How to Open Control Panel Folders from the Command Prompt (180025)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0

This article was previously published under Q180025

SUMMARY

This article describes how to start Control Panel applications and open folders at the MS-DOS command prompt.

MORE INFORMATION

Use the following syntax to launch Control Panel applications and open folders:

Syntax Description
Control desktop Launches the Desktop Control Panel subprogram
Control color Launches the Desktop Control Panel subprogram, with the Appearance tab preselected
Control date/time Launches the Date/Time Control Panel program
Control international Launches the Regional Settings Control Panel subprogram
Control mouse Launches the Mouse Control Panel subprogram
Control keyboard Launches the Keyboard Control Panel subprogram
Control printers Displays the Printers folder
Control fonts Displays the Fonts folder


For Windows 2000:

Syntax Description
Control folders Launches the Folder Settings Control Panel subprogram
Control netware Launches the Novell NetWare Control Panel subprogram (if installed)
Control telephony Launches the Phone and Modem Options Control Panel subprogram
Control admintools Displays the Administrative Tools folder
Control schedtasks Displays the Scheduled Tasks folder
Control netconnections Displays the Network and Dial-up Connections folder
Control infrared Launches the Infrared Control Panel subprogram (if installed)
Control userpasswords Launches the Users and Passwords Control Panel subprogram


For example, to open the printers folder, type the following at the MS-DOS command prompt:

control printers

The %Systemroot%\System32 folder also contains .cpl files that allow users to launch Control Panel applications through Windows Explorer or the command prompt. For a list of the .cpl files and their descriptions, please see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

ARTICLE-ID: 173132
TITLE : Replacing Missing Control Panel Icons


Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/3/2003
Keywords:kbinfo KB180025