Microsoft.Printers	Vista
	control printers	Vista
Problem Reports and Solutions	control /name Microsoft.ProblemReportsAndSolutions	Vista
Programs and Features	control /name Microsoft.ProgramsAndFeatures	8, 7, Vista
	control appwiz.cpl	8, 7, Vista
Recovery	control /name Microsoft.Recovery	8, 7
Region	control /name Microsoft.RegionAndLanguage	8
	control intl.cpl	8
	control international	8
Region and Language	control /name Microsoft.RegionAndLanguage	7
	control intl.cpl	7
	control international	7
Regional and Language Options	control /name Microsoft.RegionalAndLanguageOptions	Vista
	control intl.cpl	Vista
	control international	Vista, XP
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections	control /name Microsoft.RemoteAppAndDesktopConnections	8, 7
Scanners and Cameras	control /name Microsoft.ScannersAndCameras	8, 7, Vista
	control sticpl.cpl	XP
Scheduled Tasks	control schedtasks	XP7
Screen Resolution	control desk.cpl	8, 7
Security Center	control /name Microsoft.SecurityCenter	Vista
	control wscui.cpl	XP
Software Explorers8	msascui.exe9	XP
Sound	control /name Microsoft.Sound	8, 7
	control /name Microsoft.AudioDevicesAndSoundThemes	Vista
	control mmsys.cpl	8, 7, Vista
Sounds and Audio Devices	control mmsys.cpl	XP
Speech Recognition Options	control /name Microsoft.SpeechRecognitionOptions	Vista
Speech Recognition	control /name Microsoft.SpeechRecognition	8, 7
Speech	control sapi.cpl10	XP
Storage Spaces	control /name Microsoft.StorageSpaces	8
Sync Center	control /name Microsoft.SyncCenter	8, 7, Vista
System	control /name Microsoft.System	8, 7, Vista
	control sysdm.cpl	XP
System Properties	control sysdm.cpl	8, 7, Vista
Tablet PC Settings	control /name Microsoft.TabletPCSettings	8, 7, Vista
Task Scheduler7	control schedtasks	8, 7, Vista
Taskbar	control /name Microsoft.Taskbar	8
	rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 1	8
Taskbar and Start Menu	control /name Microsoft.TaskbarAndStartMenu	7, Vista
	rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 1	7, Vista, XP
Text to Speech	control /name Microsoft.TextToSpeech	8, 7, Vista
Troubleshooting	control /name Microsoft.Troubleshooting	8, 7
User Accounts	control /name Microsoft.UserAccounts	8, 7, Vista
	control userpasswords	8, 7, Vista, XP
Welcome Center	control /name Microsoft.WelcomeCenter	Vista
Windows 7 File Recovery	control /name Microsoft.BackupAndRestore	8
Windows Anytime Upgrade	control /name Microsoft.WindowsAnytimeUpgrade	7, Vista
Windows CardSpace	control /name Microsoft.CardSpace	7, Vista
	control infocardcpl.cpl	7, Vista
Windows Defender	control /name Microsoft.WindowsDefender	8, 7, Vista11
Windows Firewall	control /name Microsoft.WindowsFirewall	8, 7, Vista
	control firewall.cpl	8, 7, Vista, XP
Windows Marketplace	control /name Microsoft.GetProgramsOnline	Vista
Windows Mobility Center	control /name Microsoft.MobilityCenter	8, 7, Vista
Windows Sidebar Properties	control /name Microsoft.WindowsSidebarProperties	Vista
Windows SideShow	control /name Microsoft.WindowsSideShow	8,7, Vista
Windows Update	control /name Microsoft.WindowsUpdate	8, 7, Vista12
Wireless Link	control irprops.cpl	XP
Wireless Network Setup Wizard	?	XP

_{[1] Color is not available by default but is available for free from Microsoft here.}

_{[2] WinColor.exe must be run from the C:\Program Files\Pro Imaging Powertoys\Microsoft Color Control Panel Applet for Windows XP folder.}

_{[3] I’ve listed Device Manager here because it’s such a commonly used feature of Windows but please know that it is not a true Control Panel applet in Windows XP. See How To Open Windows XP Device Manager for more information.}

_{[4] The Mail applet is only available if a version of Microsoft Office Outlook is installed.}

_{[5] The control mlcfg32.cpl command must be run from the C:\Programs Files\Microsoft Office\OfficeXX folder, replacing OfficeXX with the folder pertaining to the Microsoft Office version you have installed.}

_{[6] ODBC Data Source Administrator was removed from Control Panel after Windows XP but is still available from Administrative Tools.}

_{[7] In Windows 8, 7, and Vista, task scheduling is performed by Task Scheduler which is not directly accessible from Control Panel. However, executing this command in those versions of Windows will forward to Task Scheduler.}

_{[8] Software Explorers is the name for the Control Panel applet for Windows Defender, available for free from Microsoft here as part of Microsoft Security Essentials.}

_{[9] Msascui.exe must be run from the C:\Program Files\Windows Defender folder.}

_{[10] The control sapi.cpl command must be run from the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Speech folder.}

_{[11] Windows Defender is available in Windows XP but the Control Panel applet is instead called Software Explorers.}

_{[12] Windows Update is also used in Windows XP but only via the Windows Update website, not via a Control Panel applet like in later versions of Windows.}

_{[13] In Windows 8, bthprops.cpl opens Devices in PC Settings which will list any Bluetooth Devices. In Windows 7, bthprops.cpl opens athe Bluetooth Devices list under Devices and Printers. In Windows Vista, bthprops.cpl opens a true Control Panel applet called Bluetooth Devices.}

Quickly produce a list of long file path names.

Here is a quick and easy way to produce a list of long path names from a PS prompt. dir has severation options. File is output in current path as txt file (no sorting).

