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Using Windows XP on a Thinkpad. When I type ipconfig in the run command line prompt, the window appears briefly and then disappears without me doing anything (and before I can read anything). Does anyone know what causes this and how to fix it?

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  • Welcome to Windows "user-friendliness" :-)
    – geek
    May 9, 2010 at 12:45

5 Answers 5

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It's because the ipconfig has finished, and automatically closes itself. This way you won't get a chance to read the messages it returns.

To be able to read the ipconfig messages run ipconfig from the command line.

  1. In the run command prompt enter cmd followed by enter
  2. You should see a black screen, similar to the old DOS, enter ipconfig followed by enter
  3. Voila, your ipconfig :)

This works for all other similar commands/programs in the command line.

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Try "cmd /k ipconfig /all" without quotes!!

As mentioned by @platinums, "/k" makes cmd stay open and then passes the "ipconfig" command to it.

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  • Can you expand your answer a little to explain how this solves the problem? Thanks.
    – fixer1234
    Mar 17, 2015 at 6:35
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    it makes cmd stay open "/k" and then passes the ipconfig comand to it
    – platinums
    Dec 15, 2017 at 14:53
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Open a command prompt first before typing ipconfig. What's happening is the ipconfig command is running and completeing and windows closes out the command prompt window as soon as the command it's running completes. Instead of ipconfig, type cmd and then in the new command prompt window type ipconfig (followed by enter) and then you can read the output. You can also use ipconfig /all to get even more detailed output if you need it (such as DNS servers and such).

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there is another possibility, and i am writing this from memory so it may not be exact. there is a file called msdos.pif. when you look at the properties, there is a setting called "close window on exit"... if you remove the check on this, then the ipconfig (or any other command you run) window will remain open.

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The reason of why closes so fast it's because it's a command line tool and not a Windows app., that's why just appears for a few seconds. But it's really simple to view your IP Configuration.

Just Go to

Start >> Run >> Type CMD Click OK (That should open the command prompt window)

Type >> IPCONFIG >> Press [Enter] (That should give you the configuration info that you need)

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