CMDHelper

A lightweight Windows utility that enhances the command prompt experience with context menu integration, three distinct operating modes, and customizable color schemes.

Features

• Right-Click Context Menu - Open CMD in any folder directly from Windows Explorer
• Three Operating Modes - Admin, User, and System modes with distinct visual styles
• Color-Coded Terminals - Instant visual identification of privilege level
• Self-Installing - First run automatically installs and configures the utility
• Customizable - Configure colors via command line or registry

Operating Modes

Mode	Color	Privilege	Use Case
Admin	Red text on black	Elevated (UAC)	Administrative tasks requiring elevated privileges
User	Green text on black	Standard	Day-to-day development and file operations
System	Yellow text on black	Elevated (UAC)	System-level tasks, services, and maintenance

Installation

Option 1: Download Release

1. Download the latest CMDHelper.exe from Releases
2. Run CMDHelper.exe - it will self-install on first run
3. Right-click any folder to see the new context menu options

Option 2: Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/AuthorityGate/CMDHelper.git
cd CMDHelper

# Open in Visual Studio 2022
start CMDHelper.sln

# Build Release|x64 configuration

Requirements:

• Visual Studio 2022 (v143 toolset)
• Windows 10 SDK

Usage

Context Menu

After installation, right-click on any folder or folder background:

• AuthorityGate CMD (Admin) - Opens elevated command prompt (Red)
• AuthorityGate CMD (User) - Opens standard command prompt (Green)
• AuthorityGate CMD (System) - Opens elevated command prompt (Yellow)

Command Line

CMDHelper.exe [options] [directory]

Options:
  --help           Show help message
  --admin          Open CMD as Administrator (Red)
  --user           Open CMD as standard User (Green)
  --system         Open CMD for System tasks (Yellow)
  --reinstall      Reinstall registry entries and shortcuts
  --uninstall      Remove all registry entries and shortcuts
  --set-colors     Customize terminal colors

Examples:
  CMDHelper.exe --admin                    # Open admin prompt in default location
  CMDHelper.exe "C:\Projects" --admin      # Open admin prompt in C:\Projects
  CMDHelper.exe --system                   # Open system prompt (yellow) in default location
  CMDHelper.exe "C:\Windows" --system      # Open system prompt in C:\Windows
  CMDHelper.exe --set-colors 4 A E 0 0 0   # Red admin, green user, yellow system, all black backgrounds

Color Codes

Use these codes with --set-colors <AdminText> <UserText> <SystemText> <AdminBg> <UserBg> <SystemBg>:

Code	Color	Code	Color
0	Black	8	Gray
1	Blue	9	Light Blue
2	Green	A	Light Green
3	Aqua	B	Light Aqua
4	Red	C	Light Red
5	Purple	D	Light Purple
6	Yellow	E	Light Yellow
7	White	F	Bright White

Default colors:

• Admin: Red text (4) on Black background (0)
• User: Light Green text (A) on Black background (0)
• System: Yellow text (E) on Black background (0)

Installation Details

CMDHelper installs to:

C:\Program Files\AuthorityGate\CMDHelper\
├── CMDHelper.exe
└── Authority_Gate_CMD.ico

Icon Configuration

The application uses a custom icon (Authority_Gate_CMD.ico) which appears in:

• Windows Explorer context menu entries
• Start Menu shortcuts
• The executable file itself (embedded resource)

Important: When running CMDHelper for the first time, ensure Authority_Gate_CMD.ico is in the same directory as CMDHelper.exe. The installer copies both files to the Program Files location.

