COMMAND.COM

COMMAND.COM is the name for the default operating system shell (or command line interpreter) for DOS and 16/32bits versions of Windows (95/98/98 SE/Me). It also has an additional role, as the first program run after boot, hence being responsible for setting up the system by running the AUTOEXEC.BAT configuration file, and being the ancestor of all processes.

Related Topics:
Operating system shell - Command line interpreter - DOS - Windows - 95 - 98 - 98 SE - Me - AUTOEXEC.BAT

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As a shell, COMMAND.COM has two distinct modes of work. First is the interactive mode, in which the user types commands which are then executed immediately. The second is the batch mode, which executes a predefined sequence of commands stored as a text file with the extension .BAT. Its function as the default command interpreter is analogous to that of the Unix shells, although command.com's functionality is considerably more limited than that of its Unix counterparts.

Related Topics:
Batch - Unix shell

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cmd.exe is COMMAND.COM's successor on Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 and OS/2. COMMAND.COM is also available on those systems to provide compatibility when running DOS applications.

Related Topics:
Cmd.exe - Windows NT - 2000 - XP - 2003 - OS/2

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