1. Run PowerShell (As Admin)
2. Navigate to folder like C:\Users\Daniel
3. Run the below

Longer than 260 Characters

cmd /c dir /s /b |? {$_.length -gt 260} > longfilenames.txt

Longer than 150 Characters

cmd /c dir /s /b |? {$_.length -gt 150} > longfilenames.txt

Run Command Cheat list

 mstsc - remote desktop
 msconfig - startup and system.ini config
 dxdiag - DirectX config/test
 cmd - command prompt
 control - \control panel
 cleanmgr - disk clean up utility
 Control desktop - display control panel
 eventvwr.msc - event viwwer
 control netconnections - network connections
 regedit - regedit
 taskmgr - task manager
 dcpromo - Active directory
 gpedit.msc - group policy editor

Finding the uptime of a system

systeminfo | find "Time:"

To prevent a network card from turning off when going to sleep

To prevent a network card from turning off when going to sleep

reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002bE10318}\0001 /v PnPCapabilities /t REG_DWORD /d 38 /f

Full MSI Syntax Options for windows installer

Full MSI syntax options

 

msiexec /Option <Required Parameter> [Optional Parameter]

Install Options
</package | /i> <Product.msi>
Installs or configures a product
/a <Product.msi>
Administrative install – Installs a product on the network
/j<u|m> <Product.msi> [/t <Transform List>] [/g <Language ID>]
Advertises a product – m to all users, u to current user
</uninstall | /x> <Product.msi | ProductCode>
Uninstalls the product

Display Options
/quiet
Quiet mode, no user interaction
/passive
Unattended mode – progress bar only
/q[n|b|r|f]
Sets user interface level
n – No UI
b – Basic UI
r – Reduced UI
f – Full UI (default)
/help
Help information
Restart Options
/norestart
Do not restart after the installation is complete
/promptrestart
Prompts the user for restart if necessary
/forcerestart
Always restart the computer after installation
Logging Options
/l[i|w|e|a|r|u|c|m|o|p|v|x|+|!|*] <LogFile>
i – Status messages
w – Nonfatal warnings
e – All error messages
a – Start up of actions
r – Action-specific records
u – User requests
c – Initial UI parameters
m – Out-of-memory or fatal exit information
o – Out-of-disk-space messages
p – Terminal properties
v – Verbose output
x – Extra debugging information
+ – Append to existing log file
! – Flush each line to the log
* – Log all information, except for v and x options
/log <LogFile>
Equivalent of /l* <LogFile>

Update Options
/update <Update1.msp>[;Update2.msp]
Applies update(s)
/uninstall <PatchCodeGuid>[;Update2.msp] /package <Product.msi | ProductCode>
Remove update(s) for a product

Repair Options
/f[p|e|c|m|s|o|d|a|u|v] <Product.msi | ProductCode>
Repairs a product
p – only if file is missing
o – if file is missing or an older version is installed (default)
e – if file is missing or an equal or older version is installed
d – if file is missing or a different version is installed
c – if file is missing or checksum does not match the calculated value
a – forces all files to be reinstalled
u – all required user-specific registry entries (default)
m – all required computer-specific registry entries (default)
s – all existing shortcuts (default)
v – runs from source and recaches local package

Setting Public Properties
[PROPERTY=PropertyValue]

How to convert install.esd to install.wim for WDS

So you need to make an install.wim for WDS from the ISO / Media

Important. Before you start, make sure that your machine has Windows ADK installation. and run all commands elevated as CMD(Administrator)

First, lets get info from ESD file to check available images.

These are usually indexed so you can build specific images for the different SKUs of Windows, Pro, Home, Single Language, Education.

In the path of the Windows installation media e.g.

D:\Win10\sources

dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:install.esd

Now we can build the image, this can take a while as the image is typically 2-3GB

dism /export-image /SourceImageFile:install.esd /SourceIndex:1 /DestinationImageFile:install.wim /Compress:max /CheckIntegrity

 

Windows Creators Update 10.0.15063

You can check the windows build version of an extracted ISO or USB installed by running the following command

Open Command Prompt

For ESD

dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:E:\sources\install.esd /index:1

For install.wim (Enterprise versions)

dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:E:\sources\install.wim /index:1

The Output will be something similar to this

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.14393.0

Details for image : E:\sources\install.esd

Index : 1
Name : Windows 10 Pro
Description : Windows 10 Pro
Size : 15,278,163,599 bytes
WIM Bootable : No
Architecture : x64
Hal : <undefined>
Version : 10.0.15063
ServicePack Build : 0
ServicePack Level : 0
Edition : Professional
Installation : Client
ProductType : WinNT
ProductSuite : Terminal Server
System Root : WINDOWS
Directories : 19702
Files : 101866
Created : 20/03/2017 - 04:53:17
Modified : 11/04/2017 - 13:02:36
Languages :
 en-GB (Default)

The operation completed successfully.

Version 10.0.15063 is the 11th April 2017 creators update, I am doing this on launch day as I have multiple machines to update and don’t want to accidentally join the Windows Insider programme for production machines.

 

Reinstalling Edge

To completely reset all edge preferences for the local account delete

 

C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Reinstalling Edge

Microsoft Edge, is tightly integrated with Windows 10, however sometimes it needs some basic understanding in order to troubleshoot.

Here are some useful facts.

Edge uses an internal Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) database to store favorites. The location of the database is:

C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AC\MicrosoftEdge\User\Default\DataStore\Data\nouser1\120712-049\DBStore\spartan.edb

To fully reset Edge

1. Click the three dots . . .  > Settings > Clear
2. Close Edge
3. Remove everything from the following location:

C:\Users\%username\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe

Reinstall

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose}

Confirm Logged Events

Get-Appxlog | Out-GridView