We're Going to Launch New Site for Dr.Batcher

Mental Works Computing Software is proud of announcing Dr.Batcher's new site under construction. This site will not be just the re-designed old one. We are going to create special new section with tips and articles on batch files. Of course, the design will also be updated. The site will look much better and it'll be easier to navigate on it. Also we plan to create video-tutorials on creating batch files for different purposes with help of Dr.Batcher. Hope you'll be able to enjoy it all in a month or two.

What Tasks Can One Automate with Help of Batch Files?

We are sometimes asked: "What kind of tasks can I automate through batch files?" Our usual answer is "any kind". Of course, it depends on your needs. Here are some common tasks for IT specialists that can be automated with help of batch files.
Administrator: creating and restoring backups, changing network settings, cleaning junk files, starting and stopping services...
Programmer: making builds, starting applications under certain runtime environment, running different command line-tools with specified set of options...
Beta-tester: running applications with given parameters, running applications under different environments...
Here are just a small amount of examples. For what do you use batch files? Share your experience in comments.

How to Start or Stop a Windows Service with Help of Batch Files

Some users ask us how can they start Windows service with help of a batch script. That's why we decided to write a short post on this topic in our team's blog.
First of all it should be mentioned that starting or stopping some Windows services can make your system work strangely. Thus you should work with services really carefully, especially with standard services installed while the installation of the operating system.
Actually, you should know only one command to run or end Windows services. This command is called NET. To run a service you should add to your batch file the following line:
NET START "Service Name"
And to stop a service you have to use this construction:
NET STOP "Service Name"
Of course, you have to use the real name of the service you want to start or stop instead of Service Name.
It's really easy to work with services, as you see. If you have any questions about batch files, feel free to ask us via support@m-w-c-s.com.