In computing, start is a command of the IBM OS/2,[1] Microsoft Windows[2] and ReactOS[3] command-line interpreter cmd.exe[4] (and some versions of COMMAND.COM) to start programs or batch files or to open files or directories using the default program. start is not available as a standalone program. The underlying Win32 API is ShellExecute.

start
Developer(s)IBM, Microsoft, ReactOS Contributors
Operating systemOS/2, Microsoft Windows, ReactOS
TypeCommand

The command is also one of the basic commands implemented in the Keyboard Monitor (KMON) of the DEC RT-11 operating system.[5] The TOPS-10[6] and TOPS-20[7] operating systems also provide a start command. It is used to start a program in memory at a specified address.

Other environments

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Description of the START command of RT-11SJ displayed on a VT100.
  • Typical Unix shells (bash, etc.) have no built-in registry of file types and associated default applications. Linux command-line tools with similar functions include xdg-open[8] and run-mailcap.
  • On Cygwin, the command is implemented as the cygstart executable.[9]
  • In PowerShell, the Invoke-Item cmdlet is used to invoke an executable or open a file.[10]
  • On Apple macOS and MorphOS, the corresponding command is open.[11]
  • On Stratus OpenVOS it is start_process.[12]

Syntax

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Windows, ReactOS

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start ["title"] [/D path] [/I][/B][/MIN][/MAX][/WAIT] [command/program] [parameters]

"title" Title of the window.

Path Specifies the startup directory.

I Use the original environment given to cmd.exe, instead of the current environment.

B Starts the command or program without creating any window.

MIN Starts with a minimized window.

MAX Starts with a maximized window.

WAIT Starts the command or program and waits for its termination.

command Specifies the parameters to be given to the command or program.

Examples

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Windows, ReactOS

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C:\>start notepad file.txt
C:\>start "C:\My Music\My Song.mp3"
C:\>start www.wikipedia.org

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "JaTomes Help - OS/2 Commands". Archived from the original on 2019-04-14. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
  2. ^ "MS-DOS and Windows command line start command".
  3. ^ "Reactos/Reactos". GitHub. 3 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Start". Microsoft Learn. 2021-11-12. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  5. ^ "Rt-11 Help File". Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  6. ^ TOPS-10 Operating System Commands Manual (PDF). Digital Equipment Corporation. August 1980. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2019-02-17.
  7. ^ "TOPS-20 Command manual" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  8. ^ "XDG-utils".
  9. ^ "cygstart man page on Cygwin". www.polarhome.com.
  10. ^ "Start - Start a program - Windows CMD - SS64.com". ss64.com.
  11. ^ "Shell Commands/Open - MorphOS Library". library.morph.zone. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  12. ^ Stratus Technologies Bermuda, Ltd (2017). "OpenVOS Commands Reference Manual" (PDF).

Further reading

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