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[Solved] Start CMD With Inactive Window

Posted: 21 Apr 2012 10:01
by alleypuppy
Hey everybody,

I want to know how to open another Command Prompt window from an existing one without the new window being placed in front of the existing window; I want it to open as an inactive window, in other words. Is there a way to do this without having to download an external program?

Thanks for the help!

Re: Start CMD With Inactive Window

Posted: 21 Apr 2012 10:59
by !k
start /b :?:

Re: Start CMD With Inactive Window

Posted: 21 Apr 2012 15:47
by foxidrive
This will start another CMD prompt window minimised.

Code: Select all

start /min

Re: Start CMD With Inactive Window

Posted: 21 Apr 2012 19:16
by alleypuppy
!k wrote:start /b :?:
"START /B" opens the program in the same window, which is not what I want.
foxidrive wrote:This will start another CMD prompt window minimised.

Code: Select all

start /min
I don't want the window to be minimized. The window that I want to open inactively is supposed to be a log file of sorts that comes up behind the window that the user's interacting with. I don't want the user to have to manually make the window inactive when it pops up.

Thanks for any help!

Re: Start CMD With Inactive Window

Posted: 22 Apr 2012 02:50
by Ed Dyreen
'
An external app may do the trick

Code: Select all

cmdow.EXE "process" /INA

Re: Start CMD With Inactive Window

Posted: 24 Apr 2012 22:56
by alleypuppy
Ed Dyreen wrote:'
An external app may do the trick

Code: Select all

cmdow.EXE "process" /INA
This works great! Thanks!

Re: [Solved] Start CMD With Inactive Window

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 07:24
by !k
alleypuppy wrote:Is there a way to do this without having to download an external program?

:mrgreen:

Re: Start CMD With Inactive Window

Posted: 25 Apr 2012 07:44
by foxidrive
alleypuppy wrote:
foxidrive wrote:This will start another CMD prompt window minimised.

Code: Select all

start /min
The window that I want to open inactively is supposed to be a log file of sorts that comes up behind the window that the user's interacting with. I don't want the user to have to manually make the window inactive when it pops up.


Minimised also means it is inactive.

Have you considered that if a window is in the background then it has to be clicked on to bring to the foreground, on the same way that a minimised window does?


At least it will if the CMD windows are set to appear in the same position, which is how I have cmd windows set to appear.

Re: [Solved] Start CMD With Inactive Window

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 18:11
by MrKnowItAllxx
At least it will if the CMD windows are set to appear in the same position, which is how I have cmd windows set to appear.


How would one go about changing that setting (I would like to)

Re: [Solved] Start CMD With Inactive Window

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 06:08
by foxidrive
Right click a CMD prompt window and set the DEFAULTS. Save it and select it to to affect all future windows and you're done. You can also set the font, colour of text and size, cmd history etc etc

FWIW here is how mine is set up wrt buffers and editing options etc.

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/cm176