[batch-file] BAT file: Open new cmd window and execute a command in there

You may already find your answer because it was some time ago you asked. But I tried to do something similar when coding ror. I wanted to run "rails server" in a new cmd window so I don't have to open a new cmd and then find my path again.

What I found out was to use the K switch like this:

start cmd /k echo Hello, World!

start before "cmd" will open the application in a new window and "/K" will execute "echo Hello, World!" after the new cmd is up.

You can also use the /C switch for something similar.

start cmd /C pause

This will then execute "pause" but close the window when the command is done. In this case after you pressed a button. I found this useful for "rails server", then when I shutdown my dev server I don't have to close the window after.

Use the following in your batch file:

start cmd.exe /c "more-batch-commands-here"

or

start cmd.exe /k "more-batch-commands-here"

/c Carries out the command specified by string and then terminates

/k Carries out the command specified by string but remains

The /c and /k options controls what happens once your command finishes running. With /c the terminal window will close automatically, leaving your desktop clean. With /k the terminal window will remain open. It's a good option if you want to run more commands manually afterwards.

Consult the cmd.exe documentation using cmd /? for more details.

Escaping Commands with White Spaces

The proper formatting of the command string becomes more complicated when using arguments with spaces. See the examples below. Note the nested double quotes in some examples.

Examples:

Run a program and pass a filename parameter:
CMD /c write.exe c:\docs\sample.txt

Run a program and pass a filename which contains whitespace:
CMD /c write.exe "c:\sample documents\sample.txt"

Spaces in program path:
CMD /c ""c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Winword.exe""

Spaces in program path + parameters:
CMD /c ""c:\Program Files\demo.cmd"" Parameter1 Param2
CMD /k ""c:\batch files\demo.cmd" "Parameter 1 with space" "Parameter2 with space""

Launch demo1 and demo2:
CMD /c ""c:\Program Files\demo1.cmd" & "c:\Program Files\demo2.cmd""

Source: http://ss64.com/nt/cmd.html