How to Enable Automatic Complete for the Command Prompt (Cmd.exe)

• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

SUMMARY

File name completion and folder name completion are quick-search features of the Windows NT command processor, Cmd.exe. When you type a path or a file name and then press TAB, Cmd.exe searches for all files whose path and file name match your entry.

NOTE: Automatic complete for CMD.exe is not enabled by default in Windows 2000.

When you type a path and then press the TAB key, the command processor searches for all files whose path (but not necessarily the file name) matches your entry. The command processor displays one of the matching file names each time you press TAB. To go backward through the list of file names, press SHIFT+TAB. This article describes how to enable automatic complete for Cmd.exe.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).
To enable automatic complete for Cmd.exe, use Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) to view the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Command Processor

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbtool
Version : WINDOWS:2000; winnt:4.0
Platform : WINDOWS winnt
Issue type : kbhowto