hello, I'd like a batch command to prompt me for a password when I try to use it, and only work if I type in the correct password, can this be done?
thanks in advance.

Hi, You can use:
read -s -p "password: " pass;echo
to have the entered password stored in the variable pass.

A few hints:
Anyone who can edit the script can also change it to for example echo $pass, a security risk...
create an encrypted passwordfile, for example with
echo lakris $(echo secretpassword | md5sum ) >> .mypasswd
Make sure the passwd file is only readable by the owner of the script
Test the entered and encrypted $pass against what's in the file for a given user.

It would be a very rudimentary password handling routine but this should get You started!

/Lakris

yikes, your way over my head buddy!?!? perhaps you could give an example. how would I alter the following batch command to make it prompt me for a password to execute it.

@echo off
color 70
if exist "c:\new folder\file.txt" del "c:\new folder\file.txt"
ECHO hi everybody
ECHO.
PAUSE

Hello Killalot57,

I guess youa re looking for this kind of solution...

@echo off
set /p password="please enter the password:"
echo %password%

pause
color 70
if exist "c:\new folder\file.txt" del "c:\new folder\file.txt"
ECHO hi everybody
ECHO.
PAUSE


you can make the script to ask for any variable with the above..! may be you can take a look at runas command and integrate it with If command to authenticate; you should have the permissions on the password file as appropriate.

--ilan

Sorry, I didnt realise this was a Windows forum, how silly of me!

I wouldn't be able to do it in cmd.exe. Maybe someone else. But I can recommend ss64.com, it has a very good description of a lot of cmd.exe commands and options.

/Lakris

thanks anyway, I'll take a look at that website.

meanwhile I'd still greatly appreciate any help from anyone