Ondrej Žilinec – IT Blog

When you start cmd.exe in Windows 2008 or Windows 7 you will get little small tinny window:

Small cmd.exe

This is getting on my nerves to change is on every server/workstation I log in.

So I started RegSnap and find out that all settings which affects settings for cmd.exe are stored at registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Console.

I change my cmd.exe window to following:

• Font: Lucida Console
• Font size: 14
• Enable QuickEdit
• Changes to buffer sizes 9999×9999
• Changes to windows sizes 150×60
• Change font color to Yellow (255/255/0)

When I change to my favorite settings I see following changes:

And now we need to think how to automate it. We have couple options:

• Windows 2003 AD – Login script running .reg file
• Windows 2008 AD – Using GPO Preferences
• Manual runnig .reg file

Windows 2003 AD – Login script running .reg file

1.) Create .reg file in GPO login script location with following content:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

2.) Create .bat file in GPO login script location:

reg import console.reg

3.) Configure .bat file as login script in GPO and apply GPO

It’s good thing to delete registry HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Console before aplying new registries.

You can download my backup of GPO and use it.

Windows 2008 AD – Using GPO Preferences

Don’t forget to put all mentioned registries.

Console registry settings

So I hope this helps you to administer server more effective way.