Using the “start” command with parameters passed t

Question

I have a Virtual Machine in Virtual PC 2007.

To start it from the desktop, I have the following command in a batch file:

"c:\program files\Microsoft Virtual PC\Virtual PC.exe" -pc "MY-PC" -launch

But that leaves a dos prompt on the host machine until the virtual machine shuts down, and I exit out of the Virtual PC console. That's annoying.

So I changed my command to use the START command, instead:

start "c:\program files\Microsoft Virtual PC\Virtual PC.exe" -pc MY-PC -launch

But it chokes on the parameters passed into Virtual PC.

START /? indicates that parameters do indeed go in that location. Has anyone used START to launch a program with multiple command-line arguments?

Answer 1

"/b" parameter

start /b "" "c:\program files\Microsoft Virtual PC\Virtual PC.exe" -pc "MY-PC" -launch

Answer 2

Change The "Virtual PC.exe" to a name without space like "VirtualPC.exe" in the folder. When you write start "path" with "" the CMD starts a new cmd window with the path as the title. Change the name to a name without space,write this on Notepad and after this save like Name.cmd or Name.bat:

CD\
CD Program Files
CD Microsoft Virtual PC
start VirtualPC.exe
timeout 2
exit

This command will redirect the CMD to the folder,start the VirualPC.exe,wait 2 seconds and exit.

Answer 3

The answer in "peculiarity" is correct and directly answers the question. As TimF answered, since the first parameter is in quotes, it is treated as a window title.

Also note that the Virtual PC options are being treated as options to the 'start' command itself, and are not valid for 'start'. This is true for all versions of Windows that have the 'start' command.

This problem with 'start' treating the quoted parameter as a title is even more annoying that just the posted problem. If you run this:

start "some valid command with spaces"

You get a new command prompt window, with the obvious result for a window title. Even more annoying, this new window doesn't inherit customized font, colors or window size, it's just the default for cmd.exe.

Answer 4

START has a peculiarity involving double quotes around the first parameter. If the first parameter has double quotes it uses that as the optional TITLE for the new window.

I believe what you want is:

start "" "c:\program files\Microsoft Virtual PC\Virtual PC.exe" -pc MY-PC -launch

In other words, give it an empty title before the name of the program to fake it out.

Answer 5

The spaces are DOSs/CMDs Problems so you should go to the Path via:

cd "c:\program files\Microsoft Virtual PC"

and then simply start VPC via:

start Virtual~1.exe -pc MY-PC -launch

~1 means the first exe with "Virtual" at the beginning. So if there is a "Virtual PC.exe" and a "Virtual PC1.exe" the first would be the Virtual~1.exe and the second Virtual~2.exe and so on.

Or use a VNC-Client like VirtualBox.