Activate Command Prompt in the Login Screen
Revision as of 13:06, 3 March 2016 by 24.152.219.21 (24.152.219.21)
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
Contents
Steps
- Open the start menu and click on Computer
- Double click on your C:\ drive (or wherever Windows is installed)
- Double click on the Windows folder, then click on the system32 folder.
- Click into the search bar at the top right of the window and type "sethc" without quotes, into the bar
- Right click the file with a circular logo and click Rename
- Rename the file "sethc2", without quotes and click enter.
- Click Yes in any boxes that ask you for administrator permission
- Start a new search for "cmd"
- Right click the file with a black-boxed logo and click "Copy"
- Exit out of the search by clicking the red X in the search bar
- Staying in the same folder, right click an empty area of the screen and click Paste
- Right click the file you just created and click "Rename"
- Name the file "sethc" without quotes and press Enter
- Close all open windows and press the Shift key 5 times.
- A command prompt window should appear
Video
Template:Video:Activate Command Prompt in the Login Screen
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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