cmd.exe, or the Command Prompt, is the default command-line interpreter for many Microsoft-created operating systems.
From Wikipedia:
"Command Prompt" (executable name
cmd.exe) is the Microsoft-supplied command-line interpreter (CLI) on OS/2, Windows CE and on Windows NT-based operating systems (including Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003 and Server 2008). It is the analog ofCOMMAND.COMin MS-DOS and Windows 9x (and earlier) systems (where it is called "MS-DOS Prompt"), and analogous to the Unix shells used on Unix-like systems.
cmd.exe is the interpreter for Windows batch files (command files),
which typically have the extension .bat or .cmd.
Resources:
- (Windows XP) Command-line reference
- Microsoft's Command Prompt: FAQ
- Adding fonts to the Command Prompt
- An A-Z Index of the Windows CMD command line
Alternatives:
Alternative command-line apps that offer more features and customization which is not available in the standard Windows CMD.
