CMD (Command Prompt) in Windows operating system is a legacy way of performing low-level tasks faster than PowerShell. WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) offers great command tools but it’s not designed for everything regarding Windows.
Here are my top picks of CMD usecases still in 2025:
1. Diskpart
Diskpart has straightforward access and interface for creating and managing partitions. You don’t get overhead like when using PowerShell or WSL. Since it operates low-level it’s faster option for simple tasks. PowerShell also has more learning curve. Regarding Windows WSL it has more limited access for partitioning in since it’s not intended for disk management. (WSL = Windows Subsystem for Linux)
Sometimes wiping, re-assigning disk and making it active again gives a hard disk or usb a new life. Especially if you’re suspecting your hard drive is faulty and you cannot install new OS. For example a scenario where Windows installation tool doesn’t detect the drive but it’s visible in your BIOS. It doesn’t hurt to give Diskpart a try. Note that you can access to CMD from Windows installation USB tool without Windows being installed on hard drive. It’s found on diagnostic toolkit of the USB.
Making USB-tool for Windows:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420d
A Simple example of re-formatting with CMD:
You can enter to diskpart by just typing “diskpart” on CMD and hit Enter.
list disk
select disk #
clean
create partition primary
select partition 1
format fs=ntfs quick
(FOR USB use “format fs=fat32 quick”)
(And if you are making bootable USB, remember “active” before assigning a letter)
assign letter=E
exit
2. Network troubleshooting
When you want to keep it simple and don’t need automated tasks or detailed info CMD is a great tool for network troubleshooting. You can ping targets to figure out if one is not connected to the network, display network configuration, check active network connections, ports and their states.. It’s an effective tool for real-time troubleshooting since commands are quickly executed.
You can go full ADHD with pinging your network device IP and figure out the scale of network connection issue! 😀 (I’m not diagnosed but I wouldn’t be surprised..)
ping ← test network connectivity
ipconfig ← show IP address and network info
tracert ← trace route to a remote server
netstat ← view network connections
3. System checks
Powershell might offer possibility for automated/scripted repairs but CMD is more straightforward and default for disk checks and repairs. chkdsk can be used with PowerShell but doesn’t offer real benefits over CMD speed.
systeminfo ← get system details
sfc /scannow ← scan and fix corrupted system files
chkdsk ← check hard drive for errors
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