Edit Command removed from Win7 x64

[cimerian79]

Hello,

Anyone know why Microsoft took out the "EDIT" commend from the Command Prompt in x64 bit? Is there a work around to get add it or set it so the command works? Seems dumb for them to remove it if you have actual problems with the GUI.

 

[Ijack]

The "edit" command is missing from all 64-bit versions of Windows because it is a 16-bit application. 64-bit Windows has no 16-bit subsystem and so cannot run such programs.

There are very few text editors that will run in a command prompt (and little need because, unlike UNIX, you can seldom correct Windows problems by editing text files), but if you really need one then emacs can be run in either text or GUI modes. And it is, arguably, the greatest text editor ever made.

 

[nocheese]

As ijack said...

What I do is I have a small .CMD file in my \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 called EDIT.CMD. It merely has the command NOTEPAD.EXE %1 in it. So now in a command window when I use the edit command like I used to in the old days it launches notepad instead.

 

[Ijack]

As ijack said...

What I do is I have a small .CMD file in my \WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 called EDIT.CMD. It merely has the command NOTEPAD.EXE %1 in it. So now in a command window when I use the edit command like I used to in the old days it launches notepad instead.

But that's not going to be much use if, as the OP says, there are problems with the GUI. On the other hand it would be a clever person who could fix that with a text editor.

 

[sminlal]

Windows Server Core is a GUI-less version of Windows - but even it uses Notepad to edit files. The low-level GUI stuff is pretty solid, it's really not something you have to worry about. For example, you can open up task manager and kill the desktop shell (Explorer.exe), then use File -> New Task to run Notepad. The shell and all it's attendant complications are not something that's needed to run a basic GUI program like Notepad.

As things go in the list of concerns with Windows, a lack of EDIT.EXE is awfully far down on the list.

 

[ratpoison987]

Notepad is useless for editing text documents created with linux/unix.

They appear as one long line without any cr/lf. I used the edit.exe on the command line (which did recognize unix/linux formatted text documents). I'd simply add a line/delete a line, ctrl-f, x, yes to save, then reopen in notepad, Voila - properly formatted text document.

Notepad and edit are two completely different programs, to substitute one for the other is like substituting a metric wrench for an imperial one.

Anyways. Leave it to M$ to do something like that.

 

[ratpoison987]

Not to be the guy bitching about problems without offering solutions.

Wordpad does the same thing I'm talking about. I just preferred edit.

 

[MrDaedalean]

My offer of a solution would be to install a Virtual 32 machine, like XP.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/install-and-use-windows-xp-mode-in-windows-7

The system is naturally implemented for the mentoned problem, and all others remnant programs.

Con: It requires a Virtualization Ready CPU
Pro: Most dated PC machines provide Virtualization CPU's. My Aspire 5251 Laptop is one of them.

 

[MrDaedalean]

My offer of a solution would be to install a Virtual 32 machine, like XP.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/install-and-use-windows-xp-mode-in-windows-7

The system is naturally implemented for the mentoned problem, and all others remnant programs.

Con: It requires a Virtualization Ready CPU
Pro: Most dated PC machines provide Virtualization CPU's. My Aspire 5251 Laptop is one of them.

 

[j_steveson]

If you REALLY (I do) prefer working at the command prompt, you can still use copy <filename> con to output a file to the console, then copy con <filename> to replace/update (use Ctrl+Z to exit). This is old-school (DOS 5) stuff that still works even on Win7x64 (built-in to command.com and does not require a separate executable).

 

[simono1]

Hello,

Anyone know why Microsoft took out the "EDIT" commend from the Command Prompt in x64 bit? Is there a work around to get add it or set it so the command works? Seems dumb for them to remove it if you have actual problems with the GUI.

I have found this works for seeing in-window text of a complete file, on a 64bit machine. Once your path is set in cmd prompt, type the word type... followed by "filename" do you see how I used the quotes around the filename only!

type "filename"

You type it just like this (changing filename for your files name) and you will be able to see the entire file text in the cmd window. Not sure how to edit from here on but maybe someone can figure it out from here and tell me.