How to boot Windows 8 or 8.1 into a DOS-style command prompt – StartupSmart

Before Windows 95, most PCs used to boot to DOS by default. While most of the time it led to people typing “WIN” at the C: prompt to get back to Program Manager, booting to a command line was occasionally handy when things went wrong.

If you run Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, you can still boot into a command prompt without loading the full Windows GUI if things go wrong – here’s how.

First, you need to get to the Advanced options screen. Here’s how to do it.

One of the five options should read “Command prompt”. Just click this button and you will be taken to a DOS-style command prompt – without loading the full GUI.