ColorConsole improves Windows' command line in multiple ways
The majority of Windows users are probably not using the Windows command line regularly, if at all. And there is no real need for that anymore on the system as the majority of standard operations can be run right from the graphical user interface instead.
If you have used the console before, you may have noticed that it looks like a relic from the past with its black & white interface and rather quirky handling.
ColorConsole is a portable alternative for Windows' cmd.exe tool that you can run right after you have unpacked it on your system. It is not replacing the default Windows command line tool, but merely providing you with an improved user interface for it that you can run instead of the original program.
You will notice a couple of things right away when you start the program for the first time.
- It uses more than two colors in its interface. You can modify the background and text color as you see fit using the toolbar up top.
- You can resize the program window horizontally and vertically and the text automatically scales to that.
- A toolbar is displayed on top with additional options.
Those are just the three features that you will probably notice immediately after starting ColorConsole. There is more though that you can make use of.
You can run commands right from the start location and do not need to switch to system32 manually for that. If you do not like the color scheme, you can easily change it with a click on the text and background color buttons in the main toolbar.
Here you can also add commands to the favorites by simply running them from that location. They become available in the pulldown menu afterwards so that you do not need to type them whenever you need to run them.
Commands can be added to the Commands menu of the menu bar as well so that they can be loaded from there right away when needed.
ColorConsole ships with a batch of other options that you may like. The menu bar displays additional tools and commands that you can make use of. Here you can increase or decrease the font size, export the last output to HTML or RTF, or switch to one of the themes the program ships with.
Another interesting option is the ability to run multiple versions of cmd.exe in different tabs in the same interface. Just select File > New or click on the new button to do just that. The tabs are completely independent of each other but use the same set of favorites and the same theme by default (you can change the latter so that they use different themes).
Last but not least, it is easier to copy, cut and paste information when you are using the ColorConsole interface as it works just like in any other text editor you come across.
Verdict
ColorConsole 2 ships with a batch of improvements for Windows' native cmd.exe interface: from saving command favorites over resizing the window to your liking to different color schemes. All of those extra features make it easier to use, and since it is portable, it has no impact on the system whatsoever.
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What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277
I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
Tank you for your help