How to Enable Command Prompt Disabled by Virus

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Enable Command Prompt in Windows

I recently published an article on the topic, How to Disable Command Prompt in Administrator Mode and the feedback has simply been awesome. As discussed in the other tutorial, some viruses and malware can disable the Command Prompt window and make it inaccessible to the users. 

Also, Windows Administrators can purposefully disable the Command Prompt (CMD) themselves to prevent some critical system settings being compromised by other users of the system who have in-depth knowledge about the CMD. However, there are various ways to make the CMD active again by re-enabling it.

In this session, I am going to introduce you to a very simple technique that can be used to enable the Command Prompt if it has been disabled by system administrator or virus.  

Disabled Command Prompt Window
Disabled Command Prompt Window

Using the Registry Editor to Enable Command Prompt (Windows 7, 8, 10)

The Registry Editor is an in-built Windows Registry tool used for viewing and modifying a registry key. So we are going to enable the command prompt by simply changing its registry key.


Steps to Enable Command Prompt


Press Win key + R for the Run dialog box

Type regedit and press Enter on the keyboard or click the OK button below

Windows Run Dialog Box

The Registry Editor window pops up. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > System

(HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System)

In the right pane, double click on the DisableCMD for the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value window, change the Value data to 0 and click the OK button. 

Change Value Data Window

However, if the DisableCMD option is not there, you would have to create it yourself. Right click on any empty space in the right pane for New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Assign the DisableCMD name to it. Now double click and change the Value data to 0.

Create New DisableCMD Key

Close the Registry Editor and refresh. If the command prompt is still inaccessible, Restart the PC

Enabled Command Prompt Window
Enabled Command Prompt Window
If you followed the step by step instructions above, after refreshing or restarting your PC, the command prompt window should look like this one above.
  
I hope you found this tutorial interesting and helpful. Let’s get interactive by dropping your questions and suggestions in the comments box below. Enjoy!!!

Level: Intermediate

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