Help Switch Syntax
This is the proper syntax that needs to be used to run the help switch: After entering the command you have questions about, put a space and then type /?. With most commands, the help switch takes precedence over other options used with the command and will prevent the command from executing. The help switch, then, is useful only for informational purposes. For example, either format /? or format a: /? (or any use of the format command) will display the command’s help information only and won’t, in this example, actually format the hard drive.
More Information on the Help Switch
The forward slash (/) is used to execute switches for commands, and the question mark (?) is for the help switch in particular. Unlike other switches that usually only work for a specific command (like the examples seen below), the help switch is different. While the help command is not available with every command, the /? is, providing the same level of helpful information. The help switch is available with Command Prompt commands, DOS commands, and Recovery Console commands. The net commands have a special help switch, /help or /h, which is equivalent to using /? with other commands. If you want a copy of all the results from the help switch, all you have to do is use a redirection operator to redirect the command output to a file. What you see below, and more, can be saved to a TXT file when the redirection operator is used. The help switch is sometimes called the help option, help command switch, question switch, and question option.
How to Use the Help Switch
The help switch is really easy to use with any command:
Help Switch Examples
Executing the above at a Command Prompt will give an explanation of the available switches, like in the picture above, as well as the command’s syntax: The help switch does not need to be run with administrative privileges, do it doesn’t need to be executed from an elevated Command Prompt. It’s still possible to use it there, but you can also just use a regular Command Prompt. Like mentioned above, the help switch can be used on the format command, too: Below is part of what the help switch describes when applied to the call command. This command is used in a batch file to run other scripts or batch programs from within another script or batch program: The at command is just one more example: As you can see, it doesn’t matter at all what the command is. Just put /? at the end, before you press Enter, to use the help switch with that specific command.