If the icon doesn't appear in context menus:

1. Verify the icon exists at C:\Program Files\AuthorityGate\CMDHelper\Authority_Gate_CMD.ico
2. Run CMDHelper.exe --reinstall as Administrator
3. Restart Windows Explorer or log out/in to refresh the icon cache

To manually refresh the Windows icon cache:

ie4uinit.exe -show

Start Menu shortcuts are created in:

Start Menu\Programs\AuthorityGate Utilities\
├── CMDHelper (Admin).lnk      # Red - elevated
├── CMDHelper (User).lnk       # Green - standard
├── CMDHelper (System).lnk     # Yellow - elevated
├── CMDHelper (Reinstall).lnk
└── CMDHelper (Uninstall).lnk

Registry entries are created at:

• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\OpenCmdHereAsAdmin
• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\OpenCmdHereAsUser
• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\OpenCmdHereAsSystem
• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\OpenCmdHereAsAdmin
• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\OpenCmdHereAsUser
• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell\OpenCmdHereAsSystem
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\AuthorityGate\CMDHelper

Uninstallation

Option 1: Using the utility

CMDHelper.exe --uninstall

Option 2: Manual removal

1. Delete C:\Program Files\AuthorityGate\CMDHelper\
2. Delete Start Menu shortcuts from AuthorityGate Utilities
3. Remove registry keys (run as Administrator):

reg delete "HKCR\Directory\shell\OpenCmdHereAsAdmin" /f
reg delete "HKCR\Directory\shell\OpenCmdHereAsUser" /f
reg delete "HKCR\Directory\shell\OpenCmdHereAsSystem" /f
reg delete "HKCR\Directory\Background\shell\OpenCmdHereAsAdmin" /f
reg delete "HKCR\Directory\Background\shell\OpenCmdHereAsUser" /f
reg delete "HKCR\Directory\Background\shell\OpenCmdHereAsSystem" /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\AuthorityGate\CMDHelper" /f

Building

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 or later
• Visual Studio 2022 with C++ Desktop Development workload
• Windows 10 SDK (10.0 or later)

Build Steps

1. Open CMDHelper.sln in Visual Studio 2022
2. Select configuration: Release | x64 (recommended) or Release | Win32
3. Build → Build Solution (Ctrl+Shift+B)
4. Output: x64\Release\CMDHelper.exe

Build Configurations

Configuration	Platform	Use Case
Release x64	64-bit	Modern Windows (recommended)
Release Win32	32-bit	Legacy compatibility
Debug x64	64-bit	Development/debugging
Debug Win32	32-bit	Development/debugging

Technical Details

• Language: C++ (C++17)
• Framework: Win32 API
• Dependencies: None (standalone executable)
• Size: ~50KB (Release build)
• Privileges: Requires Administrator for installation; context menu can launch Admin or User mode

How It Works

1. On first run, detects absence of registry key and triggers installation
2. Copies executable to Program Files
3. Creates registry entries for Explorer context menu integration
4. Creates Start Menu shortcuts via COM Shell Link interface
5. Adds install directory to system PATH
6. On subsequent runs, reads color settings from registry and launches CMD with appropriate parameters

FAQ

Q: Why does Windows SmartScreen warn about this application?
A: The executable is not code-signed. You can click "More info" → "Run anyway" or build from source.

Q: Can I change the installation directory?
A: Currently, the installation path is hardcoded. You can modify CMDHelper.cpp and rebuild if needed.

Q: Does this work with Windows Terminal?
A: This utility specifically launches cmd.exe. Windows Terminal integration would require different implementation.

Q: How do I reset to default colors?
A: Run CMDHelper.exe --set-colors 4 A E 0 0 0 (Red admin, Green user, Yellow system, all black backgrounds)

Q: What's the difference between Admin and System modes?
A: Both run elevated (with UAC prompt), but have different colors for visual distinction. Use Admin (red) for administrative tasks and System (yellow) for system-level maintenance, services, or when you want a visual reminder you're doing system work.

Contributing

This is a standalone utility provided as-is. While we welcome bug reports via GitHub Issues, please note:

• This project is provided without support or warranty
• Pull requests may be reviewed but response times are not guaranteed
• Feature requests will be considered but not guaranteed

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Disclaimer

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE AUTHORS AND COPYRIGHT HOLDERS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES, OR OTHER LIABILITY ARISING FROM THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

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AuthorityGate, Inc. - authoritygate.com