Batch File hiding

[hougtimo]

Hi,

I have an unattended windows installation. In this I have a CMD file that runs from winnt.sif (GuiRunOnce). Now it works perfectly, but it shows the user what it is doing. What i want is it still to show the CMD window, but have no text displayed within it.

Is this possibke, and if it is, how would I go about doing it?

thanks

HougTimo

[ZileXa]

You can hide batchfiles (.cmd or .bat) completely by using HIDE.EXE or BATCHRUNNER.EXE

batchrunner you can find on msfn, there is a topic....

hide.exe... perhaps google.

I use hide.exe for a batchfile, the final thing the batchfile does is start a PDFfile, nice thing is, the batchfile is completely hidden because of hide.exe, but the pdf file is shown. exactly what I wanted.

I'm not sure if this is what you mean.

[myno]

i prefer to use cmdow.exe

just put it into \$OEM$\$$\System32

the first string in your .cmd should be "cmdow @ /hid" and you wont c the current command window anymore.

i know u want to c the .cmd window but with no text in it, so perhaps you try to play around with cmdow.

CMDOW [Version 1.4.2]Win32 Commandline Window Utility for NT4/W2K/XP.

© Copyright 2001-2002 Ritchie Lawrence, http://www.commandline.co.uk.

CMDOW [window | /T] [/F] [/P]

CMDOW /TH | /TV | /MA | /CW | /UW | /AT | /FS | /WM

CMDOW window {[/ACT] [/iNA] [/ENA] [/DIS] [/VIS] [/HID] [/MIN] [/MAX] [/RES]

[/TOP] [/NOT] [/REN caption] [/MOV left top] [/sIZ width height] [/CLS]

[/END]}

CMDOW /RUN [state] file [args]

window List specified window (if omitted, all windows are listed).

/T List windows only shown on the taskbar.

/B List windows using bare format (no heading information).

/F List windows showing full information (don't truncate any fields).

/P List windows showing position and size (left, top, width and height).

/TH Tile windows horizontally. /TV Tile windows vertically.

/MA Minimize all windows. /CW Cascade windows.

/UW Undo tile/minimize/cascade. /AT Intelligent [Alt]-[Tab]

/FS Switch to full screen mode. /WM Switch to window mode.

/ACT Activate specified window. /INA Inactivate specified window.

/ENA Enable specified window. /DIS Disable specified window.

/VIS Unhide specified window. /HID Hide specified window.

/MIN Minimize specified window. /MAX Maximize specified window.

/RES Restore specified window. /REN Rename specified window.

/TOP Make window always on top. /NOT Make window not always on top.

/MOV Move specified window. /SIZ Resize specified window.

/CLS Close specified window. /END Kill process linked to window.

/RUN Executes or opens specified file using associated application.

state Initial show state of window (/MIN, /MAX or /HID). Default is normal.

args Optional commandline arguments passed to launched application.

Specify a window by its caption (case insensitive) or handle in hex format.

The At symbol '@' may be used to refer to this window. For more help on any

parameter use CMDOW /? <parameter>. Eg CMDOW /? /RUN or CMDOW /? window.

Edited March 28, 2006 by myno

[bledd]

cmdow is what you need

there's many different switches for it

@ /hid completly hides the window

[gunsmokingman]

You can use a VBS script to hide the batch

Example

After the batch has completed it will display a message box that will close it self in 7 seconds.

Const Hidden = 0,Normal = 1,Min = 2 
  Dim Act
   Set Act = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
   Act.Run("PLACE_YOUR_BATCH_FILE_HERE"),Hidden,True
  Act.Popup "Completed the script", 7, 0 + 32, "Finished Script"

[ZileXa]

CMDOW canNOT hide the batchwindow completely, you will see a black window flashing!

Personally, I find it an ugly solution. Hide.exe hides it completely, no need to add code or use VBS (some people remove VBS with Nlite).

I couldn't find the official website or topic, but here is HIDE.EXE

use hide.exe /? to see the options.

dito for BATCHRUNNER.EXE

use batchrunner.exe /? to see the options.

But I would recommend HIDE.EXE

[gunsmokingman]

Here is the advantage of using a VBS, you do not have to relay on 3rd party programs. The script I posted will hide the cmd window completly. No flashes

