Activate Command Prompt in the Login Screen

Revision as of 01:56, 26 April 2022 by Kipkis (Kipkis | contribs) (Text replacement - "[[Category:C" to "[[Category: C")

If you wish to have another way to access a computer without a user account, or you just want to impress your friends, you can get a command prompt window in the login screen! Please read warnings before proceeding

Steps

  1. Open the start menu and click on Computer
  2. Double click on your C:\ drive (or wherever Windows is installed)
  3. Double click on the Windows folder, then click on the system32 folder.
  4. Click into the search bar at the top right of the window and type "sethc" without quotes, into the bar
  5. Right click the file with a circular logo and click Rename
  6. Rename the file "sethc2", without quotes and click enter.
  7. Click Yes in any boxes that ask you for administrator permission
  8. Start a new search for "cmd"
  9. Right click the file with a black-boxed logo and click "Copy"
  10. Exit out of the search by clicking the red X in the search bar
  11. Staying in the same folder, right click an empty area of the screen and click Paste
  12. Right click the file you just created and click "Rename"
  13. Name the file "sethc" without quotes and press Enter
  14. Close all open windows and press the Shift key 5 times.
  15. A command prompt window should appear

Video

Tips

  • This method works by replacing the file that normally runs when you press the Shift key 5 times (StickyKeys) with a copy of command prompt.
  • You will have to change Windows settings to allow you see System32 files, see Unhide-Folders-in-Windows-7 for how to do this.
  • These steps are written for Windows 7. Steps for Vista, XP, and older may vary.
  • To restore your computer back to normal, delete the duplicate command prompt and rename the original file from sethc2 back to sethc.

Warnings

  • These instructions do leave a large hole in your computer's security, so be careful!
  • Make a backup of your computer before you change anything, so if anything goes wrong, you can restore your computer.
  • This how-to involves changing files critical to the running of Windows. DO NOT deviate from these instructions or you will mess up your computer.
  • This method will not work on 64-bit versions of Windows 7 due to heightened security measures requiring you to have permission from Trusted Installer (the application that allows you to install programs) before modifying system files.

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