All except Vista, Click the start button located at the lower left of the desktop. Click "Run" at the lower right of the start menu. In the "run dialog" type command or cmd then click OK.
Vista. Click the round button with the flag in it at the lower left of the desktop. Directly above it is the search box. Type command and choose command prompt.
In Windows Vista, to launch an elevated command prompt, simply press the Win key; type cmd; press Ctrl+Shift+Enter; and then hit Alt+C to confirm the elevation prompt. Six keystrokes to an elevated command prompt
Some Common Commands
ipconfig displays the basic network configuration. ipconfig/all
displays advanced network configuration for all active adapters.
Sometimes you may need to copy or paste from/to the command line. Right click on the "Title Bar" at the top of the window. Choose "Edit" then select what operation you wish to perform.