If you like the power toy “Open Command Prompt Here” in Windows XP, you will pretty much love the new context menu “Open Command Window here” in Windows 7. Read on, more tips at the bottom.

What is it?

It’s a right-click context menu that opens a command prompt window at the current working directory, wherever you pop up the context menu.

How?

In Windows Explorer, simply hold the Shift key and right-click the folder you want to set as working directory, choose Open Command Window here .



What’s new and cool?

If the folder you are opening from is from a network place, let’s see what happens.

Yes, it automatically maps a drive letter for you.

Hmm, how can I open it as Administrator?

Click Start Menu , type “cmd” in the search box, hold down the Shift key and right-click cmd command. And choose Run as administrator from the context menu.

How to pin a command window to taskbar?

Click Start Menu , type “cmd” in the search box, drag and drop the cmd command to the taskbar. To modify properties, hold down the Shift key and right-click the Prompt Window icon on the taskbar. To have a complete context menu show up, make sure no Command Window open.

If you want to change the working directory to something else, click Properties , and type in the new directory in Start in box.

As you may have noticed, you can not only open a command window as administrator, but also as any different user too.