Example script

Save As Hide_HideWindowComSpec.vbs

Const Hide = 0, Norm = 1, Min = 2, Max =3 : Dim Act, CMD1,Fso, Ts, SD, VBSVBS ="\HideWindowComSpec.vbs" : CMD1 = "\TestHideCmd.Cmd" '''' VARIBLES FOR THE SCRIPTSet Act = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell") '''' OBJECT FOR THE SCRIPTSet Fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") '''' OBJECT FOR THE SCRIPTSet Ts = Fso.CreateTextFile(SD & CMD1) '''' THIS BUILD THE CMD TO RUN THEN THE CMD BUILDS THE TEXT FILESD = Act.ExpandEnvironmentStrings("%Systemdrive%") '''' SET THE SYSTEM DRIVE TO SD'''' WRITE THE CMD THEN RUNS ITTs.WriteLine "@Echo Off" & vbCrLf & "set D=%Date%" & vbCrLf & "Echo The Date : %D% > MyTextTest.txt" &_"&& Echo User Name : %UserName% >> MyTextTest.txt && Echo Windows Dir : %Windir% >> MyTextTest.txt"Ts.Close'''' STARTS THE RUN AND DELETE PHAZEAct.Run(SD & CMD1),Hide,True '''' RUNS THE CMD HIDDENAct.Run("MyTextTest.txt"),Norm,True '''' RUN THE TEXT FILE MADE BY THE CMDFso.DeleteFile(SD & CMD1) '''' DELETES THE FILESFso.DeleteFile("MyTextTest.txt") '''' DELETES THE FILESIf Fso.FileExists(SD & VBS) Then '''' CHECKS THEN DELETE THIS FILEFso.DeleteFile(SD & VBS)End If

Here is a SFX file that will run the above VBS script

I Gunsmokingman give all users full permission to do what ever they want with this script.

HideWindowComSpec.exe

[ZileXa]

Here is the advantage of using a VBS, you do not have to relay on 3rd party programs. The script I posted will hide the cmd window completly. No flashes

good point

[Yzöwl]

Most of the time I think we tend to get a little scared of VBScript. If we only need to run a quick command hidden we can meet it half way, remove all the set and dim and const bulk and just invoke a vbs using more familiar batch type coding.

Here is an example, it will run the command completely hidden, it will count for 10 seconds and create a directory in the current location called testdir

CmdLine="ping -n 11 localhost>nul &&MD testdir"
CreateObject("WScript.Shell").run "%comspec% /c " &CmdLine,0,True

[gunsmokingman]

Most of the time I think we tend to get a little scared of VBScript. If we only need to run a quick command hidden we can meet it half way, remove all the set and dim and const bulk and just invoke a vbs using more familiar batch type coding.

Here is an example, it will run the command completely hidden, it will count for 10 seconds and create a directory in the current location called testdir

CmdLine="ping -n 11 localhost>nul &&MD testdir"
CreateObject("WScript.Shell").run "%comspec% /c " &CmdLine,0,True

I only put in that in as a force of habit.

This is the same script as Yzöwl, but I have added a open the folder then it waits for you to close the folder then it deletes the folder.

CreateObject("WScript.Shell").run "%comspec% /c " &CmdLine,0,True

CreateObject("WScript.Shell").run("explorer.exe " & CreateObject("WScript.Shell").CurrentDirectory & "\testdir"),1,True

CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject").DeleteFolder(CreateObject("WScript.Shell").CurrentDirectory & "\testdir")

[spazmire11]

What i want is it still to show the CMD window, but have no text displayed within it.

wow he dosent need all of that stuff this can be achived with a simple

echo off

then when you want to display text just use echo "text"

if you want it to show the commands again then just do echo on.

[Djé]

Most of the time I think we tend to get a little scared of VBScript.

That's very true!

Specially when displayed as a dense blue text like in the code/quote boxes of this forum.

That's a pitty there is no color coding for the main languages used here.

Something like [code type=vbs] tags.

Anyway, I loved (and understood!) your simple 2 lines example. I may try VBS one day...

...When I will have forgotten a bit how frustrating its sibling VBA is.

Anyway, spazmire11 has the right answer to the original question, I guess.

wow he dosent need all of that stuff this can be achived with a simple echo off

Edited March 28, 2006 by Djé

[Yzöwl]

Technically no, what is actually required for the original question is to run the batch file with stderr and stdout redirected

mybatch.cmd >nul 2>&1

There may be a problem with this syntax however from GuiRunOnce in winnt.sif.

[jdoe]

I know it's not relevent anymore since everyone misunderstood the real question and the good answer must be the one from Yzöwl about >nul (with echo off).

But about hiding command prompt window without using 3rd party program or VBScript there is one more solution I don't remember having see in other topics.

TEST.INF

[Version]
Signature="$Windows NT$"
AdvancedINF=2.5

[DefaultInstall]
RunPostSetupCommands=DefaultInstall.RunPostSetupCommands:1

[DefaultInstall.RunPostSetupCommands]
TEST.CMD

And you call it like this

rundll32.exe advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection TEST.INF,DefaultInstall

Edited April 5, 2006 by jdoe

[Djé]

Technically no, what is actually required for the original question is to run the batch file with stderr and stdout redirected

mybatch.cmd >nul 2>&1

There may be a problem with this syntax however from GuiRunOnce in winnt.sif.

Yes, after posting, I just remembered one of your posts showing the >nul for stdout, although it was for each individual command.

What is that 2>&1 doing for stderr ??

And maybe hougtimo doesn't want that level of nudity (that is really bare bone) and would appreciate a few veils of echo to tell what's going on? but that's just a conjecture.

rundll32.exe advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection TEST.INF

Hey, jdoe, you seems to know a lot about that advanced inf syntax. Do you have some link to good documentation about it?

Last time I could not manage to register/unregister dlls using that advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection stuff.