is there a command like start, but start doesnt do it...but the command would open up a folder (not in DOS but regular windows)?

-sYes. Microsoft updates the command language with each version. In general there are switches and techniques avaliable in XP that are darn near impossible with Win9x.

That said, MANY COMMANDS are backward compatitable. Opening a folder in Windows with START is an option. Programs open with the default PROGRAM defined in the within the FILE type of the folder options.

Windows also has scripting abilities allowing the user to pretty much automate common tasks.

What are you trying to do? i have no idea what all that means...

im trying to open up not only .exe and such, but folders and other things (etc songs) from DOS...is that possible, i have ver 5.1.2600

thanks for helping
-sSteve - the ver you quote shows that you are running Windows XP. You can do all sorts of things from the Command prompt.

For example - in my setup - if I enter at the C:> prompt:
"D:\MUSIC FILES\PATSY KLINE\PATSY KLINE - I FALL TO PIECES.MP3"

the media player will be opened by Windows and the track will be played. This happens because the OS recognises that - again in my setup - .mp3 files are associated with WMP. I don't know why I would want to play a track using that method. Dos cannot "open" (meaning play) music tracks, the player has to be called somewhere along the line.

Don't forget that in XP you are NOT running standalone Dos but the Dos emulator running in Windows.

Note that in the above example the "" are required because of the spaces in the folder\track names.

Please please tell us what you are trying to achieve, then we can possibly advise you about the best way to go.

kickass man it work, thanks...so i just type the WHOLE filename with all the extensions in quotes, and it will open it with whatever its opening program is?

thanks

-s